Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 88

Embrace Your Season

by Pam Hillman

It’s been a really strange spring. I realize COVID-19 has consumed our country and the entire world, and it’s certainly played a big part in my life the last few months as well.

However, something closer to home has occupied my time and energy even more than a worldwide pandemic. My elderly mother had a health scare in March and we’re still dealing with some of her health issues and will be for some time. So I can certainly understand the worries and fears that so many families faced when they couldn’t see their loved ones or stay with them in the hospital. Yep, been there, done that, and it’s a terrible feeling!

But then our family has also had blessings upon blessings heaped upon us. I have a new grandson. He’s one month old as you’re reading this, and he, his mom, dad, and big sister are all doing well and with the parental leave act can pretty much hunker down away from all the big, bad scary stuff of the world for these precious first few weeks at home. Of course all of this means that I’ve only seen him twice, but that’s okay.

I led into this blog post with a bit about my current crazy life. Even after 5 days in the hospital with my mom, I didn’t go back home for three weeks, and I live a short 4 miles from her. Under normal circumstances, she would have been in the hospital, but with COVID-19 patients there, her doctors decided that my brother, me, and home health (bless home health!) could take care of her just as well. We were thankful to be sent home.

So, how does this relate to writing? Well, I sort of feel guilty about not be really productive during this time. I mean, many of my writer friends are happily plotting and writing their latest novel right now. We’re used to social distancing, aren’t we? We tend to go for days without seeing another living soul, except for the occasional glimpse of a spouse or a few kids or grandkids. So being cut off from the world should be right down our alley, isn’t it?

But this “stay home, stay safe” isn’t necessarily a vacation or a sabbatical, is it?  I suspect plotting, planning, and spending hours upon hours has been far down the list for others as well. Some of us have been involved in elder care, others have had to dive into the uncharted waters of homeschooling, or even babysitting grandchildren because daycares are closed and one or both parents are essential employees. Our family is overrun with nurses (praise the Lord!), so I’ve done my share of extra childcare over the last few weeks as well.

I guess my point is that for everything there is a season, and maybe this season is one where we have to stop and reassess our priorities. Mine right now are taking care of family. Interestingly enough, I look back over the last few years and see that God knew this time was coming. He knew I’d need this time to take care of my mom, and I’m in a place where I can take a breather. In other words, I don’t have a LOOMING deadline.

As I type this, I’m sitting on my mother's front porch with my feet propped up late at night, listening to the frogs croaking in the nearby swamp. Mom is doing her crossword puzzle and we’re both yawning, just waiting for 9 o’clock so we can go to bed. We're in a new season, a different one to where I was two months ago, a month ago, even last week.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Whatever it is, we need to be prepared to embrace it.

I’m playing with new story ideas, new series, new plots and enjoying the process, but I'm not putting hours upon hours of time into getting words on paper. But those stories will have their season.

Someday.

So, if you're feeling a little down because somehow self-quarantining didn't result in that great American novel you always dreamed of writing, look outward, instead of inward. Look at the blessing you've been to your family, your friends, the elderly, your country, or whatever, wherever you've been needed during this time.

That's your season right now. Embrace it.




CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of. www.pamhillman.com

Jail the Negative Voice

By Debby Giusti
We’re living in unusual times to say the least, and there are many distractions that can disrupt our writing time, steal our creativity and hold us back from following our dreams. If your productivity is down and you’re struggling to write, the pandemic could be to blame, but something else might play a role as well.
Do you know about the Negative Voice?
This mixed-up time is the perfect environment for the Negative Voice to surface. He’s a stealthy guy who hides out in the back of our minds. Silent for long periods of time when we’re going about our daily routines, he’ll make himself known the instant we find time to write.
Spewing verbal abuse, the Negative Voice attempts to convince us we can’t write or can’t write a story that sells or a story readers will like or the next story or a different type of story or ….
You get the idea.


