Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 94

Measuring The Impact

with guest blogger, Amanda Cabot
“How do we measure the impact of our stories? How do we know if we’re successful?” Those were the questions a member of my Colorado writers group asked last summer. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I wanted to open today’s discussion with some of my thoughts.
Let’s consider a few measures of success.
Copies Sold – For as long as I’ve been published (a long, long time), this has been the gold standard of success. From both the publisher’s and the author’s view, that’s understandable. After all, both the publisher’s profits and the author’s royalties are based on the number of copies sold. And the greater the number of books sold, the greater the probability that your story has touched readers’ hearts.
All of that is good, but the sad reality is that just because someone bought a book doesn’t mean she’ll read it or that if he begins to read it, he’ll finish the book. I tried unsuccessfully to find the article I once read about the depressingly small percentage of bestselling books that were read in their entirety, but my own experience has been that I finish no more than three-quarters of the books that I purchase. Yes, the authors of those unread books registered sales, but I doubt they expected or wanted me to abandon a story they’d labored over after I read only ten percent.
Amazon Ranking – Raise your hand if you’ve never checked your book’s rank on Amazon. Hmmm … I’m looking out over cyberspace, and I’m not seeing any hands. Maybe I need new glasses. All joking aside, Amazon rankings are valuable because they measure the velocity of sales at the world’s largest bookstore, but they have the same shortcoming as copies sold: they’re not a measure of impact, simply of potential impact.
Journal Reviews – Who wouldn’t relish a starred review in Publishers Weekly or Booklist, a review in a major newspaper, or having his book on a “best ten of the year” list? Those are all significant accomplishments, and if the author is fortunate, they lead to higher sales. They’re also a boost to the ego, since the reviewers are professionals who are presumably experienced in evaluating fiction. But are the reviews a true measure of the impact of the book? I say “no,” and that brings me to the next two categories.
Reader Reviews – If you’re like me, you cherish those five-star reviews on Amazon and cringe when you see a one-star. What makes these reviews special? Quite simply, it’s because they come from readers. This is our target audience. Unlike professional reviewers, the people who post reviews are not paid to express their opinions. They’re taking time that could be spent doing a hundred other things to tell others what they liked, which portions of the book resonated with them, what they didn’t like. We may not always agree with them, but these reviews, which some librarians use when they’re deciding which books to add to their library’s collection, represent real-world opinions. They also help us measure how our stories affect readers.
Letters from Readers – Whether they come via email or snail mail, readers’ letters are my favorite way of determining the impact of my stories. Some of these readers will post reviews, but in most cases, their stories are too personal for them to reveal to the world at large. The fact that they’re willing to share their experiences with me tells me how much my stories have touched their hearts and how much of an impact fiction can have.
Patricia Bradley shares my view. Here’s Patricia’s story: I’ve had several readers tell me the way a character solved their problems helped them work out their own problems. One wrote to me about A Promise to Protect and said, “I never felt my mother wanted me (which was the problem my heroine faced), and it affected my marriage, my children, my life. Reading your book and the way your heroine forgave her mother has changed my life. I thank you and my children thank you.”
Here’s what one reader wrote to me about Scattered Petals:“What makes your book special is that you’ve touched my heart so deeply that I’m finally beginning to really believe God loves me. I’ve had that head knowledge for years, but now with the help of Scattered Petals, it is becoming real to me. Thank you for working in partnership with God to touch and change me as never before!”
Paper Roses had this effect on a reader:“I had really started to think that God wasn’t listening to me, and that I was indeed all alone, and that perhaps even God really didn’t exist. After that book, I just have such peace. Thank you for writing this. Just a little hug from Jesus knowing that He does use other people to touch lives. He really is there, and He really does love me! Thank you so much.”
I won’t claim that I’ve received hundreds of letters like these, but I will tell you that they’re worth more than a royalty check to me. They affirm my belief that I’m doing what God intended for me and that my stories are having a positive impact on readers.
How do you measure your impact?




Back Cover Copy
A young woman with a tragic past has arrived in town . . . and trouble is following close behind
Ten years after her parents were killed, Evelyn Radcliffe is once more homeless. The orphanage that was her refuge and later her workplace has burned to the ground, and only she and a young orphan girl have escaped. Convinced this must be related to her parents’ murders, Evelyn flees with the girl to Mesquite Springs in the Texas Hill Country and finds shelter in the home of Wyatt Clark, a talented horse rancher whose plans don’t include a family of his own.
At first, Evelyn is a distraction. But when it becomes clear that trouble has followed her to Mesquite Springs, she becomes a full-blown disruption. Can Wyatt keep her safe from the man who wants her dead? And will his own plans become collateral damage?
Suspenseful and sweetly romantic, Out of the Embers is the first in a new series that invites you to the Texas Hill Country in the 1850s, when the West was wild, the men were noble, and the women were strong.

BioAmanda Cabot’s dream of selling a book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards. A popular workshop presenter, Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of publication.

Social Media Linkswww.amandacabot.comhttps://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabothttps://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

Buying Links Amazon Barnes & Noble Christian Book Distributors

RELEASE PARTY!!!!! ALL ARE WELCOME!!!!!

 JUST RELEASED SO OF COURSE WE MUST THROW A PARTY!!!!!



You know I will tell you honestly that even after 53 books IT IS STILL THE BOMB TO RELEASE A NEW STORY!!!!!!!

