Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 69

Choosing the Right Hero for Your Heroine (and vice versa)

 

by Mindy Obenhaus

Take two stubborn people from completely different backgrounds, add one orphaned little girl and you just might have the makings of a happily ever after.

When I began writing my upcoming release, A Brother’s Promise, I knew my heroine because she’d appeared in the first book in my Bliss, Texas series, A Father’s Promise. Christa Slocum was a no nonsense, take-charge kind of gal who’d given up a high-power tech industry job to purchase a small-town hardware store. At forty-three, she was comfortably single with no desire to have a man in her life. So coming up with a hero who wasn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with her was a challenge.

Enter Mick Ashford, a rancher who’s lived his entire life in the same small town and happens to be Christa’s neighbor. He was raised in the farmhouse she’s spent the last few years renovating, preferring to live in the rustic camp house he and his father built when Mick was a boy. Still single at age forty-five, he has no need for a woman in his life because, in his experience, women only wanted to change him into someone he wasn’t.

Though Christa and Mick cross paths frequently, often butting heads, they’re more acquaintances than friends, never taking the time to get to know one another. So how did I bring this confirmed bachelor and bachelorette together?

Common goal – Every h/h needs a common goal. Something that, inevitably, forces them to spend time together. In Mick and Christa’s case, it’s Mick’s recently orphaned, five-year-old niece, Sadie.

As Sadie’s legal guardian, Mick is determined to do right by her, even though he knows nothing about little girls or being a father. So when Christa offers to help him redecorate Sadie’s bedroom, he’s more than willing to accept.

However, Christa wants to help with more than just Sadie’s bedroom. Having lost her mother when she was five, Christa understands what Sadie is going through emotionally and vows to help both Sadie and Mick navigate the turbulent waters that lie ahead.

Overcoming misconceptions - The more the hero and heroine are together, the better they come to know one another, shifting their perception of each other.

While Christa is a well-educated, big-city girl, Mick is a country boy who makes his own sausage and lives a simple life. Yet as they become more familiar with each other, Christa realizes that Mick is anything but self-absorbed, not to mention more complex than she imagined. He learns that she’s down to earth and shares his appreciation for life’s simpler things. And they soon discover…

They complement each other – Where one is weak, the other is strong. Learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses is the beginning of a lasting relationship. In the face of adversity, they learn they can lean on one another. However, there is always one thing that stands in their way.

Fear keeps them apart – We’re all afraid of something. Things that might seem silly to others, can be very real to you and are usually based on past experience.

Every woman Mick ever dated has tried to change him. To turn him into something he’s not. Is he enough for Christa? What if she grows bored with him because he doesn’t challenge her the way a more educated man could?

Meanwhile, Christa’s had her own share of heartbreak. Everyone she’s ever loved has left her. What if Mick left her, too?

So will Mick and Christa overcome their fears to discover their happily ever after? Well, I can’t give everything away. 😉

Choosing the right hero and heroine is like building a winning team. You want diversity. Different backgrounds, different strengths and weaknesses. Things that, when put to the test, will challenge them, strengthen them, bring them closer together and, perhaps, give them the happily ever after they didn’t even know they wanted.

Writers, how do you choose your hero and heroine? Readers, what do you think makes a great couple? I’m giving away a copy of A Brother’s Promise, so leave a comment to be entered (US mailing addresses only, please). Oh, and if you’d like a sneak-peak at the first chapter, you can do that here.

He didn’t realize he wanted a family… Until he suddenly became a single dad.

After his sister’s death, rancher Mick Ashford’s determined to ensure his orphaned niece, Sadie, feels at home. And accepting guidance from Christa Slocum is his first step. But just as Christa and Sadie begin to settle into Mick’s heart, Sadie’s paternal grandparents sue for custody. Now Mick must fight to keep them together…or risk losing the makeshift family he’s come to love. 

Award-winning 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  

Where do you get your ideas?

Braced for LoveComing in March 2021

My little hometown began as a trading post. Founded by a man who was, as it turns out, a scoundrel. Nice, sort of historical sounding word scoundrel, huh? In truth the man was a liar, a cheat, an adultery, and just generally--when it came to the way he treated women--a rat fink.

