Beverly Nault's Blog, page 14

Beautiful friends, wonderful family, and exciting news

(Originally posted November, 2011)

Recently my sister, Brenda, honored me with an afternoon coffee, complete with Grace's favorite muffins, at her gorgeous home. My mother, Barbara, joined us. Despite a downpour, many of Brenda's friends whom she'd told about my writing, braved the storm to drop in to meet me and encourage my writing. I was also tickled to see several high school girlfriends (see below) who drove through the Texas-sized gulley-washer, to cheer me on.

I read a few pages from my novella, Grace & Maggie Across the Pond,

the short story sequel to Fresh Start Summer.

The hours of writing, rewriting, anguish over just the right phrase, what's believable about a character, how to turn a scene, is all worth it when a writer gets to meet the people on the other side of the process. 

L-R Joanne, Kay, Luann, me, Karen and Susie

 

 

 

And while we're on the subject, let me direct you to my good friend, Lu's blog where she often posts yummy recipes, and always serves up a good laugh.Follow this link for Luanne's Just Right Pumpkin Muffins . 

Blessed be

Pardon me while I gush just a moment. Saturday night, after a month-long whirlwind book signing tour, Mary's Don had arranged for a splendid 50th birthday party (a month late) and many of her friends and family gathered in a restaurant in LA to celebrate with her.

As if that wasn't special enough...in the "cocktail hour transitions to dinner" moments, Don got down on one knee and said something to the effect of "Mary, will you marry me right here, right now?"

Squeal!!!

They surprised all of us, except for her beautiful daughter Sydnee, who was her maid of honor, and Don's daughters, Kylie and Robyn, who stood up for Mary. (And the minister, of course.) Even Mary's brothers, John and Michael, were surprised.

My husband and I felt so honored to be a part of the occasion. After the long hard road of writing, promoting, radio and television interviews, I can promise you, Mary deserved to be regaled and honored and celebrated. Doesn't she look happy?

Don's a terrific guy, and if you don't already know how they met...read the book!

(Not to be diminished in any respect, in fact I'll have to tell more about this later, I was also thrilled to meet Earl Hamner and his lovely wife, Jane.)

Back to the happy couple. Best wishes and God bless, Mary and Don. Hugs and happy life to you both. As for this chapter of your book, it definitely has a happy ending.

Congratulations are in order

Like many families at this time of year, caps and gowns, streamers and...please, no, the obnoxious boat horns...will be purchased to celebrate a graduation.

Our son, Evan, will walk this Saturday to receive his Master's degree in Public Health from Texas A&M's School of Rural Public Health. Needless to say, we're very proud and excited to see what the Lord holds for him. But for now, I'm indulging in a mommy-moment of wondering where the years have gone! And packing my bags. How many hankies will I need?

What about you, anyone making a historic walk in your circle of family and friends?

Mount Hermon Conference Recap

Today I invite you to read a blog post by my friends, Dan and Denise Harmer of Joint Venture Books. Be sure to visit them at www.jointventurebooks.com Their debut novel, Holy Guacamole, will whet your appetite for more from these talented writers.

Dan and Denise interviewed three of us recently:

If God has called you to write, it won't be long before somebody mentions the Mt. Hermon Christian Writer's Conference to you. It is the pilgrimage for all writers of faith. Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, magazine article, Bible studies, or devotions, there is a cornucopia of editors, agents, and established writers ready to share their wealth of knowledge over an intense five-day period.

In 2011, three of our regulars from the Temecula Christian Writer's group got to take their maiden voyage together.

Bev Nault enjoyed an exciting spring with her biography of Mary McDonough called Lessons From the Mountain released and already hitting the bestseller list, plus her debut novel,, also newly released by Lamp Post Publications, Fresh Start Summer

Dona Watson, a professional article writer who has begun a business helping writers edit, has been polishing a manuscript of her own, a Christian fantasy.

Joanne Bischof first had her debut novel Cry of My Heart published by Oak Tara but has been seeking a rerelease of not only that book but two additional stories in her Blue Ridge Mountain series.

I hope you enjoy hearing about their experience, and maybe next year you will make the trek to the mountains outside Santa Cruz, to a special spot under the redwoods, where Christian writers migrate each spring to fellowship, strengthen their writing, and sometimes with a quivering voice, pitch their stories to the top publishers and agents in the business.

Did you have any trouble sleeping the night before you left to go to Mt. Hermon? Why? What expectations did you have?

Dona - I'm not one of those people who have trouble sleeping before a trip—once I finally get to sleep, that is. It seems there's always something else I forget to do so I get to bed pretty late. That way, I'm tired enough to sleep through anything. 
I made up my mind early on that I would keep my expectations open and be flexible to whatever God had to show me. That said, I expected the conference to be big—and it was. I hoped to make lots of contacts and be able to match industry names with faces—and I did. The rest I just soaked in.