It is still thrilling.

It is still amazing.



And best of all, it's still fun. I am doing exactly what I love doing the most, so this totally rocks. And the fact that I had to wait a whole bunch of decades (never you mind how many, that's none of your business, Mister!)  :) just makes this success sweeter... because it was longed for...

Worked for...

And done on God's timing. I think that's the secret weapon, don't you???

Oh, that God! :)

So here's how we are partying today. It's gonna be fun, darlings....

Let me do a little business first:



THE FIRST TWO WISHING BRIDGE BOOKS ARE ON SALE AT $1.99 EACH FOR KINDLE!!!!

THAT MEANS YOU CAN BUY BOTH BESTSELLERS AND THE NEWEST RELEASE "FINDING PEACE IN WISHING BRIDGE" FOR $7.96.

I am not even kidding you a little bit!!!!!!

LINK FOR WELCOME TO WISHING BRIDGE $1.99

LINK FOR AT HOME IN WISHING BRIDGE $1.99

LINK FOR BRAND NEW FINDING PEACE IN WISHING BRIDGE $3.99

So ALL THREE FOR $7.96!!!!!

$7.96 for all three books.  Oh mylanta, that's amazing and again, God's perfect timing because when I picked the release date for Jazz's story months ago, I had no idea that Amazon/Waterfall was going to offer the other two books for sale the same month.... BONUS!!!!!

So here's the party side of this...

CHAMPAGNE!!!!

(It's pretend....)

FOOD!!!!

(Also pretend, your jeans will thank me)

PARTY FAVORS!!!!

Now that one I've got! Let me know if you'd like to be put in the drawing for ALL THREE BOOKS.... that's right, a gift of each book for you, Kindle Editions....

And, if you already own one of them, or two of them, we can substitute in my charming historicals, two beautiful Western books about life in 1889 South Dakota... and it's an amazing walk back in time!

Let's celebrate this day by telling me all about your favorite classic book(s) and/or movies!

Let's dish!

Champagne for everyone!

USA Today Bestselling Author Ruth Logan Herne has published over fifty books with many more to come, God willing and when she's not writing unforgettable stories for multiple markets, she's planning and plotting the newest upcoming season on her delightfully inviting pumpkin farm in Western New York. She loves to hear from readers and writers, so feel free to email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com , visit her website ruthloganherne.com or friend her on facebook. She'd love to hear from you! 

God is in the details - and we should be, too (a revisit)

I had planned to talk about adaptability today, but as I started writing, things sounded a little too familiar. After some research, I realized it was because I'd done a similar post last July. Aye, yi, yi. 
I tried to shift gears but found myself stuck in neutral. That's when I decided to go back and look at some of my previous posts. I mean clear back to my first post as a regular Seeker. It was good, y'all. And resonated with me and where I am in my current WIP. So I thought I'd share that post again in case someone else needed to be reminded of those same things.--------

Have you ever thought of God as detail-oriented? 
Take a look at this sunset. The Masterful placement of the clouds, the exact splashes of color, the way the light filters through every layer... Pretty, for sure, yet there's nothing haphazard about it. Instead, every detail has been beautifully planned. Or what about the mountains? I took this photo on our last trip to Ouray, Colorado. One of the things I love most about the mountains is that there's nothing manmade. From the craggy, timeworn formations to the brilliant green on trees to the glacial blue waters, it's all God and His magnificent attention to detail.   Just in case you're still skeptical, let's look at Jesus' words in Matthew 10. "And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 
You can't get more detailed than that. Even a mother who cradles her newborn and studies them for hours on end would be hard-pressed to tell you how many hairs are on the babe's head.

