Diary of a Writer: Starting A New Book

I'm starting a new book. It requires a lot of thinking... A lot of staring at out the window. A lot of noodling.

Let's see, what is this book about? What story question can I ask? What is the journey of my protagonists.

This will be my second book in the Royal Wedding Novels. The first "Once Upon A Prince," releases next April from Zondervan.

I'm tentatively calling this story "An Uncommon Princess" because she is just that, "uncommon."

The Lord is dropping these salvation and bridal themes in my stories lately.

I love grasping and molding a high level spiritual theme because it gives me understanding into the journey of the characters.

But yea, midway through writing, in the throws of deadline and mucking through the middle, don't be surprised to hear a heavy "Sigh" or two coming from my direction.

Hey, random questions: "What do you think is the best way for an author to get her book to the readers?"

"How can she best interact with old and new readers?"

"What makes you a forever fan of an author?"

Thank you for responding.

Now, back to me... LOL.

Back in the '90s when we sang that song, "It's all about You, Jesus..." I used to tease the teens and sing, "It's all about me..."

Sure the metaphor was lost on them but I had fun anyway. Got to be kind of my signature song for awhile. Ha!

Praise the Lord it's NOT all about me. What a drag that would be.

Well, I'll make this a short post. Have a great weekend.

Diary of a Writer: Busyness! ICRS Trade Show!

Hey all!

Just back from the International Christian Retail Show which took place this week at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

It's a straight shot from my house -- about an hour plus -- and I drove over Sunday night to spend a few days.

I love trade shows. I love meeting people, catching up with old friends, making new ones, walking the show floor, standing in line for the newest and lastest books.

My first trade was in '87. Vegas. With my first job. I was a software trainer and we helped support the trade shows. I got the honor of being the "in the round" speaker.

Someone sat at the proprietary computer program, ran the software while I talked about the system's features.

Fun!

So, I love trade shows.

Javier by the giant iPod! He freaked.
But I was looking at the giant book! 

Monday morning my friend Javier LaBoy and I led worship for a small prayer gathering.

Author Gayle Roper sharing on the ACFW panel

Then I went on the trade floor and helped with the ACFW panels.

That was fun. Since the show is for retailers, we focused the power and importance of story and fiction.

We also shared about Fiction Finder, ACFW's database that helps reader find the kind of novels they love to read.

In the afternoon I participated at the Fiction Event put on by the lovely Suzanne Kuhn.

I was able to talk about The Wedding Dress for a minute or two, then sign for the retailers.

I sat next to Colleen Coble and we ran out of books lickity-split!

Me with Kim Alexis

The big highlight of the Fiction Event though was meeting supermodel, Kim Alexis.

I said, "Kim Alexis, wow!" She was there promoting her book with Mindy Starns Clark, "Beauty to Die For."

At the 13th Annual Christy Awards, I was the guest blogger, helping Tyson Wynn of Wynn-Wynn let online attendees know what was going on in the room.

With Tyson Wynn at the Christy Awards

Allen Arnold was the keynote speaker and he was so good, so quotable I was able to blog a lot for the online viewers.

You can view our live blog here.

Tuesday I sat again for some ACFW panels and walked the show floor. I learned a few things.

The new buzz word is "discoverability." Meaning, how can readers discover you and your work. Social media is a part of that but I'm not sure what else is involved.

Seriously, I think the word was invented this week so the definition is still be molded. But I get where "they" are going.

Cozy mysteries sell well in e-book.

Trade books are still the largest part of the market because people still like to hold a trade book, but the market is still changing.

From Allen Arnold's keynote: Be present as much as you are productive. Your main priority is to live life and walk with God. You can't write about what you are not.

Allen really focused on having a relationship with Jesus above being great writers or great publishers. I really appreciated that about his talk.

I'm home now. Catching up and starting to write my next book, tentatively titled An Uncommon Princess. ;)

With fellow belle and Christy nominee, Lisa Wingate

Goofing with agent Chip MacGregor

Oops was this the serious picture?

With friend and ACFW ass't conference director Allison Wilson.

With the humorous Dave Long, BHP editor.

With Christy Winner Steven James.

With Christy Winner Ronie Kendig.

With Christy Winner Julie Klassen

With a future Christy Winner, I'm sure, Dani Pettrey.