Although rejection and sorry-it’s-not-working-for-me are part and parcel of this business, the last thing a writer needs is extra criticism, especially in the time of Corona. The stress of living through a pandemic is hard enough. We shouldn’t heap more disapproval upon our shoulders and certainly not from a self-generated source that knows where we’re most vulnerable.
“Who do you think YOU are?” the Negative Voice asks.  “You got a ‘C’ in sophomore English.”  “You’re only a housewife.”  “You never went to college.”  “You can’t spell.”  “You’ve got a full-time job and three kids to raise, and you don’t have time for some foolish pie-in-the-sky dream about seeing your name in print.”  “You’ve been rejected 35 times. Get a life!” “You’ll always be a midlist author.” “You can’t switch publishers or agents or genres.” “You’ll never sell another story.”
Before I sold my first book… before I wrote my first book…before I even knew I could write a first book, I was aware of my Negative Voice. 
I started writing short, slice of life vignettes when my children were young.  We lived in rural Missouri where long, snow-bound winters provided ample opportunity to take pen to paper.  I published a few pieces, including “Sisterhood,” a short tribute to Army wives. (Just a side note: "Sisterhood" still circulates throughout the military community, was performed to musical accompaniment at the White House and has been republished in a number of military publications, including 1001 Things To Love About Military Life , a Hachette Book Group release.)
After making those first few sales back in Missouri, I thought my publishing life was ready to skyrocket. Then we moved.  Kids went to school, schools needed volunteers and I raised my hand.  Granted, I wanted to help, but I also wanted to write. 
The Negative Voice kept selling me a line of goods about how I needed to do “normal” things, like be a room mom, coordinate the wives’ club luncheons, be program chair for my ladies’ group at church, all important jobs that I enjoyed doing.  I was making a contribution, but I wasn’t making room in my life for my own dream. 


The few times I attempted to scratch out a story, the Negative Voice quickly critiqued my rough drafts.  “Ha, ha, ha,” he laughed.  “Who are you kidding? Why start something you can’t finish, and you’ll never succeed as a writer.  Stick with all the other volunteer jobs you’re currently doing.”
The Negative Voice also told me I was too busy to write.  “You’ll have time to write later in life,” he promised.  So, with that carrot held over my head, I closed the door on what might have been. 
Don’t get me wrong. I had a wonderful life. I traveled the globe with my military husband, ran women’s organizations, worked on quality of life issues within the military community, organized and led church ministries, helped in my kids’ schools and raised my family.  But my desire to write—to write fiction—continued to tug at my heart. 
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t have traded those years or what I accomplished for any amount of publishing success, but I wish I had fueled my spark of writing creativity in a productive way during all that time.  
Things changed when we moved to Georgia.  Perhaps it was the grits that gave me the courage to finally start on my journey to publication. Yet even then, I struggled to still the Negative Voice and his incessant buts. “You won one writing contest, but it was a fluke.”  “You submitted to an agent, but she won’t like the story.” “Your first three chapters work, but the middle doesn’t.”  “You’re getting close, butyou’ll never sell.” 
As luck (think God!) would have it, I stumbled upon THE ARTIST’S WAY, by Julia Cameron.  Working through the book helped me identify the Negative Voice and override his destructive influence.  Two effective strategies for me were Morning Pages and Affirmations. 
Morning pages – write three pages of free flowing, steam of consciousness every morning, shortly after rising.  Don’t critique or rewrite, just jot down the thoughts and baggage and struggles that stand in the way of your creativity.  Sounds silly, doesn’t it?  But Morning Pages work.  Give them a try for a few weeks and see if you don’t notice a difference.
Affirmations – Whenever you hear an internal negative, flip it into a positive, and write it ten times.  “You can’t write,” the Negative Voice whispers.  Counter that inner pessimism by scribbling the positive affirmation: I am a writer! I am a writer!  I am a writer! I am a writer!  I am a writer! I am a writer!  I am a writer!  I am a good writer!  I am a productive writer!  I am a successful writer! 


Using Cameron’s ideas, I soon realized the only one holding me back from my dream was me. I set aside time each day to write.  I joined a committed critique group that met weekly. I stopped thinking of writing as something that took me away from my husband and children and regarded it as a necessary part of life that made me a more joyous and vibrant member of the family.
Bottom line, I pushed, I worked hard, I finally sold. You can too.
I didn’t entitle this blog, “Kill the Negative Voice,” because he can’t be silenced. At any time, he’s apt to raise his ugly head, but his maliciousness can be transformed into an affirmation.  When we recognize his tomfoolery for what it is, we can capture the slimy varmint and send him to jail.  Will he escape?  Eventually, but knowing he has lots of tricks up his sleeve is half the battle.  The other half is believing we can succeed.
Can you recognize your own Negative Voice?  If so, how do you overcome the way he tries to hold back your creativity?  What strategies do you use to turn negatives into positives?  What keeps you from realizing your dream?  What is your dream, and how are you working to make sure it comes true…even during a pandemic?


Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a copy of my Publishers Weekly Bestseller, DANGEROUS AMISH INHERITANCE, digital or print, and a digital copy of Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY.
Happy writing!
Wishing you abundant blessing,
Debby Giustiwww.DebbyGiusti.com
Dangerous Amish InheritanceBy Debby Giusti“Move off the mountain. No one wants you here.”

