Lull Between Thanksgiving and Christmas

It's the lull week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. How are y'all doing? Can you believe K-Mart and Wal-Mart had Black Thursday sales?

I'm grieved that we nearly have no true holidays in American anymore. Stores are open seven days a week, sixteen hours a day if not twenty-four.

For what? Stuff. I saw a man first in line outside a local K-Mart at seven o'clock the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving.

I said, "What's for sale that you're out here waiting?"
"A 36'' LCD flat screen for $97."

Ah...

As I drove to my destination I got hit with the shop-cheap bug. "Wow, that's a great deal. I could give it as a present."

"Or, we could put a TV in the turret with a Blueray player. We don't have cable or DISH but we could watch Netflix."

I'm telling y'all, it was insane. I wanted nothing until someone else was told me what they were getting.  How true is that of mankind? We covet what our neighbor has or is obtaining.

The class warfare going on in our country right now is grievous. Anyone in this country willing to work hard, yes some more than others, can achieve whatever they want. Sure, some people have more advantage -- wealth, smarts, looks, ability -- but the only thing that prevents a person from getting ahead in this country is their own laziness, bitterness, envy or greed. Or lack of ambition.

Even obstacles like prejudice or poverty can overcome by anyone willing to do the work to win over an enemy, take a college course, aim for a promotion. Look around. Open our eyes at those who have overcome!

But what we can't overcome is if the gov't continues to take, take, take and spend our money. It's our money. Not theirs. It blows my mind they are on capital hill right now discussing how to tax "the rich more." That old mantra has worn all of it's threads thin.

Sorry, I had to go on that rant for a second because that's what hit me as I left K-Mart. Greed. I wanted what that man wanted because... just because.

But I didn't want to sit all night in the cold for a stupid TV so I actually pondered ways to get what I wanted without working for it. Yes, I did.

Hmm... another trend in our society. "Who can get it for me so I don't have to leave my comfort zones?"

Once I got to youth church, and in the presence of God, my heart was realigned and I knew I didn't want a TV or Blueray player or whatever else K-Mart was selling on sale.

Kuddos to those of you who shopped 'til you dropped and got good sales on Black Friday. I know it's a blessing to many who are on a budget and have lot of people to buy for. But what I hope is that greed was not your motivator, or envy or covetousness.

I have to watch those bad boys in my life. 

Here's to the spirit of Christmas -- love, peace and JOY to the world. That's what I "covet." JOY!!

Write for Relief Winners!

A big thank you to everyone who bid for critiques for Write Now Relief! 

Your generosity added up to $2,300 for the relief efforts for the victims of Superstorm Sandy! Well done and congratulations to all the winners!

On this site Jeanne Takenaka and Charity Hawkins were the winner with their last minute bidding war. Thank you gals so much! And to all who participated.

If you are the high bidder or think you might be, please check the blog where you were bidding to get your marching orders.

Your first order of business is to donate your bid amount to Samaritans Purse. Then email a copy of your donation receipt with your 50 pages to the author who will be critiquing you. Again, thanks so much to everyone.

And if you didn’t win the critique please consider giving to Samaritan’s Purse for your year-end giving. The need back East is huge.

Here is the link to donate online. The GIVE button is located just below the photo gallery link.

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/hurricane_sandy/

Diary of a Writer: Look Who Learned to Use iMovie?

Write Now Relief for Hurricane Sandy Victims

Write Now Relief

How you can help the victims of Sandy and also get a little first aid for your novel!

WHAT: Bid on a 50-page critique of your novel by a published novelist! Highest bidder will send their amount to Samaritans Purse for their relief efforts for the victims of Superstorm Sandy.

WHEN: Begins Friday, November 9, ends Friday midnight EST November 16.

HOW: Head to the blog of the author you’d like to have critique your 50 pages. Find their Write Now Relief blog post and place your bid in the comments section of that post. Monitor it closely so that you can re-bid! Check back on this Facebook page for updates on all the bids. If you are the high bidder at the end of the week, make your donation and email a copy of your receipt to the author with your 50 pages. It’s that easy.

How much is a 50-page critique worth?

Most authors and editors can easily charge $35 an hour and a fifty-page critique is well over three hours of labor. But this labor of love is for victims who have lost everything. Their need is huge. One blogger who hosted a similar campaign last week had a top donation bid of $1,000 for a 50-page critique!

