Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 4

Revealing Emotion Using Show vs Tell

 

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. I’vegot a really busy schedule for the next week or so, mainly due to an upcomingrelease (yaaay!) so I will apologize for the brevity of this post.

What I thought I'd do today is give you a short refresher on how to reveal emotion using show vs tell techniques.Showing emotion rather than simply telling what your character is feelingallows readers to experience characters' feelings along with them, fostering adeeper connection to your characters and so your story..

Let'slook at four techniques to help you accomplish this.

UsePhysical Descriptions:
Often,our bodies reflect our emotions. A character who is angry might clench their fists,while someone who is nervous could tap their foot incessantly. Instead ofsaying "Joan was sad," you could write, "Tears welled up inJoan's eyes as she stared at the empty room."

 

Dialogueand Voice:
Theway characters speak can reveal their emotional state. A happy character mayspeak quickly or laugh a lot, while a worried character might stutter or trailoff. Consider this example: instead of writing "Emma was worried about herexam," you could show her asking her friend, "Do you think...what ifI don't pass?"

 

InnerThoughts and Feelings:
Gettinginside a character's head can be an effective way to show their emotions.Rather than telling the reader, "Jake was angry at his boss," youmight write, "Jake replayed his boss's words over and over in his mind,each repetition fueling his simmering resentment."

 

Actionsand Reactions:
Howyour character acts and reacts can say a lot about their emotional state.Instead of stating "Lisa was excited," write, "Lisa couldn't sitstill. She kept checking the time, her heart pounding each time the minute handjumped forward."

Remember, t

hekey to showing emotion is subtlety. It's about painting a picture that allowsthe reader to infer the characters' feelings from their actions, dialogue, andinternal monologues. Practice these techniques, and you'll find your characterscoming alive with emotional depth and authenticity.

 

What do you think of the above points - do you agree with them? Canyou think of other techniques to show a character’s emotion without naming it?  Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for one of my backlist books.
And speaking of new releases :) Disarming His Heart releases on the 20th! It's the 6th book in the really fun multi-author Pink Pistol Sisterhood series but it can definitely be read as a standalone. The series follows the journey of a one-of-a-kind pistol with supposed matchmaking properties. The first book opens in 1894 and the eleventh and final one takes place in the current day. Mine takes place in 1911. Here's a bit more about it.
DISARMING HIS HEART

Asharpshooter hiding her identity. A preacher with a guilty past. Will secretsruin their shot at love?

Violet Taylor leads a double life. She performs in a traveling show as themysterious Masked Marvel, a daring and commanding sharpshooter. But in reallife, she holds back and allows others to lead the way. When an accident putsher arm in a sling, she has to scramble to protect the secret of her identityas the Masked Marvel. So she enlists the help of her identical twin sister, a“townie” dressmaker, to secretly swap places until her arm heals. But thatmeans she must also take on her sister’s role as director of a children’schurch program. There’s just one hitch. Her sister sweet on Pastor Carson, theprogram’s codirector, so Violet has to make sure not to mess anything up withhim.

Pastor Carson Davis became guardian to an orphaned nine-year-old six months agoand has been struggling to build a relationship with the boy ever since. It’sto the point where he’s begun to wonder if he’s even fit to be a pastor. Couldfinding himself a wife who’d be a proper mother figure for his foster son bethe solution?

As Violet and Carson work together on the children’s program the attractionbetween them grows. But awareness of her sister’s feelings and guilt over herdeception hold Violet back.
Little does she know that Carson is harboring secrets of his own…

ORDER LINK

 

AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION

 

By Debby Giusti

I'm excited to be with you in Seekerville today, and I'm eager to tell you about my June release from Love Inspired Suspense. You've probably seen the blurb on the weekend edition and some of you may have already ordered the book. If so, thank you! I'm grateful for your support.

A deadly explosion.
A dangerous search for the truth.

After an explosion rocks Becca Klein’s bakery and kills one of her customers, she teams up with the victim’s son to find justice. Though estranged from his father, Englischer Luke Snyder is compelled to help the Amish woman uncover why his father died. But ruthless killers believe Luke’s father gave Becca something they want, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Can Luke keep Becca safe until they discover the truth?

