Becky Wade's Blog, page 99
April 17, 2022
Inspired by Scripture
Wishing a very blessed Easter Sunday to all our readershere at Inspired by Life…and Fiction.
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.
April 15, 2022
Sacrifice
According to Dictionary.com the definition of SACRIFICE is: To surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.
I love that definition. It means letting go of (surrendering) our own plans, ambitions, or desires, for the sake of someone else. Essentially it means dying to ourselves.
After writing over forty books, I’ve realized that SACRIFICE ends up being a huge theme in many of my stories. Here are just a few quotes from recent books that have to do with sacrifice (thanks to my wonderful readers for creating such beautiful graphics!):
Today, on Good Friday, we’re remembering the greatest sacrifice of all, the one that Jesus made for us. He surrendered, gave up, permitted injury, disadvantage to himself . . . for the sake of US.
In a world where sacrifice seems to be an antiquated and lost concept, may we make it our goal to live more sacrificially. As the quote above says, in sacrificing we gain more than we give, and in laying down our lives, we truly learn to live.
Have a blessed Good Friday and Resurrection Day!
April 14, 2022
Important dates in the life of an author
There are many important moments in an author’s life, often interspersed with long moments of drudgery in between:
The moment lightening strikes and you get that idea for a story that you can’t walk away from. The one where the chracters start talking to you. The ideas start flowing. It’s magic!Then there’s the drudgery of building out a proposal that sells the idea to a publisher. Some people love this stage, but it’s agonizingly hard for me.Then there’s the moment you get the call from your agent. We have an offer!After that the contract arrives. Woot! Now they are often signed electronically, but that doesn’t impact the beauty of that moment when you realize someone believes enough in your idea to pay you write it.Then there are months of writing, editing, beating your head against the wall, wondering what anyone saw in your idea, before you have to hit send and release your baby to the world.Then you get to dream about or start your next idea while you wait for edits.Rinse and repeat.Cover. checkBack Cover copy. Check.Marketing Plan. Check.Creating pages of ideas for letting the world know about your precious book. Check.Then you get the moment that the first copies land on your doorstep. Unboxing the books never gets old. It’s the magic of seeing your book in front of you. Holding the hours of labor in your hands. Magic!After that you walk into your local bookstore, nervous with anticipation. There it is! Your beautiful baby. You autograph it. Take photos to send to local friends and pray lots of people swoop in to buy it out of stock. Maybe you join a book club, a library talk, a zoom with readers. Each is another moment your book comes to life.And then you rinse and repeat. The life of an author. 
Thank you for being someone who makes the ups and downs and steps to writing so very worth it. Use the form below to enter the giveaway!
April 12, 2022
You Might Be A Reader If….
Hi friends,
Happy Wednesday! Reading brings such joy to life. It transports us to faraway places and worlds. It takes us on emotional journeys. We laugh. We weep. We are moved by stories. But all stories need readers. They are the heart of why writers pen novels. Without readers, our stories would remain ours alone. Today I thought it would be fun to share some ‘you might be a reader if…’ I’d love to know how many apply to you. I’m counting the number that applies to me, as all writers are readers. That’s where our love of story began—by burying our nose in a book.
You Might Be a Reader If:
1) You have very strong feelings one way or another about marking pages in a book, which can include highlighting passages, turning down the corner on the last page you read, or making notes inside the book. You are either strongly for or against the above. And believe there is only one “right” way.
2) You literally wear your love of books.
3) You either love the narrator of an audiobook or hate them because they don’t sound like the characters do in your head.
4) You have a check-out card to keep track of who borrows your books. Or you don’t lend out books, ever.
5) You have book boyfriends. You know who you are. LOL!
6) You take the character’s sides. I.e., Team Edward or Team Jacob.
7) You’ve had to either move furniture or gotten rid of some to make room for your growing bookshelves.
8) You categorize your books by color. I LOVE these!
9) You love the smell of books!
10) You’ve experienced a book hangover.
