Linnette R. Mullin's Blog
November 13, 2015
CrossRiver Author Hunt
Author Hunt with giveaways!
My publisher, CrossRiver Media Group is having our first annual author hunt today and tomorrow the 14th. There are great authors to discover and nice prizes to be won, so be sure to head over to CrossRiverMedia.com on this page:
http://www.crossrivermedia.com/2015/1...
When you get to my website, you'll get to read my never-before-seen "Loving Tiffany" scene! You don't want to miss that, do you? I hope to see you there!
Yours truly,
Linnette R Mullin
Author of Award Winning Novel - "Finding Beth"
My publisher, CrossRiver Media Group is having our first annual author hunt today and tomorrow the 14th. There are great authors to discover and nice prizes to be won, so be sure to head over to CrossRiverMedia.com on this page:
http://www.crossrivermedia.com/2015/1...
When you get to my website, you'll get to read my never-before-seen "Loving Tiffany" scene! You don't want to miss that, do you? I hope to see you there!
Yours truly,
Linnette R Mullin
Author of Award Winning Novel - "Finding Beth"
March 31, 2014
The Birth of "Finding Beth"
Every author’s journey is different when it comes to publishing their first novel.
When I started Beth’s story, I never dreamed it would become a novel. At the time, my husband was placed on the company’s to-be-laid-off list and I went back to work for the first time in our marriage. In an effort to continue honing my writing skills I started the blog “An Odyssey in Prose” and my first short serial story, “Finding Beth,” was born. One and a half years after posting one to two chapters a month, I realized it wasn’t going to be a short story, but rather a full-blown novel.
I’m often asked, “Where did you come up with the story line?”
Every day, writers begin stories with a “what if” question. Beth’s story was born out of a desire to explore “what if” a young woman found herself engaged to a guy she considered her knight in shining armor only to begin seeing signs of a darker side? “What if” she became so confused, so distraught, and so scared of making a mistake that she decided to disappear for a while? What would happen if she skipped town? Where would she go? Would she stay away and start a new life? What about her family and friends who would worry about her? Would her fiancé come looking for her? What would happen to this young woman? Where would this decision to leave town lead her? How would it impact her life?
These questions led to the birth of “Finding Beth”.
But that’s not all…
During the years I worked outside the home, I learned of women I knew and loved who had suffered some form of abuse. I saw the devastation this created in their lives even years later in some cases and my heart grieved. I also met women and girls who had either been abused, were being abused, or were heading in the direction of an abusive relationship. What could I do to help them?
As wicked as abuse is, it’s a fact of life.
I decided to explore the journey of this girl who realized before she said “I do” that the marriage she was heading into was suspect. What should she do? Should she...
*For the rest of the post, follow this link to Rachel Skatvold's blog: http://rachelskatvoldbooks.blogspot.c....
I'd love to hear what you think!
When I started Beth’s story, I never dreamed it would become a novel. At the time, my husband was placed on the company’s to-be-laid-off list and I went back to work for the first time in our marriage. In an effort to continue honing my writing skills I started the blog “An Odyssey in Prose” and my first short serial story, “Finding Beth,” was born. One and a half years after posting one to two chapters a month, I realized it wasn’t going to be a short story, but rather a full-blown novel.
I’m often asked, “Where did you come up with the story line?”
Every day, writers begin stories with a “what if” question. Beth’s story was born out of a desire to explore “what if” a young woman found herself engaged to a guy she considered her knight in shining armor only to begin seeing signs of a darker side? “What if” she became so confused, so distraught, and so scared of making a mistake that she decided to disappear for a while? What would happen if she skipped town? Where would she go? Would she stay away and start a new life? What about her family and friends who would worry about her? Would her fiancé come looking for her? What would happen to this young woman? Where would this decision to leave town lead her? How would it impact her life?
These questions led to the birth of “Finding Beth”.
But that’s not all…
During the years I worked outside the home, I learned of women I knew and loved who had suffered some form of abuse. I saw the devastation this created in their lives even years later in some cases and my heart grieved. I also met women and girls who had either been abused, were being abused, or were heading in the direction of an abusive relationship. What could I do to help them?