What will the critique entail?

The author you choose will read your fifty pages with an eye to giving you insights and feedback on all aspects of your story excerpt, including plot, character, story arc, mechanics, pacing, and reader appeal.

What is Samaritan’s Purse?

Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Here is a video from Samaritans Purse on their efforts to help Sandy’s victims.

http://youtu.be/rd7KyY2p6ms

How do I donate to Samaritans Purse?

You can head to the Samaritan’s Purse webpage on Hurricane Sandy http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/hurricane_sandy/

and click on the GIVE link imbedded on the page. Whether you are the highest bidder or not, do consider donating to this effort.

How do I start?

Check Susan Meissner’s blog on Thursday, Nov 8 for the full list of participating authors and their blog addresses. Pick an author, head to their blog on Friday, November 9, and make your opening bid.

What's it really worth?

For me, Rachel, I do this for My Book Therapy clients and a proposal therapy is about 30 pages and it costs around $450. So a 50 page critic is a GREAT deal and worth a good bit of $$. Consider my time as part of the donation. Your crit will be very detailed with a summary letter. Well worth your money!

2012 Writers and Readers Reach Out

Pleased to welcome my friend and fellow belle on southernbelleview to share her heart on this great cause! 

Before us is a great opportunity to partner with one another to raise awareness about human trafficking and join together to raise funds towards their rescue through Kimberly L. Smith's foundation, Make Way Partners. 

And yet, even as we are set to launch, one-fourth of our population has been impacted by Super storm Sandy and many areas remain in distress. Far too many people have seen their homes destroyed and many others have suffered the painful loss of loved ones. 

The winds of Sandy have literally caused us to adjust our sails as we respond to the heartache in our own country. Writers and Readers Reach Out 2012 is enlarging the vision!

As you make your donation to Make Way Partners, please consider making a matching donation to relief efforts underway for our neighbors on the East Coast. 

We believe strongly that our being mobilized to respond to the needs of our neighbors at this very moment is no coincidence. We've been given much, let us give much.

Over the years I’ve challenged my readers at All Things Southern to join me in an annual benefit for the less fortunate. 

We’ve done everything from drilling wells in Africa with Life Today to partnering with World Vision to buy chickens and goats for needy families around the world.

Last year I became fixated with the exponential power represented by the fellow writers I meet in my travels. Knowing these wordsmiths all had a circle of readers that enjoy his or her work and interact with them via their websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter, I wondered what we might accomplish by combining our individual platforms and multiplying our efforts.

 The dream led me to launch Writers and Readers Reach Out. The positive results fueled my desire to do more. For the second year, I’m asking writers and readers to embark with me on 30 Days of Thankfulness to coincide with the season of Thanksgiving.

I was in the planning stages of the drive and personally burdened by what I was learning about human trafficking when I read Passport through Darkness, by Kimberly L. Smith.  

I knew immediately that Make Way Partners, the organization that Kimberly and her husbanded founded, should be the recipient of this year’s efforts. Make Way Partners works with individuals, churches, and organizations to help prevent and combat the evil of human trafficking and all forms of modern-day oppression.

If you’ll take the time to read just a few of the real-life stories on Kimberly’s blog of women and children who Make Way Partners has rescued from slavery, and for whom they provide long-term care, I believe you’ll want to participate in this beautiful journey of restoration.

Eight years ago, Kimberly began chartering small mission planes to fly her into the war zone where U.S. sanctions and Islamic regimes rendered thousands of orphansunadoptable. 

Providing food and opening a first-grade school in a lawless land with no other educational systems, MWP partnered with an indigenous leader to rescue and care for these most vulnerable orphans. Year-by-year, they have added a new grade to their school. 

Now, graduating eighth grade, the orphans of MWP have more education than many current leaders of their nation.  It is time to build a high school, making it possible to raise up the next generation of educated Christian leaders who will stop the cycle of violence and slavery.

Read about a few of these amazing students and the complete high school proposal here:http://kimberlylsmithblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/battle-cry-by-guest-blogger-matt-mcgowen.html

The quotes scattered here are those of the late Helen Keller.  Inviting Ms. Keller to share this journey with writers and readers feels right, for it was the power of a word written in the palm of her hand that unlocked Ms. Keller’s heart and mind and subsequently impacted untold lives around the world!

