Becky Wade's Blog, page 133

What’s In A Name?

I recently had a question come up in my Posse Facebook group about how I come up with names for my characters.

Selecting my character names is one of my favorite parts of the brainstorming process. It’s amazing how much a name helps me imagine who the character is. Not only do I want the names I select for my characters to sound good and roll easily off the reader’s tongue, but I love to give extra meaning to the names, perhaps a meaning that no one else will ever pick up on besides me.

I love using biblical names and historic names, but the real fun comes when I start playing with them. Sometimes the meanings connect to the novel’s theme or some other deeper meaning, but more often they employ a play on words in a way that gives me a reason to smile even when working with these characters day after day.

For example, the leads in Head in the Clouds – Adelaide is a teacher who’s last name is Proctor (synonym for teacher) and Gideon Westcott runs a sheep ranch – tying in to the wet/dry fleece of the biblical Gideon. Then there are the Archer brothers who were all named for heroes from the Alamo. In fact, I have an that talks about some of the plays on names that my characters embody.

Do I ever change character names? Once I settle on my main characters’ names, those almost never change. They become too closely entwined in the character’s identity. However, I have changed the names of small side characters several times. Two times rather recently, I had to change a name of a minor character during the last proofreading stage when I realized I was using the same name for a more significant character in the book I was currently writing.

The more books I write, the harder it is to remember which names have been used or not. I write down the names of significant characters in my notes for each book, but I rarely keep track of those throwaway characters.

Funny Story – Sometimes readers who binge-read books can find things we as authors never intended. I had a reader post a question in Goodreads a few years ago with this observation: “I recently noticed that you have had three characters named Emma! The pastor’s wife in To Win Her Heart, Jacob’s Sister in Love on the Mend and of course Emma Chandler. Is there something special about that name?”

Since these books were written years apart, I had no idea this had happened! Here was my reply: ” I’ve always liked the name Emma and it has a wonderful historical feel, but I didn’t realize that I had used it three times. At least I can take comfort in the fact that, according to the social security website, Emma was the third most popular girl’s name for nearly the entire 1880s decade. So since there were a lot of Emmas running around in the late 19th century, I guess it’s only natural to have three show up in my books. At least that’s the story I’m sticking to. Ha!”

Question for you:
Have you ever run across your own name or the name of a friend/family member as a character in a book? Did that change your reading experience? Did you find yourself attributing personality traits to the character based on the person you knew in the real world?

Book on Sale!
As a bonus, here’s the inside scoop on Charlotte and Stone’s names from A Worthy Pursuit. I chose the heroine’s name after a fan on Facebook suggested I should use her daughter’s name – Charlotte. Since Charlotte Bronte is my favorite classic author and the name is a beautiful, historic name that would fit well with my prim headmistress, I did just that. I had a little more fun with the hero. He is a tough, loner type who had been making his own way in the world since he was a boy orphaned at an early age. Stone just seemed like the right name for him (even though he’s gooey on the inside, like all good tough guy heroes). There is actually a play on his name inside the book where he is written into a dime novel under a not-very-well-disguised pseudonym – Stone Hammond becomes Hammer Rockwell in his dime novel debut.

Grab a copy while it’s on sale from your favorite e-retailer.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook

More than I could ask or think

I confess, I didn’t know until yesterday what I would post today. I’m not usually that late in deciding my topic. (Actually writing the post? Well, that might be a different story!) Anyway, I had no idea what to write about. But, strangely, I wasn’t stressed. I figured the Lord would come through with an idea just in the nick of time.

However, I didn’t expect Him to do it in such a big way!

I should have. After all, Ephesians 4:20 tells me that God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that I can ask or think. And yet I am continually humbled and amazed when He does just that.

Here’s a bit of backstory: You already know that these last 5 years have been a writing drought for me. You also know the drought lifted when we moved back to Rockwall.

