“Christmas on a Mission” is now available for Pre-Order on Ebook!
Each book release feels magical, and this one is no exception. In fact, it feels a bit more magical–perhaps because the story line centers around the Christmas season.
This little gem, has it all! Food, family, humor, Christmas-crafts, service projects, the cutest little Pug on the planet, and some serious heart-tugging romance!
Pre-Order your copy today, and nab one for a friend too!
Fitting Christmas in a shoe box has been her mission…until now.
Audria Rylatt is the school system’s liaison for homeless students. She strives to make Christmas bright for hundreds, while the season brings only heartache after her fiancé was killed in combat nearly two years ago. So when her family decides to play matchmaker, she is less than thrilled. To make matters worse, they’ve invited a soldier friend of her deceased fiancé to the family cabin for the holiday.
But she’s surprised to find this soldier, Quinton Nolan, standing at the door of heart. Faced with painful memories, the despair Christmas brings her, and the fear to love again, Audria is in desperate need of a Christmas miracle. Or at least some of the hope Christmas seems to offer so many. Can she embrace a new mission? If so, Christmas may stand to deliver a lifetime of magical memories.
“Christmas on a Mission” is a delightful story of hope, life, love, and second chances, filled with all the joy and cheer Christmas brings.
I’m so excited about my upcoming Christmas Novella “Christmas on a Mission”!
It speaks to my teacher heart, my crafty-side, my love for yummy sweets, decorating, and my desire to live intentionally knowing we have a mission in life.
Fitting Christmas in a shoe box has been her mission…until now.
Audria Rylatt is the school system’s liaison for homeless students. She strives to make Christmas bright for hundreds, while the season brings only heartache after her fiancé was killed in combat nearly two years ago. So when her family decides to play matchmaker, she is less than thrilled. To make matters worse, they’ve invited a soldier friend of her deceased fiancé to the family cabin for the holiday.
But she’s surprised to find this soldier, Quinton Nolan, standing at the door of heart. Faced with painful memories, the despair Christmas brings her, and the fear to love again, Audria is in desperate need of a Christmas miracle. Or at least some of the hope Christmas seems to offer so many. Can she embrace a new mission? If so, Christmas may stand to deliver a lifetime of magical memories.
“Christmas on a Mission” is a delightful novel of hope, life, love, and second chances, filled with all the joy and cheer Christmas brings.
A Worm in Time: How a Worm Led to one of the Greatest Factors in the Spread of Christianity
As a middle school world history teacher, I stand over textbooks and timelines observing the causes and effects of historical events. They weave together telling the story of time, and I can’t help but marvel at God. With each twist and turn, the ups, the downs, God moves, and bends history to His will.
I’ve been able to make many observations. For example, God often uses the ill-equipped to serve His purpose. Not only the ill-equipped, but God isn’t opposed to using the secular, the ungodly, small, least likely, and even seemingly insignificant events to bring about His plans and purpose. It’s brilliant.
Around 3,000 B.C. the Chinese began cultivating silk from a worm. The raw material provided by the worm created a luxurious fabric and a high demand from buyers. Two thousand years later trade opened between China and the Mediterranean region sparking a greater demand for silk. The demand led to the creation of what we now know as The Silk Road or Silk Route.
Today, the World Wide Web connects us, but for over a thousand years the Silk road acted like a World Wide Web of interconnecting roadways. More than silk was traded. Merchants stretching from East Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa, and Europe exchanged gold, spices, salt, slaves, ideas, religion, and technology. A case can be that the Silk Road affected culture more than trade. In fact, trade along the Silk Road became arguably the leading cause for the spread of Christianity around the world.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, trade declined. The roads fell into ruin, and became dangerous for merchants and their caravan of goods. However, Christianity would not be stopped. God had other plans. Eventually, the Mongols, fierce nomadic warriors from Asia, begin providing protection along the roadways and trade and travel flourish once more.
A great empire falls, and God uses violent, unmerciful, warriors like the Mongols to protect the road in which His message of Grace, Love, and Mercy is shared. Slavery, an evil crime against humanity, was a lucrative business along the routes, yet these slaves will perhaps, for the first time hear God’s message of Freedom. Robberies, and murders were common occurrences along the roadway, yet God’s mission and message could not be deterred.
