Becky Wade's Blog, page 167

Inspired by Scripture

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My Favorite Covers of 2019

I’m thankful for the talented designers who wrap stories in such beautiful packaging. Thus, at the start of each year I love to look back and admire Christian fiction book covers from the past year. I’m continuing that tradition with this post!

Here are a few of my 2019 favorites (in no particular order):

The Spice King by Elizabeth Camden
I’m a sucker for a cover depicting a handsome man! The dark color scheme, the luxurious historic clothing, and the title combine to pack a powerful, intriguing punch.



The Wedding Dress Christmas by Rachel Hauck
I’m charmed by every aspect of this cover — the dress, the storefront, the swags of greenery. For me, this hits just the right Christmas-y note.



One More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick
Gorgeous and evocative! I spy a covered wagon slogging through snow. That, combined with the title, tells me what type of story I can expect within.



Just One Kiss by Courtney Walsh
Great fonts! I’m enamored with this mix of colors and patterns. The outdoor setting is pretty and the pose is both sweet and romantic.



The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey
This unique over captivated me the very first time I saw it! It manages to be clever, lovely, and frightening all at the same time.



Like a Winter Snow by Lindsay Harrel
Adorable art work! I find the whimsy of the design combined with the swirling font of the word “Snow” appealing, fresh, and contemporary.



Storm Rising by Ronie Kendig
Ronie’s last series enjoyed some great covers, and the covers for this new series are terrific, too. The darkness of the hero’s image against the slashes of blue light is striking.



The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels
Different and memorable! I like how the title and its meaning interact with the photo. Also, books! What’s not to love about a bookish cover for book lovers?



Fire Storm by Nancy Mehl
Cold and hot at the same time! Haunting. The destroyed house seems to hold a mystery in need of solving.



Romanov by Nadine Brandes
Beautifully detailed! The woman, palace, colors, title, and fonts all work together to create a delightfully Russian feel. The phrase “Not even blood can stop bullets” nestled within beckons me to pick up the book and start reading.



I’m sure that I’ve forgotten about some of 2019’s most fabulous covers. Which ones stick out in your memory?

The Joy of Serving & Giveaway

Last March, my husband and I lead a team of young adults from our church to Turkey over Spring Break. It was one of those unexpected delights as we spent a week in Instanbul exploring the city and culture. While we were there, I really connected with the team lead (it’s amazing what happens when you make coffee for 30 people and wash dishes together!). While there I asked how our church could come alongside them, which lead to a service trip to Berlin that we just returned from.

This group was AMAZING to travel with. They each had such a heart to serve the kids — one snuck into the photo

Goal Getting!

Hi friends, 

I so look forward to this time with you each month. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy day to spend some of it with me. I don’t know about you, but I’m a planner addict. Yes. There is such a thing, at least according to my family. Every season new planners come out and I spend weeks deciding which one I’ll pick. You may be asking why, and I don’t blame you. But having the right planner fit is a must for me because I know that I’ll spend time with it every day of the year. 

For me, I want a planner with good paper quality. Perhaps it’s because I’m a writer and I love the feel of good paper, not to mention the smell of a manuscript fresh off the printer. Yes, there are weird writers like me. Many are very normal. Okay, many are less quirky than me but we all have things that are important and special to each of us whether it’s a specific notebook to write in, a specific computer program to write your novel on such as Scrivener, or a way of writing such as Dictation. Given that I write all my first drafts longhand, I’m very picky about my notebook and pen. 

For notebooks, I use Levenger. Thank you to Katie Cushman for introducing me to the wonder of Levenger. My husband does not thank you because it’s not cheap and it’s quite addictive as well. For my pen, I use Frixion erasable pens. They are the bomb and I’ve shared their awesomeness with many colleagues and writer friends. 

Returning to planners, I love using erasable and colorful Frixxon pens. I color code (or attempt) my planner by categories so if I’m spending time with family, I use green, marketing and learning is in a beautiful fuchsia and writing is in purple. 

I also love having big squares on my monthly calendar so there’s space to write important dates in and a weekly overview with each day given its own space. I love colorful tabs and lots of note pages. 

I homeschooled my girls all the way through school and through LOTS of trial and error, I found that a teacher’s planner works best for me. Instead of subjects, I write in categories, so I can see how many days and how much time I’m blocking off for writing each week, how much time I get to spend with the daughters and grandbabies, exercise, etc. I can glance at the week and the month at the same time and see that everything is balanced. If I find things off balance or allotted too much or too little time, then I adjust my plans. 

How does having the right planner help you set goals—by observing the time you block off for each area of your life that’s important to you. If you’ve never heard of the time blocking method, my friend, has a wonderful free resource. You can read her post all about it and download her worksheets here: Time Blocking Template at HeyDonna.com

Reader Question:

What matters to you in a planner or calendar? How do you utilize your planner to help you reach your goals by spending time on what matters most? Any fun resources or items you’d like to share? I’d love to hear what you love using—pens, planner stickers, highlighters, etc. 

Look forward to reading your answers! 