Can this Amish widow survive her dangerous stalker?

Someone wants Ruthie Eicher off Amish Mountain…enough to terrorize the widow and her boys. Now Ruthie must rely on her former sweetheart, Noah Schlabach—the secret father of her eldest son—as they figure out why. But Noah has turned his back on love and the Amish way of life. Can he shield Ruthie…without breaking her heart again?
Order HERE!
“Jail the Negative Voice” was first published in Seekerville on Oct 19, 2011.

Are You Thinking About a Change?

 One of the basic rules for new authors is to stick to your genre. 
That’s good advice. When we’re just breaking into publishing there is very little that is more important than building a relationship of trust between you and your readers. Establishing your “brand” and sticking to it is key to acquiring a loyal readership.


As we publish more stories, we can start broadening our brand. Many authors are able to wiggle to the right a bit or wiggle to the left and publish books that are almost like the stories their readers expect. They’re staying true to their brand, though. A Ruthy book is still a Ruthy book. A Mary Connealy book is still a Mary Connealy book. Erica’s new regency romance series is still all Erica.

We love that, don’t we? We know what to expect from our favorite authors. It’s like going to our stand-by restaurant and ordering something we’ve never tried before. We can do that because we trust the source. We’re pretty sure we’ll enjoy something new from them.


But what if an author wants to completely change genres?

Let’s explore this a bit.

All but two of the twelve books (soon to be thirteen) that I’ve published have been in the genre niche of Amish Historical Romance.

One of the two exceptions was “A Home for His Family,” but it didn’t wiggle too far away from my original niche – it was still Historical Romance. I call that a one-degree difference.

This book is available here!

In the novella that was published in a collection by Bethany House in 2019, “An Amish Christmas Recipe Box,” I went one degree in a different direction, to Contemporary Amish Romance.

This story is available here! 
My readers followed me to those side-steps, but Amish story fans are a little different than other fans in that their loyalty tends to follow the genre rather than the author. So if I try to go very far afield, I risk losing them.

For example, what if I tried a story with a two-degree difference? Instead of Amish Historical Romance, I wrote Contemporary Western Romance? Do you see the two degrees?

If I did that, I would need to market my new story heavily because I’m not sure all my readers would follow me. Some would. After all, I would still be writing for the Christian market, and I would still be writing Romance.

But what if I took a completely different track?

Right now, I’m working on a Cozy Mystery aimed at the secular market.

What??? No Amish! No Romance! No Historical!

Doing something like that takes a LOT of deep thought and planning, and even more prayer.


I had to ask myself a big question: How committed am I to this change?

When the idea first hit me a couple years ago, it sounded like fun. I’m a true Agatha Christie fan, both in print and on video. Some of my favorite authors are Dorothy Sayers and Arthur Conan Doyle. My favorite television shows include Murdoch Mysteries, Monk, and Midsomer Murders. I love picking up a new cozy mystery and curling up with it for an evening or two. Maybe I could try writing one!

That fun idea turned into an obsession. I’ve researched how to write mysteries, and cozies in particular. I’ve read every new title I could get my hands on. I even started planning my own cozy mystery series.

That’s when I knew I was hooked. Somehow, some-when, I would write this story.

But was I committed to starting my career over from scratch? That’s a scary proposition.



Then I realized I wasn’t going to start MY career over. Jan Drexler would still write Amish Romances. Someone else was going to be the cozy mystery writer…I would need to adopt a pen name for this new genre.

Do you see how I skirted the problem of trying to take my readers with me from one genre to the next? My Amish romance readers will still be happy with my installments of Amish stories, either contemporary or historical. (I love those readers and don’t want to risk losing them!)

And this other person – I haven’t settled on a pen name yet – will be my alter-ego, happily murdering people in light-hearted stories.

By the way, that is the very weird thing about cozy mysteries – they are light-hearted stories with murder on the side.



So, how do I market this new author?

First, I need a pen name (still in progress.)

Then a new website, Facebook page, Goodreads page, Amazon page, Bookbub… you’ve got it. All the marketing tools need to be re-done for this new author name.

Finally, a new marketing strategy. Breaking into the secular market is different than the homey world of Inspirational publishing I’ve enjoyed for the past nine years. I’ll have to learn the ropes in this sometimes cold, sometimes friendly world of secular publishing.


But before all that can even start, I must finish writing the first book.

And no, I’m not going to tell you who-done-it.



So, I have to ask myself the big question again – how committed am I to taking on a new genre?

I knew I was going to follow the first story to the end when a plotting tangle kept me awake one night.