But he did like moving west. He was an explorer and a bold man it seems. Probably a charmer, too. I've known about this guy for years. Why it occurred to me to write this book now is weird, it's been in my head but I've never considered it before. Strange.

Here’s how this scoundrel helped me to get an idea for my new series, which is coming book #1, Braced for Love, next March.

He was married back east, had children, and at some point, he ran off, headed west, abandoned his wife and children to explore the frontier. One version of this story is, his family thought he had died.

Instead, he got to Nebraska, as far as my hometown.

Here in Nebraska, he founded a trading post…and…this is true so far, not yet my story…he lied about his name. Claimed to have powerful connections back east, got married, had children and…ran off.

I got to see my granddaughter who lives far away. My daughter who lives far away. My mom who lives locked in a nursing home. Yay!!!!
There is one version of this story that says he went to Omaha, and ran into someone who knew him from back east, one version of THIS version is, he ran into his first wife’s brother. Who thought he was dead.

The brother beat him nearly to death.

And THAT’S why he ran off. It’s not like he WANTED to abandon the woman he was married to. He is now married to two women. I'm not sure if this is true, but I like it.

Next he goes on west to Colorado and (do we really need a drumroll?) he helped found a town, got married, had children and...his story is lost from then on. Did he stay with wife #3 (remember he is married to all three of them at the same time)

But I'm assuming he ran off and who knows how many families he scattered across the west. I have a vivid imagination and I write fiction, oh, there could be many more.

So my series is inspired by the scoundrel but of course I make it much worse when, if you really look at what my town's founder did, it's honestly hard to be much worse. Still, my scoundrel managed it.

Three families, each with one son. Each abandoned...except...his third and last wife was the owner of a large ranch. Her first husband died and left her with a young daughter and a vast ranch. Her father neighbored with her and after she became a young widow, she moved home to her father and the two of them, with her daughter, ran the ranches as one.

Then along comes the scoundrel. He has to be a charming rogue, doesn't he? To convince these women to marry him?

So he marries her and turns out to be a lazy, shiftless bum. She and her father work the ranch and he comes and goes for years. He has a son with three wives now. (this is very diverged now from my towns founder…but playing what if is most of the fun of writing!!!)

Then Wife #3’s father dies, her children are grown and solid ranchers with her. They endure “Pa’s” visits until he goes away again.

Then Wife #3 dies and leaves the two adult children to divide the ranch as is spelled out in her will.

Except…she doesn’t own that ranch. By law, any property, money, valuables of a woman, immediately upon her marriage, becomes the property of her husband. No one even thought about this, except for the Scoundrel.

Things go on as usual until the scoundrel, Clovis Hunt dies. His will is read and UH-OH. He did NOT leave the ranch with a will in place matching his wife’s. No, he, as full owner of that ranch, both his wife’s and his wife’s grandfather’s, has left the ranch to his three sons.

Well, no one’s even heard he had two other sons. The daughter of Wife #3 is completely aced out of the will. The son of Wife #3 goes from half owner to one-third owner. And two surprise sons have been notified of an inheritance from their recently deceased father whom they thought had been dead for twenty years.

And those brothers come and all three brothers, plus the sister of Wife #3, hate each other. And then someone starts trying to kill them. They suspect each other, but they’re going to have to team up to survive.

Each brother has a story. Each brother has to fight to survive. Each brother finds the love of his life.

Brother’s in Arms. Coming in March 2021.

Brothers in Arms

Left with little back in Missouri, Kevin Hunt takes his younger siblings on a journey to Wyoming when he receives news that he's inheriting part of a ranch. The catch is that the ranch is also being given to a half brother he never knew existed. Turns out, Kevin's supposedly dead father led a secret and scandalous life.

But danger seems to track Kevin along the way, and he wonders if his half brother, Wyatt, is behind the attacks. Finally arriving at the ranch, everyone is at each other's throats and the only one willing to stand in between is Winona Hawkins, a nearby schoolmarm.

Despite being a long-time friend to Wyatt, Winona can't help but be drawn to the earnest, kind Kevin--and that puts her in the cross hairs of somebody's dangerous plot. Will they all be able to put aside their differences long enough to keep anyone from getting truly hurt?