Pre-Order HERE!
I mixed a lot of elements into the book that I hope you'll find to your liking. Becca Klein, my Amish heroine, has never strayed far from her plain community, yet she's filled with  wanderlust. Becca works at Zook's Bakery and has formed a deep friendship with an elderly Englischer who enjoys the jelly-filled donuts she makes. He compliments her sweetness and affirms her baking ability. His kind words stir a yearning in her heart to see what the outside world is like.
I'm sure you can tell what happens next from the cover and title! An explosion occurs and the elderly customer is killed but not before he gives Becca his Bible and asks her to contact his estranged son if something untoward happens to him.
Of course, you know who the son turns out to be. He's Luke Snyder, the hero who hasn't seen his father since he was ten years old. Luke carries memories of a bigger-than-life dad, but those thoughts are tempered by feelings of being abandoned and unloved. Because of that hurt in his past, Luke wants to disavow anything concerning his dad. Becca paints a different picture of his father and encourages Luke to find out the truth about the kind man who had become her friend.
I've added an adorable beagle puppy named Sadie, a gated scientific community, and information Becca and Luke need to uncover as they search for clues about Luke's dad.
The story is dedicated to Carol Rose, a woman with a huge heart who cares for the aged and infirm in my local community. It's brings me great joy to recognize this lovely woman who does so much for so many.
I've given you a tease about the story that, I hope, has made you want to learn more about Becca and Luke's journey.
What elements do you enjoy in the stories you read? Treacherous villains? Secrets? Wounds from the past that need to be revealed and healed? Share what makes you keep turning the pages. 
If you're a writer, what do you include in your stories to make them shine? Any tips for folks just starting on their writing journey as well as for those of us who have published a number of books? 
Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION. Two winners will be chosen and their names will be posted on the Weekend Edition. 
Happy Reading! Happy Writing!
Wishing you abundant blessings,Debby Giusti www.DebbyGiusti.com

Using Internal Conflict to Give Your Story Depth

by Jan Drexler

I have a problem. The hero of my work-in-progress, The First Rose of Spring, is the epitome of a nice guy. He’s smart. He’s brave. He’s willing to sacrifice his future for the well-being of a stranger.
Get this – he’s also a pastor.

And a cowboy.

Some of you are asking, “What’s wrong with that? He sounds perfect!”

Yes, we all love the nice guy. But the problem is that a perfect character doesn’t lend himself to conflict. And without conflict, there’s no story.


What is an author to do?

Justice Cooper’s biggest problem is his perfection.

Think about it – no one is really perfect, right? If someone appears to be perfect, you know it’s only on the surface. Underneath that smooth exterior there’s a flaw.

A big one.

The bigger the better.

 
Coop’s character will only grow when he becomes broken – when he realizes that he is not strong enough, not smart enough, not brave enough to be the man God has called him to be.

My job as the author of this story is to break Coop. Bring him to the lowest point he can possibly reach so that he is forced to look outside himself for the answer to his problems. The way to do that is to tap into his internal conflict.
Finding your character's internal conflict is a post for another day, but in a nutshell, Coop's internal conflict, the Lie he believes, is that God requires him to be perfect before he can be used for His glory.

That brings me to the theme of the story.

What is the theme? In general, it’s the Truth you’re trying to convey to your readers. In a Christian book, the theme quite often involves a Bible verse – in fact, that’s why I include a verse in the front matter of my books.

The verse for this story is, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV

 
How do I convey that theme to my readers throughout the book?

This is a subtle process because we want our readers to discover the all-important truth of our theme through our telling of the story.

I start by brainstorming images that will illustrate my theme of “strength in weakness through relying on God.”

 
A delicate wild rose on a windswept prairie…

An abandoned mail-order bride standing up to her tormentors…

A preacher who is failing until he bends to God’s will…

And then I write those images into my story.

