Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 5

Yet Another Book Baby Dropping Soon

by Mindy Obenhaus

There are lots of celebrations on tap for the Obi family this month. One grandson has a birthday, as well as our youngest daughter. Later this month, we'll be welcoming a new grandbaby AND I'll have a new book baby to boot. 

Book three in my Hope Crossing series, Loving the Rancher's Children, releases May 23rd. If you've read one or both of the other two books in the series, you'll not only have an opportunity to catch up with some familiar characters from the first two books, but you'll also get to know Jake Walker and Alli Krenek who've been mentioned in the previous books. No worries if you haven't ready either of the other books, though. Any of them can be read as a stand-alone. 

Growing up on adjoining ranches, Jake and Alli were the best of friends, always trying to outdo each other. But just when it seemed their friendship was blossoming into something more, Jake broke Alli's heart. And they've barely spoken since. Something that was easy to do when Alli lived in Austin. But now she's back in Hope Crossing and Jake is a widowed father of two in need of a nanny. A position Alli would jump on if Jake weren't the children's father. But between her soft spot for kids and God's nudging, Alli soon changes her mind. 

Have you ever encountered someone you once knew and tried to fit them into the mold of who they were only to find out they'd changed? I don't know about you, but I'm not the same person I was at eighteen. I've had a lot of life experiences between then and now and they've shaped who I am today.

As a writer, I loved watching Jake and Alli discover who the other person had become. To see their preconceived notions flipped upside down. And I hope you will, too. You can preorder your copy at any of these fine retailers: Amazon, ChristianBook.com, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target

But today we're celebrating, so I'm giving away a signed copy of Loving the Rancher's Children, along with a $20 Amazon gift card (U.S. mailing addresses only, please). Simply leave a comment to be entered, however, if you comment as Anonymous, please include a name so everyone will know which Anonymous actually won. Then be sure to check the Weekend Edition Saturday to find out if you're a winner.

Best-selling author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com

And away we go!!!

 Time to talk about book #2 in the Wyoming Sunrise Series.

The Laws of Attraction

I probably did more research for this book than any book for a while and I did a LOT for book #1 of this series

But a woman justice of the peace in Wyoming in 1870? Oh yes it is true. It happened. Esther Hobart Morris was the first female justice of the peace in America so my heroine is the SECOND. I've found research since, not exactly clear, but I think there were several woman appointed as Justices of the Peace right after Esther Morris. So mine might be the THIRD OR FOURTH OR FIFTH. I don't know for sure, but she was real early on!

My heroine, Nell, just wants to make pretty dresses. She's a talented seamstress and she loves it. But let's face it, she's living in a state with total 9000 people. In a small town in that state. Men outnumber woman five to one. And the woman there are? They mostly make their own dresses.

So Nell finds a talent for making chaps. The cowboys LOVE THEM. And she HATES making them but she has to make a living and she is really making a lot of money. And a girl has to eat. But she is quite open at least with her good friends, about what a weird and unhappy turn her life has taken. She's almost the richest person in town. The cowboys are willing to wait as long as necessary and pay what she considers an exorbitant price for the chaps. They even bring her tanned deer hides to help her provide the leather,

There is no escape for Nell and her little industry.

One of the heroes, the guy from book #3 thinks to himself that he was considering asking Nell to make him a pair of chaps, but he was kind of afraid.

But Nell's diseased husband was a lawman. Nell knows a lot of things about the law and investigating crimes that no one else seems to know.

When the current Justice of the Peace moves away, the sheriff thinks Nell, who's been helping him investigate a series of murders by the notorious DeadEye Gang, puts her name out and she's chosen.

Now Nells got an unruly town, some of which want a MAN to have the job...most of which want her to marry them...and many of whom want her to make them a pair of chaps.

Her life is annoying.

Except for the homesteader who moves to town with three half-grown girls and he, as a widower, needs help. He needs dresses. And there's a lot he doesn't know, like he should chop their hair off short and the girls actually need to learn to sew, which, he can't teach them.

Nell to the rescue. 

