Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 51

Puzzling Away at Plotting

 

Erica Vetsch here with you today, and I am PLOTTING! Not global domination (although that would be sweet!) but rather a new story in my Thorndike and Swann Regency Mystery series. I'm mired in motives and means and opportunities for various people to look like the guilty party, as well as character arcs, theme, spiritual threads, subplots, research, and more.

Which got me to thinking about plotting a whole novel...and how it's a daunting task at the outset. You have all these bits and pieces and things that you know must be included, and that if you leave them out, the story won't be complete, and you panic a bit that you WILL leave something out and the story won't hold together, but you have to forge on because you have a deadline, and you WANT to write the story, but you can't until you have a plot...you get the drift of how my mind can kick into overdrive.

Whew! Deep breath. 

There are several great analogies about plotting, and I'm going to use two here today. 

First: Plotting is like a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle. 

So many pieces! So many shapes and colors, and you know they all fit together somehow, but when you first dump them out of the box, it's a jumbled mess! Just like all the plot ideas swirling in your head at the outset of the plotting.
How do you tackle this mountain of pieces?
1. Sort. 
According to the picture on the box, you know there is a dog, a tree, a barn, a bunch of clouds, and a tractor. You cannot possibly work on all of those at the same time, so you begin sorting. Red barn pieces go in a pile, even though the pile doesn't yet make sense. Cloud pieces get their own spot on the table. And most importantly, the crucial edge pieces get pulled out.
The edge pieces are the basic framework of your plot. Begin with genre. Is this a romance? You will need a hero and a heroine. Is this a mystery? You'll need a detective and a crime. Is this coming-of-age story? You'll need a young protagonist. 
Begin slotting together the edges of your story. The big decisions that will guide you in making the smaller decisions that are to come. Once you have the edges done, you can move on to the interior of the puzzle/story.
Gather the "like" pieces together. If the purple of the flowers only appears in that spot, all the purple pieces will go together eventually. This may represent your heroine. As a pile of purple flower pieces she's a mess, but one by one, you try, turn, slot and repeat until the image begins to appear. 

Once you have those obvious things sorted...the characters you need for your story, you can move on to that big red barn or the mountainscape or whatever the focal point of your story is...the big picture! This is your main plot. What happens in the story. Start with the easy bits, say the door on the barn. What are the big story points you know will happen in your novel? If it's a romance, you know the boy and girl must meet, must have a plausible reason why they cannot fall in love, although they fall in love anyway, a moment when that love seems destined to never be, and a resolution. If you're writing a mystery, you need the crime, the introduction of the detective, the suspects, the clues, the blind paths that lead to nowhere and the final denouement. 
Write down the big plot points on post it notes or note cards and lay them out in a logical order. Sort them like puzzle pieces. Fit, rotate, discard, and change until a picture of the story begins to emerge. 
Then it's time to work on the more obscure parts of the plot puzzle. Things like subplots, themes, secondary characters, setting, mood. Take them one at a time, layering them into the story. Go back and readjust if necessary. Each time you fit in a piece of your plot puzzle, the entire picture become more filled in and recognizable.
Before you know it, you'll be slotting in the last piece that makes the story complete! 
It's at this point, you're ready to type up a synopsis, but we'll save that for a later date...you've earned a celebration by getting this far in the process!
Oh, and I said there were two analogies I wanted to use to illustrate plotting a novel. 
The second one is: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. 
It can be daunting when you begin plotting something as intricate and complex as an entire novel, but you can do it, just one bite at a time, one puzzle piece at a time!

Are you a plotter or do you fly by the seat of your pants?

Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she is married to her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

The Exhortation of the Apostles, Tissot, 1836-1902,
Brooklyn Museum, NYC. [PD-US]

At that time, John said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."
Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ, 
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"

Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 

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

Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.   

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.