I was even more convinced I was sticking with it when I started writing the story and realized I was hiding details from my sleuth that I already knew – like the murderer’s name, method, and motivation – and thinking she would never guess.

When the setting and side characters became real in my mind, I knew I was ready.

Yes, I’m committed to giving this a try.



What about you? Have you ever changed genres, or thought about it?

Or if you are pre-published, have you decided which genre your stories fit in?



And let’s have a bit of fun in the comments! Every commenter will have their name in the drawing for a copy of “Convenient Amish Proposal.”


If you include a suggestion for my new pen name in your comment, you’ll also be in the drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card. So suggest away!

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Request

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
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--and the world--during this coronavirus outbreak. 
Dear Lord, protect us and keep usfree from COVID-19 infection. Help all who are working hard to contain the spread of this virus, especially those  in the healthcare professions and those caring for the sick. Give clarity and right judgement to the National and StateTask Forces, the CDC, NIH and  Public Healthagencies combating this outbreak.Guard all of us and especially our elderly and immunocompromised. Bring healing to those who have the disease, Eternal Glory to those who have succumbed to the virus andcomfort to the families who have lost loved ones.God bless us, and God bless the United States of America.Amen.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly throughout this Easter Season.
Holy Trinity, by Szymon Czechowicz (1756–1758).
[PD-US]
Jesus said to his disciples:“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.And I will ask the Father,and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,because it neither sees nor knows him.But you know him, because he remains with you,and will be in you.I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.In a little while the world will no longer see me,but you will see me, because I live and you will live.On that day you will realize that I am in my Fatherand you are in me and I in you.Whoever has my commandments and observes themis the one who loves me.And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”John 14:15-21

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.  Note our new email address and please send your emails to Seekerville2@gmail.com







Monday: We had a great post from guest Beth Vogt about silencing author doubt by reaching out to support other writers! The winner of a copy of a book of choice from her Thatcher Sister Series is Sherida Stewart!
Tuesday: Debut author, Jackie Layton, discussed writing in 1st person vs 3rd person.
Wednesday: Ruthy counted off the 10 Ways to Conquer Fear with Focus and Faith. The winner of a $20.20 Amazon gift card to give away is Anne Rightler. But wait! An anonymous donor matched the gift card! The winner of the second $20.20 Amazon gift card is Lori Smanski!
Friday: Winnie Griggs discussed a new-to-her writing term - the Contagonist. The winner of a copy of any book from her backlist is Donna!


Monday:  Jan Drexler will discuss the wisdom (or not!) of taking on a new genre, and some of the things to consider when making the decision. Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a copy of "Convenient Amish Proposal."
Wednesday:  Debby Giusti's blogpost will provide insights into the writing life so stop by and share in the discussion. Also leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a copy of Debby's latest release, DANGEROUS AMISH INHERITANCE.  Friday: Pam Hillman is our hostess today.









Mary Connealy on a podcast! 
Check out all Mary's wit and wisdom (ahem....okay, I tried!!!) on Six Gun Justice. Side story, it's audio. I thought it was video. I spent a LOT OF TIME, picking out clothes, make-up, hair, set up the computer just right to get a head and shoulders shot, not to close, not to far from my face. And then...it's audio! Grrrr Click Here to LISTEN.

And the lovely folks at Amazon Publishing have put Ruthy's bestselling "At Home in Wishing Bridge" Kindle edition on sale for $1.99!!!!! If you haven't read Ruthy's bestselling series about the small town with the big heart, this is a great chance to grab one of the books for your Kindle library! Ruthy would love to know what you think about Thea's story!
Click Here For A Quick Trip to Amazon! 






Creating a Story-Worthy Problem That Will Captivate an Audience by Kristen Lamb

What We Can Do In The Wait  by Jeanne Takenaka at Learn How To Write A Novel

Momentum and Pace--Giving Readers A Satisfying Ride by Tiffany Yates Martin at Live Write Thrive

Helpful Blogs from Book Brush by LA Sartor at An Indie Adventure
7 Possible Hooks For Your Opening Chapter by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors

Our Limited Limitless Writing Life by John Peragine at Writers In The Storm

The Comprehensive Guide to Finding, Hiring, and Working with an Editor by Chantel Hamilton at Jane Friedman

Find What You Can Control, And Take Action by Rachelle Gardner

How To Get Back On Track When All Your Planning Fails by Aliza Mann at Fiction University

The Contagonist

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here.I recently came across a term for a story character type that I’d never heard before – Contagonist. Of course I’d heard of protagonists and antagonists and knew what those meant, but what in the world was a CONtagonist? 