Book #2 A Man with a Past coming in in July 2021

Book #3...no cover yet but soon...Love on the Range coming in November 2021

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

Eleventh century fresco of the Exorcism at the Synagogue in Capernaum.
[PD-US]

Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said,
“Quiet!  Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Mark 1:21-28

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 the United States--and the world--during the current rise in Coronavirus cases. Pray for the sick and suffering, for businesses and schools to remain open, for people to be able to work and for our economy to prosper.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and your families 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: Erica Vetsch hosted debut author Amanda Wen, who taught us about discovering our family stories. The winner of a copy of Roots of Wood and Stone, Amanda's debut novel is: PATTY! 
Wednesday: Cate Nolan
Friday: Lynne Lanning talked about creativity. The winner of her book Where He Leads is Lucy Reynolds


Monday:  Mary Connealy tells you where she gets her ideas!
Wednesday:  Opposites attract! Mindy Obenhaus will be here to tell us why!  Friday: LET IT SNOW! Our very own Ruthy and Mary dive in with how to write realistic snowstorms... because them folks livin' up north are gonna know if you mess it up. For real. And there's a copy of some snowy book or two being dangled! Come on by, let's talk real-life snow and how to describe it. 







HIDDEN AMISH SECRETS 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?March 2021Available for Pre-Order HERE!


A BROTHER'S PROMISE

He didn’t realize he wanted a family… Until he suddenly became a single dad. 

After his sister’s death, rancher Mick Ashford’s determined to ensure his orphaned niece, Sadie, feels at home. And accepting guidance from Christa Slocum is his first step. But just as Christa and Sadie begin to settle into Mick’s heart, Sadie’s paternal grandparents sue for custody. Now Mick must fight to keep them together…or risk losing the makeshift family he’s come to love.March 2021Available for preorder HERE!






Story Theory and the Quest for Meaning by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors

Why You Shouldn't Write Alone by Rachel D. Russell at Learn How To Write A Novel

Using Dialogue in Scenes to Reveal Character by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive
4 Ways to Unlock Your Brainstorming Process by Lewis Jorstad at The Novelsmithy
Enneagram and Stress by Ian Morgan Cron - YouTube video series presented by Typology Institute
7 Ways to Maximize Your Author Conference Experience by Tawdra Kandle at Book Brush Blog
5 Writing Tips to Ignore by Michelle Griep at Learn How To Write A Novel
Banned Books by Dan Balow at Steve Laube
How to Sneak Flashbacks Into Your Novel by Spencer Ellsworth at Fiction University
Writing Through the Pain by Heather Webb at Writer Unboxed
4 Ways to Write Deeper with Personification by Lisa Hall Wilson at Writers In The Storm

In Search of the Everflowing Stream of Creative Inspiration

 

By Lynne Lanning            The sky is blue, your children are all doing well, your house is perfectly clean (including a well organized junk drawer), and your husband just brought you flowers.  What a wonderful day!  On days like this, it is easy to reach for creative inspiration because you are surrounded by it.

            But let’s get realistic…perfect days are just too far apart to rely on them for motivation.  Most of us don’t have the luxury of sitting on a balcony, stress free, overlooking the ocean everyday…besides, even if we could, there are occasional tsunamis and hurricanes.

            As creative people, we have already found that the stream of creative inspiration tends to only trickle sometimes, maybe even seem to stop completely for a while as we suffer a drought.  During those times we have to dig deeper into our creative selves and find something to prime that pump and get it flowing again.

            I have found sources of ideas in unusual places…I will be sitting over my computer, trying not to pull my hair out, looking at the same screen for too long, with no ideas flowing.  The constant drone in the background, where my husband is watching another one of those documentaries, is about to make me scream.  I’m distracted as my phone flashes another text message where my granddaughter has sent me the tenth silly selfie today.  It’s a dreary, cold, rainy day with no relief in sight…   My choices here are to either throw myself a pity party or try to adjust my attitude.

            This is the perfect time to jot down some feelings of stress and desperation that I may need my characters to feel sometime in the future.  Write it down.  Now that I’ve taken a baby step, I suggest to my husband that after his documentary is over, I would like to watch one with him that is from the era I am writing about.  Win, win situation here…we spend a little time together, and I collect ideas and pictures in my mind of what my characters had to deal with. 

            Now, I am getting somewhere, and starting to feel better.  I send a text back to my granddaughter letting her know how goofy she is and start to think of the sweet innocence and happiness of a child.  There are plenty of notes to jot down on this subject.  It doesn’t take much to make a child happy, and that smile on her face is downright infectious!