Monday: Jan shared some great thoughts on background characters and how much they can add to our stories. And the winner of  An Amish Christmas Kitchen is Wendy Newcomb!
Wednesday: Cate gave us some wonderful thoughts on how breaking down books can help us with our writing.
Friday: Pam helped unravel the mystery of publishing ebooks and gave us a peek at her latest release.


Monday:  Erica is puzzling over plotting! How is a plot like a jigsaw puzzle? How can we break down the process to make it easier to manage? Stop by and check it out!
Wednesday:  Ruthy (Ruth Logan Herne) is rolling in on Wednesday to talk about her upcoming Wishing Bridge book "Embracing Light in Wishing Bridge" scheduled to release on 11/22. Stop over and join the conversation about the new girl in town... and why her presence in Wishing Bridge is making some folks very, very nervous.   Friday: Free Open Critique Friday!  You all know the drill! We are doing an open critique so get your one-page or so of work ready to post... or if it's a one-sheet for a publisher, we'll look at that, too! Think about what it takes to put your work out there, for the world to see, to critique, to love and/or hate... and let's build that thick skin every author needs. OPEN CRITIQUE FRIDAY! See you here! 






Coming November 30th! As her plans unravel, can she give her children what they truly need?
Foster mom Rae Girard’s determined to make her children’s first Christmas with her the best they’ve ever had—and she’s shocked when the town scrooge, attorney Cole Heinsohn, offers to pitch in. Rae’s young charges have melted Cole’s heart, and he wants them to experience the special day he never had. But when disaster strikes, an imperfect holiday might bring them something better: a family…
Preorder your copy here.



Get the Serendipity & Secrets Series on audio today!All three books in the series are nowavailable, read by the amazing Mary Sarah!You can get your copy at: https://amzn.to/39CUYE2

Silver Lining: A Calico Trails Romance

A weary and bedraggled wagon train rolls into Silver Lining, KS only to find a ghost town. The party moves on, leaving a handful of settlers behind. Can Maggie O’Toole and the others find their silver lining in the abandoned town? And can Maggie depend on cowboy Rafe Alonzo to stick around long enough to see them through the coming winter—and beyond—in order to find her own silver lining? (Originally published as Love's Silver Lining (With this Kiss Historical Romance Collection)

Available on Amazon for $2.99 AND as a free download for Kindle Unlimited members.

Click HERE to buy

Writing Your Passion Project by Kariss Lynch at Learn How To Write A Novel


A Deeper Dive Creating Book Blurbs by LA Sartor at Book Brush Blog
Creation and Imitation - A Writer's Prayer by Bob Hostetler at Steve Laube Agency
Audio Drama and Podcast Fiction by Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn
3 Ways to Make Your Novel's First Page Cinematic by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive 
Five Ways to Increase Conflict and Tension in Your Novel by Hannah Bauman at Between The Lines Editorial
When Your Story Stumps You by Rachel Scott McDaniel at Learn How To Write A Novel
What's a Good Subject Line for a Query Email by Rachelle Gardner
Best Pro Tip for Writing in Deep POV by Lisa Hall Wilson at Writers In The Storm
Ways to Discover Your Protagonist's Identity by Lewis Jorstadt at The Novel Smithy
Could Binge-Writing be Good for Me? by DiAnn Mills at The Write Conversation
Two Important Points for Writers by Sue Coletta at Kill Zone Blog
Beginner's Guide to SEO Basics by Paulius at MailerLite

The Mystery of Publishing Ebooks and NEW RELEASE

I just re-released another novella last week on Amazon. Whoo-hoo! Deets below!

As always, new projects lead to deep, deep rabbit holes. I don’t like to reinvent the wheel, so I’ve been digging for resources on the best strategy to price my indie published ebooks, plus strategies to get them into readers hands, and even the best way to put them on sale.

I’ve scoured the internet. I’ve asked in groups. I’ve read articles, and….

I’m still confused. Confused, but not undaunted!