The next question is: How do I do this?
I am always thankful for people who are smarter than I am. We learn how to write through reading blog posts like this one, talking to other writers, and reading craft books.
The craft book that helped me the most with relaying the theme through my story is The Moral Premise by Stan Williams. I first heard about this book here on Seekerville back in 2012.
The Moral Premise is used by many people as a method of outlining their stories, but once I had that mastered, I dug further into what the moral premise was and how to use it to deepen my story-telling.
Here are the links to Stan William's appearances on Seekerville: October 15, 2010, Myra's interview with Dr. Williams from October 1, 2012, Missy's take on The Moral Premise from January 13, 2014, and a post from Myra on Irony and The Moral Premise from October 15, 2015.
Here is the link to Stan William's website where you can find all sorts of information, encouragement, and free tools: Stan William's website
And, of course, you can buy his book on Amazon:


If you want to take your writing above and beyond where you are now, I encourage you to spend time learning how to use your characters' internal conflicts to expand the scope of your story. After all, that's what great writing is all about!
Leave a comment to tell us what you do to add depth to your story or share your favorite writing craft book. One commentor will win a $10 Amazon gift card - you can use it to buy a book to add to your TBR pile, or to purchase your own copy of The Moral Premise. :-)

Meanwhile, watch for the release of The First Rose of Spring this summer! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Jesus saying farewell to his eleven remaining disciples, from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308–1311. [PD-US]

Jesus said to his disciples:
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be withyou always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you willlive.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

John 14:15-21

 The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for  the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.

May the Lord bless all of us throughout this Easter Season with a new appreciation of His mercy and love. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

TO ALL THE MOMS

AND TO ALL WOMEN WHO LOVE CHILDREN.

Weekend Edition

  






If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected. **(All winners' emails will receive a response within a week. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, we may not have received it. Please leave a comment in the following Weekend Edition.)


Tuesday: Dana introduced us to Micah Bender and talked about unusual occupations for characters
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:


Monday: In a Back to Basics post, Jan Drexler will be discussing how our hero's internal conflict can steer the course of our story. 
Tuesday: Pepper is our hostess  
Wednesday: Debby Giusti will be talking about her June release, AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION! Learn more about this exciting Love Inspired Suspense story and how Debby came up with the plot.
Thursday: Winnie is our hostess    

AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION

A June 2023 Release!

A deadly explosion.
A dangerous search for the truth.

After an explosion rocks Becca Klein’s bakery and kills one of her customers, she teams up with the victim’s son to find justice. Though estranged from his father, Englischer Luke Snyder is compelled to help the Amish woman uncover why his father died. But ruthless killers believe Luke’s father gave Becca something they want, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Can Luke keep Becca safe until they discover the truth?

Pre-OrderHERE!







Disclaimer: Any blog post that includes an offer of product purchase or service is NOT to be considered an endorsement by Seekerville or any of our authors  (please see our Legal page )
Lessons God Teaches Authors When Creating Characters  by Jeanne Takenaka at Learn How To Write A Novel
Tips on Hiring and and Working with a Book Cover Designer by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors
How Theme in Fiction Gets to the Heart of Your Characters by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive
Plot Twist Ideas by Sarah Oakley at ProWritingAid
Why Every Author Needs a Website: How to Make Yours Stand Out by Stuart Grant at Book Brush blog
When Fear Stops You in Your Writing Journey, How to Choose Joy by Edie Melson at The Write Conversation
Enneagram Bullet Journal Setup by Natasha Miller at The Bullet Journalist
Feel the Rain by Chandra Lynn Smith at ACFW blog
Three Ways to Cut Rambling From Your Novel  by Christina Miller at Learn How To Write A Novel

The Power of Small Problems: Elevate Your Plot with Little Conflicts by Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Best of Ruthy: BACK TO BASICS: Editing to Match the Story

 

  As we continue filling in for Ruthy on hiatus, I chose this post on editing. I hope you'll find something useful here today. Join in and let us know your most useful tips for editing!
 BACK TO BASICS: Editing to Match the Story

This is the kind of post we can all use at times.

Few authors pen a masterpiece.

Fewer yet pen a masterpiece with no need of edits.

But when you're a new writer, the questions of what to edit, how to edit and when to edit are totally legitimate. Because you don't know what you don't know.

So let's start with my way (which I stole from Margaret Daley because it made sense to me and she's a prolific author of great stories... and she worked full time for decades while writing, and I like that kind of tenacity.)

