Becky Wade's Blog, page 136

Writing Update (and a giveaway!)

I’m delighted to report that I recently finished my final edit of Let It Be Me! It’s now in the hands of my publisher and will soon go to print. And then, on May 4th, it will officially release.

I initially conceived the Misty River Romance series when….

Genevieve and NatashaSebastianBenLuke

And what if, miraculously… He did?

The series catches up with the “Miracle Five” when they’re all adults marked in different and irrevocable ways by the trauma they endured eighteen years before.

In Stay with Me, I told the story of the younger of the two sisters, Genevieve. [By the way, if you haven’t read Stay with Me now is the perfect time to snag it for your e-reader. It’s on sale for just $1.99 this weekend!] In Let It Be Me, I tell the story of the foster kid turned pediatric cardiac surgeon. This is somewhat how I picture Sebastian these days….

And this is somewhat how I see Leah, the math genius he falls in love with….

The problem that stands between these two is a biggie. Sebastian’s best friend Ben, whom he met when they were trapped underground by the earthquake, loves her, too.

I’m so very excited to share Let It Be Me with you! Some of my books give me fits, but I think Sebastian and Leah must have known that I really, really needed one thing in my life to go smoothly in 2020. They behaved well and cooperated with me nicely.

I’m currently working on the third and final book in the series, Luke’s story!

Before I go, I wanted to tell you about the festive Valentine’s Giveaway that my friend Courtney Walsh and I are offering. Click here or on the image below to enter!

We’ll draw two winners on February 14th. One winner will receive the mug and Starbucks card. The other winner will receive the rose-scented bath gel. Both winners will also receive paperback copies of our upcoming books, Is It Any Wonder and Let It Be Me (which we’ll mail out as soon as our publishers send us paperback copies this spring). USA only, please.

If you have any comments or questions for me about the Misty River Romance series, I’d love to hear them!

Do you ever stop reading a book?

Usually, when I start a book I finish it. If I don’t, it’s because it gets buried in a corner.

In the last week there were two books I was listening to that I had to stop and return to the library. One, there wasn’t any saving it for me considering the number of curse words in the opening paragraph. The other was a 20 hours audiobook that I listened to for 8 hours. There was much I loved about the book, and I told my husband if I’d had a paper copy, I could have skipped the parts that stopped me cold, but an audiobook doesn’t allow you to do that easily. (And no, I won’t tell you what books. It doesn’t matter, because I’m certain some of you probably loved the longer one.) But it got me thinking…

Are there elements that stop you cold in a book and make you walk away?

For me there aren’t many.

+ Language would be one. If it’s excessive and doesn’t add to the character or intrudes on the story, I’ll stop.

+ Excessive violence. Yes, I write suspense, but you’ll notice (if you read those), the violence is largely off the page.

+ Characters just didn’t grab me — this is rare. I’ll usually keep plugging if I’m the least bit interested in the plot and characters. It’s amazing the number of books I’ve plowed through that others quit. But I have to want to spend time with the characters. It helps if I’d love to travel with them or have coffee with them.

There are other things, but they vary from book to book.

I’m giving myself permission to enjoy the many wonderful books out there, rather than stay committed to one that isn’t engaging for one reason or another. Lest you think I haven’t read any wonderful book this month, here are a few of my top reads from January:

I may be on a historical kick. Look at all these time periods!

And if you haven’t already, be sure to join the blog tours for Lethal Intent and enter the giveaways for that novel! You can find the Celebrate Lit tour here and the Partners in Crime tour here.

Most Anticipated Reads of 2021

I’m a writer, but I’m also a voracious reader. I’ve never actually met a novelist who wasn’t a reader at heart. I was captivated by stories at a young age—reading books, acting out stories with friends, and daydreaming stories in my mind. Daydreaming was my escape. I loved going for Sunday rides with my mom. We lived in New Mexico at the time, and every Sunday we’d go for lunch and then a long drive. My favorite destination was the outskirts of Madrid, which was an old mining and ghost town.

I loved photography at the time, though that was many years ago. We used cameras with rolls of film and developed the images in a dark room. Now the traditional, manual camera has been replaced with the digital camera for the most part. Madrid, as well, has changed. It is now a booming town with restaurants, shops and festivals. But, it was on these drives, no matter the destination or simply the direction we chose to head, that I dove into daydreaming.

Staring out the window at God’s glorious creation of mountains, flowers, rock structures, and historic pueblo settlements. The love of daydreaming stories turned into writing down stories in journal after journal, and eventually into writing novels. But it all began with reading books or reciting books before I could actually read. When I was three, I was read my favorite books about Pierre every night and I would recite them before they could finish being read to me.