There just doesn’t seem to be ONE answer to these age-old question. For someone that works well with step-by-step instructions, the “shotgun” approach makes me twitchy. But, apparently, the shotgun approach is the only way to go when trying to set prices on ebooks.

To date, I’ve published five novellas in Amazon’s KDP program, and they’re also available for free in the Kindle Unlimited program. I set the price at $2.99 to receive the 70% royalty rate. However, every 90 days I can either put each ebook on sale (referred to as a Kindle Countdown deal) for up to 7 days, or offer them for free for up to 5 days, but I can’t do both within a 90 day period.

Before I became a hybrid (the term that describes a traditionally published as well as independently-published) author, my mind spun when authors talked about all the different options available for indie authors. Okay, it still spins A LOT, but not as much as it did a year ago, which leads me to lots of questions like … what’s the difference in Kindle Select and Kindle Unlimited? 

Ebooks enrolled in Kindle Select (the author side) are available to download for readers who have the Kindle Unlimited program (the reader side). You’re probably familiar with the Kindle Unlimited program, but for those who might not be, Kindle Unlimited costs $9.99 a month and allows a reader to download as many ebooks that are enrolled in the program as she wants for free. Oh, and, to make it even more complicated, an ebook isn’t eligible for Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program if it’s available for sale elsewhere like for Nook or iBooks, etc. Listing for sale in multiple venues is the same as “Going Wide”. (Hmmm, I think my head is starting to spin again.)

All that’s well and good, but it still doesn’t really help me when trying to decide when, why, and how to put a novella on sale. The jury’s still out on that, but I’m learning and researching and trying to figure it all out. I’d love to hear your thoughts on ebooks, either as a reader, writer, or even a blogger or reviewer. Anything goes, from price points, to whether you enjoy novellas or fulls, to whether you’re a fan of Kindle Unlimited, or you buy based on sales or your favorite author or enjoy picking up ebooks based on Amazon recommendations. Let’s hear it!

But, in the meantime, I'm so excited to unveil the latest novella!

Silver Lining: A Calico Trails Romance

A weary and bedraggled wagon train rolls into Silver Lining, KS only to find a ghost town. The party moves on, leaving a handful of settlers behind. Can Maggie O’Toole and the others find their silver lining in the abandoned town? And can Maggie depend on cowboy Rafe Alonzo to stick around long enough to see them through the coming winter—and beyond—in order to find her own silver lining? (Originally published as Love's Silver Lining (With this Kiss Historical Romance Collection)

Available on Amazon for $2.99 AND as a free download for Kindle Unlimited members.

Click HERE to buy

Cate's Favorite Craft Books Series # 6

 I had intended to bring you the next in my favorite craft books series today, but I'm in the middle of an interstate move and all my books are packed away in boxes awaiting the moving men.

Instead of doing a repost, I decided I wanted to focus on craft books in a different way.

The best and most frequently given advice is if you want to be a writer, you must read. Read the kinds of books you want to write, read research books, read the kinds of books you don't want to write because they will help stretch your mind.

One way to use books you love as "craft books" is to deconstruct them. I recently heard someone give advice about this as if it was some big secret. Really? I've been doing it for ages as have many other authors I know. If you're not familiar with the idea, it's basically figuring out why you love the books you love so that you can learn to replicate the result in your own work. 

(NOTE: I'm not talking about copying work. I'm talking about studying it.)

I really do believe that reading is the best training for writing, because avid readers absorb style details without even being aware they're doing so. They develop a sense for how the story should unfold, for what makes a good story.

You can set about this "research"  in many ways. Maybe you just want to reflect on what it is about a certain book that makes you love it. Maybe it's the characterization. Maybe it's the clever plot twists the author is known for. Maybe it's the language. You're just getting a general sense. That's an informal use.