As wicked as abuse is, it’s a fact of life.
I decided to explore the journey of this girl who realized before she said “I do” that the marriage she was heading into was suspect. What should she do? Should she...
*For the rest of the post, follow this link to Rachel Skatvold's blog: http://rachelskatvoldbooks.blogspot.c....
I'd love to hear what you think!
March 19, 2014
Character Chats with Beth
Beth Gallagher
Heroine of “Finding Beth”
by Linnette R. Mullin
Welcome Beth! Tell us a little about yourself.
~ My name is Elizabeth Anne Gallagher and I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. I’m home-schooled, a college graduate, and I have one brother, Joshua Caleb, who is now in heaven. My parents grew up in a tiny south-eastern Missouri town called Logan Creek where I spent many childhood summer days visiting with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins. Now, I spend my days working in a bank as a teller or customer service representative, eating sushi with my boss and best friend - Tiffany Nash, and planning for my future.
Speaking of your best friend, how did you and Tiffany meet, and what do you love most about her?
~ Tiffany hired me the summer before my Senior year in college to work at the bank branch where she’s the teller or CSR manager. What I love about Tiffany is there’s nothing put on about her. She’s a straight shooter – she tells it like she sees it, yet underneath her tough exterior is a tender, loving, fiercely loyal heart.
What do you value most in your friends?
~ Loyalty. A friend isn’t a true friend unless they stick by you through the dark moments of life.
Speaking of dark moments, what’s the worst thing that’s happened in your life and what did you learn from it?
~ That’s a loaded question. I will say it has to do with my brother’s death, my ex-fiancé, and facing the aftermath of that relationship. If you want to learn more, you can read about it in Linnette R. Mullin’s debut novel, “Finding Beth” where she tells my story.
I know from reading the book that you have a lot of good moments, too. What do you consider to be the best moment of your life?
~ There are many wonderful moments, but the best one was when God finally broke through all my pain and began healing my heart.
Obviously, you believe in God. What would you like to say about him?
~ He’s alive and real. He’s my life. Growing up, I always took God for granted. My parents and my brother, Josh, were always such strong Christians and I let them just carry me along. It’s not that I didn’t believe in Jesus for myself, or trust him as my savior, but my faith wasn’t very deep. It was so easy to depend on my family and just kind of float along in my Christian walk. They took care of me and protected me from the really bad things in life. Josh even protected me from Kyle until the accident. As hard as Josh’s death was, God used it and the following events in my life to show me that he’s not just my parent’s God or my brother’s God, but he’s my God. My savior. My strength and my fortress. He is a loving God who pours his grace and mercy out on his children every day - even his weak wavering ones. Through everything, he holds on to me even when I let go of him. Jesus is my everything.
I suppose it’s safe to say, then, the answer to my next question is that God is the most important thing in your life. What you value most?
~ Absolutely! My relationship with Jesus is more important than anything else in life. Without him, there is nothing worth living for.
So how do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you change?
~ I'm happy to answer that question and more for you. Head on over to PTBradley.com for the rest of my interview: http://ptbradley.com/character-chats-....
Heroine of “Finding Beth”
by Linnette R. Mullin
Welcome Beth! Tell us a little about yourself.
~ My name is Elizabeth Anne Gallagher and I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. I’m home-schooled, a college graduate, and I have one brother, Joshua Caleb, who is now in heaven. My parents grew up in a tiny south-eastern Missouri town called Logan Creek where I spent many childhood summer days visiting with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins. Now, I spend my days working in a bank as a teller or customer service representative, eating sushi with my boss and best friend - Tiffany Nash, and planning for my future.
Speaking of your best friend, how did you and Tiffany meet, and what do you love most about her?
~ Tiffany hired me the summer before my Senior year in college to work at the bank branch where she’s the teller or CSR manager. What I love about Tiffany is there’s nothing put on about her. She’s a straight shooter – she tells it like she sees it, yet underneath her tough exterior is a tender, loving, fiercely loyal heart.
What do you value most in your friends?
~ Loyalty. A friend isn’t a true friend unless they stick by you through the dark moments of life.