Bev - After packing my own clothes and snacks, stocking the pantry for the family I left behind, and tying up other loose ends, I didn't have trouble sleeping at all.
I looked forward to learning directly from many of the well-known authors, agents and editors whom I'd been studying and following for years.

Joanne - No, I slept great.

What main track did you take? Who taught it? What was the best nugget you came away with?

Dona - I took the Writing Fiction track by James Scott Bell. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience! My writing will never be the same again. My favorite nugget? That's a tough one—I have 25 pages worth of notes from that morning track! The most succinct is probably: "A great plot is the record of how a character deals with death—physical, professional or psychological."

Bev - I was privileged and blessed to be accepted into the Career Track.
The facilitator was Sally Stuart, and the faculty were Karen Ball, Julie Gwinn, Janet Kobobel Grant, and Wendy Lawton.

One of the biggest nuggets was to focus on your reader from page one. While writing, picture your reader's age, gender, lifestyle, education, tastes, hopes, desires, and dreams. When you're ready to offer them the finished product, you'll already know what that person will value as a takeaway if you've gotten to know him or her from the very first word. Read other authors in your genre, ask questions of other authors and readers, get objective opinions from people who are more advanced in the field, engage online, and fine tune, always keeping this reader in mind.

Joanne - I took Steve Laube's track that was an inside look into the publishing process all the way through the proposal, pub board, and contract stages. Getting an inside peek into the world of publishing houses was invaluable and just getting to glean from the greatest agents in the Christian writing world was priceless.

How was the food and lodging?

Dona - I have no complaint about food and lodging. I had two of the best roomies in the world! The food was tasty and served buffet style so all I had to do was limit myself to eat only what would fit on my plate the first time through the line.

Bev - Very camp-like. The food was buffet style, plenty of it. There is a coffee cart with good coffee and tea, and an ice cream and candy store for nibbling. Our flashlights, comfortable walking shoes, and bottled water came in very handy. The weather was gorgeous and we didn't need umbrellas except for a couple of hours one day.

Joanne - The lodging was very comfortable. The cabins were rustic but it made for a fun experience, like being back in summer camp with friends. The food was fabulous. There was never an opportunity to get hungry and the wait staff was so helpful and friendly.

Besides the main track, there are many other workshops. What was your favorite?

Dona - I really liked the night owl workshops, particularly the panel on e-books with Steve Laube, Randy Ingermanson, Nick Harrison, James Scott Bell, Ken Raney, and Joshua Williams. I also liked Thomas Umstattd's night session on podcasting as well as his two social media workshops Monday afternoon.

Bev - I learned a lot from The Author-Retailer Connection led by an independent bookstore owner. He taught how to reach out to the managers, buyers, and frontline cashiers. Even the larger publishers encourage their authors to contact their local stores. Most Christian books are still purchased in bricks and mortars, so online marketing is good, but not the only thing we should be doing. He cautioned, though, that while it's important to let them know you have a book available, always remember they are busy and often wear many hats. Front line workers and buyers are also quite good at telling authors what readers are looking for. It's not enough to have a burning desire to tell a story or teach a lesson, a writer must be sensitive to what folks are actually purchasing. There's that focus on the reader theme again!

Joanne - My favorite workshop was actually a night-owl, an optional workshop after the day is done. Sarah Sundin taught a session on researching for historical fiction, the importance of accuracy, and offered excellent how-to's on getting it all done. She gave examples from her own research for her historical romances set in WII America and her research binders were incredibly impressive. As a writer of historicals, it was just the boost I needed to look at my own writing and further strive to honor the reader with historical accuracy woven through romantic fiction.

Did you get overwhelmed at any point?

Dona - Not completely, but by the morning of the last day, I was beginning to feel a little "mushy." I suppose that might qualify. I felt sated with everything except the morning track with James Scott Bell. I wouldn't mind taking an entire semester of that class!

Bev - Having experienced a smaller venue, the San Diego Christian Writer's Conference, I knew what to expect so I didn't have any meltdowns. I guess the only low point would have been toward the end of the week, I dreaded facing another meal listening to other people's pitches. As you know, lunch and dinner tables are hosted by the agents, editors and authors so you have a chance to ask questions over meatloaf or pitch over pizza. Eventually, I chose to sit at the "Hospitality" table, where the conversation was on less "writerly" topics like what good movies are coming out soon.

Joanne - I did, but Mount Hermon makes it easy and comfortable to skip a workshop or take a break whenever need be. If I wanted to go for a walk or read instead of attend a workshop, I knew I was welcome to and never felt obligated to try and keep up. In fact, taking a break was encouraged.

During the conference there are many opportunities to meet one on one with agents and editors. Tell me about this. Was there any exciting news as a result?