But you can also take a more formal approach to breaking a book down to study the structure. This is particularly helpful if you're trying to break into a line. Take Love Inspired or Love Inspired Suspense, for example. When I was first trying to sell to LIS, I took books by some of their best-selling authors and took notes scene by scene to see what I needed to do. How is the pacing handled? How do the hero and heroine's points of view alternate? When do they meet, have conflict, kiss? When (with regards to chapters) does the black moment occur? How many chapters? How many scenes per chapter? How long is each chapter? And so on....

On the flip side, there is also value in deconstructing books you disliked. Why did you dislike it? Were the characters unlikable? Was the setting or plot off? Was it the pacing or the dialogue? All of these questions can give you valuable insight into your own work.

So let's talk. Have you ever deconstructed a book to see how it works? Did it help you?

I'd also love to hear any good moving stories! Friends keep telling me there's a book in this experience!

Populating Your Story with Background Characters

 

We all enjoy the secondary characters in stories, right?

The heroine’s best friend, the hero’s fun younger brother, the sidekick, the pal, the mentor.

These characters are necessary to your story. They provide someone for your characters to confide in and someone to push your hero or heroine to make the move toward romance or toward the next plot point in your story.

But what about the background characters?

First, let’s define what a background character is.

 
These are characters who populate the third circle of your cast. They are more than a part of the community, but they don’t have as much of a relationship with your hero/heroine as your secondary characters.

But what purpose do they serve?

Unlike the secondary characters, background characters aren’t there to influence the story or your main characters. They provide a balance, a mood, or sometimes a way to ease or increase the tension of a scene.

They can also be a vehicle to give your story a reason to progress through the next scene, like an older couple in my Christmas novella, “An Amish Christmas Recipe Box.”

Let’s look at a couple background characters from fiction as examples.

First, there’s Rosie Cotton from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you’ve read the books or seen the movies, you know Rosie. Sam is in love with her – we know that from the beginning – but he doesn’t feel that he can “speak” for her quite yet. Her character is part of the community, and yet a little bit more. She doesn’t influence the story like a secondary character would, but she influences Sam. In a very subtle way, we know that she is his unstated and secret motivation to come home from the quest, and his hope for the future.

 
Another one is Mrs. McGregor from Peter Rabbit. She doesn’t play an active role in the story, but she is there. She is pictured in the third illustration in the book, along with Mrs. Rabbit’s ominous warning to Peter: “Your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.” That seemingly innocent act of fixing dinner for her family immediately cast Mrs. McGregor as the accomplice to murder! From that point on she isn’t mentioned again, but she is there, symbolizing the fate of careless rabbits who wander into the wrong garden.


Background characters are important to your story, and they should be crafted with care. You don’t need to develop them with the same depth as your main and secondary characters, but they should have their own lives and personalities.
I’d like to introduce you to a background character in my Work-in-Progress, the second installment in my Sweetbrier Inn Mysteries. Her purpose in the story is simple – I have two artists who are at odds with one another as secondary characters, and neither one is very likeable. This character, Debbie, is also an artist, but I made her the kind of person you could sit down and enjoy a cup of tea with. She’s the counterbalance to the other two characters.

Here’s her introduction in the book:

“Good afternoon,” I said to the older couple. “You must be Rick and Debbie Harris.”
“That’s right.” Rick smiled at me, his graying beard unable to hide the friendly gesture. “We’re sorry we’re late, but we hadn’t expected the Dignity statue in Chamberlain to be so captivating.”
“Have you seen it?” Debbie asked. When I shook my head, she went on. “You have to. It is so beautiful and conveys the dignity of the Native Americans perfectly in the graceful lines of the woman. Like a dancer captured in motion.”
Her hands fluttered in the air as she spoke as if she was trying to express the movement that the statue could only represent. Her gently curled silver hair with strands of gold lowlights added to the ethereal quality of her description.
“I’m sorry.” She laughed as her hands dropped to her side like birds coming to roost on a branch. “I get carried away sometimes.” She shook her head as she laughed again.