Okay. I will admit to 6. How many did you get?
While I have you, awesome readers, here, I’d love to ask you a few questions that inquiring authors would love to know.
1) Do you like to pre-order books or wait until they release to purchase them?
2) Do you enjoy being on launch teams or to support authors in other ways?
3) What type of things do you enjoy authors sharing on social media most?
4) Where is your favorite place to connect with authors online?
5) What is the #1 reason you choose to buy a book?
Thanks, friends! Can’t wait to hear how many you got and your answers to any or all of the questions. Appreciate you!
Have a blessed day!
~ Dani
For the Love of an English Garden
Springtime seems to finally be making its presence known in Minnesota, where winter likes to hold on with icy talons for as long as possible. Despite its best efforts and a lingering chance of snow, my crocuses have pushed forth their heads and the grass is beginning to green. I find myself perusing seed catalogs, visiting greenhouses, and waiting anxiously for the return of hummingbirds.
Rose Garden, Chawton Cottage, Chawton England.One of the many things I love about England, where my novels are set, is the early arrival of springtime, with its proliferation of spring flowers and the country’s many beautiful gardens. I wish I were there now!
Instead, I have been relishing the pages of the book, In the Garden with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson with its lovely photos and quotes about gardens, like:
To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment.”
—Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
The garden is quite a love… I go and refresh myself every now and then, and then come back to Solitary Coolness.”
—Jane Austen, letter about her brother’s garden
My husband and me in the garden of Jane Austen’s House Museum, 2019.I also want to take this opportunity to invite all of you to join Inspirational Regency Readers (a group on Facebook) for an English-garden round of Regency Bingo and a chance to win English-garden-themed prizes, like this one.
English Garden Prize (sachets, gardening gloves, seeds, and the book, In the Garden with Jane Austen).
Players will pick 16 words from our list of Regency garden-related words and email them in. Then, watch the videos and keep track of the words mentioned. In these videos, authors Erica Vetch, Michelle Griep, and I will draw garden-themed words and briefly explain them. When 16 of your words are chosen, you have a chance to win Bingo. It’s easy and free to play and I hope you will join us. The more the merrier!
In the meantime, has spring fully sprung where you live? Are you planning to plant a garden this year? I’d love to hear about all about it.
April 11, 2022
A Nest of Sparrows (and a free e-book!)
My novel A Nest of Sparrows is free today in ebook format. Of the forty-plus books I’ve written, this one is my favorite of all time. I don’t think I could say that about any of my books until I’d written at least a dozen or so. And interestingly enough, A Nest of Sparrows is the hardest book I’ve ever written, mostly because of the research involved—and the fact that I turned the book in at a whopping 120,000 words! (My books are usually 80-90,000 words. I was asked to cut about 20,000 and managed to cut 10,000, and the book is better for it.)
When I was working on the manuscript for WaterBrook Press, my working title was The Path Home. The entire year I worked on the book, I thought of it as The Path Home. Very late in the game, my editor called one day to say that marketing had rejected the title because it was too similar to a book they’d recently published, and they were afraid people would confuse the two.
We brainstormed dozens of titles over the next two days and nothing sounded quite right to me. At the eleventh hour, desperately needing a title, my editor suggested A Nest of Sparrows. My heart instantly knew it was perfect!
Two weeks later, the cover image came (the yellow and orange scene above) and I instantly loved it. I think it’s the only time I haven’t asked for at least a few tweaks on the cover. I loved that the three children from my story were playing in the field.
At an author dinner given by the publisher that year, there was a gift certificate to one of my favorite stores in a card at each author’s place. I had such fun shopping the Coldwater Creek catalog and was thrilled to find this little sparrow bud vase. It sits in our kitchen to this day, a lovely reminder of my own “nest of sparrows” and of the fact that God’s eye is on the sparrow ( ♫♪ so I know He watches me. ♫♪ )
It was such an encouragement to me at a pivotal time in my writing life when A Nest of Sparrows was a finalist for nine different awards, winning the HOLT Medallion and the More Than Magic Award.