            As for the cold, rainy day, I think of how God sends us what we need, even if we don’t

understand at the time.  Instead of thinking of a dreary day, I force myself to think of it as the earth being refreshed.  Then I can start to think on my soul and mind being refreshed.  I jot down what the rain sounds like as it splashes on different surfaces, how the air smells, describe the thunder rolling and the flash of lightning…taking advantage of every sense I can, while I have this opportunity.

            Music is another favorite for inspiring creativity.  I can’t write while it’s playing, but I can sure take notes and get in a frame of mind.  If one of my characters is begging forgiveness, I have music for that.  If they are playing “hard to get”, I have music for that too. 

            Thankfulness is always something to draw inspiration from.  We have so much to be thankful for!  Look around at the things we take for granted.  Be thankful for electricity, indoor plumbing, food… I have even found myself thankful recently for sweeping the floor… yes, I was digging pretty deep that day, as I had a cast on my broken ankle, but I was thankful I had a floor to sweep, and that I was healthy enough and able to sweep it.

            How do you keep your creativity flowing? Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a copy of  Where He Leads

Where He Leads

Click to Buy

By the age of 11, Lilly had suffered more horrific circumstances, than any adult should have to bear. She lost both of her parents and the only home she ever knew, then was forced to move away from her brothers and sisters.

Why had God allowed all of this tragedy?

Pa had found the perfect home for her before his death. Through her new family’s loving care and instruction, Lilly grew into a beautiful young lady, filled with compassion, intelligent and having a strong faith in God.

When she met Tommy, her heart flipped! How could she make all of the life lessons she had learned, her faith in God, and Tommy fit into God’s plan for her life? Was Tommy truly part of God’s plan for her?

Tommy and his mother’s past brought possible danger to anyone close to them. Could Lilly put her family through that? Should she abandon Tommy and the feelings she had for him? Could prayer be the answer? 

With more circumstances beyond their control fighting against them, it seemed their troubles would never end.Would God allow her the Desires of her Heart?

I Surrender All

Available for Pre-Order Soon

When the very private, independent McAllisters start their ranch in a nice quiet area

outside of town, no one thinks anything of it.  They stay to themselves, don’t cause any trouble, and are just considered normal newcomers…

Until the community finds out that the four oldest children, who have always been dressed and raised as boys, are actually girls!  They are rough, tough and beautiful; and of age to marry.

The secret is out and the men are lining up to win their attention.  But, who is brave enough to try to tame them?

When they find themselves having to depend on others to fight against evil men, not once, but twice; they experience for the first time, to trust true friends, but also how to trust God. 

Overcoming their pride and independence to give God control of their lives, doesn’t come easy.  During the darkest of days, they find the greatest blessings in life are found when they finally give up bitterness and revenge and cry out to God,

I Surrender All

Join the McAllisters as they learn about things they had never experienced before; friendship, love and trust; as they fight real battles and find true love.

About Lynne Lanning

Lynne’s stories are full of romance and action mixed with humor and sass; her poetry is full of inspiration… most is from life lessons learned herself, or taught by previous generations. She has a way of encouraging her readers to identify with the characters while evoking emotion.

Where the Heart Leads

Lynne's Website Click Here

What's Your Inspiration? Students, Craft Books, and a Whole Lot of Thinking

 On Monday, Amanda Wen shared some terrific sources for plot ideas. I've mentioned before that my story inspirations can come from the oddest little tidbits. Sometimes blog topics arise that way too.

Most of you know that in addition to writing, I teach English Language Arts to middle schoolers. This past year, I was also participating in a PhD study regarding the reading habits of boys. Those two things converged this past week in a way that sparked a blog idea.

I was reading an excerpt from a short story by Jack London with my 7th graders. I was struggling to focus on the text - too much on my mind, too tired, too stressed. I wondered, if I was struggling with lack of interest in the text, how were my students doing with it? So I posed the question for reflection and discussion. 

Their answers really intrigued me as both a teacher (connection to the PhD study) and as a writer (author's craft).

The question I posed was whether they were engaged with the story or if something about it had just made their brains shut down and/or made them tune out?

As expected, my struggling readers, well, they struggled. So most of them said they shut down or tuned out.