1. Start your story. Write a few chapters. Describe your characters, get to know them, figure them out. Get to a grabs-your-attention spot now that you know your hero/heroine/protagonists and/or antagonists...

And begin there. 

Yes, you heard me. Set aside those initial getting-to-know you chapters and drop your reader into the action. I know, it's not how you learned it in grammar school with Miss Brown, but trust me, guys and gals: Miss Brown won't be seeing this and you want that editor hooked, hooked, hooked. (That's if you're aiming for traditional publishing. If you're going indie, it is just as important to hook the reader the same way. If you don't, they can click out of your book in a heartbeat and be reading someone else's story... edits matter. Do not sell readers short... they don't like that and they will let you know it.)

So now you know where your story starts. You've gotten to know your characters. I'm a "Pantser", I do minimal prep for my story because I'd rather see it come alive daily, so I'm going to talk from that perspective, but friends, EDITS ARE EDITS.

They are needed.

Necessary.

And like chocolate ice cream, they are good for you because you need to learn/see/spot your own weaknesses.

2. Do you mess up timelines? 

Do a chart that tells when important things take place for backstory or historical segment for easy reference. Keep it open as you work.

3. Do you overuse body parts? I saw a reader complaining about so many "He sucked a breath through grated teeth" or something like that. 

Oft-used phrases become annoying in genre reading, mostly because they fit and they're easy.

But there is a problem with expression vs. simple expression and it's kind of like a really good dance... change the tempo, change the moves, change the angles, change the rhythm... and end on a good note! 

FINAL DANCE SCENE FROM DIRTY DANCING!!!!!!!!! SWOON! 

Those closing scenes, from black moment on, carried your emotions on a roller coaster ride of why nots and what ifs, and that's what great edits can do: They take your reader on that ride because that's what a great story does... (having just returned from an amusement park and roller coasters, I can attest to this!)

Expression vs. simple expression is often about timing. If you overuse either maneuver it sounds unnatural so I pick and choose where I'm going over-the-top with descriptors. And I often do that in dialogue because old ladies and young children often talk that way. Here's an example:

The sun set.

She didn't move. Didn't sigh. Didn't let one tear fall onto the over-washed farm shirt she'd been wearing all day.

It was over.

She knew it. Understood it. Had expected it, even, but now--

Reality had taken it's shot and struck out like Casey at the bat and she was left to pick up the pieces. Again.

Ruthy explanation: The setting of that scene makes the scant description come alive in the reader's mind. The starkness offers the picture without me using too many words. 

Here's a different sunset scene:

Layered brilliance lit the western sky with shocking tones of gold, peach, orange, pink and red bordered by a thin splash of green. So thin she almost didn't see it.

The green hugged the horizon like a summer stole before the brighter tones overtook its subtle grace, shrouding it from view. Or maybe they didn't blanket the green. Maybe the power of their glorious salute to day's end sucked it up like a sponge seeking water. Stone-gray wisps filtered eastward, like sashes on a little girl's dress. 

She didn't live for sunsets, but the woods surrounding her tiny home were thick enough to make them a rarity, so today's fiery show drew her in. She could live here if she made that choice. Here with the beauty, the opulence, the gorgeous home, the stately cliffs reaching down, down, down to the sandy beaches below. Here where her heart resided with his. With him. How she wished it were an option.

It wasn't. She knew that.

He didn't.

But as the warm glows of the sinking sun faded to obscure shadows of what had just been, her hopes sank with them. Not her resolve.

She knew her duty. Knew where she had to be.

Now she had to tell him. Tell Carrick. Make him understand. 

He wouldn't. Couldn't. He believed that love conquered all and what he couldn't conquer with love, he'd conquer with might and he'd proven that, time and again but this time...

She stood and brushed grains of sand from the folds of chiffon.

This time she had to face the demons of the past alone and she'd do it because she'd either succeed--

Or die, trying.

And she was okay with either scenario.

Edits aren't just about changing words, slicing and dicing, and strengthening your story's arc. Sometimes they're about making the scene fit the story, the moment, the emotion. If you mess with the emotion of the moment, the scene or the story by giving the readers too much or not enough, it feels wrong, and that's what your edits need to avoid: You don't want your story to feel "wrong"... 

