Becky Wade's Blog, page 158
May 6, 2020
A Little Escape Reading
There are so many reasons that propel me to pick up a book. Maybe I want to learn something—about history, the world, other people, or even myself. Sometimes I pick up a book to be entertained. Sometimes I want to savor exquisite words or visit old friends. But then there are those other times, those moment’s I’m seeking completely escape from the now, an immersion in another time and place.
Escape has been much of my reading motivation over these past few weeks. Escape from the news. Escape from my four walls. And when I want a real escape read, I tend to go one particular setting: 19th century British Empire (well, I’ll go back to late 18th century, too!).
Not the classics written in the era, mind you. Even though I love reading classics, scape reading, for me, doesn’t mean working that hard. No, I tend toward romance and mystery when in escape mode. So that’s what I’ve been seeking out and devouring lately in my effort to escape the sameness of days in 2020. Here are a few authors who have feed my need (or ones I’m looking forward to!):
Julie Klassen (of course!)
I just finished The Bridge to Belle Island and loved it! I think I missed the last Ivy Hill novel, so I need to go back and get that one, too. Julie has long been a favorite in this time period!
I loved the Hawthorne House series and the first book of her Haven Manor series was great! Ready to get to the next ones in this series.
I devoured every book she has written and am eagerly waiting her new release in November!
Always a favorite, she still has several in this time period I missed and am looking forward to reading!
Did you know she has a Regency spy series? I just started the first one and it’s an intriguing story so far.
I loved her debut novel and am trying to get the ones I’ve missed before her new one comes out!
I’ve only read one of hers and glad there are more to get through.
Her new book, The Lost Lieutenant, fits right in this time period. I can’t wait to read it! (Because who wouldn’t with that cover!)
Kimberly’s debut novel, A Mosaic of Wings, is on my list! This one released yesterday. Almost at the end of the 19th century, but it still fits.
Of course these simply reflect my most current reading. They don’t include my old favorites in this time period, authors like Laurie Alice Eakes, Patricia Veryan, and Anne Perry. I know there are more out there, especially Regency romances. So I need to hear from you! Who have I missed? What should I read next?
What has been your most favorite escape read this year–the book that let you check out of 2020 and truly experience another time and place?
May 5, 2020
WHO do you follow on Instagram?
Are you on Instagram? Do you have favorite follows? I do. People or companies (which are really people, of course) whose posts I look forward to reading.
Here are a few of said favs . . .
Jackie Hill Perry on Instagram — Jackie is absolutely hysterical and so Christ-like. A winning combination in my book.The Dogist on Instagram — Adorable puppies. I mean really cute! Need I say more?
More views from The Dogist. Because, well, we can! Are they not so cute!
These images make really good responses via text, too, when you have no words but want to express an emotion. My daughter and I use these a lot. : )
The Chosen TV Series on Instagram — Life-changing TV series. And their instagram posts are fabulously inspiring. #mustwatchTV #bingeJesus Simply So Healthy on Instagram — Are you GF or Low Carb? This is a great mother/daughter food blog to follow. So creative and delicious!
Farm House is my Style on Instagram — I really do love modern farmhouse style. Not too contemporary, mind you. Classic style with a warm, inviting feel. Farm House is my Style has that corner covered. BookBub — If you’re a voracious reader, then BookBub is a must! Follow your favorite author on BookBub, and never miss a new release or special sale. LOVE BB!
My Therapist Says on Instagram — Funny and insightfulIn Our Backyard on Instagram — An organization dedicated to freeing women and children shackled in sex trafficking. Posts like the one above always make me rejoice big time!
So what Instagrams do you follow? You might already be following my new favorite that I don’t know about yet! So . . . share please!
Hugs from Tennessee,
Tammy
I’m not an everyday poster by any means. But this past week I posted about Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love being made into a movie. Did you see that announcement? If not, click to read more about Redeeming Love—the major motion picture.
May 4, 2020
A Day to Celebrate
This week on May 8, the world will celebrate the 75th anniversary of a very important victory. It was called V-E Day back in 1945, the celebration of Victory in Europe—victory over Hitler and Mussolini and Fascism. The terrible destruction and death tolls had finally come to an end, and people in Europe could safely leave their homes again. They could get on with rebuilding their lives and reuniting with their loved ones.
My mother was a cadet nurse in the US Navy on that day in 1945, finishing up her nursing degree at a hospital in New York City. She came from a small, “one-horse” town, as she described it, so living in New York City was a new and exciting experience for her.
