Kathy Ide's Blog, page 9
March 5, 2018
National Grammar Day
Did you know that March 4 was National Grammar Day? For people like me, this was a major event! Please comment below about your pet grammar peeves, the funniest grammar mistakes you’ve seen, or the most embarrassing grammar mistakes you’ve made. My personal pet grammar peeve is the dictionary having two definitions for literally that […]
February 26, 2018
TLC2
When something happens that is irritating or frustrating or worrisome or disconcerting … give it some TLC2. Talk to God about it. Tell Him what’s on your heart. Don’t go blabbing about it to others until after you’ve discussed it with your heavenly Father, so He can give you the right perspective. Then, if you […]
February 19, 2018
Starting Sentences with -ing Words
In my Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, I address the myth that writers should never start a sentence with a conjunction (and, or, nor, because, for, yet, so, since, unless, until). But I recently heard that there’s a new “rule” floating around in the industry that says that starting a sentence with an -ing word […]
February 12, 2018
Amazon Ads for Religious Books
I recently read an online article titled “Amazon: Christian Authors Beware”. In it the author (not named) bemoans that “Amazon is a massive giant and growing.” Two bulleted lists of “facts” and “factoids” were given (without attribution, citation, or documentation, so there’s no way to verify the statements). Then the author asserts that Amazon is not “friendly” […]
February 5, 2018
Guest Post—Shadia Hrichi “Do You Color Outside the Lines?”
I’m so grateful to have my friend Shadia Hrichi returning as a guest on my blog and hope her post encourages you too! — “Ha! We took bets on whether you could color outside the lines – the resounding answer was NO.” That was my friend’s response after seeing my first masterpiece. It happened about […]
January 29, 2018
Guest Post—Tamela Hancock Murray “Why it’s Okay to Lose a Contest”
If you’re one of the hundred or so people who entered the Promising Beginnings contest but didn’t win a free conference scholarship, you may enjoy this article written by Tamela Hancock Murray, literary agent with the Steve Laube Agency. — Any author who’s entered contests knows that they are difficult to win. The competition is […]
January 22, 2018
Interview with Promising Beginnings Contest Winner: Tom Threadgill
One of the winners of my sixth annual Promising Beginnings Writing Contest is Tom Threadgill, for his fiction work One for Sorrow. Tom won a full scholarship to the 2018 Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. Tom Threadgill turned his love of a good tale into a full-time profession. His books have a distinct focus on […]
January 15, 2018
Interview with Promising Beginnings Contest Winner: Dr. Laurel Shaler
One of the winners of my sixth annual Promising Beginnings Writing Contest is Dr. Laurel Shaler, for her nonfiction work Reclaiming Relationships. Laurel won a full scholarship to the 2018 SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference. Dr. Shaler is an associate professor at Liberty University where she serves as the Director of the Master of Arts in […]
January 8, 2018
6th Annual “Promising Beginnings” Writing Contest Winners!
Because I believe in the power, impact, and influence of Christian writers’ conferences, I hold an annual contest in which the prize is a full scholarship to a conference. This year, for the 6th annual Promising Beginnings contest, I offered a choice between two options: Full scholarship to the 2018 Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, […]
January 1, 2018
Amazon Ads for Religious Books
I recently read an online article titled “Amazon: Christian Authors Beware”. In it the author (not named) bemoans that “Amazon is a massive giant and growing.” Two bulleted lists of “facts” and “factoids” were given (without attribution, citation, or documentation, so there’s no way to verify the statements). Then the author asserts that Amazon is not […]