Diary of a Writer: Sweet Caroline & Helping Others Pt 2

... So there I am. Zombied on a Sunday afternoon, knots in my stomach, talking to Susie Warren on the phone.

"Send it to me," she says.

"What? My manuscript?"  Gulp. It's horrible. She'll be the first to see I can't write. But I was desperate. I emailed it. Oh, praise the Lord for email, seriously!

She called me an hour later. The book was good. I just needed some direction. By later afternoon, she returned my first chapter, rewritten. No small feat to do with someone else's manuscript.

I got the gist and feel of what she was telling me and started my own rewrite that night.

By Monday I'd gotten some sleep and was feeling a bit more hopeful. Even excited. I could do this!!

With Susan May Warren Feb 2012

I never let up in my prayers and hope in the Lord. I'm a bit of an optimist, a dreamer, so I thought, "I can think it stinks but my editor might love it."

By now you're wondering why I didn't ask for an extension.

Because, I don't like missing a deadline. I wanted a reputation as being a solid author who turned her work in on time.


And there was no reason for me to ask for an extension. I had plenty of time to write the book.

Also, my editor was pregnant and a month away from maternity leave. If I asked for a week's extension, she might have had time to get to my manuscript before she had her baby, but maybe not.

On top of that, Hubby and I were heading off to NY with a worship team to do a mini conference. So I was traveling the first week of March.

Any extension request would have to be for 3-4 weeks and for sure my editor would be spending time with her new baby, not mine. :)

Besides, asking for a few extra days, even a week isn't so bad, but three or four weeks? No, I couldn't do it.

Of this I was confident, I could fix whatever was wrong with the manuscript after a substantive edit. I'd rather turn a book in on time then roll up my sleeves to perfect it after wise input and feedback.

Tuesday I took a short break to meet author friend's Davis Bunn and Mark Mynheir for coffee and Barnes and Noble. I still had a lot of rewriting to do by Thursday's deadline, but hanging with author friends would inspire me. And I figured I could stretch my deadline by one day to Friday.

When I returned home that afternoon, I got my second miracle. The first was Susie's help and invaluable input. The second was an email from my editor.

Out of the blue she wrote that they'd decided to put me on a 9 month release schedule and therefore I didn't have to turn in Sweet Caroline until May 25th.

I was ecstatic. I had three extra months. Three! Months! Forget the extended deadline and release. Forget my editor would be out on maternity leave and not read my manuscript. Forget the delay in payment. I had three months!

Wahoooo! Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus!

Believe it or not, I took all of March off. I just needed some distance. But I worked hard April and May, turned the book in on time to the lovely Leslie Peterson substituting for Ami McConnell.

Sweet Caroline went on to win ACFW Book of the Year and First Place in Sweet Romance for an RWA contest.

Now here's why I think the delayed release notice was a miracle. Later that fall as I was writing Love Starts With Elle, I got an email from my editor, checking in, seeing how I was doing with Elle's story.

"It's due December 1st, right?" she wrote.

My heart stopped. No, March 1st. We were on a 9 month schedule, weren't we? I remembered reading the new deadlines in an email, didn't I. But who knows... I might have made it up in my head. LOL.

Yet Elle was set to release six months after Caroline. Which yay, I liked being back on a six month release schedule but it meant Elle had to be turned in much sooner! We compromised on Feb 1. A more generous compromise to me than to them, which I was grateful.

I'll have to blog about that journey next. Because when I hit send on Love Starts with Elle, I wept. Wept! For sure, for sure! this was the end of my writing career. Ami would know: Hack!

But six books later, I'm still here. God is sooo amazing to keep me on the journey. I've got some good insight from Him on this writing thing to share too.

Stay tuned....

Diary of a Writer: Sweet Caroline and Helping Others

My plate is full. I'm starting a new novel. Editing a My Book Therapy book. Reading a play for a friend. I love this because I know the play will be produced. I'm not an expert on plays but I know something about story.

Also, judging a contest, mentoring a friend who finaled in a contest, and reading a couple of synopsis for writer friends.

It's not a burden though it keeps me busy. Even a bit distracted but I love helping others. Truly, I've been so blessed it's a bit hard to say "No" to those requesting help.

Why do I say "Yes?" Because I remember what it was like when my heart burned to write. Burned to be published. Burned to have input from someone who knew what was what. I was desperate for a helping hand and leg up.

And the Lord sent people to me. I am forever grateful to Him. To them. So I love giving back.