So how does this translate to readers and writers?
When you pick up a book and start to read, what is it that draws you in? Is it the characters? The setting? 
No. It's the details of those elements. Those minute parts that add depth, bring a story to life and invite us into the relationship that lies within the book. 
It's that relationship we crave, because humans were created for relationships. Yet for any relationship to happen, we have to get to know each other. Or, in this case, get to know the characters. And, just like in real life, a trust has to be built. The author has to make us care about the characters so much that we can't wait to get to the end of the book to make sure everything turns out all right. 
What's a writer to do?
First and foremost, the author, the story creator, needs to know their characters intimately. Right down to the number of hairs on their head. Though that probably won't be revealed in the story. 
Not only do you need to know what they look like physically, but what they look like on the inside. How do they view life? Are they perpetually happy? Have they been wounded by someone they once loved? Do they feel like God has let them down? What drives them? Why? And countless other questions, because if the author doesn't take the time to get to know their characters, the reader won't want to take the time either. I know my characters, now what?
Start building that relationship right away with an opening line or paragraph that grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to keep reading. Something that immediately puts us into the story and that character's head.
It can be dialog, like in Jan Drexler's book, The Amish Nanny's Sweetheart. "You're sure you want to do this?" 
As a reader, I'm asking, "Do what?" That one little line makes me want to keep reading.
Sometimes, it's a sentence or two that instantly tells us what the story is about, such as Ruth Logan Herne's Their Surprise Daddy. One minute Cruz Maldonado was a sought-after Manhattan financial investor with a law degree, a force to be reckoned with on Wall Street.The next he was the guardian for two children whose existence probably sprang from the jaws of Mexican cartels.
Reader Mindy thinks, "What does a bigwig dude like that know about raising kids?" Fish out of water stories can be so fun.
Here are some other elements every writer needs to employ when working toward building a relationship with their readers.Show, don't tell - I can hear many of you new writers, and even some older ones, groaning over that phrase. We hear it so often in critiques and contest feedback, but only because it's true. Don't tell me the heroine is brokenhearted. I want to feel her pain as she watches the hero drive away. To see her standing in the cold, hands buried in her coat pockets as she dutifully forces one foot in front of the other, all the while battling back tears. She knew better than to get her hopes up, yet she's done it anyway. (Of course, this stands true for happier moments, also)Don't be afraid to hurt them - In life, we all experience pain, whether physical or emotional. Don't be afraid to hurt your characters. As a matter of fact, you need to hurt them. Have your wounded warrior meet the families of the men who died beside him, no matter how much he dreads it. Don't overdo the details - When we drop too many details at one time, it becomes the dreaded info dump. Readers don't need to know everything all at once. Think of the details of the hero/heroine's past/dreams/reason for chasing the bad guy as seasoning. Sprinkle only as much as you need for that particular bite. We don't need to know every detail of the hero's last breakup the first time we hear about it. All we really need to know is that he'd gotten burned and learned what kind of person the deceased sister of the heroine had really been.Be purposeful - Let's go back to the sunset photo. The golden orange against the blue sky. Other nights there might be some purple or pink or no clouds at all. But whatever God chooses, it's by design, with every detail precisely placed. And so it should be with our words/chapters/stories. Don't throw out something just for the sake of word count. There has to be a reason. And that reason is to allow readers to connect with your story, build that relationship and make them want to keep reading.
Details can make or break a story. Too many or not enough can leave a story lacking. But when we know our characters and are purposeful with the details, the relationship that blooms is worth the struggle.--------I think I'm going to ask you the questions I asked back in early 2018. Are you detail oriented? Have you ever thought of God that way? Readers, what draws you into a story? Writers, do you ever struggle with too many details? How do you break things down?

Three-time Carol Award nominee, Mindy Obenhaus, writes contemporary romance for Love Inspired Books. She’s passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren at her Texas ranch. Learn more at www.mindyobenhaus.com

Creating Characters--the struggle is real

Woman of SunlightIn Bookstores TOMORROW!Characters...
Make them goofy.
Make them charming.
Make them fierce.
Make them clueless.
Most of all…..Make them real.
And good luck with all of it.

Ilsa in my new release Woman of Sunlight, is a cross between Tarzan and Mogli from Jungle Book.
Yep, odd but true, and in a pretty, petite, adult woman.
But Ilsa has grown up wild. The closest she's had to a mother is seven years older than her.
Her big sister Ursula. And a sister, Jo who is five years older than her.
And they pretty much let her run wild. Ilsa tells stories, with wide eyed innocence to the man she ends up in a forced marriage to, of falling over waterfalls, being attacked by a bull elk, swinging through tree tops, wielding her knife.
When he threatens to panic, or yell...or maybe faint...she just can't figure out what's his problem.

So how do you make Ilsa into Mogli?
Tarzan?

One thing I struggled with, in Ilsa is making her an adult. It was easy to lapse into making her very childlike, because she's just never had any boundaries. No one's ever warned her of dangers. Mainly because her two big sisters...her mother figures...were children themselves and were running almost as wild as she was.

But of course Ilsa has to be an adult woman. The romance gets really weird otherwise, right?
Trust me, as the woman writing this, it does.

Her Secret SongAvailable for Preorder nowCover Reveal!!!It's not even up online yet!!!So take none of her innocence away, but she's not stupid. She knows nature. She doesn't exactly know what goes on between a man and a woman, but she knows SOMETHING goes on, and she isn't going to be 'married' to Mitch in the intimate sense until she knows him a whole lot better than she does now.

So that gives her maturity. A lot of character creation is re-writing.
When I first wrote of Ilsa and Mitch's married relationship, I just had her be utterly clueless and misunderstand Mitch's attempts at kissing her and holding her.

That was nice.

Good night.

I thought it was funny, but re-reading it, it just didn't work. So Ilsa had to grow up. No woman who has lived as closely with nature as Ilsa Nordegren can fail to understand the facts of life.

Excerpt from Woman of Sunlight--Innocent but not childlike Ilsa:

His helpful hands reached for the buttons on the front of her dress and she slapped them away.
Mitch snatched his hands back like she’d drawn a gun instead of giving him the mildest of slaps.
She smiled. “I’d better have my say first.”
“What did you want to talk about?”
“I understood enough of what Ma said about a wedding night, and I know enough of the well, the world of…of animals and such, to know we aren’t going to…to…” She swallowed hard, then cleared her throat. Surprising how hard it was to say what should be obvious to him already…and yet she suspected it was not.
Squaring her shoulders, lifting her chin, determined to be clear and honest, she said, “We aren’t going to…behave…as a married couple until we’ve spent more time together. The way we ended up married isn’t at all the normal sort of way. I have no interest in you being…um.” She shrugged. “Being overly…familiar on so slight an acquaintance. We will spend the next little while becoming other than near strangers, Mitch. And only then will be carry on as married folks.”
His gaze held hers, then something shone in his eyes that seemed…agreeable.
“You’re right, Ilsa. Of course we shouldn’t rush into…married things. You’re a wise woman for such a sheltered little thing.” He rested one hand on her cheek and the other at the nape of her neck and kissed her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with great enthusiasm.
“Let’s get ready for bed now, shall we?”
“Last night I slept in this dress for reasons of speed and privacy, sharing a room with your ma, I’ll do the same tonight. I’m ready for bed right now, except for removing my boots.”
“I’d as soon wear my nightshirt.” He started unbuttoning.
Ilsa whirled away to look at the door. “This is so shocking for it to be all right for me to be in here tonight with you and your…your nightshirt…when last night it was wrong. Yes, the parson blessed our marriage. But that doesn’t change the fact that things have taken a shocking turn. It’s way more shocking than the time I came upon a bull elk in the woods and it charged and rammed me into a stream, and I almost went over a waterfall.”
Mitch made some sound she couldn’t understand and she wanted to look at him to see if he was scrubbing his face without water again. That sound seemed to go with the scrubbing.
But she didn’t dare look at him until he was done changing.
“All right. I’m done. I’m ready for bed. You can turn around.”
She did, but she turned to the side, away from him, sidled around him without looking at him, climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Only then did she look at him. He was standing there in a nightgown.
Except it was short. Far too short. She could see his knees and they were bare as a baby backside.
“Where are you going to sleep?” she asked.
Mitch started walking straight for the bed, and her.
Aiming for LoveBrides of Hope Mountain Book #1Another problem with Ilsa is, she's absolutely fearless. She's just never found a single thing she needed to do that she couldn't do.
And she'd never had a Mom scolding her, "Don't touch that, you'll burn yourself. Don't climb that tree, you'll fall. Don't carry that sharp knife around, you'll cut yourself."

Nope, her sisters let her run wild in the woods and she's good. She's woven roots and vines into swings. She knows where the trees grow so tightly she can make her way through the tree tops as quickly as she can run on the ground.

And part of being fearless is, she's incredibly tough.

Excerpt from Woman of Sunlight--Sheltered but tough Ilsa

Mitch had fallen asleep next to his brand-new wife so quickly, so suddenly, he had no memory of closing his eyes.

            And he was awakened in the first light of dawn by the blast of a train whistle.

            “It’s here.” He yanked Ilsa up but she was jumping halfway to the ceiling with a wild look of fear and something else. That feral look that made him worry she was going to pull her knife. But there was no time and she started getting her boots on before he had to decide if she was going to attack.

            He’d disarm her later.

            “That loud noise was made by the train. The man who will be boarding our horses, told us it might be in this morning. We’ve got to get out there before it leaves. It might not be back again for a week.”

They hadn’t unpacked much so they had everything stowed in a few seconds. They were breathing hard when they ran up to the station. The train was just pulling it, it’d begun whistling a fair distance out.
            Ilsa had heard the noise but didn’t see the train until they were up the steps to the station.

She shrieked at the huffing and puffing monster slowing down as it reached town. She whirled and dove for the edge of the platform.
            He stepped in her way and she smashed into him. With no time to spare and, their meager possessions in hand, he carried Ilsa along to buy a ticket.

Then Mitch hustled Ilsa toward the train. He tossed the satchels, bedrolls and his wife on board. Then dragged Ilsa into a seat. He dropped their baggage on the seat facing them.
“Ilsa.” The whistle blasted again. Ilsa dove over him. He snagged her and pinned her down until the blast ended.
The train car wasn’t overly full, thank heavens. No one seemed inconvenienced by the wrestling match he was having with his wife.
He smiled at about five curious passengers. “She’s never been on a train before.”
The one woman on board, a gray-haired matron next to a gray-haired man who was most likely her husband, asked, “Should you be sitting on her head like that?”
Ilsa started growling and he looked down at her savage eyes. He really hoped she didn’t pull her knife.
Learn More at MaryConnealy.comMitch has to learn to look at his delicate, innocent, little wife, and trust her.

Excerpt from Woman of Sunlight, Mitch respecting his wife as he gets to know her better.

She grabbed the woolen lapels of her warm coat and turned in a circle, looking up through tree branches blurred by ever heavier snowfall.
As she turned, a rifle barrel poked from behind a tree. Diving, she hit Mitch with all her weight. Surprise took him down more than her strength. As he tumbled over backward, a gun fired and fired again.
They landed with a thud on the rough, cold ground. Snow puffed up in a cloud around them.
Mitch swept her before him. He dragged her, though she was crawling fast enough he needn’t have. They got behind one of the old trees with a wide trunk just as a row of bullets cut into the bark.
Her knife filled her hand with no conscious decision to draw it.
Mitch’s pistol was out and in action. He fired.
Ilsa was too close to him. She knew from her years of hunting that if two targets were a distance apart, it was harder to hit both. Keeping the tree between her and the peppering gunfire, she reached overhead, snagged a low hanging limb and launched herself upward.
A hard hand grabbed her leg and yanked her to a halt. She looked down.
Mitch’s eyes met hers. He whispered, “Don’t kill him if you can help it.”
She nodded with one jerk of her chin, her heart almost hot with the respect he’d just shown her. Then her bossy husband let her go, turned back to the gunman and fired.
A fight is coming? He doesn't want to protect her from it, he wants her right in the middle of it, guarding his flank.
So Ilsa being tough and innocent, and that being reflected back at her by Mitch's growing respect for her, creates a character who to me, came off the page in a three dimensional way.

