Susan May Warren's Blog, page 32

Writing + Marketing = Success

A lot of authors don’t start out with a goal of becoming published. I have a degree in Mass Communications, which has helped me so much as a writer. I am a marketer at heart, so for some reason I always look at the deeper issues of a story, the sale points, and how I can connect them to the heart of the reader. As I’ve “sold” my stories, that training assisted me in crafting everything from a proposal to book campaign to a radio interview. And, it helps me find and keep the focus of the story.

The key to making your #book a #success? @SusanMayWarren shares:
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Right now, you can get a digital copy of Take a Chance on Me for FREE! Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. 

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How to Be Happy

How to be happy, a little more, every day.

Being a mother of grown children took me by surprise. One minute, they were on my lap, giving me gooey kisses. The next, driving away, waving, smart, beautiful, capable adults.

I’ve already mentioned how I felt a little duped by the fact that if I grew them up to be responsible children . . . they’d leave me.

Unfair.

But it’s made me rethink the definition of happiness. Not that I didn’t understand it before, but I just never contemplated it.

I always looked out there for happiness. You know, beyond this moment of stress, or sickness, or fatigue, or housework, or dinner (really, why do we need to eat?), past the next deadline, or the next speaking engagement to a moment when . . .

What? I could stop? Breathe? Because in my life, those moments come far and few between.

And really, do I have to wait to be happy until then?

Me no think so. I’ve decided that “happy” isn’t a destination, but an attitude. A moment-by-moment realization of the good things.

Happy can be found as I stop to watch the sun rise. Or a moment when my daughter texts me just to say “hi.” Or even just, as I pull out frozen meat for dinner, that I have enough, for today. Enough food, enough warmth, and enough grace to make it through the day. (Thank you Lamentations 3:20!)

But I also think cultivating happiness needs to be intentional. There are three disciplines that I’ve instituted to finding the happy in my daily life.

Daily Gratefulness. I start each day by listing three things (different each day) for which I am grateful, and thanking the Lord for them.
Daily Kindness. I pick someone to bless with a word of encouragement every day . . . and in doing that, I am blessed.
Daily Psalm. I took this advice from my father, who told me years ago to start each day with a Psalm. It’s made all the difference in aligning my heart toward happy each day.

Want to be happy? Take these tips from @SusanMayWarren:
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I know life is so very busy, and the older I get, the more time seems to slip through my fingers. I’m not going to wait for happiness or let it slip through my fingers.

And so, when my son calls and tells me that he will miss our Thanksgiving event because he has to help his Bethel University football team prepare for the National playoffs, I say, “Wow! I am so happy for you-and me-that I have such an awesome, committed son!”

“Thanks, Mom, you’re the best.”

Oh, happy Moment.

I’ve tried to capture these happy moments and the challenges and joys of raising a family in my newest series, The Christiansen Family, a series about faith, family, and real life. My next book comes out in February, It Had to Be You, a Good Samaritan story about a hockey player and a journalist who must find a John Doe before time runs out.

Read an excerpt HERE.

And enter the Grateful for Readers Contest between now and November 27th to win 12 free books! Get the contest deets in the sidebar!

Thank you for being my reader friends, and may this season be one where you cultivate happiness. You make me happy!

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How to Find a Setting for Your Book

When I’m picking the setting for my book, I choose places I’d like to visit or something that holds a particular story element—like Alaska and being lost in the mountains, or Kellogg (PJ Sugar’s town), a cute hamlet outside of Minneapolis on the lake. I like to invest myself into setting, so I usually travel there so I can get a great feel for the place. Then it’s easier to make it come alive.

If you could set a book anywhere, where would you choose?

How should you pick a setting for your #novel? @SusanMayWarren shares her advice:
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‘It Had to be You’ AND Bonus Content!

A hunky hockey player. A reporter. A mystery. You won’t want to miss It Had to be You! Here’s a sneak peek (and exciting news about bonus content):

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled . . . I’ll be announcing some fun book news on my blog later this month!