Yet, I'm eager to get planning and writing this next book. Rattling thoughts are loud.

But I don't know the ending of this book yet and it's hindering my beginning and protagonist identity.

It'll come to me. It always does. God is so very faithful to supply the job He's called me to do.

Repackaged cover

 When I was writing Sweet Caroline I hit the skids. I'd gotten the publisher's catalog in the mail and saw the advertising for my new book, Diva Nashvegas.

While that was exciting, the stats on the first Nashvegas book, Lost In Nashvegas socked me in the gut.

My heart palpitated as I read the comparative units sold. Surely it was a misprint. Or, you know, numbers from the first few months.

I was discouraged. A bit embarrassed. This book was supposed to knock chick lit on it's ear as the first "redneck" chick book. Instead, I was knocked on my ear.

At that point, I felt I'd failed everyone. My publisher, my editor, my agent, myself. I was terrified to call anyone to talk about it because I thought I'd hear the cold truth. "You're not good enough."

I'd been struggling with Sweet Caroline, finding the right tone, finding a deeper layer to my voice, all the while knowing as I wrote a chick lit the genre was on it's way out. So the catalog news only added fuel to my self imposed fire.

First Cover. Won a Carol Award with this one

Deadline approached. Another author read what I had so far. Days away from submitting the book to my editor, the author wrote saying, "You need more tension. Perhaps another story line?"

Blow to the gut. But, I took it to heart and sat my butt in the chair for 15 hours on a Saturday writing and rewriting. Went to bed late, woke up at 3:00 a.m. to write before church.

Yet there was no way I was going to weave in a good sub plot. What a mess.

I went to church. Walked around like a zombie. So discouraged. So tired. My writing career was over. My editor would discover what she was bound to suspect after the low Nashvegas sales. "Rachel is a hack."

Original cover idea

I sought prayer from anyone who would listen that Sunday morning. I needed a miracle. Like, you know, God downloading a new book to me overnight. I'd wake up with it written and edited beside my bed.

Hey, anything is possible. Especially to the desperate.

Several praying friends exhorted and encouraged me that morning. I determined to go home, plant my butt in the chair, clean up what I had, and submit the best book possible on Thursday.

So tired, I could barely think. God did not download a new, grand, better book to me.

Instead, He sent me a friend. I called Susan May Warren and saw the first of two miracles....

(to be continued)

Diary of a Writer: New Season!

Last summer I found myself at a crossroad. We'd just moved into a new house. I'd set up shop in my new office and... waited.

I didn't have a new book contract. The Wedding Dress was in edits. Love Lifted Me was with Sara and edits. I had one more book to write with Sara but otherwise I was an author seeking her next project.

Inspired by Prince William and Kate's wedding, I'd put together a Royal proposal and delivered it safely to my agent's hands.

But it didn't feel like business as usual. I felt like I was in a new season with more transition coming. Our unexpected house move was more than just, "Hey, a cool new home at a stellar price."

It was as if the Lord was showing Himself, getting our attention, proving Himself in this physical change.

We sensed change for my husband though we weren't sure what. He still worked part time as a teacher and full time as a pastor.

The summer months were calm. Busy with house guests and settling into our new home.

Then the fall came and a chance to sell my royal idea. When Zondervan brought an offer to my agent, I knew it was the right one. After six years with Thomas Nelson, it was hard to say goodbye. I've loved my time with them and working with such an great team.

But I learned about more than book publishing the last few years. I embraced core lessons of my heart that I pray never go away!

The doors of this new season in our lives were still opening and I prayerfully moved forward.

I never want to do anything out of conceit or selfish ambition. Though I fail at that goal, it is my goal. I want to walk with honor. I want what the Lord wants.

But sometimes He says to us, "What do you want?"

Ever read about Cain and Able? Cain kills Able his brother and God comes looking for a reason "Why?" He has a discussion with Cain about it, then pronounces his punishment. He'd be a vagrant and wanderer on the earth.

Cain argues back. "Hey, no way, others will try to kill me."

First thought I had was, "Well, dude, you killed your brother. You're lucky God is letting you live."

But the Lord of Host, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, replies to Cain, "I'll put a mark on you so no one harms you. If they do, seven times worse will come up on them."

Wow! I've not killed anyone and I struggle with God showing any mercy toward me once in awhile. "Rats, I mess up again."