Blessings, 

Dani 

Favorite Website Features

Not long ago, I took an informal poll of readers’ favorite features of authors’ websites and found it very interesting. To that end, I’d love to know what you like best about authors’ sites. What information you appreciate seeing when you visit an author’s online home.

In response to reader feedback, I added a “Bonus Features” page to my site which includes a slew of icons that lead to other pages of requested information.

Here are a few of those bonus features:

Monthly GiveawaysA link to connect on BookBub (so readers never miss a new release or an ebook sale)A page especially for Book ClubsA page with excerpts from every novelA page containing recipes from all my novelsA page with videos shot on location at the various mansions that serve as backdrops for my Southern novelsA “Truth or Fiction” page that tells readers what was “real” in the novel and what wasn’t (complete with images of all the real stuff!)I even have a page listing a ton of my favorite low carb gluten free recipes

At the beginning of every year, I take a week or so and do a “deep dive” on my website updating old information I might have missed and also adding new features. This is where you come in!

I’d love to know your favorite feature(s) on an author’s website!

Or if something drives you nuts, tell me that too! For instance, sites that have music automatically start to play make me want to run screaming and never come back. #petpeeve #slightovereaction #getoveritAlexander

Speaking of bonus features, I picked up two cute little “spoon bookmarks” on our trip to Hilton Head over Christmas, and they’re January’s giveaway!

Do you like big books? If yes, then this is for you!

Whoever first looked at a spoon and thought, “If I flattened the snot out of this, it would make a really great bookmark,” is someone I’d like to meet. Then to print this phrase on it… So funny.

ENTER TO WIN

Seriously though, please share what you LOVE (or loathe) about your favorite authors’ websites. But if you’re loathin’, please don’t mention names. Just the somewhat loathsome feature. : )

Blessings to you in 2020, friends, and I’m so glad God ordained us to be on this journey together!

Tammy

Little Women

My husband and I went with friends to see the new “Little Women”
movie, last night. It was wonderful, but, oh, the memories and emotions
it stirred up for me! I could so relate to Jo’s longing as a young
writer to create stories and to be published.

I cried with her when her sister burned her manuscript in the fire. I
once lost several chapters after a power outage in the days before
computers had automatic back-ups. I stormed down the street to where a
team from the power company was working and screamed at them in outrage.
“Ma’am . . . ma’am . . . we didn’t cause it,” they pleaded. I still
wonder if they lied, fearing for their lives.

I felt Jo’s pain and humiliation as she listened to a blunt critique
of her work, remembering the first time I sat down with a professional
editor at a writers’ conference and heard him critique the first chapter
of my novel. I felt as though he’d run my manuscript through a paper
shredder! Both of those editors were probably right in what they said,
but their words had the power to pierce a writer’s fragile heart. I
confess that even after twenty-some books, I’ve never gotten used to
critiques, and still have to steel myself to hear them, even though I
know they may improve my work.

I watched the magazine editor in the film draw slash marks through
Jo’s short story, saying he would publish it if she made extensive cuts,
and I knew how she felt as she struggled to decide. The first article
of mine that a publisher ever took an interest in was about 1400 words
long. This editor (of a very well-known magazine) said he would publish
it if I cut it down to 250 words and turned it into mere bullet points.
It was a difficult decision, but I finally agreed. Painful, but I was a
published author at last!

I understood Jo’s broken heart when she burned her own work and
decided to give up writing. I gave up, too, after waiting nearly a year
to learn whether or not a publishing company would print my manuscript,
only to have it rejected and returned to me in a garbage bag. The
garbage bag wasn’t the publisher’s idea—the mailing box had
disintegrated on the return trip and the post office had dumped the
pages into a trash bag for the remainder of the journey. Even so, I
tossed out the bag and all 400 typewritten pages and gave up writing.

Tears ran down my face when Jo clasped her newly-published book to
her chest as if it was her beloved child. I did the same when holding my
first book in my hands for the first time. In fact, I carried that book
with me everywhere, barely able to take my eyes off of it. I put it on
my nightstand before I went to bed so I would see it first thing in the
morning and know that it hadn’t been a dream.

Yes, I could relate to Jo’s roller-coaster ride as she wrestled with
her calling as a writer and pursued her dream of being published. Her
sisters, who had different dreams, also struggled to pursue them in a
culture that diminished and marginalized women. Nourishing our dreams
and becoming the person God created us to be is a favorite theme in my
novels and inspirational speeches because I know the joy of discovering
and living into God’s calling, even when the journey is long and painful
and offers many opportunities to give up. But whether you’re a writer
or not, I urge everyone to see the movie and to think about your own
dreams. The start of a new year is the perfect time to partner with God
and renew your resolve to pursue them.

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.

20 Easy Ways Readers Can Promote Books in 2020

Dear readers, did you know authors need YOUR help in
promoting their books? Yes, they really do!

Many readers already do a superb job promoting the books and authors they love. I’ve had the blessing of being on the receiving end of some of those awesome readers who go an extra hundred miles to support authors. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do!