• HOLT Medallion winner • More Than Magic Award • RITA Award finalist • National Readers Choice Award finalist • Booksellers Best Award finalist • ACFW Carol Award, finalist • Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence finalist • Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence finalist • Golden Quill finalist •
Best of all, after some rather brutal reviews for my novels in Publishers Weekly Magazine, A Nest of Sparrows got a wonderful blurb that said in part, “In this thoughtful novel by Raney, multifaceted characters and a fresh storyline keep the pages turning. … Raney intertwines poignant moments with genuine humor and refuses to make her characters one-dimensional… This is one of Raney’s best novels…”
Huge sigh of relief. Then, three years after it was first published, the book was translated into Dutch. The title, Vaderliefde, translates “Fatherly Love.”
A baker’s dozen of years passed, and eventually, I got the rights back to my book. We reissued it through Raney Day Press with a gorgeous new cover by my husband, Ken Raney. (Authors don’t usually get the rights back to original book covers, and besides, it’s nice to have a fresh, updated cover for a book that’s been around for a while.) I’m thrilled that now my favorite book I’ve ever written has my favorite cover of all time.
And today only (Monday, April 11) you can get the ebook of A Nest of Sparrows FREE! Click on the book cover above. (Again, the deal is only for today, so don’t delay!) Which reminds me, if you haven’t discovered BookBub, I hope you’ll check it out! It’s a great way to follow your favorite authors and be notified whenever they have a new book releasing or a special deal on an older title. It also allows you to see every book an author has published, so you’ll know if you’ve missed one. I’ve shared this before, but it’s time for an update. Here are the links to follow each of the authors of Inspired by Life…and Fiction on BookBub:
April 10, 2022
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.
April 8, 2022
Write a Romantic Story in 6 Words!
I use a lot of words when writing my romantic stories. Of my novels only one, My Stubborn Heart, is shorter than one hundred thousand words. And some (Turn to Me and Her One and Only) are over one hundred and twenty thousand.
But can a romantic story be written in just a handful of words? I gave the readers in my Cheer Squad Facebook group this challenge….
Here are some of their charming creations!
“Chocolate. Tea. Quiet. Bookstore gift card.” – Jennifer Major
“He bought her cookies and tacos.” -Susan Tuttle
“He first loved Jesus, then her.” – Amy Watson
“He gave her a week alone.” – Alyssa Allen
“A look, a spark, a connection.” – Sarah Roeder
“And finally, she loved herself first.” – Rachel Leighanne
“He loved her at her worst.” – Alyssa Schwartz
“He put the toilet seat down.” – Keren Lyles
“He brought her coffee without prompting!” – Karen Visnosky
“She loved him more than books.” – Stacey Ulferts
“Waking up with my heart’s treasure.” – Wendy Voitl
“He was her prince, every day.” – Caroline Ratsoy
“For God so loved the world.” – Beth Detwiler
“She saw forever in his eyes.” – Victoria Higham
“You are proof God answers prayers.” – Ebos Aifuobhokhan
“They made their ever after happy.” – Peggy Summy
“She went to bed with books.” – Liz Buls
“He’s loved me for 41 years!” – Heidi Cantrell
“Drake, the bookstore owner, was single.” – Stacy Simmons
Which of these is your favorite? Or share a romantic 6 word love story of your own in the comments!
My next book, Turn to Me, releases is less than four weeks! Now is a perfect time to pre-order because Baker Book House is offering autographed copies for 40% off the list price + free shipping! You can snag the deal here. Read on for a glimpse at the plot and characters!
Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey’s life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke’s release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he’s hidden. Worried that she won’t be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke’s promise to protect her until the end of her search.
Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke’s help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return–by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he’s long denied himself.
As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He’ll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who’s going to shield him from losing his heart?