I liken great storytelling to beats of music. When the music works for me it's because the tune and the lyrics and the harmony all feed the moment, making it come alive.

Zach Williams and Dolly Parton's duet on "There Was Jesus" is a perfect example of that... The fact that you can see their breath in the cold barn only adds to the pathos of the song.

There Was Jesus official video here...

As is her partnership with For King and Country on "God Only Knows" that added a layer of absolute pathos to a song that was already wonderful, lifting it to beyond wonderful status.

God Only Knows video with For King and Country and Dolly Parton here...

The two compilations have inspired a new series in my head, a beautiful series of second chances, rough times, bad choices and absolute deliverance, the kind only God can give because humans are so very narrow. 

When you edit, bleed emotion. Choose words with care, not abandon. And don't be afraid to do it again and again because getting it right isn't just your responsibility... it's your duty to the beauty of story.

Somewhat bossy and always opinionated, award-winning and bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne has over 60 novels and novellas in print with over 2,000,000 in sales so she's pretty sure she's smart but equally sure that she doesn't know everything about publishing and/or writing so that's why she loves chatting it up with aspiring authors and industry pros over here in Seekerville. Friend Ruthy on Facebook, visit her website ruthloganherne.com and email her at loganherne@gmail.com (where yes, she actually reads and answers her own email.... happily!) 

Introducing Micah Bender

Recently, my 18th book with Love InspiredSuspense released. My son laughed at me as I dragged him through Wal-Mart justto get a glimpse of my book on the shelf. Even after so many books, it is stillthrilling to see a new book baby launch.

Crime Scene Witness isthe second installation in five surrounding the Bender family. It tells thestory of Micah Bender, the oldest Bender sibling. The first story, HerSecret Amish Past, was released in January. I had actually started writing CrimeScene Witness first. However, I hadn’t written more than a few scenes when I realized I needed to tell Joss’s story first. I put Micah’s story aside for ashort time while I wrote about Joss’s discovery of who she really was. I lovedwriting that book, but I greatly anticipated returning to give Micah his happyever after.

Let me tell you a little about the characters in CrimeScene Witness. As I said before, Micah is the oldest brother. Hegrew up Amish in Sutter Springs, Ohio, but left the community when he was seventeen.More than twenty years have passed since then. He’s now a deputy US marshal. He also holds himself back from becoming emotionally involved with anyone. He's seen too much to risk his heart again.

Lissa Page is a single mother who gave up all herdreams to raise her daughter alone. She works as a crime scene cleaner to makeends meet. I found it an interesting job to research, as I had never thoughtabout what it entailed previously. It is sometimes a gruesome career. It also bringsLissa to the attention of a serial killer.

Then there’s Shelby, Lissa’s five year-old daughter.She was a joy to write. Sweet and sassy, she brings forth Micah’s protective instinctsimmediately.

The next three books regarding the Bender family areset to release at the end of July, September and the end of June, 2024. I’mwriting the last one now.

So I’m curious. What are some of the most interestingcareers you’ve read about in books? What would be one you’d enjoy seeing moreof? As a writer, I’m always on the lookout for new ideas. I’m giving away onecopy of Crime Scene Witness to a commenter.

 

CRIMESCENE WITNESS

Findinga safe haven

is the only way to stay alive

When crime scene cleaner Lissa Page discovers aclue at a murder site, she’s attacked and becomes the killer’s new target. NowDeputy US Marshal Micah Bender must protect the single mother from becominganother victim. But with threats coming from every direction, Micah needs tohide Lissa—and the Amish community he left behind might be the answer tokeeping his witness safe.

 

 

Dana R. Lynn is a USA Today andPublishers Weekly bestselling author who believes in the power of God to touchpeople through stories. She met her husband at a wedding in Pennsylvania andtold her parents she had met her future husband. Nineteen months later, theywere married. Today, they live in rural Pennsylvania and are entering the worldof empty nesters. She is a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing by day andwrites stories of romance and danger at night. Dana is an avid reader, lovescats and thinks chocolate should be a food group. Readers can contact her orsign up to receive her monthly newsletter at  www.danarlynn.com.