Speaking of dark moments, what’s the worst thing that’s happened in your life and what did you learn from it?
~ That’s a loaded question. I will say it has to do with my brother’s death, my ex-fiancé, and facing the aftermath of that relationship. If you want to learn more, you can read about it in Linnette R. Mullin’s debut novel, “Finding Beth” where she tells my story.
I know from reading the book that you have a lot of good moments, too. What do you consider to be the best moment of your life?
~ There are many wonderful moments, but the best one was when God finally broke through all my pain and began healing my heart.
Obviously, you believe in God. What would you like to say about him?
~ He’s alive and real. He’s my life. Growing up, I always took God for granted. My parents and my brother, Josh, were always such strong Christians and I let them just carry me along. It’s not that I didn’t believe in Jesus for myself, or trust him as my savior, but my faith wasn’t very deep. It was so easy to depend on my family and just kind of float along in my Christian walk. They took care of me and protected me from the really bad things in life. Josh even protected me from Kyle until the accident. As hard as Josh’s death was, God used it and the following events in my life to show me that he’s not just my parent’s God or my brother’s God, but he’s my God. My savior. My strength and my fortress. He is a loving God who pours his grace and mercy out on his children every day - even his weak wavering ones. Through everything, he holds on to me even when I let go of him. Jesus is my everything.
I suppose it’s safe to say, then, the answer to my next question is that God is the most important thing in your life. What you value most?
~ Absolutely! My relationship with Jesus is more important than anything else in life. Without him, there is nothing worth living for.
So how do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you change?
~ I'm happy to answer that question and more for you. Head on over to PTBradley.com for the rest of my interview: http://ptbradley.com/character-chats-....
March 7, 2014
The Writer's Journey
"My own journey is rather abnormal,
but then what is normal in this age of publishing?"
I'm visiting The Writer's Alley today to share about my crazy, amazing writing journey. I'd love to have you join the conversation, to hear about your own journey.
Haven't published yet? Let this story be an encouragement to you, then. God does some awesome things when it comes to fulfilling our dreams!
Here's the link:
http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/...
Blessings and hope to see you there!
~Linnette R Mullin
but then what is normal in this age of publishing?"
I'm visiting The Writer's Alley today to share about my crazy, amazing writing journey. I'd love to have you join the conversation, to hear about your own journey.
Haven't published yet? Let this story be an encouragement to you, then. God does some awesome things when it comes to fulfilling our dreams!
Here's the link:
http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/...
Blessings and hope to see you there!
~Linnette R Mullin
January 14, 2014
"Finding Beth" Reviews Blow Me Away!
You put your heart and soul into a book and just hope your readers will get it. And not just get it, but love it! Why else spend all that time and energy working toward perfection if no one but you is going to enjoy your labor? That's like a painter painting a picture only he will enjoy. What's the point? Yes, as artists we are expressing ourselves, but if what we express does not touch the hearts of others, why waste such precious time and energy and emotion?
"Finding Beth" is finally out there for my readers and now my readers are touching my heart! Here's what one Amazon review says:
"I encourage you to give this book a try! It takes the "typical Christian romance" into new waters, and the journey will keep you turning those pages to see what happens next. Loss, heartache, trust, forgiveness, abuse, betrayal, PTSD, healing, love... I think I'll go read it again! Sure, with most Christian romance novels, you can guess the ending pretty early...who ends up with whom. But the path Linnette takes to get to that end is different and captivating."
~ SDP
This reader just validated everything I worked so hard to accomplish with "Finding Beth". Thank you! And thank God for choosing to magnify my feeble efforts into something greater than I could ever hope to do alone!
"Finding Beth" is finally out there for my readers and now my readers are touching my heart! Here's what one Amazon review says:
"I encourage you to give this book a try! It takes the "typical Christian romance" into new waters, and the journey will keep you turning those pages to see what happens next. Loss, heartache, trust, forgiveness, abuse, betrayal, PTSD, healing, love... I think I'll go read it again! Sure, with most Christian romance novels, you can guess the ending pretty early...who ends up with whom. But the path Linnette takes to get to that end is different and captivating."