We will see Debbie often as the story progresses since she and her husband are guests at the bed and breakfast where the book is set. She is part of the background and provides texture to the cast of characters. She might even provide some insight into the motive for the murder.
The inspiration for my fictional Sweetbrier Inn
 
Have you given a thought to the background characters in your story?

Tell us about your favorite background character, either in your own work or in a favorite book or movie in the comments.

One commenter will win a copy of “An Amish Christmas Kitchen,” the collection of novellas that includes “An Amish Christmas Recipe Box.” That’s the story I mentioned earlier where I use background characters to move the story along. You’ll have to see if you can spot them as you read the story!

As the weather grows cold and the nights grow long, the cheer and warmth of the Christmas season is one thing all readers can find comfort in. This collection from bestselling Amish fiction novelists Leslie Gould, Jan Drexler, and Kate Lloyd finds the beating heart at the center of the holiday and offers three novellas that celebrate family, faith, and especially the sights and smells of a bustling holiday kitchen.

Leslie Gould tells the story of how, in the wake of a heartbreaking loss, a young Amish woman finds unexpected comfort and hope in a yearly baking tradition surrounding the local Lancaster Christmas market. Jan Drexler offers a sweet tale of a shy Amish woman who decides to use her gift for sweets to woo a local Amish boy with her beloved Christmas cookies. And Kate Lloyd offers a heartwarming tale of a woman's unexpected discovery about the truth of her past, and the warm and welcoming Amish family table she finds herself invited to on Christmas.
The giveaway is for a physical copy of the collection (US addresses only) or an e-copy of either the collection, or Jan's story alone (wherever Amazon will send the e-book.)

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

Christ with children, Carl Heinrich Bloch
1800s, Museum of National History, Denmark. [PD-US]

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” 
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?” 
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest. 
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”

Mark 9:30-37

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

Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.   

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.


Monday: Roseanne White
Tuesday: Julie Lessman
Wednesday: Debby Giusti provided a motivational post: I AM A WRITER! Thanks to all those who stopped by and left a comment.
Friday: Winnie asked for opinions on whether or not to reimagine her book The Heart's Song as an historical before she reissues it. Thanks to all those who stopped by to offer feedback. The winners of a copy of her book The Heart's Song are JCP, Jeanne Takenaka, Lee-Ann B, Linda and Roxanne C. Congratulations! If you will contact me (via my website is the best way) with your mailing address I'll get your book sent on out to you.



Monday:  Jan Drexler will be talking about background characters. What are they? Stop by and find out! And there will be a book   giveaway!
Wednesday:  Cate Nolan is back with the next in her favorite craft book series.  Friday: Pam









 An Amish Spring Anthology and Debby Giusti is one of the authors.

To learn more join the FB Reader Group

 Amish Spring Romance | Facebook

Jan Drexler's An Amish Christmas Recipe Box novella is free on Kindle Unlimited!

On Amazon






How Apple Mail Privacy Proctection will Impact Email Marketing by Amy at MailerLite 
Writing Spies: How to Bug a Room by Piper Bayard at Writers In The Storm
6 Tips to Make Your Scenes Visually Dynamic by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive
What if Platform is a Goal by Dan Balow at Steve Laube Agency
A Layered Method for Creating Consistent Characters by Ann Harth at Fiction University
Writing Between Deadlines by Tari Faris at Learn How To Write A Novel
The Heartbeat of a Good Writer by Katy Kauffman at The Write Conversation
Take the Mystery Out of Writing a Novel by Julie Hennrikus at NaNoWriMo Blog
Anatomy of a Meet Cute by Angela Ruth Strong at Learn How To Write A Novel
Helpful App Types for Every Writer at Write To Done
Writers, Do You Struggle with the Learning Curve? by Angela Ackerman at Writers Helping Writers

Opinions Please - The Heart's Song

 

Hi everyone, Winnie Griggs here. Today I’m coming to you with a question.