But a core group - of mostly boys - were totally engaged by the story. When I asked them why, their answer spoke to writer me. They said the author's use of language was what caught their attention. They felt like they were in the story experiencing it along with the character. Some of them also mentioned being intrigued by the descriptive words (which were defined in footnotes) because they learned something new.

At the time, I decided that Writer Cate needed to spend some time reflecting on that and what it meant for her craft. Then, over the weekend I stumbled across an article that focused on word choice and a writer's responsibility to make effective use of the arsenal of words available to us.

On some level, we're all aware that the words we choose define our voice. If we've been writing in the same genre for awhile, we've probably (consciously or not) adopted a tone suitable to our genre. Someone writing contemporary romantic suspense is not going to be using the same vocabulary as an author writing about Regency England or another writing Biblical fiction. Just like our covers are so different in the ways they reflect our chosen genre, so should our word choice be.

And that got me thinking about craft books.

(Sorry. My brain hops all over the place.)

There was a direct connection. The thoughts about word choice reminded me of a craft book I picked up years ago - Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan.

The cover is a bit faded, but the interior is rather pristine - because I never finished reading it.
That's the problem I have with craft books. I start out all gung ho, but then my brain fires up with the new ideas I learned, and I rush off to a manuscript to try them out. More often than not, the book sits neglected until something (like a class discussion) prompts me to pick it up again.
So I thought we could discuss craft books a bit today. I know people have very differing opinions about them. Some people swear by them. Ruthy has sworn off them (as she's only too happy to tell you.)I confess. I'm a craft book junkie. I buy A LOT of them. I don't read them all, but I feel good knowing they're on my shelf waiting for the day something strikes my fancy. I like to pick them up from time to time and glance through them, maybe read a pertinent section.
There are some I have read in full and often reread. Anne LaMott's Bird by Bird comes to mind. That is the book that gave me the courage to be a writer because she let us know that real writers fail, and hate what they write, and just keep working. And when they're overwhelmed, they take it bird by bird.



So tell me, do you collect craft books? (And if you do, do you actually read them?)
Do you have a favorite?
Or do you abhor "craft" books and learn your craft from reading all the wonderful books in the genre you write?
Or something else?
I'm also celebrating this week because Texas Witness Threat made the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List, so I'm giving away a copy of the snake book to one person who mentions in the comments that they'd like to be in the drawing (print or ebook, your choice).

Learning Your Family's Stories with Guest Blogger Amanda Wen

Erica here: I am delighted to welcome today's guest-blogger, Amanda Wen. Amanda is a debut author, and her new book is called Roots of Wood and Stone, a split time set in Sedgwick County, Kansas. As a native Kansan, I was so excited when I read the synopsis for this book. Amanda is published by Kregel, my publisher, so we're not only Kansans at heart, we're pub-mates! If you get a chance, I recommend following/friending Amanda on social media. Her posts about her kids, affectionately dubbed "The Wenlets" are hysterical!

Amanda Wen

If you’ve been a writer for any length of time, you’ve probably been asked—or perhaps wondered yourself—where to get story ideas. For my debut, Roots of Wood and Stone, the answer centers around a century-old farmhouse, an ancestor’s memoir, and my mom’s hobby of genealogy.

Mom’s been tracing our ancestry longer than I’ve been alive, so my childhood is peppered with vacations to places like Bean Blossom, Indiana (really!). While my mother combed through census records and property deeds, my brother and I would spend hours in small town libraries and courthouses devouring Dave Barry and Calvin and Hobbes, watching the clock, and trying to ignore our snack-deprived stomachs. As a kid, this resulted in decidedly lukewarm enthusiasm for my mom’s hobby, but now as an adult and a writer, I’m immensely grateful for all the stories she learned over the years, some of which have found their way into fiction.

But if you didn’t spend your formative years vacationing to Middle-Of-Nowhere, West Virginia, all is not lost. I’m here with a few easy pointers to help you start learning your family’s stories, and possibly even sowing seeds for your own.

If you’re fortunate enough to still have your parents or grandparents around, take time to listen to—and maybe even record!—their stories. You might be surprised what they already know about who you are and where you came from. In addition—and historical writers can attest to this—such conversations are invaluable when it comes to details like food, slang terms, and trends of bygone eras. But even if you’re a contemporary writer, story ideas can still surface. Maybe your grandparents’ meet-cute can find its way into your next contemporary romance!