So I immediately had to do some research to discover what this was. First, if you’re like me and haven’t heard this term before, let’s define it. A Contagonist is a term coined by Dramatica which is a software package for writers. 
They define it as …the character that balances the Guardian. If Protagonist and Antagonist can … be thought of as "Good" versus "Evil," the Contagonist is "Temptation" to the Guardian's "Conscience."  It’s like one of those cartoons you see where there’s an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other - the contagonist is the devil which represents temptation.  
So where the antagonist is in direct opposition to the protagonist, the contagonist doesn’t necessarily want to oppose or harm your protagonist, they simply provide a hinderance by placing temptations and/or obstacles, be they deliberate or otherwise, in your protagonist’s path. In fact the Contagonist could actually be your protagonist’s close friend or a loved one.One example I’ve seen used a lot when I researched this is that of the Wizard from The Wizard of Oz.  The Wicked Witch is the antagonist, the one who is diametrically opposed to Dorothy. The Wizard, unlike The Wicked Witch, is not opposed to Dorothy per se and has no animosity toward her. But he does get in her way, sidetracking her pursuit of her goal to return home to Kansas.Another often used example, and this one surprised me, is Darth Vader. I’d always viewed  him as the antagonist but the real antagonist of the movies is the Emperor. Darth is the contagonist because he isn’t out to destroy Luke per se, (and we learn why in the second movie). Rather he constantly tries to tempt Luke to join him on the dark side. He even poses obstacles for the Empire in several instances.



I came up with an example on my own

10 Ways to Conquer Fear with Focus & Faith

It's been two months now. Over two months since I first started researching what was going on in China... and having watched "One Child Nation", a documentary released in 2019 about China's one-child policy, the emotional distancing, the choices, the  lack of choices and the long and short-term effects.  I was watching it from an adoption angle, but then whispers of a new virus kept invading my research. As I watched the news releases from China, and the more surreptitious talk, it became more clear that this could be another SARS-like breakout... of course we know now that this one is worse for several reasons.

It infects people more readily.
It lurks in the throat and nose without causing symptoms for days, widening the spread.
It has "sneak attack" features that allow a person to carry it, unknown to them.
It loves crowded rooms, funerals and gatherings inside.
It targets the elderly, but isn't afraid to take its share of other folks, too... but to a far less degree.
It really likes people with co-morbidities, immune-suppressed, diabetic, lung problems, heart problems and obesity are particular favorites.
It's persistent. And it is particularly happy in overcrowded conditions, spreading quickly which made NYC a prime target.

As these things became known, the world hit "PAUSE":

And it hasn't been able to hit "RESET" as yet.


We're slowly creeping toward Reset in Western New York. Because NYC became an epicenter, things in New York will move slowly. Others are able to move more quickly, and that's good because a world can't pause forever, can it? But this isn't a debate about opening/not opening.

Not my job, not my pay grade.

My job is to help writers figure out how to conquer the spinning brain, the out-of-body experiences that say you should be writing (those are correct, by the way) but you can't get your brain to cooperate. (Brains are funny things.)

This has become difficult for contracted authors. That means it might even be harder for people striving for that goal because there's no money riding on it. That's not said to be mean, it's the common sense of the situation: If your paycheck demands you write, then you write. Eventually.

So how do we conquer this? How do we set fear aside and focus on moving forward?



Faith in God and faith in ourselves. The Novel Corona Virus didn't take our talent. Nor has it taken our brains. What it's done is capture our attention, so our current task is to change the visual and contextual and get back to work.

OR--

Use it as a basis for getting back to work because not since WW2 has there been such a target-rich environment for story building from every direction, mindset, demographic, setting available.

Those choices are up to you, the author, the writer. The news abounds: pick a story and flesh it out fictionally.

And here are ten ways to re-set your personal brain:

1. Stop watching ubiquitous news coverage. Allow yourself twenty minutes/day to check news, local and/or national, then walk away until your brain is no longer mush. Mushy brains do not write good books. Heck, they don't even write good lists.

2. Do something nice for others. The busier you are being good to others, the less inclined you are to sit and think about yourself or the world condition. The world has been around for a very long time. It will continue to spin, and good things and bad things will continue to happen. Focus on others. Make things to donate, write letters of encouragement to people, bake things and drop them on doorsteps, order things to be delivered to folks who are in need. Give gift cards to cashiers and delivery people. Be kind. Be noble. Be faith-filled.

3. Go outside. Get out of the house, even on the bad weather days (tornadoes and hurricanes excepting) and walk. Ride a bike if you have one, but if you don't, take walks. It will be good for your body, cleansing for your soul, help your lungs and give you more stamina if you do get sick.