Are you procrastinating your #NaNoWriMo project because of a new book like @SusanMayWarren is?
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Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, don’t forget that if you tell me about the time you took a chance on someone or something, you could win a book and a gift card!

Learning to Say No

Opportunities: I have a hard time letting go of opportunities—like a speaking event, or teaching a retreat, or even a getaway to see my children. I want to do it all! But I can’t, and that’s where I have to go back to my priorities and say, “No.” I need to write. I can’t go swing dancing tonight. (OK, maybe I can if I can just write faster!). Thankfully, I live in a place where we have slow internet, so that isn’t a huge distraction for me.

Saying no: a difficult part of life for everyone (including @SusanMayWarren):
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Do you have a hard time saying no? What things can you cut back on so you can focus on what’s truly important in your life?

Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, don’t forget that if you tell me about the time you took a chance on someone or something, you could win a book and a gift card!

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Life in Russia

I always knew God had called me into a life of ministry—especially missions work. I just had a hard time saying yes! But when I did at age twenty-two, God put a handsome man into my life and defined the call to Russia. As a child, I loved to read stories of the martyrs in Russia, and finally that made sense to me. Andrew (my hubby) graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1992, and we moved to Russia with the Navigators in 1994.

God taught me to trust Him for the little, as well as the big, things in Russia, from food to finances to safety. I draw on those lessons all the time, when I’m begging God for words, or stories, or even publishing wisdom. I also remember that my books are in His hands and I don’t need to panic. Ever.

I don't need to panic. Ever. God has everything in His hands. @SusanMayWarren
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Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, don’t forget that if you tell me about the time you took a chance on someone or something, you could win a book and a gift card!

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SOLD: Advice on Becoming an Author

Soak in the elements of a good book: The first priority of a writers is to be a reader. Find those books you enjoy and don’t be afraid to highlight favorite phrases, characters, or plot techniques. For years I kept a journal in which I dissected the books I liked and analyzed why they worked. Poor Dee Henderson’s books got picked apart like a science project. But they were so good, I had to know why! Pick the genre you want to write and read, read, read!

Open up your heart: Find those issues, places, scenes, and characters who have influenced your life. There is truth to the old adage: Write what you know, and inside you is a well of experiences that you can use to craft a story, an article or a devotional. Dig into your life, ponder the things God has taught you and ask Him how He wants to use them to both teach you more and minister to those around you. My two hour nightmare of being locked in a dark, broken elevator turned into my first novella sale!

Learn: Invest in some good writing books and work on craft. I am constantly reading and asking God to make me into a better writer. God gives us talents and desires, but we need to invest in them for His glory. Some great books I recommend: Brandilyn Collins, “Getting into Character,” Anything by Sol Stein, Donald Maas, and James Frey, and of course Browne and King’s “Self Editing for Fiction writers.”

DO: Write! And Write! You won’t be a writer without writing. That’s the truth. And learn to take criticism! Don’t put your self-esteem into your writing . . . be teachable and you will grow not only as a writer, but as a person.

Want to be a writer? Heed @SusanMayWarren's advice:
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Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, don’t forget that if you tell me about the time you took a chance on someone or something, you could win a book and a gift card!

*Image c/o stock.xchng

I Have Come Upon a Terrible Truth

I have come upon a terrible truth.

A great parent trains their children to leave them.

I’m not sure why this didn’t click with me before. I mean, since birth—hello—my kids have been leaving me.

I tried—oh, I tried, to extract promises that they’d live with me forever. In fact, I can pinpoint exactly when each child promised me exactly this.

“Mom, I promise, I’ll never leave you.” This child—this cute, adorable child—said that.

And this one asked me if he could live with me forever.

Uh, YES.

Clearly, their promises mean nothing to them.

But I’ve come to this realization slowly. I’m not sure why it took me so long; I’m on number three out of the nest, but it came to me sometime last month, after my third child left (gleefully, I might add) for football camp at Bethel University. He didn’t call me for thirteen—yes, thirteen—long, painful, mysterious days. And when he did, he said the words I shouldn’t have dreaded to hear: ”I’m just fine, Mom. Sheesh. What did you think, that I’d fall apart without you?”