Dona - I met several interesting people and had great informative discussions. Also, I'm happy to say that I did receive one request for a full proposal regarding my fantasy manuscript and another request for a synopsis and sample chapters!

Bev - I wasn't intending to pitch, so I didn't have a one on one per se. Although on the last day, I learned an editor had been looking for me. When I found him, he told me he wanted to know about Lessons from the Mountain. Turns out he's thinking of pitching a celebrity memoir and wanted to know about our process to publication. It was very cool to chat with him on that level.

Joanne - My writing life was at a place where my agent and I have been sending proposals out to publishing houses so I was blessed to get to attend Mount Hermon with a laid back attitude about meeting with editors. I never planned to meet with anyone, but during meal times, occasions arose when I was able to introduce myself and my writing with no pressure of needing to impress anyone. That casual atmosphere actually made it easy to make connections and when interest arose, I had my one sheet ready to hand over!


What was the highlight of the conference to you?

Dona - I truly enjoyed Bill Myers' keynote sessions. They were very inspiring and challenging as well. That and the fiction morning track were the biggest highlights for me.

Bev - Making personal connections. I'd heard it's the friends you make, and while that is certainly true, there's also nothing like sitting in a room with or across a meal table from the personalities who define our field, who have led the way in their example of top notch writing and/or teaching and hearing from them directly. The phrase "drinking from a fire hose" was used more than once, and it's certainly true that all the information and instruction downloads at an incredible rate over the course of five days.

Joanne - For some reason, my favorite part of the conference was the first night. Getting there a day early with my writing friends was well worth the little extra money. The excitement and buzz in the air with all the other first-timers at the orientation was a special time and I knew the much anticipated week was just beginning.

Now that you are home, what is the next step for your writing?

Dona - My new motto is "write well and write often." I'm anxious to put the guidelines and techniques I've learned to good use in my upcoming manuscripts.

Bev - Refining and expanding my marketing, finishing my series, and waiting on the Lord to know what new projects He has in store for me.

Joanne - For me, I'm definitely going to reorganize my historical research for future books. I got all sorts of ideas and resources in mind for the next book and I know with Sarah Sundin's contagious enthusiasm, I am excited to dig back into the research part of historicals—the unique qualities of our country that make each time period and location that surrounds those fictional ideas so special.

Visit Dan and Denise at www.jointventurebooks.com and follow their fun blog, Tasty Tidbits.

Weeding, Fishing and Throwing some back

Walking the granddoggers this morning, I couldn't help noticing the crabgrass. Here in Southern California it's been cold at night. The crab isn't as hardy as the sod, so it browns off and discolors patches in neighbors' lawns (certainly not in my own!). Normally it blends in, pretty and full. But the weather betrays and homeowners not scrupulous in removing the pesky creepers wake up to see their lawn's true make up.

Reminds me of writing. First you throw it down, pounding the words as they flow with abandon, you just want to fill in the blank screen. They you sit back and admire the page, now full and luscious. But let it sit and it grows cold in the ight of a new day and a fresh read. Wait! Where did all those ugly, creeping errors of blundering verbiage, head hopping and pointless dialog adding nothing to the plot come from?

Now watch this hilarious video. Warning, grab some tissues to wipe tears of laughter at a couple places, then come back here. (Or read the last paragraph and enjoy. You can pick.) http://www.snotr.com/video/5987

The video has nothing to do with my point you say? Aha, but it does. These are all outtakes. Interesting, funny, and each one might even tell its own story. But each clip was cut out of the show that aired. Why? Not relevant. Unnecessary.

That's a wrap.

Book Review-His Darling by Ashley Elizabeth Ludwig

Here's a terrific short read to take along while waiting for the kids, or whenever you're stuck inside when the weather turns!

Travel to the small town of Almendra, California and find out why Misty's returned to live with her grandmother Nona, a former film star. Will the rugged handyman/musician grab Misty's heart or is she done with love?. This is the perfect sweet, short romance to download on Friday night and finish over the weekend. Or take along while you wait for the kids' music or sports lessons. I read it at the breakfast table and finished it while soaking in my tub and loved every minute. Ludwig's turns of phrase, descriptions and characters make this a can't-put-down-page turner.

Look for other great novels from this talented author, Ashley Ludwig's got great story, set in interesting places.

Available for Kindle and PDF download from Amazon or direct from the publisher:
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/his-d...

Waltons Cast Reunion

Responding to the fans and the times, Inspiration Network will air "The Waltons" beginning October 18th. Today, the cast are together, filming a reunion show, called "A Walton Family Reunion," to relaunch the series. What is it about this show that keeps recapturing America's, and the world's attention and imagination? (www.insp.com)

I believe it's comfort television. Like a dish of blueberry cobbler or a slice of homemade pie, the Walton family reflects what's really important. Family. Faith. Hope. Love. Not more things or more busy-ness. Each other, God and country.

What gives you comfort?