4. Avoid social media. If your brain is spinning, social media is the last place you should be with the constant arguments about this, that and the other thing. One thing about crises that's held true through millennia: There are bad people who will take advantage to their own ends/power/finances and good people who will keep things going. Today is no different, it's just your new normal. Use it as a history lesson.

5. The Serenity Prayer. A beautiful, simplistic way of re-organizing your brain to focus on what can be helped, changed, and your opportunity to do it... or to bide your time, pray and know that God is listening.

6. Write.  Make yourself sit down, get that butt into a chair and those hands on the keyboard and let your brain immerse in something fun... or in something earth-shattering if that's the way your brain works. Some authors do well in the crush of the moment, bringing tragedy to the page as it whirls around them. Others want rainbows and Kermit-the-Frog and reassurance of sweet romance or fairy tales. BOTH ARE WONDERFUL.  And both can be blessedly therapeutic.

7. Make a decision about what is ruling your life: Fear or Focus. No matter what kind of person you are, introvert or extrovert, fussy or calm, Type A, B or whatever... your personal choice has a huge effect on your actions. Choose to move forward. Standing still gets us nowhere. This doesn't mean you have to rejoin the dance in the public square. It means you're actively engaging your brain to allocate a "And This Too Shall Pass" mindset to the current situation and letting it play out while you get things done. They don't have to be big things: But they do have to be something.

8. How badly do you want to be a writer?  Sometimes the test isn't in the circumstances, but in the person. Another decision to make, because writing is a job like any other, and there's only so much leeway. Publishers don't make money if they don't produce books, and sometimes we write under great pressure, internal and external. There are only so many "Get Out of Jail (Deadline) Free" cards issued. Something to consider because self-discipline is key to a successful career, or even a shot at a career at all.

9. Breathe deeply. That sounds silly, right? It's not. Taking that deep, cleansing breath through your nose... holding it to expand your lungs... then doing a slow, controlled release helps us to feel in charge and it helps strengthen our lungs, two important factors in fighting this virus and the blues. Take those deep breaths... hold 'em a bit... and then let them go slowly. It's a metaphor for taking charge of your life by taking charge of your lungs, your air, your breathing patterns.

10. Pray. Give your life, your fear, your joy, your anxiety, your acceptance, your praise over to God. If you're not a believer, this is the best time to change that status, darlings! And if you are, then remember that God is here, with us, Emmanuel. The blessing of the Holy Spirit dwells within us. We are not abandoned. We are never alone. We are His... and as His creations we were formed in an image and likeness that offers us the strength to tackle whatever comes our way. Pray... and use His shoulder to lean on. Let Him carry you, but that doesn't mean you should slack off because then the spin starts all over again and darlings... no one has time for that.



Be well. Be kind. Be safe. And remember that while we may embrace different opinions as things move forward, your normal isn't someone else's normal and that's an important distinction.

I've got a $20.20 Amazon gift card to give away today, but not for you... if you win it, I want you to give it to someone in need, okay? I'm not going to check up on you... If you really need it, well, go ahead and use it, my friend!

:)

But I'm a firm believer that the more we care for others, the less we sit around worrying about ourselves. And that's a lesson I think we've all learned at one time or another!



USA Today Bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is blessed to be living her dream of writing sweet books with unforgettable characters while she's tucked in her very cold corner of New York State (which really should give it up on winter, for pity's sake, right???) She has been known to rescue tulips from the cold, loves puppies and dogs, her mini-donkeys, the occasional cat and does not like mice or snakes. She refuses to apologize for that. With over 50 books published, Ruthy has been touching the hearts and souls of readers for ten years... and hopes for many more, God willing! Email her at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website ruthloganherne.com, friend her on Facebook where she loves to chat the antics of family, kids, critters and life on a pumpkin farm.

Changing From Third Person POV to First Person POV

 Ruthy here: We've known Jackie Layton for years. She's been a friend, a Seekerville follower, a colleague and now a published author! It's fun to watch the folks we've worked with move on with their careers... and it's fun to meet new people, new aspiring authors but we never, ever want to forget the folks who've sailed off of Unpubbed Island and crossed to the Mainland of Publishing. Jackie, welcome aboard and thank you so much for being with us today!