Read your book for character? Are they stereotypes? Are they too...and that word goes for everything.
TOO
Too flawed.
Too perfect.
Too unfailingly faithful.
Even...Too evil. Villains are more interesting if, in their evil ways, there's a reason for them to be that way and not just cartoon villains.

Today we talk character. Look at your own Work in Progress.
What can you do to bring your character to life?
Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a signed copy of Woman of Sunlight.

And Happy March, talk about 'The struggle is real'. We've almost survived another winter!!!

Weekend Editon

  



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: Erica Vetsch took a look at the lighter side, using the 'emoticons of the writing life!'
Tuesday: V. Joy Palmer brought us a post about Love-into-Hate romances! The winner of one of her books is: VINCE! (You know the drill, contact Seekerville at the address above to get your book!)
Wednesday: Cate Nolan shared some exciting news...A NEW CONTRACT! To celebrate, Sarah Taylor will be receiving a copy of Christmas In Hiding!!
Friday: Pam Hillman shared insights as she compared Tigger, The Muffin Man and other beloved characters! What makes you love them?




Monday:  Mary Connealy will be talking about her new release, Woman of Sunlight and there is a giveaway!!! Stop in to leave a comment.
Wednesday: Mindy Obenhaus will be here to talk about adaptability in life and in publishing.
Thursday: Ruthy Logan Herne busts in to celebrate HER NEW RELEASE!!!! Freshly out on Amazon.com in Kindle & paperback, book 3 of her bestselling Wishing Bridge series is out! "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge" is here and Ruthy wants to celebrate with all of you by giving away a copy (Kindle or paperback) to a lucky commenter/party-goer/attendee who talks about why America loves small town stories. That's it! Come see Ruthy on Thursday and we'll celebrate together!    Friday: Amanda Cabot is stopping by Seekerville today and sharing her insights on how to measure the impact of our books.





Woman of SunlightBook #2 in the Brides of Hope Mountain seriesReleasing March 3rdCome to Seekerville on Monday for a chance to win!

Happy Dancing!
"Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge" releases on Monday and we're having an old-fashioned book birthday party on Thursday! Come join us!

Here's your link to more WISHING BRIDGE!!!!!

The Maggie Award of Excellence 2020is open. Get your manuscripts ready for submission!
NEWS FLASH!!!Love Inspired Editor EMILY RODMELLwill attend Georgia Romance WritersMoonlight & Magnolias Conference 2020.Plan to attend and pitch your story to Emily! www.GeorgiaRomanceWriters.org

RELEASES APRIL 1ST! 
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!


https://acfwnga.com/one-day-workshop/



Check out these links for the WE next week!

Dear Editor: How Do I Get my Book on a Blog Tour? by Iola Goulton at Christian Editing Services

5 Self-Publishing Mistakes To Avoid by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive

The Professional Writing Resources I Use For All Parts Of The Writing and Publishing Processes by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors

Open Access just granted to nearly 3 million images at the Smithsonian. Thanks to Tina Radcliffe and FHL for sharing this link.

Tigger, The Muffin Man, and Me

by Pam Hillman
Tigger bounced into the front office, hand outstretched, an infectious grin on his face. “How are you today, Ms. Johnnie?”
The receptionist couldn’t help but respond to his energetic step, his jovial manner, and his wide grin. He even kind of looked like a Tigger. He was tall and lanky and middle-aged, and just bouncy. But the similarity ended there. He was a cardboard box salesman.
But he acted like a Tigger, and he brought a smile to the entire office as he peddled his boxes. And over the years it became apparent that he wasn’t friendly and bouncy and interested in us just to sell boxes. No-siree! 
He genuinely cared about people.
One time my husband had a life-threatening injury that kept him in the hospital for ten days. Tigger dropped by the office while I was out. He was so concerned for my husband (whom he had never met), that he got the number to the hospital and called to check on us. You don’t forget Tiggers like that. I haven’t seen Tigger in several years, and honestly, I can’t even remember his real name, but I will never forget him, and I’ll always think of him as Tigger, and when I do, I will smile.
The Muffin Man was another one of our favorite salesmen. I dubbed him The Muffin Man because he brought us to-die-for muffins from The Beagle Bagel Café.
Oh.My.Stars! 
Those muffins were the size of dinner plates and so moist, they just melted in your mouth. One would hold you all day…if you could manage to stop at just one. If The Muffin Man visited in the morning, forget about lunch. I just skipped the healthy stuff altogether and ate a Beagle Bagel Café blueberry muffin with a fresh-brewed cup of coffee. Yum!
The Muffin Man shared pictures of his beautiful daughters, his latest hunting escapades, and his turkey calls and always asked about my boys. Eventually we got around the purpose of his visit, talking about the premium stainless steel that he sold (I bought it by the truck load … 18 wheeler/40,000 lb truck loads).
Good men, good salesmen who took the time to get to know their customers, who sometimes came bearing gifts, and always came bearing smiles, the gift that keeps on giving.
I’ve met more Tiggers, Muffin Men, and friendly Winnie the Pooh types over the years, but I’ve met a few Eeyore types as well. Don’t get me wrong, Eeyore is so cute and cuddly, and we want to fix him, and make him feel better about life.
 