On the other hand, there are many readers who don’t realize just how much authors need their help in promotion. And if they do know, they aren’t really sure what will be most beneficial.

So, how can readers help? There are a zillion different ways!
But here are twenty easy but effective things readers can do to spread the buzz
about a book in the coming year:

1. Write a review for an online bookstore. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even copy and paste that review onto several of your favorite shopping spots.

2. Add the book to your Goodreads shelf (or Bookbub). And when you write the review for the online bookstore above, copy and paste it onto Goodreads (or Bookbub) too.

3. Write a blog review and then invite your social media followers to come over and hear what you think.

4. While reading the book, post comments on social media about what you’re reading and what you like about it.

5. When finished reading the book, let your followers know your final thoughts on the book and include a link to the author’s website or book page.

6. Encourage those who “don’t have time to read” to consider listening to an audio copy of the book through Audible, Hoopla, or another digital company.

7. Suggest the book to your book group (if appropriate), whether an online or real life group.

8. After reading the book, give it away as a prize on Facebook, Instagram, or your blog. Everyone likes the chance to win a free book.

9. Ask your public, school, or church library if they’d be willing to purchase a copy to add to their system (or donate your copy).

10. Highlight memorable or meaningful quotes from the book (create a colorful post for it on Facebook or make a meme of your own).

11. Ask to join the author’s Facebook Group or Launch Team to interact with and be inspired by others who are reading the book.

12. Start a discussion about the book over on Goodreads in one of your groups. You could even consider asking the author to join you for a Q & A time.

13. Take a selfie with the book and post it on social media.

14. Pass the book along to all of your family and friends that you think might be interested in reading it. Ask them to pass it along when they’re done.

15. Buy the book as a gift for a holiday, birthday, mother’s day, father’s day, Valentine’s Day, etc. Books always make great gifts! Ask the author for a signed bookplate to  affix in the book.

16. Join in the fun of #Bookstagram on Instagram by posting a creative picture of the book.

17. Take the book with you to public places (like ball games, doctor’s offices, etc.).

18. Pin the cover of the book onto a Pinterest a board you’ve created for your favorite books. Make sure to link back to the author’s website or book page.

19. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the book! Make a video, slideshow, fan art, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

20. Most importantly, TALK, TALK, TALK about the book. When you’re genuinely excited about the book with others, then they’ll want to check out the book for themselves.

What other ways can readers promote a book they love? I’d love to hear more of your ideas!

May the Force Be With You

Me and my youngest (with his lovely girlfriend) at the high school band Christmas concert this December. The only sweater he owns was purchased specifically for this band concert last year and was worn for the second time this year. Note the design on display.

I live in a household of Star Wars nerds. I’m a fan as well (being a child of the classic trilogy era), but my appreciation cannot compare to that of my hubby and each of our three children. So, when Christmas rolls around, elements of the galaxy far, far away abound in the Witemeyer realm.

First, there are the decorations:

Outdoor inflatables filled with galactic Christmas cheer.

Indoor delicacies of snowflakes and ornaments.

A friend of mine made these paper snowflakes for us one year. If you look closely you’ll find familiar Star Wars characters represented in each one.

Then there is the attire:

This year, the Christmas Eve gift included appropriately themed t-shirts to be worn on Christmas morning. (Please ignore the bed hair. LOL.)

Next, we have the gifts:

A new BB-8 inflatable to add to our collection for the hubby, Lego Star Wars projects for the boys (note how one is already fully constructed), and the youngest Star Wars fan got the new Jedi video game along with a Star Wars calendar to last through all of 2020.

Finally, there was the epic Star Wars adventure.

We have no IMAX theater in our town, and I wanted to give my obsessive fan family members the best movie-watching experience possible for the conclusion of the Star Wars saga. So, the day after Christmas, we made the 2-hour drive to Arlington, TX to watch The Rise of Skywalker on the IMAX screen. We added a dinner out at The Cheesecake Factory and an escape room experience to round out the epic day of adventure, but it was Star Wars that drew us there.

Two other Christmas gifts are featured in this photo – my hubby’s new Millennium Falcon shirt, and my older son’s Imperial March shirt featuring the music and lyrics (Dun, Dun, Dun, Dun-dun-dun, Dun-dun-dun) of the Darth Vader theme song.

Do you have any family obsessions?
What are your favorite things to do together over the holidays?

A Prayer for 2020

As we stand on the threshold of a new year, I thought I would offer up a prayer for us all:

O Gracious Lord,

In this coming year, teach us to trust You more,

to love You more,

to obey You more quickly and more completely,

to forsake our besetting sins,

to bridle our tongues,

to live as children of God.

May we be quick to repent and forgive,
seek continual refreshment through Your Word and
constrain our steps through patience as we wait for Your direction.
May our habits be ones that please You and form us in Your image,
and may our love for our neighbor be unrestrained.

Help us to recognize Your constant presence,

to glorify You in every thought, word, and deed,

and to praise and thank You daily.

Amen.

Happy New Year from all of us at Inspired by Life…and Fiction.