It was at the 2017 ACFW conference in Grapevine, Texas when I first put serious thought into writing cozy mysteries. Until then I’d written romance and romantic suspense novels. At an appointment with an editor, the topic of cozy mysteries came up. It was like looking in a kaleidoscope when the pieces fall into place and form a beautiful picture. I broke out in chills. There was a learning curve ahead of me. First, I had to transition from the fast pace of suspense to cozies. I’d also need to learn how to write in first person point of view. Right away I began only reading books in first person to help me get the feel for it.If you’ve ever considered writing in first person POV, I’d like to share a few tips I learned. In first person the story is told by the protagonist or a character on the fringe who can tell the protagonist’s story. For example, Sherlock Holmes is told from Dr. Watson’s point of view.
The change to first person point of view (POV) required a mind shift on my part. I needed to use words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “us.”Avoid thinking verbs. Don’t use believe, decide, consider, see, forget, guess, imagine, know, notice and remember. These take the reader out of deep POV.Instead of writing, “I believed Susan was lying.”Try, “Susan’s gaze dropped to the floor, and she twisted the ring around her finger.” Using deep POV and showing not telling is important for all fiction authors, but it seems vital to stories set in 1st person POV. In first person, you don’t have the luxury of jumping into the hero’s POV to learn what he is feeling or thinking. It must be shown.
In some books the author takes the reader into the villain’s POV. By writing a cozy in 1st person POV, it increases the tension. As the main character searches for clues, the readers discover the answers at the same time as your amateur sleuth.Showing the setting also takes the reader deeper into the story. Instead of telling the reader the moon is shining, show it to them. Bite the Dust is set on the fictional island of Heyward Beach, South Carolina. If my main character Andi Grace Scott is inland, the moonlight might filter through the Spanish moss covering the ancient oak trees.  Many times, Andi Grace is on the beach, and I want the reader to see the moon from the island. “The moon beams danced on the incoming waves and sparkled like diamonds in the night.”
A writer also wants to avoid passive voice. For example, you wouldn’t write, “She twisted her ankle while running on the beach.”To make this active, try:“A seagull flew overhead dancing on the breeze. I stumbled into a hole, and pain seared up my leg. Somebody hadn’t read the signs telling visitors to fill the holes left from building sand castles, and my poor ankle was paying the price.”Go even deeper. “I fell on the sand and grabbed my ankle. There are signs people. At every beach entrance are messages to pick up your trash and fill in the holes before leaving the beach.” When writing in deep POV, you’re writing as your character. Andi Grace Scott is the main character in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series, and I needed to learn her voice. Andi Grace is a southern girl who loves God and loves her family. She’s a caretaker. She’s a fighter who sticks up for the underdog and pursues justice. She’s a big sister which makes her kinda bossy. (I’m a big sister and can identify with this trait.)While Andi Grace may be used to telling her siblings what to do, there’s a lot she doesn’t know. I hope her flaws make her more likeable in her search for a killer and in her everyday life.Do you enjoy reading stories told in first person POV? Have you written a story in first person? Bite the Dust is the first book in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series. Dog-Gone Dead is the second book and should release in the next couple of months.

Back Cover Copy for Bite the Dust:Secrets can be deadly.
One steamy South Carolina morning, Low Country dog walker Andi Grace Scott discovers a client’s dead body. Police quickly decide she’s the prime suspect. Horrified, she knows she’ll have to turn detective if she’s going to convince them they’re barking up the wrong tree.
Proving her innocence could be a tall order. The local police never solved the hit-and-run that killed her parents; Andi Grace isn’t sure they’ll solve this crime either…not when they have a convenient suspect—one caught with the possible murder weapon in her hand. She’ll have to follow every clue and call in every favor, even if that puts her in danger.
If you love strong heroines, coastal small-town life, and dogs, you’ll love Bite the Dust.
Available on Amazon: Bite the Dust
Barnes & Noble:  Bite the Dust

Jackie Layton spent her adult life raising her sons, loving her family, and working as a pharmacist. She’s always been a reader and often dreamed of writing. Before becoming an empty nester, she began to study the craft of writing. A move to Pawleys Island, South Carolina gave her time to focus on writing while working part-time in a local pharmacy. Dawn Dowdle is her amazing agent. BelleBooks offered Jackie a contract for a three-book cozy mystery series. Bite the Dust is the first book in A Low Country Dog Walker Mystery series. Dog-gone Dead is the second book, and Bag of Bones is the third. All are set on the coast of South Carolina.
Ways to reach out to Jackie: https://jackielaytoncozyauthor.com/ http:// jackiesbackporch.blogspot.com Twitter: @Joyfuljel https://www.facebook.com/JackieLaytonAuthor https://www.facebook.com/Joyfuljel https://www.pinterest.com/jackielaytonauthor/ https://www.instagram.com/jackielaytonauthor

Be Positive and Proactive to Silence Author Doubt

By Guest Beth Vogt 



Doubt is part of an author’s journey. 
Any and every author, obscure or famous, struggles with believing they are good enough. That they’ve got what it takes to be a success, however they define success.
And there are hundreds of ways to define success.
But that, friends, is another blog post. (I believe I’ve already written one on this topic.)
There are lots of different ways to deal with doubt. Some well-known authors drink or do drugs. *cough* Hemingway … Faulkner … Poe … *cough*
Not recommending that.