April 7, 2022
An Excuse to Smile
I love to laugh. It’s such a great stress-reliever. Sharing laughter bonds people and creates lasting memories. Laughing minimizes pain and brings sunshine into dark corners. It’s one of the reasons I incorporate humor in my stories. I want to give others a reason to smile, to lighten their burdens, and encourage their spirits. One of my life verses is Proverbs 17:22.
So, with the hope of inducing a few smiles today, I’m going to share some of my favorite funny commercials with you. If you’re like me, you don’t watch many commercials any more. With DVRs and Netflix, they aren’t the staple they used to be. However, there are a few gems out there that are worth the time.
I’m a sucker for Victorian history as well as the Wild West, so these two recent ads from GEICO became instant hits with me.
I’ve always adored Victorian homes, so part of me wishes this would actually happen.
Every time I watch this commercial, I crack up. Nothing like taking a modern day issue and forcing it onto a bygone era for comedic effect. Genius! Don’t miss you spur fittin’, lasso lesson, or bean eatin’ with the new leather cowboy planners available at Slaton’s Mercantile. Never be late for being thrown through a saloon window again. Stop by at high noon or high 2 o’clock to get your cowboy planner before these little doggies are gone.
Then there’s Walter the cat. Don’t you love when an author takes a cliche and turns it on it’s head to create something completely fresh and fun? That’s what the Chevy advertisers did with Walter. Love it!
And for a different spin on cats, we’ll end with one of the all-time best. I love how seriously the cowboys take their wrangling duties.
What are some of your favorite laughter-inducing moments?
April 6, 2022
A Writing Retreat
Way back in March of 2020 (which seems a hundred years ago, not two!), my long-time critique partners/friends and I planned to take a writing retreat. Then you-know-what sent us scurrying back to our homes, unsure what, exactly, was happening.
A couple of weeks ago, we finally made a trip happen.
With a family condo in Branson at our disposal, we jumped in the car and made the 7 hour drive on a Thursday. It was relaxing, really. Talking uninterrupted. Taking the back roads instead of the interstate. And when we arrived, we were treated to this view!
We three have been meeting weekly since May of 2003, when none of us were published authors, only wanna-be ones. We have so much in common. Kids near the same ages. The same birthday month. We all even have marquis-cut diamonds on our engagement rings! And of course we love to read and write.
Thankfully, we also have differing gifts. For this weekend, I had the gift of driving! Mary always has the gift of making yummy meals. And Leslie is the queen of fun.
We didn’t have any set plans for our days, but on the way up Mary realized that the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum was only about an hour and a half from where we were staying. All of us are huge fans, having read the books as children then read the books to our children. So we decided to make it a day of writerly things.
The museum and houses did not disappoint. Because this was her last residence, all of her things were kept there. This is where she wrote her books. It became open for tours a short three months after her death in 1957. So many interesting tidbits about her life and the lives of her family members who we came to love. If you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend it! (It’s about a 1/2 hour east of Springfield, MO.)
Of course on drive there we talked everything from marketing to writing to brainstorming new ideas.
Then on the way back, we stopped at the movie theater and saw The Lost City. Oh my goodness! How can you not love a movie about a writer? And laughing together is the best.
On Saturday, we were able to meet up with another of Mary’s clients and his wife for lunch. We loved getting know Steve and Dana, both as people and as fellow writers agented by Mary. From there, we did a bit of shopping before we were back at the condo. More writing and marketing talk followed. And each night we ended with a movie.
Long ago, we named our little critique group Life Sentence, because we declared we were in it (we didn’t define the “it” then—but now we see it stands for so many different things!) for life. Next year will mark 20 years of writing together. But I love that our relationship has come to encompass more than writing. We are not long connected, too, in faith, parenting, marriage, and just life in general. We genuinely enjoy one another’s company. I know that doesn’t always happen. And we don’t take it for granted. Instead, we celebrate every now and then with a writing retreat, from with we return home filled with joy and encouragement for both life and writing.
Do you have long time friends you spend time with? Tell us what brought your friendship together!