She wants the girls. But she had a bad first marriage and wants no part of a second. But she does want those girls. And Brand Nolte is a fine man, certainly not mean like her first husband. And now his girls might be a danger because one of them saw something she shouldn't related to that gang of stage coach ridings.

What's a woman to do, huh?

The Laws of Attraction. coming in June. 

Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card.

Tell me about your research. what are you researching right now, or what's the most interesting thing you're ever researched or the most GRISTLY??? Or the most fun.

Pre-order on Amazon. Click Here

Pre-order it for a bit LESS (yes, less) on BakerBookHouse.com Click Here

Widowed seamstress Nell Armstrong finds solace in helping widower Brand Nolte's daughters learn to sew. 

But she's more than a seamstress, and her investigative skills from her late lawman husband come critical when a robbery survivor arrives in town. 

As danger encroaches from all sides, Nell and Brand must discover why there appears to be a bull's-eye on their backs.

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

The Lord is my Good Shepherd, 19th century by German Artist
Bernard Plockhorst. [PD-US]

Jesus said:

"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is theshepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheephear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name andleads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice ofstrangers."
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was tryingto tell them.

So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say toyou,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter anddestroy;
I came so that they might have life and have itmore abundantly."
John 10:1-10

 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: Erica brought you some advice on why deadlines are important for writers at every stage of their career.
Wednesday: Cate discussed Finding A Sense of Place for your Story
Thursday: Pam




Monday: Mary--Here we go again. Laws of Attraction--Book #2 in the Wyoming Sunrise Series is comin' up. Mary's gonna talk about it and there will be prizes.
Wednesday: Mindy will be here to share with us. 
Thursday: Audra discussed how to avoid being Scammed and offered a real-life story of her own.    







Mary Connealy and Jaime Jo Wright on Historical Bookworm this week: A Bookchat about Forged in Love with Mary Connealy & a Review of Premonition at Withers Farm by Jamie Jo Wright - Historical Bookworm

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 )
5 Ways to Crash Your Character's Pity Party by Marissa Graff at Writers Helping Writers
Three Tips for Improving Your Author Newsletter by Beth K Vogt at Learn How To Write A Novel
How to Craft an Engaging Arc for Your Story by Kathy Edens at ProWritingAid blog
Facing Your Character's Feelings by Dave King at Writer UnBoxed
Hacks for Day-To-Day Writing by Tamela Hancock Murray at Steve Laube agency
Short Stories: Can They Still Have Character Arcs? by Jami Gold
Where the Trouble Starts by Laurie Schnebly Campbell at Writers In The Storm
Going Wide? Why Authors Love Using Draft2Digital by Rene Averett at Book Brush blog
How to Build a Writer Platform with No Time, No Credentials and No Book by Kimberley Grabas at Write To Done
Tell Don't Show by Terry Odell at Kill Zone blog

Why Am I Here? What Is My Purpose?

A few years ago, my oldest son had surgery, and after almost eighteen hours without something to eat, he wanted food fast…not fast food necessarily…but good food fast. We spotted a Raising Cane’s, and he said he’d eaten there, and that he’d enjoyed it, so we headed that way.
In this ageof being everything to everybody, I was surprised to find nothing but chickentenders on their menu. Yes, they sold a few side items, Texas toast, cole slaw, etc, but their meat was chicken. But then I realized what a brilliant marketing strategy. They knowwhat they do well—fried chicken tenders—so why mess with a good thing? Their chicken was delicious, so, yes, this is one instance where less was definitely more!


Asfreelancers, we can take a lesson from Raising Cane’s. We’re pulled in so manydirections: writing, marketing, social media, taking care of the business sideof writing, just to name a handful of tasks. I've been at this gig a while, and it doesn't matter where you are along this journey of writing, you wear all the hats, in addition to holding down a public job and raising afamily or helping out with grandchildren and/or elderly parents.
The onething I’ve learned (am still learning) is that I needto focus on the dream, the one thing that got me into this crazy, excitingbusiness in the first place.

So what’sthe answer? Better yet, what’s the question?

Why am I here? How did I get here?What am I doing here? What is my purpose?

I’m herebecause I’m a writer.