Some authors look to their reviews to bolster their flagging ego. But what do you do with the less than positive reviews?
Other authors just ride the mental merry-go-round and go ‘round and ‘round, up and down, between doubt and confidence.
I’d like to suggest that being positive and proactive is one of the best ways to silence doubt. I’m not talking about reciting “I know my worth” self-affirmations. Although, if that helps you, please continue.

One way to step away from the writer’s search for significance is to stop thinking about yourself. Focus on another author instead. Go from woe-is-me to Yay-you by doing these simple things:
1.     Share another author’s social media post about their book. We all know authors would rather be writing than marketing. But we also know writers need to market. Help another writer expand their social media reach by retweeting a tweet or sharing an Instagram post. 2.     Share a quote from their book on your Instagram feed or story. No, you don’t need to be a full-fledged bookstagrammer with a bio and candles and props to do this. Keep it simple. Use a Picmonkey or Canva template and type up a quote. Or take a photo of the book’s cover and again, using a graphic design tool, add a book quote – maybe the first line? – to the photo. TIP: Asked to read a book for endorsement? This is a great time to write down quotes to use later.3.     Celebrate an author-friend’s book on its release day. We all love birthdays, right? It’s also fun to celebrate book birthdays, the day a book launches. Again, you can do something as simple as saying, “Happy Book Birthday!” on an author’s Facebook page. I’ve made a graphic that I post on authors-friends pages when they have a book birthday. 
When you’re busy helping out other authors, it encourages them and it also cheers you up, too. Remember, when in doubt, help another author out.
 ********
Beth has graciously offered to give away one copy of one of the books from her Thatcher Sisters Series! Winner's choice of which book (U.S. residents only, please). Let us know in the comments if you'd like to be entered.
Check out Beth's new release from Tyndale!

How can you choose what is right for you when your decision will break the heart of someone you love?

Having abandoned her childhood dream years ago, Johanna Thatcher knows what she wants from life. Discovering that her fiancé was cheating on her only convinces Johanna it’s best to maintain control and protect her heart.

Despite years of distance and friction, Johanna and her sisters, Jillian and Payton, have moved from a truce toward a fragile friendship. But then Johanna reveals she has the one thing Jillian wants most and may never have—and Johanna doesn’t want it. As Johanna wrestles with a choice that will change her life and her relationships with her sisters forever, the cracks in Jillian’s marriage and faith deepen. Through it all, the Thatcher sisters must decide once and for all what it means to be family.


AUTHOR BIO: 
Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Having authored nine contemporary romance novels and novellas, The Best We’ve Been, the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters Series with Tyndale House Publishers, releasers May 2020. Other books in the women’s fiction series include Things I Never Told You, which won the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, and Moments We Forget. Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. Visit Beth at bethvogt.com.

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and to all women with a mother's heart!Have a joyous day!
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--and the world--during this coronavirus outbreak. 
Dear Lord, protect us and keep usfree from COVID-19 infection. Help all who are working hard to contain the spread of this virus, especially those  in the healthcare professions and those caring for the sick. Give clarity and right judgement to the National and StateTask Forces, the CDC, NIH and  Public Healthagencies combating this outbreak.Guard all of us and especially our elderly and immunocompromised. Bring healing to those who have the disease, Eternal Glory to those who have succumbed to the virus andcomfort to the families who have lost loved ones.God bless us, and God bless the United States of America.Amen.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly throughout this Easter Season.
Jesus saying farewell to his eleven remaining disciples,
from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308–1311. [PD-US]
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples:“Do not let your hearts be troubled.You have faith in God; have faith also in me.In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.If there were not,would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?And if I go and prepare a place for you,I will come back again and take you to myself,so that where I am you also may be.Where I am going you know the way.”Thomas said to him,“Master, we do not know where you are going;how can we know the way?”Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.If you know me, then you will also know my Father.From now on you do know him and have seen him.”Philip said to him,“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a timeand you still do not know me, Philip?Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,or else, believe because of the works themselves.Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,and will do greater ones than these,because I am going to the Father.”John 14:1-12