As readers and writers, no one knows the value of education better than we. Let’s dream big and build a high school for the world’s most vulnerable orphans!

Thirty days of thankfulness. It’s not a long time, but it’s a perfect time to join hands and do something grand, together. ~Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

What Really Goes On In A Pastor's Meeting?

Idea Sparking! How to Brainstorm Conflict Into Your Novel

Hey all, please welcome My Book Therapy team member, Michelle Lim. She's taken the time to write a well done book on how to spark new ideas for your novel that will add depth and conflict.

Welcome, Michelle!

 Rachel, thank you so much for inviting me to visit your blog. 

I’ve enjoyed getting to know you through My Book Therapy and our local ACFW Chapter, Minnesota N.I.C.E. retreat a few years ago.

 For those of you who haven’t heard, during my Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorm Conflict in Your Novel Tour I’m having a drawing for a Free Kindle Paperwhite.

 For each different blog I visit that you comment on during my tour, you get one entry. Each day I will post any new tour locations on my blog.

 One of my favorite romantic moments in my life was the day my husband left a rose in my mailbox. A surprise meant to bring me delight and it did. 

I fell in love somewhere between roses in mail boxes and moonlight strolls along the shore of Lake Superior.

 Our characters fall in love in much the same way. The struggle is how to be unique in building conflict in a Romance novel. Brainstorming is a great tool for bringing out the conflict to accentuate the romance.

 In my new book Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorm Conflict in Your Novel I give tools and strategies to build that conflict to lift a sagging middle or intensify a limp plot.

 Let’s try the Strategy of Pedestal Principles when talking about your characters. Characters all have expectations of themselves as do those around them. Oftentimes our expectations cause internal conflict when we don’t meet our personal expectations.

 For example:
 Linda is a Pastor’s wife at a small country church. It is her goal to always bring a meal to a family with a crisis like hospitalization, etc. When Linda comes down with pneumonia she is unable to bring food to a family they have been trying to reach out to for the last year. She feels she has failed. This might cause internal conflict.

 The expectations we have of ourselves are not the only expectations. What about the people around you? The boss that expects you to finish your work by the end of the day, but you value quality and there is no way you can produce quality work in that time line.

 Pedestal Principles are one of the tools I cover in greater detail in my Idea Sparking Book. They are just one of the many ways to add conflict in a novel.

 Focusing on not just the happy gushy moments in our romance story is difficult, especially when what we tend to remember most about our own love story is the special moments that made us feel cherished. Both are needed to create a strong story.

 How about you? What is your favorite romance moment? 

***
What Others Are Saying About This Resource!

 “I think it's a great resource! I love the way you give examples, offer opportunities for writers to craft out their own ideas.”  ~Lisa Jordan Author of Lakeside Reunion and Lakeside Family

 “Michelle recently helped me brainstorm Silent Night, my new Rock Harbor digital novella coming at the end of next month. Her brainstorming prowess amazed me! I loved her new book, especially the chapter on secrets.” ~Colleen Coble Award Winning Author

 “Michelle encapsulated some workable, practical, yet energizing techniques to help spark that all-important conflict and tension in our stories. I especially appreciated the buffet of ideas that showed how a combination of tips could bring about a tailor-made solution to a lack-luster character, scene, or plot.” ~Cynthia Ruchti Multipublished Author, speaker, and writing instructor.  

Michelle Lim is the author of the new book Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorm Conflict in Your Novel. Also a romantic suspense author whose manuscripts have earned recognition in The Rattler Contest 2012, the Genesis Contest 2011, and the Frasier Contest in 2010. Michelle is the Brainstorm/Huddle Coach at My Book Therapy and serves as Vice President of MN N.I.C.E., a local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. Check out her blog at: http://thoughtsonplot.wordpress.com/.
 

Diary of A Writer: Politics Continued...

Are you struggling with the vote? I hear this so often, "I'm tired of voting for the lesser of two evils!"

Well, Beloved, being silent, quitting and/or checking out and drawing into ourselves is not the answer. Some Christians have become so insular. We've left the world to itself and lookit... 

Then we become more discouraged and more insular and yes, this is coming from a fiction author writing for a Christian publisher.

But the lines have been drawn. Too many publishers don't want the "Christian stuff." If Christian books are shelved with the rest of the books, readers go ballistic. "I didn't know I was going to be forced to read about God."