I mustfocus on my craft and creating a good story. Focusing for me means devoting themost creative times of my day to brainstorming, plotting, writing, editing, immersingmyself in my story, and guarding that time very carefully. Writea good story and the rest will follow.

Yes, thecheckbook must be balanced, the website updated, the books mailed out. Themarketing has to be done, the blog tour scheduled, the contract reviewed, the phone answered. Thereare a ton of things demanding an author's attention: blogging, tweeting, sending out a newsletter,hosting a book signing, or speaking every other weekend, attending conferences. But if we don't focus on the one thing that brought us to this place -- writing  -- none of these others things will be needed or even necessary.

I don’t wantto get so caught up in the multitude of things screaming for my attention everyday that I forget to focus on what brought me here.

I’m herebecause I’m a writer.

Keep your focus and keep writing!
I popped over to Amazon and saw that two of my books are on sale for .99 cents, so if you haven't read these, today's a great time to snag copies. Happy reading! And WRITING!

Link to Second Chance Brides on Amazon
Link to Silver Lining on Amazon

Finding a Sense of Place for Your Story

As often happens with my blog posts, the topic I am writing about came to me as a result of ruminating on several different ideas. In this case, they converged in thoughts about the role that "place" plays in our stories, both as a writer and a reader.

Let me lead you down the rabbit hole of my thinking process. 

(I actually came at it backwards, so we're looking up through the rabbit hole)

Photo credit to Michal Ico from Unsplash)

  

Recently, I was listening to an author talk by Megan Miranda who was describing why she chose the Outer Banks as the setting for her most recent thriller. As she is an author known for the way her sense of place contributes to tension in her stories, it was intriguing to listen to her talk about how she chooses the setting. This is a paraphrase, but she was discussing how she looks for someplace evocative that has appeal, like the seashore. What is key though is that the same thing that makes it appealing can be flipped to make it threatening. So in her recent book, The Only Survivors, she used the Outer Banks as a refuge that also became a trap when a storm blew in and the roads were flooded out, leaving the "survivors" in that locked "room" setting so beloved of thriller/mystery writers.

Ms. Miranda also spoke of how she always travels to the setting of a book as she is preparing to write it, because that is important to developing the story.

That point resonated with me because of something else I've been thinking about. As many of you know, I spent most of my life living in the NYC Metro area. I was born in Queens, raised on Long Island, lived in Manhattan as a young married woman, and then spent 30+ years in what's known as Brownstone Brooklyn. I could easily write about the places I lived. The problem is, I never wanted to.

Which brings me to the next twist in this rabbit tale.

A popular writing adage tells us to "write what you know." The know always seems to me to imply personal experience. So writing about a place implies you need to know it intimately in order to create a strong sense of it for your reader. (Cue back to that not wanting to write about NYC problem.)

I'll admit, I'm a bit of a rebel when it comes to some writing advice, and write what you know was one piece that I always rebelled against. Maybe because I started out writing historical romance, and obviously I had no personal experience of the American colonies or Regency England or Famine-plagued Ireland. It seemed like I was set up to fail, right? Except that people do it all the time - that's what research books are for.

I always preferred the advice that suggested to "write what interests you."

That's much more... well... interesting and it opens up endless possibilities.

I still go with that mantra, but since I moved to Maine, I've experienced some revelations that have me rethinking the write what you know advice also. It all ties in with that sense of place.

What triggered that rethinking is the seasonal change here, and I want to discuss it in two ways. 

First there is the obvious seasonal change - from the bitter cold of winter to the warm and sunny days of summer and then the scarlet and gold splendor of autumn. 

But what has really piqued my interest is the slow emergence of spring. This is my second spring here, and I continue to be amazed at the daily changes, the oh so slow greening. At first there is just the slightest hint - something that was brown and dead yesterday suddenly has a touch of color. Slowly, as the April rains replace the mounds of snow, a haze of green emerges. 

Buds appear on trees. They may not blossom for a month, yet each day you see their tightness ease as tentatively they begin to unfurl. Any week now, we may see lilacs bloom. 

I could go on at length about the ferns that seem to almost magically sprout from the ground. I watched them so carefully last year because I was curious what was going to grow from the tender shoots. Or the buttercups that begin to line the roadway at the edge of the forest. Months from now, lupines will appear in the most unexpected of places - an abandoned field or a rocky slope along the highway.