When word came that victory in Europe had been declared and that crowds were swarming to Times Square to celebrate, Mom’s roommate said, “Let’s go!” They took the subway, which cost ten cents in 1945, and joined the celebration.
The crowd was enormous, with more people than Mom had ever seen in her life. Everyone was happy—laughing and cheering and waving flags. The country had been at war since Mom was sixteen, and now at last, at LAST—it was over. She didn’t get swept into an embrace like the amorous sailor in the famous photograph, but she could easily see how it could happen in such a jubilant atmosphere.
But then, somehow, she and her roommate got separated. Mom looked around at the vast sea of faces and couldn’t find her. Her roommate knew how to navigate the subway system—Mom didn’t. And her roommate had Mom’s dime for the return trip to their nurses’ quarters at the hospital. Just as Mom was about to panic, she spotted a policeman. She wove through the crowd to reach him and explained what had happened. She asked him for directions and begged him to loan her a dime. He was reaching into his pocket when Mom’s roommate reappeared. They laughed and hugged, and went home. Mom is now 94 and she still remembers V-E Day as if it were yesterday.
My newest book, “If I Were You,” takes place in England during World War II and features a scene of V-E Day in London on May 8, 1945. Friends Eve Dawson and Audrey Clarkson have endured the terrifying, frustrating, endless days of World War II together, and they head out like my mom and her roommate did, to celebrate in Trafalgar Square:
“Thousands of people filled the streets, cheering and waving flags—Audrey had never seen so many flags! People climbed onto the statues and flower-strewn monuments, rejoicing. Men and women in uniform were everywhere, representing the many roles that citizens had played in this fight…Someone shoved miniature flags into their hands and they joined the waving and cheering. Children rode on their parents’ shoulders and Audrey realized those little ones had never experienced peacetime. She saw smiles on people’s faces but also tears. Everyone had lost someone. At least no more people had to die.”
But the novel doesn’t end with this scene. As joyous as this moment is for Eve and Audrey, they now must figure out what comes next. The world is a very different place from the one they grew up in. They are different women. They’ve learned lessons about themselves that should shape how they will live the rest of their lives. That is, if they’re wise enough to apply those lessons.
I think we’re all hoping there will be a V-C Day when we can declare victory over this coronavirus that has altered so many of our lives. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t suffered a loss of one kind or another, whether it’s a loved one, a job, a business, or a chance to graduate with their class. Hopefully, we’ve also gained some insight into ourselves and the way we were living before the lockdown. Hopefully, we’ll emerge as better persons, more in tune with God and with His plans for us. Maybe our prayer going forward should be the prayer of Moses in Psalm 90: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
I look forward to the day when we can join together in the town square to laugh and hug and celebrate victory. Until then, I want to ask myself: How am I being changed? What lessons do you never want to forget?
May 3, 2020
Inspired by Scripture
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May 1, 2020
Editing: Pushing, Shoving, and Shaping a Story
For the past few months I’ve been in constant editing mode for one book or another. Most recently I’ve been editing the three books that release this fall that are a part of The Fairest Maidens series. For those who enjoyed The Lost Princesses, the new series is a prequel and introduces some previously mentioned characters (like Queen Margery as the antagonist!).
The series has been a blast to write, and I’ll be doing a cover reveal a little later in the month! So stay tuned for that and more information about the books.
Since the rapid release schedule for The Lost Princesses worked out last fall, we’re releasing The Fairest Maidens in a similar fashion. A rapid release is fun, but in order to have the books all ready in close succession, I’ve had to adhere to a grueling editing schedule!
In fact, I’ve been eating, sleeping, and breathing editing.
Here I am settling in to do my last read-through of Beholden, the first book in the new series Any time I get into editing mode, I realize that I’m really more of a first draft girl. I absolutely adore the process of writing the first version of a book. I could write all day and all night and never tire of it.
But editing is another matter altogether. Compared to the free-spirited, creative writing flow, editing requires an entirely different mind-set. And for me, editing is laborious, pain-staking, and incredibly time-consuming.
It’s like taking a fine-toothed comb through every page, every paragraph, every line of an entire novel. Such a task takes hours, days, even weeks of concentrated, focused energy. It’s draining.
And quite frankly, it’s also nerve-wracking. At the back of my mind I think, “I have to get everything right this time. No more fooling around. This is serious business.”