From Amanda's Family Archives

The Internet is also chock-full of resources for genealogists. Ancestry.com, a site my mom has used for years, contains a wealth of birth, marriage, and death certificates, passenger registries, military records, census indices, and more. If someone else has already looked into your family, that information will be there, so you might find a photo of an ancestor you never even knew existed! You may learn that one of your forbears was killed by a falling icicle (as one of mine was) or that your great-great-grandmother was carried across the Isthmus of Panama on the back of a native guide (also a true family story). Ancestry has a monthly subscription fee for those who really get into it, but if all you’re needing is ideas, their free 14-day trial should suffice. 

Another amazing—and free!—online resource is Find A Grave. Tombstone inscriptions frequently include valuable genealogical information like birth and death dates as well as names of parents, children, or spouses. Before the Interwebz, the only way to find this information was to physically visit the cemetery. This meant that, yes, our family vacations also involved trudging through cemeteries in indescribably remote places, scraping away lichen to reveal worn inscriptions, and very often picking thorns out of our socks for hours afterward (“What’d you do on your vacation?” “I went to Disney World! What about you?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you…”). But now with Find A Grave, you can pay a virtual visit to any cemetery with just a few clicks of your fingers.

As with Ancestry, Find A Grave often contains a wealth of information submitted by other users. This information can and often does include obituaries, photos, and links to other family members, all of which can easily spark story ideas. Through Find A Grave, I learned the story of my great-great-great grandmother, Sarah Stevens, who, along with her infant son, George, died shortly after she and her husband, William, arrived as early settlers of Sedgwick County, Kansas. Included in her online memorial is a quote from a biography of her husband: “[William] was visited with a sore affliction in the death of his wife, which occurred the following year, 13 May 1871, while she was still a young woman, being but thirty-eight years of age.”

This quote really sparked my imagination. What would a recently-arrived pioneer do when gutted by such a “sore affliction?” How would he cope with the tasks of running a farm and raising his other children and emerge with his faith intact (as was the case with William Stevens)? These questions, and the resulting rumination, eventually found their way into the pages of Roots of Wood and Stone in the character arc of my historical-timeline hero, Jack Brennan.

I won’t spoil Jack’s story for you, but I will give you a post-script to the story of William and Sarah Stevens. One of their older children, Mattie, was my great-great-grandmother. She went on to marry another pioneer, an Irish immigrant named Francis Little. That memoir I mentioned at the beginning of this post was Francis’s memoir, and that farmhouse? That was Francis and Mattie’s house. While researching the book, I learned that a distant cousin still has access to the (now-abandoned) home and offered to give me a personal tour.

Of course I invited my mom.

I hope I’ve helped spark a new way to get inspiration for all you Seekers, and I can’t wait to see what stories emerge as you all mine your heritage for ideas. Have you ever put any of your family history in a story? Any memorable ancestor stories you’d like to share? I’d love to know! Leave me a comment below, and one lucky commenter will win a signed paperback copy of Roots of Wood and Stone!

Releasing TOMORROW!
Get your copy today!

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple contests, including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler Contest, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions Contest, among others. She was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist.

In addition to her writing, Amanda is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and worship teams, as well as serving as a choral accompanist. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Amanda currently lives in Kansas with her husband, their three adorable and hilarious Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat. Roots of Wood and Stone is her debut novel.

Social Links:

               Website: www.amandawen.com

               Newsletter (with free short story): http://eepurl.com/c_xqXr

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaWen

               Insta: www.instagram.com/authoramandawen

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Request

The Sea of Galilee

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.