As I grew older, it was mysteries from watching Scooby Doo, to reading Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express when I was eight, that sealed the love of romantic suspense for me as a writer. But as a reader, I love many genres. So, picking my top 3 most anticipated reads for 2021 was really difficult, but here they are. I hope you’ll check them out.

Julie Klassen is always a must read! She has a fabulous voice, and when you crack open one of her books you enter a different world–one I always love escaping into.

As Laura cares for a mysterious castaway, evidence mounts against him and danger pursues them both.

Find out more here: A Castaway in Cornwall

Looking for a lyrical voice combined with an enthralling story? Then you must try Amanda Dykes. Her books are as lovely as she is.

Platoon Sergeant Matthew Petticrew arrives in France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, an arrival which a war-weary France desperately hopes will help to end the turmoil. Having faced unthinkable things on the front, he is captivated by the sound of a lullaby, sung by a voice so pure he knows he must have imagined it…

Find out more here: Yours is the Night

Denise writes contemporary romance that invites you and welcome you to stay a while. She’s the master of anticipation. Can’t wait to read this one!

Eleven months had not been long enough to prepare Sophie Lawson for the sight of him . . .

Find out more: Bookshop by the Sea

Questions for you: What are your most anticipated reads this year?

Blessings, Dani

A Writer’s Purrfect Companion

With many more people now working from home due to the pandemic, pet ownership has grown both in the US and abroad. The internet teems with articles about the pros, cons, and costs of pets, how to remain productive if you’ve adopted a needy pet, and debates about dogs vs. cats.

Socks & Mojo

Not long ago, my first-reader was trying to review my new manuscript to give me feedback and suggestions. She has a relatively young, high-energy dog. One day in frustration, she texted me, “I’m learning that it’s almost impossible to focus and have a dog that’s so demanding and energetic. An author would need a dog sitter.”

I responded, “That’s probably why most authors have cats.”

And now, work-at-home professionals in other fields seem to be discovering the joys of cats as well. I read online that in a town in Hertfordshire England, the popularity of cats has increased by more than thirteen times in one year. And it’s little wonder, as generally-speaking, cats are less expensive to maintain than dogs, more independent and relatively self-reliant (especially if you have two cats to keep each other company).

My husband recently brought home a book from the library (curbside pick-up) called, Writers and Their Cats by Alison Natasi, which testifies to the longstanding cat-author connection. The book includes photos of authors (some well-known, some less so) and their trusty feline friends, along with a few paragraphs about each author. Here are just a few examples:

Beverly Cleary & Ernest Hemingway

Children’s author Beverly Cleary had several cats over the years, including one who sat on her typewriter keys and begged for attention while she tried to write.

Ernest Hemingway is famous for novels like The Old Man and the Sea and for his many six-toed cats, which he referred to fondly as “purr factories.” You can still see the descendants of his cats (well, if not for lockdown) at his home and museum in Key West. (We saw 40 or 50 of them during a trip there several years ago.)

Stephen King & Mark Twain

Author Stephen King has also owned various cats, including a “rather crazed Siamese.”

And, Mark Twain once said, “When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction.”

Writers and Their Cats profiles many other authors, so if you’re interested, here’s a link to the book online.

Sadly, I am not featured in this book. And while I don’t have any illusions that I am even a tiny percentage as well-known as any of the above, here’s a photo of me with one of the many cats I have loved over the years. This is Socks, whose loud purring often accompanies the clickety-clack of my keyboard.

What about you: Are you pro-cat, too? Have you adopted a pet (of any kind) recently?

A Brand New Book

I have a brand new novel out! Bridges is the first original novel from Raney Day Press. This means that my publisher, my art director, my graphic designer, my public relations person, and my accountability partner are all one and the same—my husband, Ken Raney.

Here he is in his office the day we put the finishing touches on the book and hit “publish.” The man can be a tough taskmaster at times, and he’s a stickler for making me hit my deadlines, but I couldn’t be more proud of the work he’s done getting this novel to press.

Ken designed the beautiful cover and promo pieces, and he’s the one who keeps me sane through the sometimes intense process of finishing a novel. I can honestly say, he’s truly the best boss I’ve ever had.

This novel was almost ten years in the making! Of course, I wasn’t actively working on the manuscript the entire time, but these characters first found their way into my heart on a trip to visit our youngest son in college near Des Moines. (He’s now married with four children, so that tells you how long ago it was!) We took a little side trip to the charming historic town of Winterset, Iowa to see the famous bridges of Madison County and the castle-like Clark Tower.

I began writing J.W. and Tess’s story shortly after that first visit, and we stopped in Winterset several times before our son graduated. But other contract obligations took precedence and my story languished. Still, I thought of J.W. and Tess often over the years, and when I finally sat down to finish their story this past year, I felt I was revisiting old and dear friends.