 

But there is another seasonal change that I wanted to mention. That is the one that is man-made. I've come to love these rituals of change. There is that day at the end of October when suddenly the small boats are gone from the harbor almost overnight. The docks are pulled in and the rows of buoys disappear. The large ships that remain are wrapped tightly in white plastic to protect them against the winter elements. It's almost as if some invisible signal was sent - today is the day.

Fast forward to March and the process reverses. One day you're driving by the harbor and note that all of a sudden the buoys and docks are back. It's like clockwork, but also reflects the work life of the people who live by, and make a living on, the ocean.

Why does all this matter? 

Well each time I note it, I am doing it with a writer's eye and thinking how much that sort of knowledge contributes to the sense of place you are creating. These are the little details that make your story feel authentic. 

Which brings me around to my question for you - how do you create that sense of authenticity when you're writing about a place where you don't live? If you're lucky, you can visit, and if you're really lucky, you can even make that trip during the appropriate season. If you can't get there, Google Earth is great for getting you right down on ground level to help imagine your scene, the internet abounds with images people share, but that is static. How do you get to know the seasonal rhythms of a place or the small changes?

I'd love to hear your answers.

Why Deadlines are Important, Even for Pre-Published Writers

Erica here with you today. I'd like to share a famous quote with you, a quote by a prolific writer:

While this may make us chuckle, deadlines are a serious thing in the professional writer's life. Deadlines are not mere guidelines or suggestions. Deadlines are hard and fast and need to be honored. And here are some reasons why:

1. You gave your word. When you signed your contract, the various deadlines were spelled out. What you are expected to do by which date, what the publisher is expected to do and by what date. You put your name on that document, often accepted money to seal the deal, and the publisher has a realistic expectation that you will deliver what you promised when you signed that legal document.

2. Every book has a timeline within the publishing house, and the major date on that timeline is the turning in of the manuscript. Really nothing else can happen until they have the manuscript in house. You, as the author, are the first domino in the chain. The publisher has blocked out dates for the macro/developmental edits, the line edits, the proofreading, the galleys, back cover and advertising copy, cover art, catalog placement, sales calls, online retailer listings and more. In some cases they have hired editors specifically for your project, expecting that the manuscript will be available to work on by the agreed date. If you are late, by even so much as a week, it balls up all the steps further down the pipe. Your failure to be timely in your work has now become someone else's emergency.

3. Your next contract may depend upon it. Imagine you are an acquisition editor, looking at signing an author to another contract or signing on a new author? If the veteran author looking for another contract have been consistently late with deadlines, the editor might be strongly disposed to give someone else a chance to keep their promises instead. This is a small industry, and you can bet that word gets around amongst editors as to who is a professional when it comes to deadlines, and who treats them loosey-goosey and snarls up the calendars. 

But what if you're not yet published? Deadlines don't matter to you, right? WRONG.

Now is the time to begin working toward deadlines. Set them yourself, have someone hold you accountable to them. Perhaps having a contest entry ready on time, or having a manuscript ready before you attend a conference. Prove you can finish something on time. Then start the next thing. When you are a published author, you may have several deadlines for multiple projects. And each round of editing has a deadline included. I just finished galley proofs for my publisher for my fall release, and I had a three week deadline, which is quiet generous. But I had that extra week because I returned my line edits a bit early. The domino effect can work in your favor, too! 

If you know in advance you will not be able to meet a deadline to which you have agreed, please, for the love of frogs and fish-sticks, tell your agent as soon as possible. We understand that life happens. Maybe you become seriously ill, or you have to care for a loved one. Maybe you suffer a tremendous loss...your house burns down, or a child goes off the rails. Do not ghost your agent and editor. Tell them so they can both make plans to extend the deadline as far in advance as possible, and so they can support and pray for you. Waiting and hoping you'll make it, and then springing on your editor the day the ms is due that you're not even halfway finished will not make them happy-smiley. 

Regency London's detective duo is back on a new case--and this one is going to be a killer

Caught in the explosion of the Hammersmith Mill in London, Bow Street Runner Daniel Swann rushes to help any survivors only to find the mill's owner dead of an apparent gunshot.