What you don’t know is that during the drought I let go of my agent. That was a big deal for me, because I didn’t get an agent until after I’d published four books. But nothing was happening with my writing to need an agent. A couple of years ago, I felt strongly that I needed to just let that go. And so by the time we ended our life in Austin, I was not only in a writing desert, I was also agent-less. I literally thought I had no way to even get my toe back in the publication door.

But little did I know . . .

Not long after we moved back, my dear friend and critique partner of almost 20 years, Mary DeMuth, stepped into a new role as an agent with Books & Such. I did not presume on her to even consider me as a client. I didn’t even suggest it as a possibility! But one day she called and asked if I had any interest in auditioning for write-for-hire opportunities. I said yes, because it did, indeed, intrigue me. She took me on as her first client.

Immediately, she let me know about two audition opportunities. I did them both with fear and trepidation, not for myself as much as for her. I wanted her first submissions as an agent to be stellar. As I’ve said before in a post, the words and ideas flowed for both stories as they hadn’t in years. The first audition response was a no—but a no with great compliments and a desire to see my work when other opportunities arose.

Then just last night, Mary called me. Not super unusual. But when I answered and asked, “What’s up?” her response floored me. My second audition had been accepted! Suddenly, I was on my way to publication once again.

As this year goes on I’ll let you know more details, including things big and small that God set in place to make this work. But for now, suffice it to say that only God could have done this.

Only. God.

He took what I thought was dead and brought it back to life. I’ve seen His goodness and His faithfulness in so many areas of my life, and yet each time I see it again it’s with the same gratitude. And humility. And amazement. God doesn’t always give us what we think we want. Instead, He so often gives us more than we imagined possible. And I especially love that He did this in answer to my prayer for my dear, dear friend. I was her first client, and now I’m her first sale. That is more exciting to me than even getting to write another book!

Has the Lord done something amazing in your life lately? Big or small? Let’s give some praise to our God for His amazing care and abundance!

To listen…or not to listen

HAPPY MARCH! Spring is almost here and not a minute too soon, right?

Are you an audio book lover? I am.

I usually have 3 or 4 (or more) audiobooks going at the same time. Well, not literally. But you know what I mean.

I love having the freedom to take a walk, to clean, to drive from one place to another while also “reading.” Either being whisked away to a distant story world with characters I’ve grown to love—or loathe—OR learning from non-fiction, broadening my horizons and gaining deeper understanding (which can also be done in fiction, for sure!).

Here are audiobooks I’m listening to now . . .

1984 by George Orwell. A classic. I read it years ago but was recently inspired to listen to it again. Talk about a book written for our times!

Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher. I mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago in this blog post. I have the print edition of the book too. Cannot recommend this highly enough. Again, a timely read.

A Time For Mercy by the ever popular John Grisham. Joe and I started this one on a trip recently and, for some reason, I haven’t returned to it. I’m enjoying the story well enough. It’s just not luring me back. And I love Grisham’s writing. I think it might be the narrator. A narrator can make or break an audiobook, and the way this particular narrator interprets the female voices is…well, odd. To me. I think I’ll download the Kindle sample and see if it’s different that way. Because I’d love to read more about Jake Brigance and the characters in a A Time to Kill. (Thanks for being my therapist and helping me talk through that.)

We Shall See God by Randy Alcorn. I’ve listened to this one at least three times through. On days when I need some extra encouragement, I’ll pick a section and drink in the words. This book draws me closer to God each time I listen. Highly recommended.

Blackout by Candace Owens. I deeply appreciate Candace Owens and the way she stands for what she believes and how well she expresses herself. She narrates the book herself—and it’s stellar.

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood. I happened upon this novel through a recommendation from Reese Witherspoon. The story and narrator drew me right in. The writing is crisp and fresh and the narrator absolutely nails Susan’s character! I’ve laughed out loud so many times and yet it’s got its poignant moments too. Try the sample and see what you think!

Here are some audiobooks in my to-be-listened-to stack. Are they in yours?

I’ve actually read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis years ago. But I’m looking forward to listening to it again! The others will be new to me.