Do you like to see the author’s inspiration for characters in a novel? Or would you rather imagine what the characters look like for yourself? Here’s a link to my Pinterest board of images that inspired the setting and characters as I wrote Bridges. Spoiler alert: Those hearts are gone on the Pinterest board and you’ll be able to see how I pictured my characters! 

Bridges is now out in print and e-book and will be available as an audiobook soon!

Inspired by Scripture

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

Should Authors Stick to Writing in One Genre?

A fellow writer recently asked me: “How do you stick to one story? I find I have an overabundance of stories I’d love to tell, but they’re scattered over different genres and times in history. I try to write whatever I can, just to get the stories down and find my voice, but it’s so hard to choose just one and stick to it!”

When I first started my journey to publication, the general opinion in the publication business was a resounding “Brand yourself with ONE genre.”

In fact, I remember having a conversation with my agent long ago about branding and genres. I was (and still am) a historical romance author. But at that time I was also branching into the medieval young adult genre. The question I debated was whether to take a pen name with my YA novels so that I wouldn’t confuse my adult readership base.

Ultimately, my agent and I decided that since I was technically still writing historicals with my medieval YA, I would continue writing them under the name Jody Hedlund. As I delved into bio-fiction as well as my upcoming medieval time-crossing novel (Come Back to Me, releasing in June of 2021), I’ve continued to keep my name, since the sub-genres still fall under the broader category of historicals.

However, the fact is, not every one of my historical romance readers like the fairy tale quality of my YA books. Not all my YA readers like my adult novels, complaining they have too many details. Some of my bio-fiction readers are put off by my more sensual historical romances. And it’s possible my foray into  medieval time-crossing might not appeal to all of my readers either.

So the dilemma that comes from writing across multiple sub-genres is the potential to have dissatisfied readers. Fans will pick up a book with my name on it expecting a certain reading experience and then will become frustrated when that doesn’t happen.

On the other hand, my experience with writing in multiple sub-genres is that most readers enjoy the variety which ultimately leads to a larger readership. Thus, writing across a number of sub-genres has proved beneficial to me.

What if eventually I decide to branch out into something that doesn’t fall under historicals? Should I (or any other writer) jump into a completely different genre altogether? And if we do, should we write each genre under different names (i.e. take a pen name)?

Before publication, writers can (dare I say, should?) play around and try all the genres they want until they land on their sweet spot, the stories they love telling.

Once a writer is ready for publication, however, they’ll benefit most by sticking with one genre, writing it well, and steadily building a base of loyal readers. Jumping around at an early stage before having a substantial readership could end up confusing and alienating readers. The sage advice of “Brand yourself with one genre” really can be helpful in launching a writing career.

Experienced authors may have more success branching off into new genres without taking pen names. At this point in my career, if I published a contemporary romance, I likely would have some crossover readers willing to take a chance on it. Maybe even many. But there’s no guarantee of success. I’d have to work hard and publish many contemporary romances in order to build up a new base of readers.

In summary: I’m glad I took time to brand myself before dabbling in other sub-genres. I’m also glad that I continued writing in my main genre while branching out. This allowed me to keep growing my primary readership while also enjoying the creativity of trying sub-genres somewhat related to my current works.

So, should a writer stick to one genre? Fortunately, there are no right answers to the question. We live in a publication age when really anything is possible. The most important thing, as always, is telling a riveting story people will want to read. And that can happen in any genre.

Think of your favorite authors. Picture them switching genres entirely. Would you like it? Why or why not?

Ye Olde Book Swap

Are you a swapper? School lunches. Recipes. Wardrobe items. Books.

There is something about the swapping process that excites me. The old suddenly has new value. The familiar opens the door to the unexplored. Possibilities abound.

That’s the idea behind the book swap that we’re doing this month in my Posse Facebook group, and I’d like to invite you to join us.

The Posse Book Swap combines the delight of sharing books you’ve already enjoyed with new friends and the adventure of discovering new reads for yourself.

You can donate up to 3 books, and you will be allowed to pick as many new-to-you books as you donate. All books donated are to be Christian fiction titles, preferably published within the last five years. Any genre of Christian fiction is welcome. Once the master list is created, selections will be made round-robin style. One participant will be chosen at random to pick first. The owner of the book they select will become Chooser #2. And so forth. This continues until all the books are chosen.

If you send multiple books, you will be eligible to receive multiple books. However, you will only select one at a time after each of your donated books is chosen. And to make sure no one accidentally forgets to send out their book, you will not be allowed to make your selection until you email me the tracking number for the book you’ve mailed.

Submissions will be open until the end of January.

If you are interested in joining the Posse Book Swap, click here to join the Posse. You’ll find all the details about the swap pinned to the top of the group page.