 

 

 

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

An image of God the Father
by Julius Schnorr, 1860. [PD-US]

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwellingplaces.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare aplace for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him,
"Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth andthe life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will beenough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you forso long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and theFather is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on myown.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Fatheris in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father."

John14:1-12

 The Seekerville bloggers have been praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please pray for our country and for an end to the problems that plague us at this current time, such as the increased cost of fuel and food and the rise in crime. Please pray for world peace, for  the protection of our military, law enforcement officers and border agents.   

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

God bless you and keep you safe.

May the Lord bless all of us throughout this Easter Season with a new appreciation of His mercy and love.      

Weekend Edition

  






If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected. **(All winners' emails will receive a response within a week. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, we may not have received it. Please leave a comment in the following Weekend Edition.)


Monday: Mary was here talking about research and her soon to be released Laws of Attraction. The winner of a $25 Amazon gift card is Angeline.
Wednesday: Mindy celebrated her upcoming release. The winner of a signed copy of Loving the Rancher's Children and a $20 Amazon gift card is... Mrs Brent!
Thursday: Audra shared tips to protect yourself from getting Scammed!




Monday: Jaime Jo is our hostess
Tuesday: Dana is our hostess 
Wednesday: The Best of Ruthy!

AMISH BLAST INVESTIGATION

A June 2023 Release!

A deadly explosion.
A dangerous search for the truth.

After an explosion rocks Becca Klein’s bakery and kills one of her customers, she teams up with the victim’s son to find justice. Though estranged from his father, Englischer Luke Snyder is compelled to help the Amish woman uncover why his father died. But ruthless killers believe Luke’s father gave Becca something they want, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. Can Luke keep Becca safe until they discover the truth?

Pre-OrderHERE!









Disclaimer: Any blog post that includes an offer of product purchase or service is NOT to be considered an endorsement by Seekerville or any of our authors  (please see our Legal page )
What's the Point? by Michelle Sass at Learn How To Write A Novel
9 First Time Author Blunders You Need To Avoid by Mike Loomis at Write To Done
Five Things I Learned Writing a Series by Dan Rice at Live Write Thrive
Can Macros Make Me a Better Writer? by Bob Hostetler at Steve Laube Agency
How to Juggle Writing and a Full-Time Job by JW Judge at The Writer's Cookbook
The Backstory Drip by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors
Does Writer's Block Really Exist? by Diana Stout, MFA, PhD at Writers In The Storm
AI Assisted Artisan Author by Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn
What Is Yours To Do? by Barbara O'Neal at Writer UnBoxed
Worldbuilding 101 for Authors: Climate and Geography by AC Williams at The Write Conversation

Scammed? Not Me!

 

Helloeveryone! Audra here.

TheInternet has become an integral part of our daily lives. Such a wonderful, creativeinvention shared with the world to help and inform us on everything fromshopping to research to socializing! It has given us the ability to reach outand touch new friends – like you! 

However, this familiarity has also created abreeding ground for scammers and nogoodniks (as my dad would say). Online scams take many forms,including phishing emails, fake websites, fraudulent advertisements, andmalware attacks. As much as you think it might not happen to you, believe me,scams can worm their way into lives before you realize it.

Stay vigilant:

Thefirst step in avoiding online scams is to be aware that they exist. Scammersuse sophisticated techniques to trick people into giving away personalinformation or money, and they can be very convincing. Be wary of anyunsolicited emails or messages that ask for personal information or money.Remember the old adage: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Use trusted websites:

Whenshopping online or using other services, make sure you use trusted websites.Look for the padlock icon in the address bar. Many hosting services offer SSL forfree and stand behind the domains they host. Check the website's privacy policyand terms and conditions to ensure that your information is being handledproperly. Always deny access to cookies except for the most necessary.

Keep your software up to date:

Keepingyour computer and other devices up to date with the latest software updates andsecurity patches can help protect you from online scams. Scammers often targetolder software with known vulnerabilities. By keeping your software up to date,you can minimize the risk of being targeted by these types of scams.