But the Lord is willing and able to reason with us as we walk faithful and obedient. John 15 Jesus assures us if we abide in Him, He'll abide in us and we can ask whatever we will. God wants us to bear fruit. He glorifies Himself when we do!

So I reasoned with Him. I'd been praying for and asking about reward. I was writing books, working hard, doing all I could to write the best books possible but the reward was small.

Book writing is an intensive, slow turn around business. There are a lot of ambiguities. There's no real formula for success except "hang in there and keep at it."

My friend Debbie Macomber once said she was a twenty-five year, overnight success.

There is no guarantee going forward that I'll have a certain amount of success. I'm not even sure what "success" always looks like, but I have a few ideas. I'm presenting them to the Lord, talking to Him about it.

I know there's more for me. The churning in my spirit keeps my mind and heart alive with that hope. But I don't try to imagine the outcome. A good friend of mine gave me that advice once and I'm learning to embrace it.

This summer I was to write a final book for Sara Evans but we've put it on hold for awhile as she pursues other things. I'm so glad for her success with her latest album.

Once Upon A Prince will be my next book in 2013 and my first title with Zondervan. This month I'll be working on royal book 2, about a princess.

Other changes abound. My husband went back to youth ministry in November and this month, he's returned to church full time and will not return to teaching this fall.

We knew God spoke "reversal of the reverses" last year and it took eighteen months for us to know what it really meant. But we've seen it happen live and in person!

What an amazing God we serve. How He loves us, OH how He loves us.

Change is hard. Crossroads confusing. Everything is not always smooth and peachy keen but we are at peace. Full of joy. Always hoping and abounding in Him.

Welcome Author Leigh Duncan

Please welcome my local RWA STAR chapter author and friend, Leigh Duncan! She is a great writer and such an encourager. I feel so encouraged after being with her.

Her newest release, Rodeo Daughter, was a Romantic Times Top Pick! Well, I'll let her tell you about it.


 Rodeo Daughter Summary:
Amanda Markette’s years on the professional rodeo circuit led to dreams of a home without wheels with a family-first kind of guy.  That man is definitely not her old boyfriend, Mitch Goodwin, rumored to become the county’s next District Attorney.  His demanding job has already cost Mitch one marriage. But Amanda’s plan to keep her distance falls apart when a bad-tempered judge permits the doting father only supervised visitation with his child…under the wary gaze of the one woman whose trust Mitch fears he’ll never win.Rodeo Daughter Reviews:“Readers better hold on to the tissue box.”

--- 4 ½ stars, RT Book Reviews June TOP PICK!

 “Rodeo Daughter is a nostalgic tale of two adolescents falling in love and later finding their way back to each other…I hung on every word.”  

--- Kay Quinton at Fresh Fiction.

 BLOG:  Where Did You Come From?It’s summer in Florida.  The heat index is climbing and the humidity, whew!  Let’s just say everything is soggy and let it go at that.  At our house, the air conditioner runs full time.  The cucumbers in my garden have died back; the first tomato harvest is over and I’m getting ready to start a new crop.  And tiny baby birds chirp from nests in the Chinese Ting that grows outside my office window. So, with all this new life bursting on the scene, is it any wonder that I’ve been asking, “Where did you come from?”  No, this isn’t a lecture on the birds and the bees.  It’s a question about the heroes and the heroines in the stories we write.

Where do they come from? 

For me, every new book starts with the characters.  And because I write romance, I usually “see” the hero or the heroine first.  I’ll be going about my business—shopping, cleaning, cooking, whatever—and one of them will pop into my head.  Sometimes, they wave and keep on going.  There’s a woman in an orange grove who’s been doing that lately.  But she doesn’t stop, so I wave back and let her go, knowing her story isn’t quite ready to be told yet.  When it’s time, she’ll come back and stay a while.  She’ll start talking or she’ll do something that catches my attention. 

That’s how it was with heroine in Rodeo Daughter, my third book for Harlequin American Romance.  Before I even started working on the book, I caught a mental glimpse of a young woman running the barrel race in a rodeo.  At the time, I was knee deep in edits for my second book (The Daddy Catch, June 2011), so I just gave her a nod and went back to work.  She didn’t leave, though.  She hung around.  She’d pop in at the oddest moments.  Each time she did, I got to know her better.  I learned that her name was Amanda Markette, that she and her father had problems they needed to resolve.  She’d given up the rodeo scene and turned her attention to family law.  Recently, she’d moved to Melbourne, FL where her latest client was a prodigal mom determined to win back custody of the daughter she’d abandoned four years earlier.      