Mark 1:14-20

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 the United States--and the world--during the current rise in Coronavirus cases. Pray for the sick and suffering, for businesses and schools to remain open, for people to be able to work and for our economy to prosper.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and your families 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 Drexler shared her memories of a tumultuous decade, reminding us that writers write, no matter what is going on in the world! Winner of an audio copy of "The Sound of Distant Thunder" is Paula!
Wednesday: Debby Giusti shared her Writing Reflections in the New Year, along with patriotic memes. God bless the USA!
Thursday: Tara Johnson joins us to chat about the Power of a Strong Opening Sentence.  The winner of Tara's newest novel, All Through the Night is
Friday: Pam Hillman



Monday:  Erica Vetsch welcomes debut novelist Amanda Wen to Seekerville to talk about Learning Your Family's Stories and to chat about her debut novel, Roots of Wood and Stone. There's a copy up for grabs, so stop on by!
Wednesday:  Cate Nolan  Friday: Lynne Lanning






Erica Vetsch is thrilled that A Joyful Christmas and Joy to the World: A Regency Christmas Novella Collection hit the ECPA 2020 Christmas Bestseller Lists at #9 and #11 respectively! It's never too late for a great Christmas read!
https://amzn.to/3bTdLgw
  https://amzn.to/2XVXgIA


A New Book ByDEBBY GIUSTI HIDDEN AMISH SECRETS 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?March 2021Available for Pre-Order HERE!









A Lifeline for When Writing is No Longer Fun by Janice Hardy at Fiction University
8 Helpful Pieces of Advice on Developing a Writing Routine by LA Sartor at Book Brush Blog
Ways of Seeing, Ways of Writing by Barbara Linn Probst at Writers In The Storm
How to Write a Biblically Accurate Book with Catherine DeVries by Thomas Umstattd Jr at Steve Laube Agency
The Formula for Writing by Rebecca Yauger at Learn How to Write a Novel
7 Ways Deep POV Creates Emotional Connections With Readers by Lisa Hall-Wilson at Writers Helping Writers
This is Your Year by Kariss Lynch at Learn How to Write a Novel
Best Book Promo Sites (2021 Edition) by David Gaughran
Why I'm Still Blogging(and You Should, too)  by Terry Whalin at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
Amazon Keywords 101 by Penny Sansevieri at The Self Publisher

DIY Graphics Design Tutorial: Fonts, Titles, Series Logos (Part Three)

In Part I of this series of DIY graphics design tutorials, we reviewed the need to find photos that will work for your projects as well as saving the links to those photos somewhere that you can find them later. Click here to review Part I, In Part II, we went over the basics of planning a series and choosing photos, cropping, the use of filters and planning for a series of covers, so click here to review Part II.

Today we’re going to concentrate on creating titles, series “logos”, taglines, etc. In other words, all the WORDS you see on the book cover.

First, a few simple rules to follow. Sure, you can break them, but if you do, make sure you know you’re breaking them for the better good.

A goofy example highlighting contrast

1) Contrast. Fonts need to STAND out and the best way for that to happen is to have sharp, clear fonts that contrast with the background. This doesn't mean that you have to ALWAYS use white against a black background, or black font against a light background, but if you narrow the gap between dark/light too much, it might make your title hard to read. Make sure you view thumbnails of your project before you get too far along in the process.

Another goofy example. But it is pretty cool. lol

2) Generally, don’t "fade out" or make cover fonts transparent. While It looks really cool while you’re working on it, when your readers view the thumbnail cover, it might be hard to read the words. Again, there are exceptions. A BIG, BOLD title with HIGH CONTRAST can work well with a bit of transparency. Again, just be aware of what it looks like on a thumbnail, which is what the bulk of our readers see these days. In the example above, the fading works and makes this fake title pop. I used two fonts and two colors, but both stand out great against the black background.

3) Don’t use too many fonts on your cover. TWO styles are fine. In some cases, you might use one font for your title (or a combination of fonts that create the look you want like the Black is the Night above), a different font for a series logo, and a different font for your author name.

4) Titles can work well as ALL UPPER CASE or lower case, depending on the font you choose. My examples above are all upper case. There's no hard and fast rule here. Readability is job #1, followed quickly by catching the reader's eye.

5) Generally, the author’s name on the cover will be ALL UPPER CASE. This isn’t a RULE, but it truly does help your name stand out better. Well known authors tend to have their last name really BIG, bold, and uppercase (KOONTZ). And some authors have a “trademark” style for their name that’s printed on the cover of all their books. Again, there’s not a rule of thumb on this, but just be aware that sometimes lowercase names are harder to see on thumbnails, and depending on the font you choose, you might even opt to make your name bold.

Now, let’s move on to the actual programs I use to create the words that go on my covers.