Because the fact is, if we don’t get things right during the editing phase, we risk disappointing our readers.
In some ways that fear is a good motivation.
It pushes me to keep going when I’m tempted to cheat on my editing, to skimp, to gloss over details, or to disregard depth.
It motivates me to ruthlessly chop whole paragraphs, whole pages, even whole scenes that I once thought were brilliant.
It forces me to let go of words, to see them as just that—words.
Editing challenges me to exert painful effort to push, shove, and shape the story into something better, something that whispers with the breath of life.
In this current publishing climate that entices authors to produce more content, we’re faced with the challenge of giving enough time and energy to quality editing. It’s all too easy to focus on more writing and publishing and to let the hard work of editing become the last thing on our to-do list.
If we as writers don’t take the time to brutally and viciously attack our stories (during editing), readers will attack the book later. But why give them reason to lash out? If we’re brutal with our books, then our readers won’t have to be.
Here are some of my favorite quotes on editing. These show just how seriously most successful authors take the editing process.
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”
― Shannon Hale
“Editing fiction is like using your fingers to untangle the hair of someone you love.”
― Stephanie Roberts
“Editing is like pruning the rose bush you thought was so perfect and beautiful until it overgrew the garden.”
― Larry Enright
“Your first draft is a petulant teenager, sure it knows best, adamant that its Mother is wrong. Your third draft has emerged from puberty, realizing that its Mother was right about everything.”
― Angeline Trevena
“It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly.”
― C.J. Cherryh
“I’ve found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living [crap] out of it.”
― Don Roff
What about YOU? How important do you thinking editing is?
April 28, 2020
Connecting During Corona
How are you connecting with others during current shelter-at-home orders? As a writer, I am accustomed to working from home and sometimes not leaving my house for several days in a row, but after all these weeks, even this introvert is getting lonely and eager to reconnect with others, and I imagine you are as well.
Our pastor giving an excellent message.Like many of you, we are attending church online. The sermons are excellent, but except for a few people sharing comments or prayer requests, it’s not terribly interactive, and certainly not the same as greeting each other in person, singing together, or exchanging hugs. I miss that!
ACFW: Minnesota Christian Writers catching up online.I’ve attended several Zoom Meetings over the last few weeks:
Small Group Bible StudyAerobics ClassGirlfriends’ “Happy Hour”Writers Group Gathering
I’ve really enjoyed these opportunities to see dear faces, talk, and laugh together.
Laughing together as Erica Vetsch models her book-stack mask.I’m endeavoring to read scripture and pray more consistently. Amid all the uncertainty, it seems more important than ever to stay connected with our loving God, who knows all that’s happening in our lives and in our world.
I’m also thankful for the arrival of pleasant weather in Minnesota and the ability to walk outside. I find myself waving to passersby like never before (and am also enjoying listening to more audio books).
Tonight, I’ll be “attending” a Facebook bridal shower and soon after, the Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony online. Both new experiences and new ways to connect when we can’t gather in person.
I’ve heard of people meeting in driveways for “six-feet-apart” picnics. I think that’s one new idea I’d still like to try with friends. What about you? Any ideas to share with the rest of us?
Either way, I hope you are well and finding ways to connect with others!
April 27, 2020
Soon and very soon…?
It’s starting to look like this long “vacation” might soon be over. That may depend on where you live, where you work, the state of your health, and other factors, but wow, it’s been a long few weeks, hasn’t it? Do you think we’ll ever take “normal” life for granted again? I’m sure going to try not to! How are you holding up?
This is what “church” has looked like for us the last few Sundays. Not miserable by any means, but oh, how thrilled we’ll be to get back together for worship and fellowship!I’ve been trying really hard to count our blessings during this time. To look for silver linings in the difficult circumstances. And I’ve found quite a few:
I’ve never appreciated the Internet so much. I’m not sure how we would have fared if we couldn’t have Skyped and Zoomed with loved ones, attended church and Sunday School online (one in Missouri and the other at our former church in Kansas!)
I’m so grateful that my husband and I both work from home. We’ve been able to keep up with our jobs from home—right where we need to be, and I’ve never appreciate that so much.
This isn’t my office, but I’ve been taking advantage of our gorgeous weather and writing out on our screened porch every chance I get.I’ve been reading a lot more than usual. As a writer, part of my job is to read widely—for research, as an editor, to know what’s out there, and to learn and grow as a writer—but it has been wonderful to do more reading for entertainment. For the sheer joy of it.