But in real life, having an Eeyore around who never, ever has a good thing to say about anything would put a damper on things for sure. I don’t know about you, but I like to be encouraged. A bit of encouragement goes a long way. But on the flip side, discouragement and a toxic attitude does as well.
The very un-remarkable un-memorable salesman who replaced Tigger was the exact opposite of Tigger. He talked slow, he walked slow, and he acted like he was selling something as bland and unappetizing as a cardboard box. Well, he was, but still, he was the closest thing to an Eeyore salesman that I’ve ever seen. I literally dreaded to see him coming. No personality, no excitement about anything. Just ho-hum, do-ya-wanna-buy-a-box-boring.
Now, I’ll be honest. Having a hard-core Tigger bouncing around me all the time would drive me insane, but on the flip side, I’d go bonkers and have to be in a strait-jacket with Eeyore as a side-kick as well. In the words of Goldilocks, I relate more to someone with a “just right” personality. Maybe someone more like Pooh Bear.

If our attitude is so easily swayed in one direction or another by someone else, then it stands to reason that others react to our attitude the same way. Even the make-believe characters in our stories can and should be affected by other characters. And if they’re not, then they need to be so self-absorbed or deep in their own woes or high with the beauty in their own life that they’re oblivious to the drama going on around them.
One character can be swayed by another. Our readers can be swayed by our characters. A good story has a well-rounded cast of characters, some Tiggers, Eeyores, Pooh Bears, Piglets, and even a few Muffin Men. Are the Tiggers in your story that way simply because it’s his personality? Is there an underlying reason Eeyore seems depressed all the time?
Those characters need concrete reasons for being that way. So give ‘em reasons. And your readers will love your stories just as much as they love Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood.
Let’s discuss the Tiggers and Muffin Men (or Women) in your life. Where did you meet them? What made them special? What about them makes you smile even today?


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

It's all about Perspective

Last summer I did two posts on writing-related words starting with the letter P.


Another "P" Word = Persistence posted back in August and A 15 letter word Not Equal to Lazy (Procrastination) in June.

One of my favorite quotes from the persistence post was this (referring to an article about why people don't meet their full potential) :

The trouble is that most people don’t seriously want what they say they want.

’I want’ means, ‘if I want it enough I will get it.’ Getting what you want means making the decisions you need to make to get what you want.”In other words, few of us are willing to do what it takes to achieve what we desire. 

So why do I bring these old posts up today????

Well, because THIS happened last week.



Despite my tendency to procrastinate, I persisted. I did the work and sold another book to Love Inspired Suspense. You can expect to see it on the shelf in January 2021.  
I'm celebrating and I couldn't think of anyplace I'd rather announce it than here!



But as anyone who has ever sold a book knows, contracts come with lovely revision notes from your acquiring editor. I've been lucky so far, because neither of my books have required extensive revisions. However, the note that came this time made me think of a new P word, one that has been on my mind recently.

I had an experience that made me focus on PERSPECTIVE and how it relates to writing.

I have lived in the same neighborhood for the past 33 years. Nearly every day of those 33 years, I have walked down the block that is half a block over from mine. Most days I walk it multiple times - to and from work, walking the dog, going food shopping. 
I live in a Brooklyn neighborhood that is known for it's Brownstones. Many of those houses have front stoops that end in pillars/pedestals. They look like some version of this.



That is what I have seen every day for 33 years!
But a few weeks ago as I was walking down that very same street, I noticed something. If I looked at the stoop from a different angle, it looked like this.




Do you see the face?  I had never noticed it before? I sent a photo to my daughters and neither of them had ever noticed it either.

So I got to really looking, and then I noticed that this was true on many blocks.









And most shocking of all - it was true of the pedestal at the bottom of the flight of stairs in my own house!

I had just never looked at it from that angle before.

So you may be asking, what is the connection to writing?

It goes back to that revision letter, and how sometimes, in order to see what our editor is seeing, we have to change our perspective. But that's not always an easy thing to do when you've been stuck in a rut thinking about something the same way for a long time.

(Fortunately, despite how it feels at times, I have NOT been working on this book for 33 years!)

In order to make the one change my editor requested, I had to change my perspective on why the heroine was acting the way she was. I did a lot of thinking about it, but then I did what I often do, I studied up on craft.

I read several articles on writing in an attempt to reconsider the changes I had to make. That's when I came across this video.

For those of you who don't have the patience to watch (though I highly recommend that you do), this short film called The Ten Meter Tower, this is the YouTube blurb:

A 10-meter diving tower. People who have never been up there before have to choose whether to jump or climb down. The situation in itself highlights a dilemma: to weigh the instinctive fear of taking the step out against the humiliation of having to climb down.

Most of the video is a closeup shot of people on the diving platform as they agonize whether or not to jump. It's by turns amusing, excruciating, and painful to watch.  (warning:  once or twice there is a curse word).

The viewer is left feeling SO curious about what the jump looks like. Eventually they pull away and show a long shot. I was going to post a photo of that, but I didn't want to violate copyright, so just imagine a long view of a pool (or go to 6:07 in the video).


The thing is, it didn't look so terrifying.
But then they showed a different view - the potential diver's view.

OH!  Big difference!!!

Suddenly you could understand why people were having such a difficult time deciding what to do.

And that spoke to the writer in me. We have to create that tension with our words. Switching the cameral angle proved just how critical that perspective can be. Sometimes, when we're deep into a scene, we don't remember to look at it from other angles. But doing that may make a huge difference!

In my case, it meant rearranging some chapters.