Uh. well.

Was, “Just a little” too much to hope for?

Apparently he’s FINE. They’re all FINE.

I did my job. I trained them to leave me. To be FINE without me. Not only to cope, but succeed and win . . . without me.

I feel duped.

What did I do wrong? I’ve been pondering this . . . and I’ve hit on a few of my big mistakes.

Things to do if you never want your children to leave you:

—Don’t tell them they are GOOD at anything! Seriously, if you attend all their football games and band concerts and musical and theater events, they’re liable to actually believe they are awesome at something and attempt to spread their wings. And when they do that, they fly away.

—Don’t let them leave home for big adventures. Like working for numerous summers at a camp, or traveling the world with Teen Missions, or even going on short-term missions trips with the church youth group. They may start thinking this sort of behavior is normal.

—Don’t make them earn their own money! With their own paychecks, they can do things such as buy their own cars. And clothing. And phones! And then, suddenly, they are saying things like, “I’m going to Duluth, Mom. I’ll call you when I get there!” Yeah, sure you will.

—Don’t stay silent! Don’t just sit and listen when they come home upset, wait out their rant, and let them ask you for advice. ADVICE is good! Give lots of it, whether they want to listen or not. Mistakes will only make them stronger, and suddenly they’ll think they can LEAVE YOU.

—In fact, solve all their problems for them. Seriously. If they have to rely on you for everything, then they’ll never have the confidence to leave. (Mwhahaha!!)

—Definitely don’t give them responsibility at home, like household chores and expectations, or let them build up your trust by letting out the leash and even make mistakes you let them take the consequences for.

I’m telling you: You do that, and suddenly you’ll have a kid who piles stuff in her car the day after graduation, kisses you goodbye, and drives away.

Want to keep your kids around forever? Follow @SusanMayWarren's advice:
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And then you’ll just have a quiet, albeit clean, house. And a dog.

You’ve been warned.

Susie May

P.S. I am in the middle of writing a series about a family of adult children set on the north shore of Minnesota. If you like stories about faith, family and real life, check out The Christiansen Family Collection!

 

Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, don’t forget that if you tell me about the time you took a chance on someone or something, you could win a book and a gift card!

Cheering Us On

Hello from Northern Minnesota, where the leaves are crimson, the air smells of wood-burning ovens, and Friday night football is our favorite night of the week! I love to sit in the stands and cheer on my football players. It’s one of my greatest joys.

I am working on a Christmas novella for next fall. It will be a continuing tale of the Christiansen family, a collection of books about a family who runs a resort on the north shore of Minnesota. The first in the series came out last June—Take a Chance on Me.The next, It Had to Be You, hits the shelves just in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s a “Good Samaritan” story about two people—Jace Jacobsen, a hockey player, and Eden Christiansen, an obit writer—who find a John Doe and launch out on a quest to find his family. It will lead them into a discovery of who they truly are and the God who loves them all.

 

I thought you might enjoy a glimpse at the deeper questions this story raises.

Excerpted from It Had To Be You, Tyndale, 2014:

His [Jace's] Bible was thick, like a study version, with a frayed leather cover, as if this might not be his first time through. Bulletins parted a number of the pages. “What are you reading?”

He looked up at Eden. “Do you ever feel like you don’t really belong in the Kingdom of God? Like you’re loved, but not liked? Saved, but not favored?”

She sipped her coffee, thought for a minute. “I guess sometimes I feel like I’m not necessarily God’s favorite. I look at my family and wonder what happened. Everyone else got the talent, and I got . . .”

Obits. She sighed. “I don’t know what happened with my life, exactly. I always thought I’d be a great writer, a reporter. But I didn’t land the job of my dreams out of college, and since then, I can’t seem to find my footing. And yet, I don’t really have a reason to complain.”

“Yeah, that’s it. You feel like there should be something more waiting for you, but at the same time, you’re grateful for the life you do have.”