~ SDP
This reader just validated everything I worked so hard to accomplish with "Finding Beth". Thank you! And thank God for choosing to magnify my feeble efforts into something greater than I could ever hope to do alone!
December 8, 2012
Exciting News!
Linnette R Mullin, Author... Today is a very exciting day! As of December 5, 2012, Linnette has officially gone from being "Writer" to "Author". You read right! She is now contracted to CrossRiver Media for the publication of the novel you know as "Finding Beth". Linnette's debut novel will appear on shelves...
See more details at www.LinnetteMullin.com.
See more details at www.LinnetteMullin.com.
July 20, 2012
Fun with Editing "Finding Beth"
I have some fun news for my readers! It's been nearly five years since I started writing "Finding Beth" and I'm in the final stages of editing. I was so excited about my PROLOGUE that I just had to share it with my faithful readers and, well, everyone. You'll find it listed under "Pages" at the top of the right column of my website. I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to leave a comment on the page or on my Facebook wall or even in an email at FindingBeth at live.com to let me know what you think. Who knows? I might be inspired to share a bit more of Beth's story with you. :D
October 12, 2010
First Person POV
I struggle with reading first person point of view stories. It's not that they aren't good stories. They usually are. But, I find that I sludge my way through them.
At first I couldn't pinpoint why they are difficult reading for me. I know. There are people out their who absolutely love first person pov, but I must say that it stuns me.
Having said that, I did read one that was fairly easy to read and I enjoyed it. The first person pov was done very well. Couldn't for the life of me tell you the title, though. That was too many books ago and before relocating 1,000 miles from home. Most of my books are still at home, so...
What makes first person pov so enthralling for some readers? I'd love to know what your thoughts are.
Why do I not like reading it myself? Telling instead of showing.
Have you ever noticed there is a lot of telling in first person pov? While it's often comical, it drags unless you are one of those authors who are exceptionally good at writing in that style. Like Poe. Now, he could write first person pov and keep you hooked!
So, why do writers get away with telling instead of showing in first person, but in third person its the death of your book? Hmm...I wonder...
~Linnette R Mullin
At first I couldn't pinpoint why they are difficult reading for me. I know. There are people out their who absolutely love first person pov, but I must say that it stuns me.
Having said that, I did read one that was fairly easy to read and I enjoyed it. The first person pov was done very well. Couldn't for the life of me tell you the title, though. That was too many books ago and before relocating 1,000 miles from home. Most of my books are still at home, so...
What makes first person pov so enthralling for some readers? I'd love to know what your thoughts are.
Why do I not like reading it myself? Telling instead of showing.
Have you ever noticed there is a lot of telling in first person pov? While it's often comical, it drags unless you are one of those authors who are exceptionally good at writing in that style. Like Poe. Now, he could write first person pov and keep you hooked!
So, why do writers get away with telling instead of showing in first person, but in third person its the death of your book? Hmm...I wonder...
~Linnette R Mullin
September 29, 2010
Finding Beth Introduction
Fearful she's about to make the biggest mistake of her life, Beth Gallagher runs to the Smoky Mountains in hopes of finding God's answers to the mess she made of her life. Through the aid of a new friend, she finds the answers she's looking for, but will she have the strength and resolve to follow through? And, if she does, what might it cost her?
Adam Blythe gave up hope of ever finding a woman who would love him for himself rather than his heritage. Committed to caring for his ailing mother, he now finds his heart irrevocably entangled with a woman already spoken for...a woman needing protection...a woman living more than seven hundred miles away.
Kyle Heinrich is used to getting his way. When his docile fiance` leaves town without a word only to return a changed woman with another man at her heels, he determines to make her his again - one way or another...
Adam Blythe gave up hope of ever finding a woman who would love him for himself rather than his heritage. Committed to caring for his ailing mother, he now finds his heart irrevocably entangled with a woman already spoken for...a woman needing protection...a woman living more than seven hundred miles away.
Kyle Heinrich is used to getting his way. When his docile fiance` leaves town without a word only to return a changed woman with another man at her heels, he determines to make her his again - one way or another...