Do you like swapping books with friends?
What other things do you like to swap?

Watch & Listen

I thought I’d catch you up on a couple of new things I’ve been loving lately. They fall into two different categories: watch and listen. My thoughts are short and sweet today, but I hope one or the other will be something you can enjoy as well!

Watch:

The English Game

I am so in love with this series! Written by Julian Fellows of Downton Abbey fame, it is the cross between an underdog sports drama and a Victorian drama. Set in the late 1800s, The English Game centers on some key historical figures in the evolution of the game of professional football (soccer, for us here in the states). Well-written and well-acted, it picks up on the state of football in the late 1800s where teams of amateurs competed against one another for a championship trophy. These teams had two distinct flavors—the upper class who learned to love the game while at exclusive schools and universities and the working class teams formed at mills and other such manufacturing industries. The series follows one upper class and one working class team, focusing on three historical characters who were integral to the establishment of professional football in the U.K. The history and fiction blend seamlessly. And Fellows’s dovetailing of the sport and the personal lives of these men makes the story hit on every emotional level. Well worth the watch, even if, apparently, there won’t be any more episodes.

Listen:

Pandora Shuffle Stations

I confess I shift between the various music streaming apps, mostly because I get bored. I can switch genres in each app, yes, but even then there is a rotation that becomes mind-numbing. When I hear the same thing over and over, I lose my joy in the music. When we lived in Austin, I had a local radio station I loved precisely because they didn’t stick to one type of music. Their tag line was “Playing what we want.” So I’ve long wished I could have that without making a playlist, because even in that it loses its freshness after awhile. And then as I was in my car last week, I discovered that Pandora has added a unique feature—or at least one I don’t know of on the others! Pandora will now shuffle your stations. This is a game-changer for me! I love that I can hear a classical selection, then a praise song, then a Broadway tune or an 80s pop song. That every song is a surprise of genre, artist and song. So if you are like me and need a variety of music in the car or the house or wherever, try Pandora’s Shuffle Stations!

What amazing show or movie have you watched lately? How are you choosing your music and what’s been your latest and greatest music find?

Facing Tough Decisions

I’m often asked, “How did you not cave to the pressure last summer when your publisher threatened to cancel your book if you didn’t make their requested changes?”

In short? God started preparing me for that challenge a year before that day came (when my novel Colors of Truth was ultimately cancelled).

It’s not something I’m proud to admit (to confess), but it’s a forever lesson God engraved on my heart. A lesson that not only shaped the foundation for the novel I was writing at the time—Colors of Truth—but that has forever changed me.

I recently shared this experience with Karen Ball and Erin Taylor Young from Write from the Deep. Amid lots of laughter and also some fairly sober moments, we talk about authenticity and about how important it is to tell the truth and keep your word. Because God is Truth, and he demands that his children be people of Truth.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON Write from the Deep

I invite you to listen to the podcast (or read the transcript) here. This link will open a new window so you can easily hop back over here and leave a comment on this blog post, if you wish.

But a quick caution . . .

After listening to the podcast, you may well be disappointed in me. And, if you are, I’ll understand. I was greatly disappointed in myself.

But I also think you’ll see how God was preparing me for that moment of decision that was coming a year later when I would be asked to rewrite Colors of Truth to be better received by this current culture we’re living in.

Was saying no to my publisher’s request easy? In a way, yes! Because the God of Truth had already dealt with me about telling the truth, about not lying. But in another way, no. Because standing by my convictions meant severing ties with a publisher I’d enjoyed working with in the past. It also meant they were cancelling my next book (the third book in the Carnton series) as well.

CHECK OUT Colors of Truth

Yet this experience also gave me the opportunity to publish a novel on my own, something I’d been considering doing. And though I was filled with uncertainty as to what the outcome would be, you (my readers) received this novel with great enthusiasm. And I’m so grateful to you for that, and for your kind words of encouragement as Colors of Truth came to print. They made all the difference!

So . . . though this is a personal question for sure, what is a defining moment in your life where God lovingly but firmly taught you a lesson you needed to learn? And notice I didn’t ask, “Have you had a defining moment in your life…”

Because if you’re a follower of Christ, I know for certain you’ve had those moments (and I’ve had many!). Because while God loves us “while we are yet sinners,” his grace and mercy refuses to leave us in our sin, in the kingdom of darkness. He changes us and makes us holy, like himself. Thank you, Lord! #Sanctification

You don’t have to share the details of your experience. But a simple “Oh yes, and this is what God taught me about himself” would be terrific!

Love you all dearly,

Tammy

And look at this?!! Our own Deb Raney has a new book out!

CONGRATS, MISS DEB!

Check out BRIDGES today! I highly recommend it (as you can see)!