All well and good, but what’s a romance without a hero?

Mitch Goodwin took his own sweet time making himself known.  But one day, as I watched Amanda prepare for a case, I noticed this tall, dark-haired man in a business suit cutting through the courthouse.  Right away, I knew my hero had arrived on the scene. Of course, Mitch didn’t think he needed a woman in his life.  He was a workaholic, and he pretty much thought he had it all.  In fact, he’d just received the nod from the outgoing District Attorney and was excited about his prospects of becoming the lead DA.  The only shadow on his bright horizon was the custody suit his ex-wife had filed.  She claimed he didn’t spend enough quality time with their daughter.  She was right, but with his focus set on his career, super-confident Mitch couldn’t see it. 

Clearly, Mitch had lessons he needed to learn.  That’s where my job came in.  The result was Rodeo Daughter, my third book for Harlequin American Romance, one that I hope you’ll enjoy.Bio:

Author Leigh Duncan

Leigh Duncan writes the kind of books she enjoys reading, ones where home, family and community are key to the happy endings we all deserve (The Daddy Catch, June 2011 and The Officer’s Girl, June 2010.).  Rodeo Daughter, her third book Harlequin American Romance.  Leigh is a long-time member of the Romance Writers of America.  When she isn’t busy writing or helping aspiring authors, Leigh enjoys curling up in her favorite chair with a great book. To learn more about her, visit www.leighduncan.com
             

Beautiful Brides: Author Crystal Miller

I had been teaching elementary school and coaching basketball and track for a year when I married Chris at the end of the school year, June 20, 1981. 

He was in medical school and we got married on Saturday and he had to report in to a summer internship on Monday. When we moved to Indianapolis where he started his 2^nd year of med school, he threw this country girl a map of the city of Indianapolis and said, “I don’t have time to show you around.” That was the beginning of many sad and sometimes funny adventures for me.

But, my dress! My mother didn’t have a wedding dress or even a wedding photo. She eloped to Mississippi with my dad. So, I had this grand adventure of shopping for a wedding dress. Only I was not rich and was paying for almost all of the wedding myself, including my dress. 

I tried on oodles and one dress made me feel like a princess—it was so beautiful. Sadly, it was over a $1000.00 and I couldn’t afford that! So, at last I found the dress I’m wearing in a very small shop in the shadier side of town. 

It was a size 14 and I wore a size 6. Gah. It was going to be a major workover. It was a discontinued dress and I thought it was beautiful, plus, it was antiqued-looking, and by a famous designer. The dress shop owner got on the phone and found a size 8 in New York City. And yes, they’d ship it to her. I tried it on just days before my wedding! Phew! And it was exactly the money I had allocated for a dress. Thank you, God!

It had this beautiful Juliet cap & veil, and fabric-covered round buttons all up the back, with seed pearls all over the bodice. I never thought I would have such a dress

The day before our rehearsal, my mother was helping me bring some boxes up to our 2^nd floor apartment in this old house. Across the street lived a teacher I had worked with the year before. 

I hear him calling me from the door downstairs and he says my mother has fallen and is hurt. Her arm looked wrong and her face was scraped from forehead to chin—skin gone and bleeding! 

She insisted she was ok, but Tony (his name) looked at me like, “Are you kidding me?” and I told him to help me get her into the car. (She was soooo stubborn!) 

We walked into the very ER that my husband-to-be was working. Yeah. Ok, so that afforded me a first class pass to get her in right away. While I’m standing there waiting for the doctor to call in a surgeon, every single staff member, including the nurses and doctors came by to meet me! It was a glimpse of what was to come in my marriage, little did I know!

The doctor wanted to take her to surgery to set it, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She was going to be at our wedding if it killed her. (I’m an only daughter.) 

So he loaded her up on pain pills, set it best as he could and sent her home. On my wedding day she was on pain pills and my aunts had covered her scraped face with the thickest pancake makeup ever. 

You could barely tell in the photos that she was in pain or that all the skin was gone from her face! She was so stubborn—I miss her terribly. 

She wanted so much to be at the wedding and to have all those photos of the family all dressed up.