But originally publishing was done by Christians. The moveable press was invited by a guy who wanted to publish Bibles.

Universities like Harvard and Yale were founded to teach theology and the Bible, to make sure the tenets of the faith.

Now it seems they are quite the opposite. How to destroy the faith.

Hubby and I were talking about the election and I said, "What do you think God is saying? What's on His heart?"

Hubby said something profound, "You know, we're a Republic. Maybe the Lord is leaving it up to us to choose. We get who we vote, or don't vote, for."

A light dawned. America is a Republic, meaning "belonging to the people." Our Fathers dreamed and declared God is our King. So, when we have the opportunity to vote for leaders, it behooves us to choose the best possible men and women.

Christians should not be OUT of politics but in the heart of it. We should not adhere to restrictions on speech such as, "never talk about religion and politics."

No, Beloved, talk about it. Kindly. Informed. With a heart for God rather than ourselves.

Are you struggling to vote for one of the candidates? Don't. Pray. Search the scriptures. And vote. 

We have been given a blessed right by the Almighty to align with Him for the leadership of this nation. "Come, let us reason together," He says.

I know many Christians struggle to vote for a Mormon. Frankly, the alternative with his Liberation Theology and Muslim leanings isn't any better. 

Study. Don't just guess. Don't just go on the politics you had in the '70s, '80s and '90s, Those days are over! Way over!

More is at stake here than our personal comforts and beliefs.

My friend and fellow author Randy Alcorn, author of Heaven, has been blogging about this election. It's thorough, thought out and well written. Much better than what I'm doing here. So, please, check out his series.

Pray. Vote. Be vigilant for freedom.

Dairy of a Writer: I Care About Politics

I think a lot about politics. Not because I'm a junky. I'm not.

Nor because I'm a news junky. I'm not. But when I read the Bible, I see politics. 

I see Jesus as a returning King to judge the nations.

I see verses like, "If My people who are called by my name humble themselves and prayer... I will heal their land."

God, healing a nation, IF His people pray? Sounds political.

As a Believer, I can't ignore the political landscape of my country. If I hide myself away and pretend all is well, surrendering my partnership with Jesus for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, then I'm ignoring my calling and right as a co-heir. 

So, my first action is to pray. For our nation. For our president and our leaders. For my state and my county.

Second, I stand for Biblical values. I ask for wisdom to understand what the Word teaches me and how it should look in the society I live in.

I strive to think critically. I've been moved by ideas, speeches and leaders only to discover no substance behind the person or the promise.

Asking questions. Looking deeper. So critical in politics.

Too often we just vote the party line. Vote our traditions. But as Believers, we must be transformed by the Word we read. By the Holy Spirit. We must vote and stand according to the truth of God's Word.

How are you voting next month? By your own standards or God's? I'm praying about the vote -- mine and this nations.

I want to remain, "One nation under God." We've a lot to fix. A lot of unity to restore. But with God as our King, it's possible.

Don't sit this one out. Pray. Vote. Be a voice. 

Diary of A Writer: Crash. And Burn

Well, as you can see it's been a month of Sunday's since I blogged here. Why?

Busy!

Using my words for other things!

I had a revelation. Most writers try to blog three times a week. Less some, more others. I blog once a week at Southernbelleview.com and once a week at MybookTherapy.com.

Each post takes me about an hour to do.

Between travel, writing and blogging, my own blog has been neglected.

I think of things to write, but by the time I get to them, I'm weary or have forgotten.

This is the life of a writer. I want to save my best energy and words for my stories. I feel I owe that to my readers more than a quippy, regular blog.

I've thought of just taking it down. But I do like to post when I can. So there's the truth about blogging.

I'm working on the second royal wedding book. Can't wait for Once Upon A Prince, the first in the series to release in May!

Be a peace everyone. God is with us. More later... ;)

Diary of a Writer: Deadline

Deadline.

Deadline.

Dead. Line.

Working on substantive edits and rewrites for "Once Upon A Prince" coming to you April 2013!

Look for the cover soon!

It seems no matter how and what I plan, or all my valiant efforts to avoid deadline crunch, I wind up in it anyway.

Oy.

Power recliner!

Keeps me leaning against Jesus.

Random Fact: I still use the ironing board I bought when I first moved her 26 years ago. My iron is the one I inherited from my great Aunt Lillian 20 years ago. Ha!