He seemed so unfamiliar to her, so normal, a man searching, authentic, honest. This wasn’t the Jace she’d seen on the glossy pages of Hockey Today.

Maybe, just maybe, she’d discovered the real Jace. The one she hoped might be behind all the headlines. “You know what, though? I wonder if most Christians feel this way. I mean, look at Peter. He saw Jesus, who He really was, and told Jesus to get away from him, called himself a sinful man. And Paul . . . he suffered so much that he wanted to die.”

“But Paul also said that he counted it all gain—everything—just to know salvation and the wonder of God’s love.” “Yeah. And that’s the hard part. When we’re struggling-when my car doesn’t start, or when you’re injured—”

“Or have a migraine.”

She frowned at him, but nodded. “Yeah. When life seems to go south, we feel like God doesn’t love us. But I keep going back to something my dad said to Owen. Maybe we have to start redefining how we understand God’s love. And start hoping. My dad says that hope is one part confidence in God’s love for us and one part our delight in Jesus. And that when we start to hope, it changes us, sets us apart. Makes us see life more clearly.”

“We look at our own problems and we say . . . why? Maybe we should look at our blessings and ask the same thing.”

She took a sip of her coffee. “I think I need to remember that, too. I do have enough. I have this wonderful family, and so what I’m not a reporter—”

“Yet.”

“Yet.” She smiled. “This is enough. More than enough.” She raised an eyebrow. “However, you do have an amazing life.”

But his mouth fell into a grim line. “I beat people up for a living. How can God possibly like me? I feel like a cautionary tale—look, kids, don’t be like Jace Jacobsen, only skidding into heaven under the pads, or worse, due to a technicality.”

Her mouth opened, and he looked away fast, as if embarrassed.

He was serious. It was the first time she ever really saw it, the fact that his position as an enforcer dug into him, churned inside him. Made him something he didn’t want to be, yes, but also skewed him into believing a lie. The one that called him a monster.

Her voice softened. “For the record, I don’t think you like beating people up. I know you said that, but the truth is, it’s your job. And, frankly, you’re oversimplifying. But here’s the biggest part—” She reached for his Bible, turned over to 1 John 3 and read, “‘See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children.’”

She handed him back the Bible. “Children of God. Beloved by God. Zephaniah 3:17 says ‘He will delight over you with singing.’ That’s what we should be hearing, I think, the delight, the applause of heaven. If we could get that through our heads, it would change everything.”

I think this is one of the biggest truths we struggle with as Christians. Understanding that God loves us, hearing the applause of heaven in the face of our daily struggles.

It Had to Be You explores the reality that God picks us. He loves us. He is cheering us on. It is one of his greatest joys.

God loves us. He is cheering us on. @SusanMayWarren #truth
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I hope you’ll pick the book up —(or reserve it!). But even more, I hope that this month God will show you in small, amazing ways how much He loves you.

May you hear Him cheering you on.

Are you new here? You might want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Also, don’t forget that if you tell me about the time you took a chance on someone or something, you could win a book and a gift card!

Have You Taken a Chance on Something? (And a Giveaway!)

Take a Chance on Me is the first book in the Christiansen series. It’s all about—you guessed it—taking a chance on someone when your head or heart is screaming NO! Read more about the book here. Publishers Weekly says, “Warren lays bare her characters’ human frailties, including fear, grief, and resentment, as openly as she details their virtues of love, devotion, and resiliency. She has crafted an engaging tale of romance, rivalry, and the power of forgiveness.”

Now I want to hear from you. Has there been a time in your own life when you took a chance on something? A friend, a relationship, a parent, a situation . . . someone or something you weren’t so sure about? Share your story in the comment section below (or email it to amy@susanmaywarren.com) and be entered to win a copy of Take a Chance on Me and a $50 gift card to Amazon, BN, or CBD (winner’s choice!). Or if you’ve already read that book, then you may choose the prequel ebook, I Really Do Miss Your Smile. Ready? Go! (I’ll be sharing my favorite stories on my blog in December and January.)