But the best part was that our families not only got along great, but my mom and dad loved my husband as their own. The pastor said some words at the rehearsal that were poignant and loving and each person came up to me to say that he had spoken especially to them. And that made me happiest of all. 

And that dress…I have it tucked away since I have four sons and I’m not sure anyone else will wear it. But it represented something better, as my mom said and she wanted to be there to see it! 

*** 
Crystal Laine Miller spent ten years as an elementary classroom teacher, P.E. teacher and coach before turning in her meticulous lesson plans and whistle for marriage to a gritty, joyful life with an ER doc and staying home with their four sons--band mom and school board duties included.


She’s amassed over 900 published book reviews, articles and columns, was a paid acquisitions reader for agents and editors and has been a judge in the ACFW Genesis Contest for many years. 


She’s served the ACFW Indiana Chapter as vice president, president and advisor and was nominated for the 2008,2009, 2010 and 2011 ACFW Mentor of the Year. Married 31 years with four sons (aged 20+ now,) she has plenty of material for the novel she currently is working on—a contemporary romance laced with humor.

Diary of a Writer: Worthy interruptions!

Goofing on iPhoto with my niece!

Yep, I'm in love.

She's a hoot.

Okay, she landed in the "weird" zone.

Auntie love. I was loosing her attention here.

Wild eyes!

Diary of a Writer: Butt in Chair

Butt in chair
No distractions
Yet they beckon...

Friends, appointments, Facebook, Twitter, email, music, the sound of my own thoughts...

Butt in chair
No distractions
Dreams coming true.

Diary of a Writer: From Lips to Hips - Working Out An Idea

They were too irresistible. Publix cupcakes. So I ate one. After all, I was at a bridal shower, celebrating the upcoming nuptials of a good friend.


White cake with vanilla cream icing. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Yum is not a powerful enough word. 


It was the kind of cupcake you want to savor but after the first bit all you can do it take bite after bite. It's gone so fast you hardly feel full. You're tempted to quick, grab another cupcake and savor it too before the first cupcake calories take effect.


And I so enjoyed eating that cupcake. All five bites it took to wolf it down.


In less than sixty seconds.


I consumed, what, 250-300 calories? Just in a cupcake. And I'm trying to keep my calorie consumption around 1200 a day. Ooops.


When I came home, I decided it was time for a run. So off I go. On a hot, muggy Saturday evening around 5:00.


2 miles run. Plus a mile and a quarter walk, I was on the pavement for 50 minutes. (Hey, I'm s slow runner!)


Fifty minutes of heat and sweat to burn off that cupcake. One minute of pleasure, fifty minutes of grinding it out.


Got to wonder if it's worth it.


But writing is a lot like a really great Publix cupcake. An idea hits! It feels good. Feels right. Pieces of the story spark. You hear the heroine speak. See her move across a crowded room or through the high waving grass of a meadow.


Dialog floats across your mind. Perhaps you develop a high concept line. "Aliens from another world invade an Amish village and take them captive so they can work the land on their home planet." 


Oh, you can see this story just "writing itself." You can't wait to sit at the computer and start pounding it out. I mean, can you imagine? Aliens with no natural knowledge dealing with a people who have no technical knowledge. Move over Konrath, you're going to need room on the bestseller list! 


You sleep on it a day or two. Tell a few writer friends. Jot a few notes. Hash out a few characters. Map out the plot


Finally, emboldened you sit down to write. And what seemed like a smashing, amazing idea goes dead with the first line.


Wait, that sounded so good in my head but now that I see it on paper, it's stupid. There's two "was's" and "a could've been."


But, it's a rough draft. So you power on. But at the 2000 word mark, you're starting to have your doubts. 


Who's going to want a story about Amish and space aliens. Women who read Amish don't read sci fi! And sci fi readers don't care who the aliens capture as long as it's some other race! Oh, what a stupid idea.


But if you don't write it, you have nothing. After a day or two of posting more tweets than is natural for any writer, let alone any human, you give up on the story and wander the kitchen...


In search of a cupcake. In search of your next great idea.


Anyone can get a cupcake of a story idea. But it takes devotion to get that cupcake "off your hips." Sweat. Heat. The grind. You don't feel good. You feel tired and weary. Shaky even.


But if you give up, you'll never finish that story. If you give up, that one great idea will never even have a chance let alone a shot at any kind of success.