Even though the owner's daughter, Agatha Montgomery, mourns his death, it seems there are more than a few people with motive for murder. But Daniel can't take this investigation slow and steady. Instead, he must dig through all the suspects as quickly as he can, because the clock is ticking until his mysterious patronage--and his job as a runner--comes to an abrupt and painful end. It seems to Daniel that, like his earthly father, his heavenly Father has abandoned him to the fates.

Lady Juliette Thorndike is Agatha's bosom friend and has the inside knowledge of the wealthy London ton to be invaluable to Daniel. She should be in a perfect position to help with the case. Still, her instructor in the art of spy craft orders her to stay out of the investigation. But circumstances intervene, dropping her into the middle of the deadly pursuit.

When a dreadful accident ends in another death on the mill floor, Daniel discovers a connection to his murder case--and to his own secret past. Now he and Juliette are in a race to find the killer before his time runs out.

Best-selling, award-winning author, Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can learn about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/groups/inspirationalregencyreaders where she spends way too much time!

 

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Pilgrims at Emmaus, Titian, 1535, Louvre Museum, Paris, France. [PD-US]

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus' disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem calledEmmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things thathad occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversingand debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus theNazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed himover
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one toredeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astoundedus:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophetsspoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should sufferthese things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they weregoing,
he gave the impression that he was going onfarther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almostover."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them attable,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and theyrecognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened theScriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and hasappeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breakingof bread.

Luke 24:13-35

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: Jan asked the timeless question: Should Christian Authors Write For Secular Readers? and the winner of an e-book copy of "The Case of the Artist's Mistake" is Kayla James!
Tuesday: Pepper confessed her life isn't all bubble-gum and ice cream with her post How Do You Manage The Crazy?
Wednesday: Debby shared some secrets to peace with Nine Steps From Fear To Freedom
Thursday: Winnie shared her secrets of keeping details straight in the books she writers. Keeping Up With Your Story World includes examples!! And the winner of a signed copy of Her Amish Patchwork Family is Terri Lynn Schump




Monday: Erica will have some advice on why deadlines are important!
Wednesday: Cate will be here to talk about the importance of place in our stories.

Thursday: Pam is our hostess today  




Pre-orders are live for the final book in theThorndike & Swann Regency Mystery Series! 


Winnie is excited to announce that she currently has two new releases up for preorder

HER AMISH PATCHWORK FAMILY

A former schoolteacher and a single father discover a second chance at friendship, family, and love.

Former Hope’s Haven schoolteacher, Martha Eicher, has always been the responsible one, putting her family first and caring for her widowed father and two younger sisters. But now they’re all happily married, and Martha isn’t sure where she fits in anymore . . . until she hears that Asher Lantz needs a nanny. Even though her childhood friendship with Asher ended abruptly years ago, when a misunderstanding drove a wedge between them, Martha offers her assistance.

Asher is also feeling adrift. As a single father to his niece and nephews, he struggles to balance his new family responsibilities with those on the farm and in his workshop. He’s grateful for Martha’s help, but worries things will always feel awkward with her. Yet before long, Asher realizes Martha is exactly what his family needs, and he can’t imagine his home without her.

Martha and Asher thought they were lost, but could they be right where they belong . . . together?

AMAZON LINK

DISARMING HIS HEART

A sharpshooter hiding her identity. A preacherwith a guilty past.

Violet Taylor leads a double life. She’s the mysterious Masked Marvel, adaring and commanding sharpshooter performing in a traveling show. But in real life she holds back and allows others to lead theway. When an accident puts her arm in a sling she has to scramble to protect thesecret of her identity as the Masked Marvel. So she enlists the help of heridentical twin sister, a “townie” dressmaker, to secretly swap places until herarm heals. But that means she must also take on her sister's roleas director of a children's church program. Before leaving, her sisterinforms Violet that she’s sweet on Pastor Carson, the program’s co-director, soshe’d appreciate it if Violet doesn’t mess anything up with him.