Our house has never been so clean! Not only have we wanted to keep the germs at bay, but since we’ve been home almost 24/7, it’s more pleasant to be in a clean and tidy house…not to mention I haven’t had the usual excuse of not having enough time! Not only are the usual cleaning tasks done, but I’ve cleaned out drawers, organized closets and cupboards, rearranged furniture, sorted items from our move for a garage sale (can’t wait till those start up again!)
I’ve also done some fun little craft projects. That’s not something I’m usually very good at, but I’ve had fun making garlands and other paper-goods projects, painting a little wood stool, and planting my flowers for the spring.
We had a stunning view of the Mighty Mississippi on our bike ride yesterday after church and Sunday school (online!). I’m so thankful our parks and hiking trails are still open!Probably the biggest sanity-saver has been hiking and riding bikes with my husband. I’m so very grateful that the state parks have stayed open in our state for day use. Yesterday we rode our e-bikes in the gorgeous Trail of Tears State Park along the Mississippi River. It’s hard not to believe God has everything under control when you’re out in His glorious creation.
I’d love to know what you’re doing during this difficult time? Have you found silver linings in the midst of the trial? And if you’re one of the heroes who are working long hours to keep things manageable for those of us who work from home or need to stay home, thank you! I hope you feel our appreciation and respect. We truly couldn’t do this without you!
I’m praying hard that the next time it’s my turn to blog here that we are all on the road back to normal—and I trust that we’ll appreciate whatever normal has been for us just a tiny bit more than we used to. God bless and keep you in His loving care.
April 26, 2020
Inspired by Scripture
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April 24, 2020
Behind the Scenes of My Cover Shoot
I first saw the cover for Stay with Me (which releases in just a week and a half!) back in September of last year. My editor emailed the cover art to me and here’s a quote from the email I sent her in response. “Oh my goodness! I love it! I absolutely adore it. I’m so happy! Bravo, to Jenny and the design team. I really think they nailed this one. The model looks exactly like my heroine. Even her hair is perfect! The photo is light, bright, modern, and very romantic.”
Can you tell that I was a wee bit excited?
My editor shared in my excitement and sent me these wonderful photos, taken the day of the cover shoot. I’m so pleased to have the chance to show them to you today!
L to R: Kristen Larson (Art/Design Coordinator), Hair and Make-up Artist, Jennifer Parker (Senior Graphic Artist)
Cover model, Sami.
For this cover shoot, Bethany House asked the modeling agency if they had a real-life couple who matched the character descriptions I’d submitted. They did! Paul and Sami. Sami looks exactly the way I’d imagined my heroine, Genevieve.
The gentleman on the right is Paul Higdon (Creative Director)
Mike Habermann (Photographer) in action
During the shoot, the team took breaks from time to time to study the photographs in order to ensure they were capturing the look and feel they hoped to achieve.
These two are unbelievably cute together!
They moved outdoors for a portion of the shoot.
Happy sigh. This photo does my romance writer’s heart good.
Jennifer Parker went to work on the photographs produced during the shoot and emerged with this final result….
She added washes of pastel color, spots of light, additional highlights to Sami’s hair (so that it matches my character’s hair style), as well as fabulous fonts. I’m still as happy with it as I was the first time I saw it last fall.
If you’d like to pre-order Stay with Me click here! To learn more about the book (including a peek at the back cover copy, a link to an excerpt, a video of me introducing my dog named Sam to my hero named Sam) click here.
What do you think of the cover shoot photos?
April 23, 2020
Research, books & thanks, oh my!
Very early Wednesday morning, I turned in the macro or substantive edit for my next book, Lethal Intent. With this book I spent a lot of time on the hero and heroine because I wanted to make them deep. And that meant lots of flow charts and things. In my office I have a blank wall right next to my desk and computer, so I turned it into a “white board” where I posted my ideas. This is what it looked like this morning.:
This is what it looks like now:
@cara_putman shares what she’s reading in between books and wants to know what you’re reading. #booklover
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Flight Risk also released on April 7. Thank you so much to everyone who has already read it and posted reviews or told someone you liked it. The following are a few of the images from Instagram. Aren’t they gorgeous?!?
What are you reading right now? What have I missed while I was working on Lethal Intent and Flight Risk?