What does it mean for you? Have you ever needed to change your perspective on anything? Think about the scene you are writing today? Would changing your perspective improve it?

While I was waiting for my editor's letter, I did some cleaning up in my office and discovered a box that had copies of Christmas in Hiding. I'd like to give away a copy in celebration of my sale. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to be in the drawing!

Guest Blogger V. Joy Palmer

Erica here: It is purely my pleasure to introduce to you my friend V. Joy Palmer. Joy is everything her name implies! I met her at an ACFW Conference, and she could not be any cooler! I'm so glad she agreed to visit us at Seekerville today, and I know you'll make her welcome. 
Take it away, Joy!

I love spit-in-your-face-to-kissy-face romances. There’s just something about the enemies-to-sweethearts trope that is so. much. fun! Case in point, Pride and Prejudice.


We should get this out of the way right now… Yes, my favorite movie adaption of Pride and Prejudice is the 2005 version with Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen. This was my very first exposure to Jane Austen’s stories, and I will forever love it because of that fact. Can we still be friends?
Moving right past that awkward plea, let’s get back to the awesome literary sauce that is (to channel all the Baby Yoda memes) the stabby-stab-to-kissy-kiss trope.
I love how this trope can add that extra spice of sarcasm with a side of burning bickering to romances in any genre! From the classics hate-to-love couples like Han Solo and Leia from Star Wars to Joe Fox (NY152) and Kathleen Kelly (Shopgirl) from You’ve Got Mail.



To the trope within a trope. The slow burn, will-they-won’t-they couples like Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls to the second chance romances like Melanie and Jake in Sweet Home Alabama.



To Cary Grant because no list would be complete without a Cary Grant appearance, such as I Was a Male War Bride!



In my biased opinion, Cary Grant personifies the standard that all other heroes should be measured against when it comes to snarky romantic tension!
Wow…I’m potentially making a lot of enemies with that statement… Forgive me!
Ultimately, my favorite aspect of the enemies-to-sweethearts trope isn’t the laughs it provides but rather the way I can see God softening hearts, redeeming lives, and breaking lies that hold hearts captive! I love seeing characters who screw up, who’ve made bad decisions, who put their giant feet in their big mouths, who definitely say the wrong thing once or twice…or two dozen times. I love these characters because I am one of these characters in the story God’s writing with my life. His love, forgiveness, and grace covers so much in my life, and I love writing characters that get to experience these things!

Whether it’s second chances at love or botched first impressions or unrequited love sprinkled with family drama, the initial fighting makes the ending so much sweeter for me – to watch, read, and write!
But perhaps my love for a bickering yet wonderfully sappy story was destined to be. Maybe it all goes back to that day twenty-two-ish years agoRude, right? It’s okay; I got even with him. Who’s laughing now, buddy?
That’s right. Me.
Because I’m the writer.
*mic drop*
What are some of your favorite stories with a hate-to-love thread?



Isabel “Izze” Vez, bridal consultant extraordinaire, has been helping brides find The Dress for years. She loves nothing more than helping make wedding dreams come true…but sometimes the happy endings grate on her. How many times can a girl discover someone else’s gown without dreaming of the day it’ll be her turn to wear one?

When James Miles Clayton walks into her life, he represents everything Izze can’t handle: change. He’s determined to bring the Ever After Bridal Boutique into the black…and to prove to Izze that she should give him a chance.

But if there’s anything Izze handles worse than change, it’s trust. She may have a few issues—fine, she knows she does. But will they keep getting in the way of any chance of her own Happily Ever After? She wants to trust God to give her those dreams of love and lace, but that’s going to require some…minor alterations.Read a sample HERE!Available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and WhiteFire Publishing’s READ Store!



Seventeen years after being orphaned, Apryl Burns and her twin sister Courtney have their own expectations for life. While Courtney continues to shine at everything, Apryl holds fast to the mantra that as long as her potato chip stash remains intact, then she'll be fine.
But when their beloved grandmother ends up injured and unable to manage her struggling antique store, Courtney makes it their mission to revamp the business and save what's left of their family's legacy. Despite rampant doubts in her abilities, Apryl finds herself trapped under the weight of family loyalty as they transition to a wedding venue decorating service. Soon she's forced to ask (translation: blackmail) their grandmother's renter/handyman, Chance McFarland, for hep, an arrangement that is made even worse by the fact that Chance is her former (ahem, and current) crush.
Chance knows a few dozen things about family loyalty, which is why he begrudgingly agrees to Apryl's insane plan. While Apryl claims they're archenemies, the girl Chance only glimpsed in their teens starts to emerge, stealing what remains of his heart.
But expectations are a powerful thing. Amidst the glamorous weddings and swaying willows, can those old expectations be revised into something new?Read a sample HERE!Available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and WhiteFire Publishing’s READ Store!

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn't urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she's hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website | Blog | Snack Time Devotions | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | The Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction

Joy is giving away a reader's choice of either of her books, print or ebook to a US resident, or ebook to an international resident. Leave a comment answering Joy's questions (Go ahead, scroll back up to read the question....) and we'll draw a winner!

The Emoticons of the Writing Life

Erica Here today. I thought it might be nice to take a look at the lighter side of the writing life, because, honestly, it's been a lot of hard work lately. Many deadlines, editorial letters, twists coming out of left field. I could use a bit of a break!

