Happy Birthday, MISTAKEN! Today is the official release day for my debut novel, Mistaken. It’s a bit surreal walking into a bookstore and seeing my novel sitting on the shelf. When you first start writing, you dream about this moment, but the rest of the process seems very private. You sit and daydream the story, … Read More
writing
When Waiting Turns to Celebrating: Contract #2
Most authors will tell you, the road to publishing is long and slow. They’re right. You write your heart out, and then you wait. And wait. And W-A-I-T. There’s much to do during the wait–editing, revising, submitting, recovering from rejections, rewriting, submitting again, learning, praying, hoping. And sometimes when the drought ends . . . … Read More
Celebrating Book Firsts: ARCs are here!
You will hear many authors compare publication to pregnancy and childbirth. Sure, there’s months (more like years) of waiting, wondering, planning. There’s labor–perhaps that would be the painful, but necessary, editing process. And then, like every first-born child…there are a series of FIRSTS to celebrate. With my debut novel, Mistaken, many of those firsts are … Read More
5 Embarrassing Conference Moments, or How a Social Misfit Gets Published
I was TERRIFIED when I attended my first writers conference. Speak to an agent? Are you crazy? What would I say? He’ll think I’m an idiot! A social misfit! Five years later, I’m looking forward to the release of my first novel, MISTAKEN, which comes out in July. How a social misfit become a debut … Read More
My five favorite writing tools
Every writer has their own favorite things–the tools of the trade which help them shine. Here are a few of mine. Laptop Cushion. Yes, I know they CALL them laptops, but after a few hours they turn into toast-your-thigh-tops. Also, the cushion lifts the computer up to a more comfortable height for typing. I’m not … Read More
Braiding a Story
Yesterday, my 10-year-old daughter taught me how to do a fishtail braid. I twisted, gathered, and plaited her long, blonde hair, as a familiar tension gathered in my chest. I would glance to the left, knowing I needed to gather a lock from over there and weave it to the right, somehow combining it in … Read More
Celebration!
If you follow my FaceBook author page, you heard this great news months ago, but I have yet to officially celebrate here on my blog. Here’s the scoop: Time to CELEBRATE!!! At the end of May, I received the news that I had made the finals for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Genesis Contest … Read More
Don’t Joke With the Postman
I clutched the packet to my chest as I pushed through the post office door. Mailing manuscripts to editors attending the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference always brings a sense of wild anticipation, not unlike the upward climb on a rickety roller coaster. The postal clerk looked at me with tired eyes as I handed him my … Read More
A Single Word
I have read several things lately about people choosing–or praying to receive–a single word that will represent 2012 for them. One of my writer friends, Jessica Patch, wrote a fantastic blog post about her word for the year, “Strength.” Author Debbie Macomber was featured in this month’s edition of Guideposts magazine, writing about choosing a single word … Read More
Six Resolutions for Aspiring Writers
This is the time of year that many people dust off their dreams and make resolutions to help them achieve their goals. I did that several years ago and set out to follow my dream to become a writer. In case you’re just starting out, I thought I’d offer what I think are six of … Read More