Be careful with email attachments and links:

Phishingemails often contain attachments or links that can download malware onto yourcomputer or take you to a fake website designed to steal your information.Always be careful when opening email attachments or clicking on links,especially if the email is from an unknown sender. More on this in a littlebit.

Use strong passwords:

Usingstrong passwords is an essential step in protecting yourself from online scams.Avoid using simple passwords that can be easily guessed or hacked. Instead, usea combination of letters, numbers, and symbols to create a strong password. Passwordmanagers are available to help you remember your passwords and generate strongpasswords for you. Personally, I don’t use these services and prefer to writemy passwords in a notebook, not on my computer.

Don't overshare on social media:

Becareful about the information you share on social media. Scammers can useinformation you post online to target you with personalized scams. Talk aboutthe rotten neighbor at the block party! For as much as you want to share allthe fun and memorable events with others, think about creating identities foryou and your family that can’t be traced easily. Avoid posting personalinformation, such as your full name, address, or phone number, on social media.Also, be cautious about accepting friend requests from people you don't know.

Watch out for fake charities:

Scammersoften use natural disasters or other tragedies to set up fake charities andsolicit donations from unsuspecting victims. Go to the charity directly ratherthan through the proffered link. Research a charity before donating to ensurethat it is legitimate. Look for information about the charity's mission andtheir history.

Trust your instincts

Finally,trust your instincts when it comes to online scams. If something seemssuspicious or too good to be true, it probably is. If you receive an email ormessage that asks for personal information or money, take a moment to thinkbefore responding. Don't be afraid to ask for more information or to verify thesender's identity before taking any action.

I have atrue story to share - the one that inspired this post. It started witha conversation with a woman wanting to purchase some land I had inherited inLithuania. THAT is a long story (for another time!). These people had done their research - unfortunately for me - and Ifelt they were legitimate. It wasn’t until I checked out the links she had includedin an email that I realized it was a con.

I immediatelyshut down my computer, but knew it was too late to avoid any malware that mighthave been downloaded. The next day, I tried to schedule an appointment with my GeekSquad (using that laptop) to have them look through my computer. There was acurious blip on the screen that should have flagged my brain that something was up, but oh nooooo, Icruised ahead and talked to a nice lady - dressed in Geek garb - about using a remote clean up. Let’s not relivethe entire sordid affair, but once I realized Geek Care was not Geek Squad, I had already allowedthem access to my drive.

I repeat, it was a tiny blip on my screen but that was long enough for them to redirect me to their scam site. 

I tookmy computer (physically) to Geek Squad, explained this scam happened on theirsite and left it to their techno-gurus to fix. They were backlogged and said itwould take 3 to 4 days to finish. I didn't care; I just wanted it fixed! When I returned topick it up the next day, they explained a tech had completed a project ahead of schedule andpicked up my ticket. He or she spent 10 hours cleaning up my drive. They uninstalledand installed some apps, ran deep diagnostics, and updated my security.

10 hoursto clean up planted malware!

Ithought I knew all about scams. I had attended numerous trainings on thesubject while I worked for the County - we had hands-on sessions. I regularly take my computers in fortune-ups. My son constantly harps on all of us to avoid the traps I had falleninto. Despite all these precautions, a scammer got lucky. 

None of us are immune.

Theadage of “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is,” is one toburn in your gray matter, no doubt. BUT, sometimes we need to be vigilant withour tried and true sites, as well. There was a time when being skeptical wasn’ta welcome trait. Unfortunately, the world around us requires us to be vigilantwhether we want to or not.

How about you? Are you ready to fight the good fight and keep the scammers at bay? Has anyone fallen prey to a scam that caught you in the blink of an eye? Let's share. Maybe through our experiences, we can help others before it happens.

~   ~   ~

Audra Harders  writes "rugged stories with heart" featuring fearless men who haven't a clue about relationships, rescued by ladies who think they have all the answers. In real life, she's married to her own patient hero, has two adult children, and a very strong-willed Corgi. She began writing right after her second kidlet was born and sold her first book to Love Inspired mere months before that same young adult graduated from high school. Surviving those years in between reminds her God does have a plan for her life...and that He has a tremendous sense of humor. You can visit Audra at:

Website: https://www.audraharders.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audrahardersauthor/