Pastor Carson Davis became guardian to an orphaned nine-year-oldsix months ago and has been struggling to building a relationship with the boyever since. It’s to the point where he’s begun to wonder if he’s even fit to bea pastor. Could finding a wife and mother figure for his foster son be thesolution?

As Violet and Carson work together on the children’s program theattraction between them grows. But mindful of her sister’s feelings and guiltover her deception hold Violet back.

Little does she know that Carson is harboring secrets of his own…

AMAZON LINK

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 )
Here's What Happens When You Read Everyday by Brooke Nelson at Reader's Digest
Prologues vs Flashbacks by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors
Planning and Sticking to Your Writing Goals in 2023 by Now Novel at ProWritingAid blog
How Writers Meet the Challenge of a Multi-POV Book by Barbara Linn Probst at Writer UnBoxed
Challenges of Small Press Publishing by Jon Barton at The Creative Penn  Want to Publish an Audiobook? Findaway Voices
Vision Boards for Writers by Sarah Rexford at Write To Done
How an Indie Author can Easily Market Their Author Brand with Book Brush by Gabrielle Denize Newsam at Book Brush blog
How to be a Panster in a Plotter World by Melissa Tagg at Learn How To Write A Novel
How to Organize Your Story Details into a Story Bible by Lynette M Burrows at Writers In The Storm

Keeping Up With Your Story World - Examples

 

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. On April 25thHer Amish Patchwork Family, the third book in my Hope’s Haven series, willrelease. This book will feature the final and oldest of the Eicher sisters,Martha.

When writing a multi-book series there are a lot of partsand pieces to keep track of – today I thought I’d share a little bit about mypersonal method of doing this. First let me say that I’m a spreadsheet nerd. IfI need to track anything I usually put it in a spreadsheet. So of course that’swhat I use to track all the details of my story world. And let me add that I’llkeep up with a lot of this same info even if it is a standalone book – it savesa lot of time trying to remember what the name of a particular restaurant is orthe street name my hero’s house is on. SO here goes:

The first thing I start tracking is backstory. Here is a view of my tracking chart for backstory:

As you can see, I built on this from book to book - necessary because the books are so interlaced through family. So when I created this for the first book, it just had event columns for the Eicher and Stoll families, the age columns for Micah and Asher didn't exist, and the rows ended where it says Greta's story opens.  The other information was added as I began work on each book.

Next comes my character tracking which also includes pets/work animals. Here's my sheet for that. Hopefully it's pretty self-explanatory.


The next sheet in my workbook is reserved for location info


Next I have my story calendar, a day by day chart of what happens when. Having this picture helps me keep up with certain things that are fixed (holidays, church services, standing civic/committee/business meetings, etc.)  It also helps me make sure I don't have two Wednesdays in one week or a nine day week or any of the other weird things that can happen if I don't keep up with things. I have one of these for each book

I also will create sheets that are specific for each book/series.  For instance, in this serries I have children show up in each book and even some that are born between books. As these children will interact with each other, I needed a quick reference on how old they were at particulars points in time. So I created this sheet


So there you have it. my personal Storyworld Tracking method. Leave a comment letting me know what you think to get your name in the drawing for an advanced copy of Her Amish Patchwork Family.

And here is a little more info about my upcoming release
HER AMISH PATCHWORK FAMILY

In this heartwarming Amish romance, a former schoolteacher and a single father discover a second chance at friendship, family, and love
Former Hope’s Haven schoolteacher, Martha Eicher, has always been the responsible one, putting her family first and caring for her widowed father and two younger sisters. But now they’re all happily married, and Martha isn’t sure where she fits in anymore . . . until she hears that Asher Lantz needs a nanny. Even though her childhood friendship with Asher ended abruptly years ago, when a misunderstanding drove a wedge between them, Martha offers her assistance.

Asher is also feeling adrift. As a single father to his niece and nephews, he struggles to balance his new family responsibilities with those on the farm and in his workshop. He’s grateful for Martha’s help, but worries things will always feel awkward with her. Yet before long, Asher realizes Martha is exactly what his family needs, and he can’t imagine his home without her. Martha and Asher thought they were lost, but could they be right where they belong . . . together?
PURCHASE LINK