Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 25
January 29, 2021
Just Write! (Guest Post)
Image by StockSnap from PixabayJust Write!By Steph Beth NickelSome of the best writing advice I ever received …
Even before you know exactly what you want to write, you have to get the words on paper. Just write!
I have four manuscripts partially completed: a devotional on the gospel of John, a contemporary women’s fiction novel, a YA fantasy, and a memoir I’m coauthoring.
While niching down has its place and is well worth the effort, waiting until you’re 100 percent sure wh...
January 12, 2021
Picks from 2020
Graphic credit: Goodreads
Seventy books is a reduction in reading for me, and I’m happy about that. It allowed more time in a crazy pandemic year for knitting, jigsaw puzzles, baking, and other comforting activities. Plus I read more nonfiction in 2020 and that takes longer.
Here are the books I’ve most enjoyed last year. Some were produced in 2020, some previously. Pop a note into the comments with your own favourites?
My top picks from 2020:Book of the year (fiction): Set the Star...
January 5, 2021
New Releases in Christian Fiction (January 2021)
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.
Contemporary:
A Future for His Twins by Susanne Dietze — Will these children get their greatest wish? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
For the Love of Joy by Janet W. Ferguson — When she’s suddenly injured with not a soul to help her or her son, Joy is forced to rely on the man who has the most reas...
December 29, 2020
Review: Murder on Birchardville Hill, by Ruth Buchanan
Murder on Birchardville Hill, by Ruth Buchanan (Harbourlight Books, 2017)
Crime podcaster Morgan Scott has a successful online career (complete with crazy stalker and an incarcerated murderer who has vowed revenge) but she doesn’t have many in-person friends.
Sitting home alone over the Christmas holidays would just give her time to brood about her enemies, so she decides to follow up on an old murder in a town so remote that it’s barely marked on the map: Birchardville, Pennsylvania....
December 24, 2020
Not Always Merry and Bright (Guest Post)
by Steph Beth Nickel
Image by Gerd Altmann from PixabayStruggling?
Loss. Illness. Loneliness. Isolation. Fear.
Regardless of the year, Christmas can be a difficult and depressing season for many people. But 2020? Enough said.
You may be having a challenging day. Simply getting through it may be all you can do.
Here a few ideas that may make your day a little easier:
Even though it’s Christmas, reach out to a family member or friend if you need...
December 15, 2020
Review: Eye of the Storm, by Janice L. Dick
Eye of the Storm, by Janice L. Dick (Tansy & Thistle Press, 2020)
During the turbulence of the Great War and the Russian Revolution, Eye of the Storm continues to follow the lives of the Hildebrandt family, Russian Mennonite landowners in an era of upheaval, and of Paul Gregorovich Tekanin, revolutionary and journalist.
Setting and circumstances unfold in sweeping historical saga style, giving readers a glimpse into the turmoil of Russia in 1917-1919. We see urban and pastoral, slum an...
December 1, 2020
December 2020 New Releases in Christian Fiction
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.
Contemporary Romance:
A Prayer Quilt Christmas by Nancy J. Farrier — Meg’s ex-husband took her boys away for the holidays, and she’s lost her heart to celebrate, but Wade is determined to make this Christmas special for her. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
His Holiday Prayer by Tina Radcliffe — After receiving an unexpected job offer in Te...
November 27, 2020
Defining Success (Guest Post)
Image by Gerd Altmann from PixabayDefining Success
by Steph Beth Nickel
Thousands of authors all around the globe have participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November.
To “win” NaNo, the author must write 50K words of a new novel or nonfiction book … although there are NaNo Rebels who combine projects or choose their own word count goal.
So, just what is success?
For some authors, they must achieve a predetermined goal, such as writing 50K words in Novem...
November 17, 2020
Review: Letters to the Church, by Francis Chan
Letters to the Church, by Francis Chan (David C Cook, 2018)
I’ve read some impactful Christian nonfiction this year, but this book may be the most crucial.
Francis Chan writes here with a gentle, prayer-steeped tone, knowing some of what he has to say can sound hard and may be misused.
He actually pleads with readers not to use his words to berate leaders who may not be doing the best they could. And he confesses those times he’s been where some of those leaders may be. (He does war...
November 10, 2020
Gifts of Good Words: Christmas Devotions
Visit the Facebook event page by clicking the image above, or click here.Follow the Gifts of Good Words Blog Hop taking place from November 4-18, 2020, and find quality Canadian Christian books for those on your Christmas list! Then on November 18th, join the Good Words Virtual Book Fair on Facebook (click here).
Who doesn’t need a little extra encouragement this December, after the year we’ve had? Yes, there’s been good as well as the bad, but many of us are a little weary.
Give yours...