I use Picmonkey (I talked about this program more in Part II of this series), to design my book covers, but if I can’t quite find the right font, I’ll open Word Swag on my phone and play around. Picmonkey has added more bells and whistles over the years where you can curve fonts, but it still takes a bit of time, and each step is a conscious effort to click and decide how to turn this, how to adjust that. I just haven’t felt the love for design for TITLES and SERIES TITLES in Picmonkey yet. 

Enter Word Swag.

Word Swag is an app. Word Swag is available for IOS and Android (I think), but if it’s available for desktop/laptop, I haven’t found it, but since I don’t really need it on my desktop, I haven’t searched hard for it. I’ve had the app for a while, but I think it costs $4.99. That’s a one time fee, and I seriously love it. I’ve definitely got my money’s worth.

WordSwag is a simple, on the go type app. It’s not something you have a lot of control over as in being able to go back to it and keep working later. But it’s so easy and quick that you can recreate a title or meme if you didn’t quite like what you’ve previously created. Quick redo, then AirDrop it to your laptop.

Oh, AirDrop. STOP THE PRESSES: I just realized that I use an Apple iPhone and an Apple MacBook Air, so I can easily share between both using AirDrop (love it!). I'm not sure if Android users and Windows users have things this easy between platforms. I searched and there is such a thing as “Nearby Share” for Android users, but that's as far as I delved into that realm.

Okay, back to Word Swag. In a nutshell, Word Swag is just what it says … WORD SWAG. Perfect name for this little app. You can start with a photo or background and add a quote to make a meme, or just use the transparent background if you’re creating titles, series logos, etc. So, for titles, the transparent background is your go-to, because when you create your lovely title, you’ll want a transparent background so you can add it to your gorgeous cover in Picmonkey (or Publisher, Canvas, or BookBrush, etc.) I suppose someone could create an entire cover in Word Swag. I haven't tried that yet. Hmmm... :)

When you open Word Swag, it looks like screen #1 above. It’s pretty intuitive, but LIBRARY goes to the photos on your device, FREE PHOTOS takes you to a world of free photos from Unsplash and Pixabay. Use the search feature and have some fun making memes and all kinds of PR. HOWEVER, for today’s tutorial, we want to make a cool title for our book. As you can see on screen #2 above, you need to choose TRANSPARENT BACKGROUND. And of course, #3 shows what a transparent background looks like. The light/darker gray checkerboard lets you know that this is a transparent background.

HOT TIP: Many times, you will need to create WHITE TEXT on a transparent background. You’ll be able to see your white text when you save it to your photos, but if you crop this image, it goes wonky. I just always save this on my computer so that I know exactly what it is, and that it’s white text on a transparent background. ie GYPSY_WHITE FONT TRANSPARENT

Deciding on Colors for your Title

What makes Word Swag so cool is that it offers some unusual fonts. When you type in your title, you can quickly play with the styles by rolling the dice (yes, literally… well, not LITERALLY, but by clicking a button) and trying various color options. When I was playing with The Gypsy Bride title, I thought a blue title would look good (bringing out the blue in the sky and the blue on the sleeves of the red dress), but turns out I needed white for contrast, so I had to go back and redo it. I tried white by itself and it looked washed out. Then I add a black shadow and ended up with just what I wanted.

I’m sure Picmonkey (or Canvas, Publisher, Book Brush, etc.) can and does create lovely titles, but if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for, try Word Swag. I just like the idea of a REALLY COOL title treatment for a book. Maybe that’s just me. lol

Here's a short video of how I made the Seekerville heading at the very top of this blog. Fingers crossed that the video plays correctly. There is no sound, except some clicking when I'm typing, I think. It's a Screen recording on my phone.

Last, here are two more resources that I have not really tried out yet. Fontmeme has some really, REALLY cool fonts, but I haven’t researched the site enough to know if the quality is sufficient for book covers. The jury’s still out, but if the quality is good enough, the options would be wonderful.

And, I haven’t researched Heritage Type Co. either, but I LOVE their fonts. I’m tempted to just buy it for a late Christmas present to myself. My mom gave me some money for Christmas, so I really, really should! But after I research some more. I'll need to make sure the fonts work with the software I'm using. :)

Next month, I'll talk more about designing split covers and pairing title treatments with the cover design. Let's talk. If you have questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Also, I'll be out of pocket some today, but I'll stop by as often as I can.