Katie Ganshert's Blog, page 15

Do Not Exhaust the Reader

I’m an overly dramatic first-drafter. I blame it on Donald Maass and his insistence upon high stakes. To be fair, I think I take his advice out of context.

Something I’ve learned from working with a brilliant editor?

More often than not, less is more.

Just like too much sugar upsets the stomach, too much drama can exhaust our readers. We run the risk of diluting the impact and poignancy of the drama that should matter. It’s sort of like those characters who are constantly crying. Somehow, the ne...

Friday Favorite: Finished!

I finished editing my seventh manuscript at two in the morning and I’m giddy!

I sent it off to one of my critique partners and a couple beta readers and now I’m ready and eager to dive into what’s next!

Hopefully, I’ll get to share what’s next with everyone soon. There are things on the horizon, I promise.

Until then, here’s the back cover blurb of the just-for-fun novel I completed at two in the morning.

To give you fair warning, it’s not at all the genre I typically write, which is why the nove...

This Made Me Laugh

One of Jay Leno’s pranks. And I want to be friends with this couple. They are adorable.

Let’s Talk: What say you – real or fake? Either way, I still want to be friends with them.

Guest Post: The Voices in My Head

I’d be more attractive if I lost fifteen pounds. I’m a terrible wife because my house isn’t always clean like my neighbor’s. I’d be a better mom if I brought homemade treats to the party.

Sound familiar? We all have voices in our head that criticize, complain, and compare. Things that make us feel less important or less accomplished than other people.

Or maybe those voices sound more like this: I’ve done so many things wrong, there’s no hope to get it right. I can’t return to God after what I d...

Battle Eight Results: Undeniably Yours

Becky got her arm position right.

But I think I win in the shoe department.

Nevertheless, this one was downright fun! Even our hubbies agree.

Now for the real fun. The outtakes.

Let me tell you, I just about died when Becky sent me this. Gives a whole new meaning to undeniably yours…

This one isn’t nearly as funny. But worth noting that our 4-year old son took the picture. He told us to, “Be dinosaurs.” Hence, our faces….

On behalf of Becky and myself, we hope you’ve enjoyed this ongoing Pinterest...

Happy Release!

To my dear friend, Becky Wade, for the release of her novel, Undeniably Yours!

Friends, if you’re a fan of inspirational contemporary romance that is of the impossible-to-put-down variety, then Becky’s an author to check out.

And then happy early release to two other dear friends, Beth Vogt and Meg Moseley.

Beth’s novel, Catch a Falling Star, releases next Tuesday, May 7th. As well as Meg Moseley’s, Gone South.

I’ve read both for endorsement and found them thoroughly enjoyable!

Beth’s is sure to m...

The Final Showdown: Undeniably Yours!

Well, ladies and gentleman, we have reached the final battle in the Pinterest War between me and my good friend, Becky Wade.

And this week’s challenge is too much fun for it’s own good.

In celebration of Becky’s newest release, Undeniably Yours, which hits shelves this Wednesday, we will be recreating the book cover with our honeys and posting our results this Friday.

Let me just tell you, it’s going to be epic.

To make things a little more interesting, we’re giving away prizes!

One person will wi...

Battle Seven Results: Creepy

This is what we’ve learned from battle seven:

Close up pictures of non-airbrushed eyes are super creepy.


My eyelashes look like spider legs.


There’s a reason cheap makeup is cheap.

Becky and I give this one a B- for easiness.

Maybe an A for the kind of fun a person might have wearing this much make-up.

And a B- for beauty/resemblance to the original.

Although me thinks we might be being generous with ourselves on that last one!

We have one last Pinterest Battle to go and let me tell you, ladies and g...

They’re Playing Our Song

On our wedding day, Ryan and I danced to I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing.

I guess we were both fans of Aerosmith.

Or maybe we really liked the movie Armageddon.

I don’t remember why we chose that song.

I just know that on the rare occasion it comes on the radio, my smile is inevitable.

Songs have this way of bringing back memories. And the memories attached to that one are sweet.

Let’s Talk: What’s your song? Or if you don’t have one, what song do you think is particularly romantic?

Don’t miss the Wishin...

Battle Seven: Smokey Eyes

If you can believe it, we’re already on the seventh battle in an eight-battle war!

We have this week and next (which is the release of Becky Wade’s newest, Undeniably Yours) and then the Pinterest fun is over!

It’s my turn to throw down a challenge.

And I must say, I’ve always wanted to learn how to do a smokey eye.

So this week’s challenge involves makeup.

Apparently, to accomplish the smokey eye look, a person is in need of some mascara, eye liner, and some charcoal-type eye shadow.

We’ll see how...