So are YOU an audiobook lover? If yes, tell me what you’re listening to—and why you’d recommend it!

In celebration of audiobooks (and maybe to win you over to the audio side if you’re one of “those readers” who only reads print), I’m giving away four (4) Colors of Truth Audible audiobooks.

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE NOW read by Kate RuddKate Rudd, narrator of Colors of Truth

To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post between now and March 15 at 6PM Central telling me if you’re an audiobook lover or not. I’ll draw four winners and announce them on my next blog post (on Tuesday, March 16). The four winners will each receive a code allowing them to download a free Audible version of the novel.

Hugs all and Happy Tuesday!

Tamera

A Milestone

I reached a milestone last week.

As you can see from my odometer, I have now biked 1,000 miles on my new bicycle.  Ken and I purchased the new bikes in late August—a present to ourselves to make up for all the restrictions and disappointments in 2020. We have a lovely bike trail right outside our front door, so we put on 600 miles before the weather grew too cold.

But this past month we’ve been vacationing in Florida where we finally reached the 1000 mile mark.  Some of the trails took us through an alligator habitat where I made a new friend.

We’re home now, and my bike will get a rest for the next few months. But as soon as the snow is gone and the bike trails are clear, I’ll be looking forward to the next 1,000 miles.

What milestones are you looking forward to this spring?

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

How to Encourage Christians to Try Christian Fiction

On my Facebook author page I recently asked, “Why do you think only some Christian readers read Christian fiction?”

These are the top three answers I received….

1) They don’t know that such a thing as Christian fiction exists. Or their knowledge of it begins and ends with Redeeming Love, Karen Kingsbury, and Amish stories.

2) They perceive Christian fiction as low quality. Either they’ve simply landed on this misconception or they tried one Christian fiction book decades ago, didn’t like it, and reached this conclusion. Here are some of the criticisms non-readers of Christian fiction articulate…. The books are predictable, unrealistic, preachy, watered-down. The faith story line is awkwardly inserted. They’re fluffy, boring, saccharine sweet, and populated with characters so perfect that readers can’t relate to them.

3) Christian fiction isn’t easily discoverable. It might not be available at your local bookstore or library. If it is carried at a bookstore, it’s sometimes tucked away in a strange alcove, socially distanced from the rest of the fiction.

The responses to my Facebook question were fascinating. In many cases, they were also hard to hear because I love Christian fiction. I believe it has the ability to serve as a vehicle for the Holy Spirit, which means it can impact people’s lives in unique and powerful ways.

A few of the people who commented on my post asked, “What can we do about this? How can we help spread the word?” Those great questions inspired this post. Here are….

6 Ways to Encourage Christians to Try Christian Fiction

1) Tell your reading friends about your favorite books! Also consider loaning them books that match their reading tastes. If they love historical romance — hand them your favorite Christian historical romance. Do they love thrillers? We have thrillers! If you want to get fancy, you could even “check your books out” using this adorable personal library kit. There’s no substitute for good, old-fashioned word of mouth.

2) Talk about Christian fiction (and why you love it) and particular books you love (and why you love them) on your social media. It’s great to connect with other like-minded readers in, for example, a Facebook group dedicated to Christian readers. But how are the people from the other spheres of your life (work, school, volunteering, church, sports, extended family, etc) going to hear about your new favorite book unless you post about it in your feed?

3) Start a Christian fiction book club. Or seek out an existing one and personally invite several friends to join it with you. Your book club might be connected to a church, a bookstore, a library, a neighborhood, or a group of long-time girlfriends.

4) Start a library at your church. Or, if your church already has a library, find out from the librarian what you can do to support and promote the circulation of their Christian fiction.

5) Request that your local public library carry new Christian fiction releases. If your library accepts donations, donate the novels you’re finished with to them.

6) Give Christian fiction as a birthday or Christmas gift to someone you know will be blessed by it. Or gift it to strangers via your nearest little free library. Or become a book fairy!

Do you agree with the reasons why more Christians don’t read Christian fiction? Any additional suggestions on how to encourage them to try it?