News: Getting new furniture this week. Hubby picks up his Lazy-Boy today. Wednesday, the rest comes. :)

Blog Tour: Mackinac Island with Cara Putman and Melanie Dobson

Mackinac Island. It’s a magical place that allows you to step back in time from the moment you first step off the ferry. Authors Cara Putman and Melanie Dobson have teamed up for a tour of the island, now and then. Comment at each stop for a chance to win a copy of one of their books set on Mackinac Island. You’ll find the list of stops here. Share the tour on twitter, Facebook, pinterest and other places, and you’ll gain extra entries for the grand prize of a copy of each of their books and a 5 slice box of Murdick’s Fudge, straight from Mackinac Island. Just be sure to email Cara at cara@caraputman.com, so she can record your entries. The grand prize winner will be drawn August 27, 2012.

Cara Putman: A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island The draw that pulls my heroine Alanna to return to Mackinac Island is helping her parents keep their art studio open. Several shops on the island display art and photos created by local and regional authors. That served as the impetus for me to create the Painted Stone studio. The island is a place that inspires photos that show the blue sky reflected off the lake in contrast to the grass and quaint shops and Victorian homes. It’s hard not to shoot tons of photos under a cloudless sky.
The island has drawn artists and writers from its earliest days. There are several shops that highlight local artists. And the plaque pictured to the right is in memory of Constance Fenimore Woolson, an early American writer who loved the island. Is it any wonder we were drawn to the island as a setting for our stories? 

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island:  Join attorney Alanna Stone as she returns home despite her determination to never set foot on Mackinac Island again. Once again in close proximity to Jonathan Covington, her first love, she vows to protect her privacy and her heart from the man who still makes her pulse race. But when her worst fears are realized and history repeats itself—landing her in the midst of a murder investigation—Jonathan may be her only hope. Will they be able to lay aside the past and let God heal their hearts, or will reconciliation come too late?  Read the first chapter here.

Love Finds You on Mackinac Island: As the Gilded Age comes to a close, Elena Bissette’s family has lost most of its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, and they spend summers there in hopes of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls at the Grand Hotel, she spends her days walking along the island’s rugged coastline. There she meets Chase, a handsome laborer who invites her to watch the ships from an abandoned lighthouse. The two begin to meet there in secret, hoping to solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary. As Elena falls in love with Chase, her mother relentlessly contrives to introduce her to Chester Darrington, the island's most eligible bachelor. Marriage to the elusive millionaire would solve the Bissettes' financial woes, and Elena is torn between duty and love.  Read the first chapter here

Back from Oregon Christian Writers Conference

Mt. Hood

I was honored and thrilled to be invited to the Oregon Christian Writers Conference this year.

What a great conference. Going on 50 years of encouraging writers to share the good news of Jesus Christ to readers.

The staff and attendees were fabulous. Kind. Helpful. Eager to learn. Joy abounded at every meal. There was such a spirit of worship and prayer.

It was a complete and utter joy to be there. I taught two classes and hosted two Nite Owl sessions with a My Book Therapy Live. Susie joined me and we did what we love to do -- comb through a manuscript.

Aldersgate

I learn so much at each live book therapy. We had an enthusiastic attendee Bob who said live therapy was the best thing he'd ever heard. The next night he applied what we demonstrated and taught to his first chapter. At breakfast he said, "It worked!"

Now, if only Bob could come and write my story for me... LOL.

On the last morning, the fabulous Jim Rubart invited me to sit in his class with him and take questions from his class. Awesome time.

If you can't tell by now, I'm going to say "awesome" about everything I did at OCW last week.

Susie and me on the last day.

There was one other time in my life where "awesome" was the only appropriate word to use for what we'd experienced. It was the first summer we took the youth band "on the road" and did a youth rally in Poughkeepsie, NY.

God just breathed on our weak effort and each night the attendance grew. When we left, the host church had grown over 150 members.

Awesome! Truly awesome.

So, instead of going on and on, I'll just add the pictures. I'm excited to be returning to OCW in October 2014 to keynote their fall retreat. Woot!

Trees.

Randy Ingermanson and Jim Rubart

Oregon sunset

With Harvest House editor, Kim Moore

With Sandra Bishops lovely puppy! And photo montage