So, let's talk about the ups and downs of the writing life, and the emoticons that best depict them.

1. Stumbling upon the PERFECT story idea.


I love a new idea. They're so shiny and new and beautiful. Everything is possible at that point, and I can't help but get excited.

2. Writing the synopsis/plotting the story.


All of a sudden, my beautiful, sparkly idea...needs to be fleshed out into a whole plot! Is it a strong enough concept? Do I have all the story beats in the right place? Character arcs? Theme, subplot, secondary characters. The romance, the mystery, the black moment, the denouement, and all the rest. Is it there, is it in the right order, will the initial idea stand up to becoming an 80-100K word novel? It's enough to make a writer crazy!

3. When the writing gets hard!


Inevitably, no matter how excited I am about a project, there comes a time when the work is just flat out hard. This is the point where I usually need to go back to the beginning of the manuscript and re-read, edit, and remind myself of the overall shape of the project. I need to remind myself that I can do this, that this is not unfamiliar territory, and though this part is hard, I will push through!

4. When you get to the romantic part.


This is the payoff for all that hard work, when the hero and heroine fall in love! Their troubles may not be over, but they have love to carry them through...the happily ever after is in view!


5. When you get your editorial letter.


There's always that moment, when the editorial letter hits my inbox, before I open it, that is very nail-biting, swoopy-middled, scary. Now, don't get me wrong, I have AMAZING editors, and I love to hear from them. But I always pray that I haven't disappointed them. That's my biggest fear, that I will have done my best, but that my editors will think it's a bit of a dumpster fire. It hasn't happened yet, they've been pleased with my efforts, but there are always things I need to work on.

6. When the book is finished all the way through edits.


Woohoo! You've put in the hard hours, taking a story from concept to proofreading, and now you can celebrate! Relax, perhaps catch up on all that housework you ignored during your deadline. Who am I kidding...it's time to start the next story!

What emoticons do you feel represent the writing life best?


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



Pre-order the first two books in the Serendipity & Secrets Series now!

The Lost Lieutenant

The Gentleman Spy 

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: Jodie Wolfe was in the house with her post about including the spiritual thread in our stories. The winner of her new release, Taming Julia, is Lori Smanski!
Wednesday: Debby Giusti blogged about "Story Structure & The Great Alone." The winner of Debby's April release, Dangerous Amish Inheritance, is Sally Shupe. Congrats, Sally!
Friday: Winnie Griggs showed us the importance of deadlines and how to deal with them when the unexpected arises. The choice of one of Winnie's backlist books is Connie Porter Saunders! 


Monday:  Erica Vetsch will be talking about the emoticons of the writing life!
Tuesday: V. Joy Palmer joins us in Seekerville today. Drop by and show her tons of Seekerville love! She'll be talking about those Loathing-Into-Love Romances that we all adore! Plus there's a giveaway!
Wednesday:  Cate Nolan will be talking about changing perspectives - in life and writing. There's a book giveaway involved.  Friday: Pam Hillman never fails to give writers and readers alike, plenty to think about!!






CASCADE WRITING CONTEST OPEN FOR INSPIRATIONAL ENTRIES
The contest sponsored by the nonprofit Oregon Christian Writers runs through March 15. Each entry will be reviewed by three preliminary judges with feedback provided to every contestant. The final three in each category will be submitted to top professionals the field of Christian writing and publication for judging.
You do not need to be an OCW member to enter. Contestants need not be present at the summer conference to win. Both published and unpublished writers can enter.
Categories include Contemporary Fiction Book, Historical Fiction Book, Speculative Fiction Book, Nonfiction Book, Memoir Book, Young Adult Book (ages 12–18)/Middle Grade Book (ages 8–12), Fiction and Nonfiction, Children’s Chapter Book (ages 6–10)/ Children’s Picture Book (ages 2–10+) Fiction and Nonfiction, Poetry (a single poem), Devotional (a single devotional), Article, Column, Nonfiction Short Story, or Blog Post (Blog Post published division only), and Short Story/Flash Fiction. 
For more information, visit the website at https://oregonchristianwriters.org/cascade-writing-contest/.
NINE MORE DAYS!!!!!
FINDING PEACE IN WISHING BRIDGE

BUY KINDLE EDITION HERE  Paperback edition will also be available by March 2nd...
We are so excited for this wonderful story in this heartwarming town... the town where prayers and wishes mingle to make dreams come true!


The Maggie Award of Excellence 2020is open. Get your manuscripts ready for submission!
NEWS FLASH!!!Love Inspired Editor EMILY RODMELLwill attend Georgia Romance WritersMoonlight & Magnolias Conference 2020.Plan to attend and pitch your story to Emily! www.GeorgiaRomanceWriters.org

RELEASES APRIL 1ST! 
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!



Thoughts on How to Be Critical of Stories in a Way That Makes a Difference by K.M. Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors Door Hanger For Authors To Gift by L.A. Sartor at An Indie Adventure
Writer's Inside Edition by Tina Russo Radcliffe 

Confessions of a Romanceaholic by Angela Ruth Strong at Learn How To Write A Novel

Ten Ways To Lead Yourself To Writing Success by Jenny Hansen at Writers In The Storm

Stop or Go On? Should Revise Or Keep Writing That First Draft? by Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Protecting Digital Accounts After Death by Barbara Latta at The Write Conversation

How To Build An Author Website: Getting Started Guide by Jane Friedman