Happy Friday, everyone! ~Becky

Bingeing all the Books

Last week, Indiana got enough snow that Purdue closed for a day. That may not seem significant, but I’ve lived near Purdue for twenty years, and this is only the third day that I remember the campus being closed. Needless to say, I was grateful to not do a snow dance to campus in my car, and it allowed me a bit of time to read.

I adore reading. Y’all know that, and one of the books I read was Kristi Ann Hunter’s next Regency novel. It was soooo good. How good you ask? Good enough that I am literally binging her books in order. I’m on the sixth since Saturday, and yes, I’ve still worked and all the other things.

Hence the above quote. Reading really is like breathing for me.

I’m also always amazed about what reading reveals about me. Anyone else relate? You read about a character’s struggle, and suddenly, you have insight into something you’ve struggled with?

There’s no other way that I could travel to Regency England, or really anywhere else (thanks, COVID!) right now, so books are a wonderful way to see and experience other places.

Is there a series that you’ve binged lately?

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Binging all the Books

Last week, Indiana got enough snow that Purdue closed for a day. That may not seem significant, but I’ve lived near Purdue for twenty years, and this is only the third day that I remember the campus being closed. Needless to say, I was grateful to not do a snow dance to campus in my car, and it allowed me a bit of time to read.

I adore reading. Y’all know that, and one of the books I read was Kristi Ann Hunter’s next Regency novel. It was soooo good. How good you ask? Good enough that I am literally binging her books in order. I’m on the sixth since Saturday, and yes, I’ve still worked and all the other things.

Hence the above quote. Reading really is like breathing for me.

I’m also always amazed about what reading reveals about me. Anyone else relate? You read about a character’s struggle, and suddenly, you have insight into something you’ve struggled with?

There’s no other way that I could travel to Regency England, or really anywhere else (thanks, COVID!) right now, so books are a wonderful way to see and experience other places.

Is there a series that you’ve binged lately?

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Research on the Road

Hi friends,

Happy to be back with you this week. With all the information available at our fingertips for research, it’s easy for me to research from the comfort of my home. I can call and talk with experts via Zoom or on the phone, I can order research books online, and use search engines to find practically everything I need to write a strongly researched book. However, I love to take my research on the road and do as much hands-on research as possible. Many of my close writing friends do as well, some traveling as far as England like Julie Klassen, or to a cabin in the woods like Becky Wade. Often we travel for writing retreats to interesting areas, never knowing where we might learn something or see something special that will one day end up in our novel. Plus, hanging out with writer friends is tons of fun!

Some of my favorite trips include researching adventure activities and sports for my Alaskan Courage series.

White-water-rafting the Colorado river with a guide who could easily be Matthew Mcconaughey’s twin.

Researching history by taking a three-hour private tour of Gettysburg Battlefield for my Chesapeake Valor series.

I even got to pick out the exact spot my victim’s body was found.

Last but not least, I enjoyed some firsthand research in Wilmington, NC for my current Coastal Guardian series.

I took a boat ride on the Cape Fear River to learn about both the history and current events in Wilmington.

Took time for the most important part of research. Checking out the local coffeeshop. 

I even had friends jump in on the fun, getting this Guardsman to take a picture with The Killing Tide. Thanks, Joy!

Question for you: What kind of interesting subjects or locations do you enjoy reading about?

Happy Wednesday,
Dani

Uplifting Reading & Viewing Suggestions

Ever buy a book that disappointed you? Or sit down in the evening to scroll through the shows and movies available only to struggle to find something good to watch? In general, I try not to watch too much tv, but when I do, I don’t want to watch something I’ll regret. So, I thought I’d share a few of the books and shows I’ve been reading or watching lately that have been positive and uplifting during some cold, bleak winter days. Here are a few titles I can recommend to you:

And a few shows (secular, with some minor language) that will still leave you happier then when you started them:

What uplifting books and/or shows would you recommend? Leave a comment and I’ll pick a winner to receive the three books shown above. Thank you!