I never like my stories when I'm in the throws of writing. I can tell you tale after tale about Sweet Caroline and Love Starts with Elle. Oh mercy. I hit Send to my editor with Love Starts with Elle after getting up at 4:00 a.m. to finished editing the last few page and crawled back in bed, balling my eyes out.


My career was over. I just knew it. 


Dining with Joy... wore me out. Took forever to find the rhythm of that story. But I'm so glad I stayed with it because all of those books have blessed me in one way or another. And blessed readers.


Books are mostly about a marathon race. You have to stick with it. Run every day. Push past the pain. Past the UNinspiration. It's eating broccoli instead of a cupcake.


But oh, you will be so glad you did when the book is finished and you type THE END.


So today, no matter where you are in your writing process, no matter where you are in your life journey, keep at it!


Maybe for you it's about another discipline, another dream you're chasing. Keep at it. Don't give up! 


Quitters never win. Winners never quit.

Diary of a Writer: Spitting out words

That's what I'm doing... spitting out words. I'm on a tight deadline and I started with a Ready! Fire! Aim!


Sometimes that's what you have to do. I'm working it out as I write, thought I've done some plotting, some planning, some character work.


While writing, I'll hit upon moments that feel very real, then write myself out of the moment and wonder what happened.


But I keep writing. It's key to finding the story. Keep writing.


Ignoring the lump in your throat-chest-stomach when the days and time tick by and even 3000 word count days feel like failure.


It's the price and privilege of writing a novel.


Ray Bradbury died today. He encouraged writers with this: “You fail only if you stop writing.”


So true! You can't change what isn't there. That's the best part to me... changing what's there! 


Summer plans are sneaking up. My sister wants to gather at my mom's at the end of the month, but my husband's family is having a get together the first of July. Neither families live near us so we have to decide what to do, when, where and how.


I'm attending the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando later in July, then heading to Portland for the Oregon Christian Writer's Conference.


And there are books to be written.


We've been in our house one year. And the Lord continues to makes adjustments and changes in our lives. Blessings. Moving us forward.


My turret tower is feeling more and more like home. As is the rest of the house. Our neighborhood is peaceful and friendly.


The Wedding Dress is doing well. Thank you all for reading and spreading the news! 

Winners of the Hunt

Hey all,


Thanks for "hunting" with us this week! Hope you all had fun. Lisa announced the winner over on her site but here are the winners from my personal giveaway...


Shelby Lauren
Tzigane Gryder Monda
Tina Meeker
Susan Stahly


Congratulations!!

Scavenger Hunt Stop 17 with Lisa T. Bergren

Welcome to the first ever Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! Make the loop to discover 23 new or upcoming novels, and write down the clue at each stop. 


When you know what the clues say, fill out the Rafflecopter form by June 4, 2012 (midnight EST) at www.LisaBergren.com, and you could be in the running for the grand prize of 23 new, autographed books (if you live in the USA; unsigned if international). 


Note: if you're the winner, you must email the complete statement within 24 hours of notification in order to claim the Grand Prize...so don't miss a stop! Be ready with your answer if you're the lucky winner! No need to email it unless you receive the good word on June 5, 2012.

*** 

Scavenger Hunt Stop 17! With Lisa T. Bergren

 As a part of this scavenger hunt, I’m hosting Lisa T. Bergren. I love Lisa because she's an amazing woman but also because she wrote one of hte first Christian Romances I ever read and I still think of it from time to time. Fifteen years later! 


So it's really cool for me to be hosting her for this Scavenger Hunt, which was her genius idea!

Want some stats on her? Lisa is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 30 books, with more than 1.5 million copies sold.  That's a "Wow!" number.

She’s married to Tim, a liturgical sculptor, graphic designer and musician. They have three kids–Olivia, Emma and Jack.

The book she's featuring here is Glamorous Illusions, which looks fabulous! Don't you love the over?

Here's a bit about the book:

When Cora Kensington learns she is the illegitimate daughter of a copper king, her life changes forever. 


Even as she explores Europe with her new family, she discovers that the most valuable journey is within. 


The first book in the Grand Tour series takes you from the farms of Montana through England and France on an adventure of forgiveness, spiritual awakening, and self-discovery.