 

I recently acquired the rights back to the one and only contemporary novel I wrote during the nine years I was with Love Inspired. The book is called The Heart’s Song and this one really holds a near and dear place in my heart. For one thing, it’s  the only book I’ve written that’s set in my home state of Louisiana. It also features a handbell choir which is something I’ve always enjoyed listening to. But my favorite thing about this book is that the story line allowed me to explore the various ways Christians react to the loss of a loved one. Reeny lost her husband in an auto accident. Graham lost his wife and newborn daughter due to complications from her pregnancy. These characters both come from strong Christian backgrounds but the way they faced their losses was very different.

 

Anyway, as I said above, I now have the rights back to this book and plan to reissue it on my own at some point, but first I need to update it – after all this originally came out in 2010, eleven years ago. But as I was thinking about tackling the revisions, I had an idea that I wasn’t sure was inspired or just plain crazy.  Since the majority of my books are nineteenth century Americana historical, what if I reimagined this book in that genre? 

On the plus side I think I could make it an even stronger story and it would be more along the lines of what my readers normally look for from me. And it would be a fun exercise, I could even see how it would be easier to spin off additional stories in that world if it were historical rather than contemporary.

On the other hand, it would take a lot longer to get it revised, would require a stronger edit and at the end of the day it would still be the same story at its core.

What do you think? Would such a reimagining be worth the effort required? Or would I be just as well served to do some minor tweaks and get it back out there?

 

I have several author copies of this book still in my book closet so leave your thoughts in the comments below to be entered in a drawing to receive a signed copy.

THE HEART'S SONG


Widower Graham Lockwood hasn't stepped foot in church since he lost his family. So he can't possibly say yes to his new neighbor's request that he lead the handbell choir. But widowed mother Reeny Landry is so hopeful—and her fatherless children so in need—that Graham agrees to help. 

Suddenly, the man who closed himself off is coming out of his shell. And he finds himself acting the father figure to Reeny's sweet mute daughter and loner son. 

But going from neighbor to husband is another matter altogether. Until a loving family teaches Graham to hear the heart's song.

 

I am a Writer!

 

By Debby Giusti

I am a writer.

Characters live in my mind and tell me their stories. I bring them to life on the printed page so others can delight in their antics, learn from their mistakes and celebrate their triumphs.

Sometimes I create worlds that have never before existed, but more often, I reveal something new about that which seems ordinary or commonplace.

No matter the genre or the setting, stories teach, inspire, affirm and entertain. They underscore truth, expose darkness and bring the hidden to light in unique ways that grab the reader’s imagination.

In addition, they reveal the depths of human suffering and the heights of human achievement.

I don’t work alone. The spiritual realm encourages me, and the Lord God Himself directs my hands to ensure the words, seemingly pulled from thin air, have meaning and merit.

I’m blessed to share in the creative process in such a simple yet challenging way, and I invite each of you to follow me on your own writing journey.

Write stories, write articles or editorials, how-to books or memoirs and journals. Pick up your pen or turn on your computer, and begin today to create that which needs to be told.

Ignore your insecurity, still the negative interior voice that says you cannot write, and step boldly onto the creative path. Remember, once you begin to write, you are a writer so give your Muse free rein to explore the stories buried deep within you. Write about fear to become brave, write about heartbreak to appreciate love, write about death to embrace life more fully.

You have something important to say, and by pulling from the kaleidoscope of your thoughts and actions, both past and present, you’ll breathe life into a new reality seen through your own personal lens. Then you, too, will encourage and uplift someone, somewhere and somehow, who needs to read what you have penned.

Come write with me, dear friend, and allow the sparks of your imagination to ignite the world.

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

Her temporary Amish homecoming

could get her killed.

Julianne Graber left her Amish life behind after a family tragedy, but now she’s back to sell the family home— and someone’s dead set on getting rid of her. With her neighbor William Lavy by her side, Julianne must uncover dangerous secrets to make sense of the past and present. Can she find justice for her family—and a future with Will—before the killer hits his target?

Order on Amazon!