A Scavenger Hunt Exclusive from Lisa:

The 2 Sources of Inspiration Behind the Grand Tour Series

#1 The Grand Tour: Ultimate Family Travel

I've been in love with travel for a while now, jazzed when I get to go someplace new and dream about how a place might impact the plot and people in one of my novels. So when I first heard about the Grand Tour, an epic tour that the wealthy sent their young adult children on--to experience the history, politics, culture and people of Europe--I knew it was an idea I wanted to incorporate in a series. For a long time, Tim and I had dreamed about a year away with the kids, doing nothing but touring. Sadly, we never won the lotto to fund it, nor felt we had the clearance from God to go after it, so I had to do my own "Grand Tour" in my imagination. That said, over the years, as I let this idea ruminate, we still managed to swing a few research trips--I took the girls to England and France, and we took the whole family to Italy. Close enough for me to spin my fictional world into high gear!

#2 The Copper Kings of Montana

But I also took inspiration from a place I've spent every summer of my life--Swan Lake, Montana. I wanted my heroine to be a simple girl, raised on a farm, before she was swept up into the complex world of the wealthy. And right around the corner from my folks' lake place is a grand, old estate once owned by real copper kings of Montana, Kootenai Lodge. If you want to drool over it with me, check out the new developer's multi-million-dollar "cabins" he has for sale...and catch a glimpse of the lake where Cora first meets her half-siblings, before heading out to tour Europe with them.Check out the Kootenai Lodge's site! *drool*: [http://thekootenai.com/photo_gallery.html]

Taken from her one-room house on the eastern plains of Montana, and into the sumptuous, opulent world of the Kensingtons and Morgans, Cora must grapple with where she draws her truest identity, when everything she has known disappears like dust behind her.

I hope this glimpse into the two main factors that birthed my new Grand Tour Series sparks your interest, and you'll check out Glamorous Illusions soon!



You can pick up a copy of Lisa's book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook.com or your local bookstore. 


Find out more about this author at www.LisaBergren.com

The Scavenger Hunt Skinny

Mosey along, Hunters, to STOP #18: Robin Lee Hatcher's blog, to pick up your next clue.

But before you go, write down this STOP #17 clue: book 

WAIT! 

It's BONUS time! Don't you love bonus time? 

Look to the right to find my Facebook Page, or scroll down to see my Twitter feed and click on one to join me on one of these social media sites. and I'll put your name in for a chance to win Love Lifted Me or The Wedding Dress. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beautiful Bride: Kim Cash Tate

Kim and Bill

So thrilled to feature author and beautiful bride, Kim Cash Tate. She's been crunching a deadline so I had to wait for her picture and story but it was well worth it.

I love Kim.


She is a women of honor and integrity, and true love and follower of Jesus. On top of being a lawyer, yeah, achiever here, and a mom of two and wife to a Ph. D professor and math book author, SHE is an accomplished author and speaker. 

Our Story

I still remember the night I connected with my husband-to-be—December 15, 1989.  I say “connected” because we’d already met, although I can’t remember when or how.  I’d simply seen him enough times around the campus of the University of Maryland that we’d automatically speak.  He’d come to U of M to get his Ph.D. my last semester there as an undergrad. 

On December 15, 1989, I was a second year law student, celebrating my birthday with college friends at a local hot spot in Washington, D.C.  In walked Bill with a friend.  I waved, “Hey,” and kept it moving.  

Seizing one of the coveted bar chairs that allowed one to see and be seen, I began munching on buffalo wings when my friend, Dawn, whispered for me to follow her into the ladies’ room. Reluctant to lose my seat, I began bargaining with one of my friends to sit there, but only until I returned. Impatient with my speed, Dawn grabbed my forearm and pulled me just inside the restroom door, exclaiming, “Girl, wait till you hear this!”

“What?”

“Bill is asking about you. Sounds like he’s interested, too.” Laughing, she added, “And he said you must not have a boyfriend if you’re here celebrating your birthday with us. He got that right!”

Dawn told me how great a catch he would be and how great a couple we would make, then paused and waited for me to speak, as if I’d say, “All right, then; I’m sold. I’ll take him.”

“We’ll see,” I tossed cynically,and went back inside, fully expecting the so-called possibility to fade by night’s end.

On May 29, 2012, Bill and I celebrated nineteen years of marriage!

RH: Thanks Kim! I love hear this story. Brings back memories of my college days. Y'all visit Kim at her web site. She has a lot of good things going on there.