Notice how God worked through the trials, dark places, thorny paths, and sinful nature of humanity that manifested along the roadways. He does that today, working in our lives, in the dark place to bring truth and good for those that love Him. It’s the thorny, darkest, vilest places that need the light of the Gospel the most. What better place for the Gospel to shine than against the backdrop of the Silk Road?
God’s Word prevails, just like He says it will. There’s no stopping it.
Eventually, the effects of trade on the Silk Road will lead to Christianity spreading to Northern Europe and then over to England. Overtime England will become a Protestant nation, through non-religious reasons– check out the story of King Henry VIII. It’s not a “Christian” story, yet, God will allow Protestant Christian beliefs to grow, and ultimately those beliefs sail their way to the Americas where they become the foundation of our great nation.
Let this sink in: God used a worm to create a product, that started the largest, longest lasting, trading system, which allowed for the world-wide spread of Christianity. Mind bogglingly brilliant.
He’s relentless, reckless, and stops at nothing to further His plan of salvation to be heard by every ear possible. Why? Because. He. Loves. Us. Every last person on this planet, past, present, and future. He’s a God who has chased us through history, in and out of time, simply to be with us.
If history repeats itself, as it often does, then God is still moving in the midst of our frustrations, doubt, fear, and uncertainty. He will use the secular, the immoral, ill-equipped, time itself, and even a worm to further His kingdom purpose.
And here’s the best part, He wins!
About the Author:
Hannah Conway is a military wife, mother of two, middle school teacher, and speaker. Her novels are a deployment experience of their own, threaded with faith, and filled with twists and turns sure to thrill, and encourage. Hannah is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and My book Therapy. She and her family live near Nashville, Tennessee.
Check out her latest release, Up in Smoke ! Love it? Leave a Review on Amazon and let the world know!
Writing, wow, who knew there would be such challenges to getting it done?
I’d like a hot cup of coffee, a nice QUIET place to write, and a three to four hour daily block of time to pour out the most inspired writing of my life.
And all writers start laughing now.
After a great wrestle, and I do mean GREAT, I’m resolved to the fact that there’s never going to be a perfect time or place to write.
‘Tis life, and ‘Tis the season of a bit more craziness than usual.
While I may get that cup of coffee, that nice QUIET place and 3-4 hours of daily writing time simply isn’t in my deck of cards at the moment. Even IF that perfect time/place existed, inspired writing isn’t something that often happens, nor is it necessary for writing to occur.
Life-Stuff happens y’all. The past year and a half has been emotionally and spiritually taxing. I can’t believe how much it’s impacted my ability to write, or the lack there of.
Though it’s been over a year since my mother-in-law passed away from cancer, we are all still very much grieving and dealing with the aftermath of her death. Five months after her passing, my dad suffered a heart-attack and nearly died. Praise the Lord he survived and is doing well. I also went from being a full-time writer and stay at home mom & wife to a full-time teacher, writer, mom & wife, which is a whole new world of crazy. And Just this week we quite unexpectedly assumed guardianship of our two nieces making our family of four now a family of six. So much to process, but wow, God is SOOO Good! Sooo good. So so so good. Unbelievably good. Will definitely have to catch y’all up on just how good soon! Anyway, I digress.
I’ve prioritized, said no to things I would have usually agreed to in the realm of volunteering, but I still find myself in the juggle struggle fighting for the time to write.
I don’t have, and more than likely won’t have, the ideal writing circumstances that my mind dreams up. But what do I have? Well, looking at my calendar for the school year…I do have a window of time…about a 50 minute chunk in the afternoons four days a week where I can write in my classroom after school, door closed, lights off, before I have to pick up my kiddos from school. Score!
I also have three Sunday’s a month from 7pm-9pm (sometimes until 10pm!) available to write/plot etc. Double Score!
Now…how to be”inspired” when I sit to write? First thing to do is kick that whole concept of inspiration out the window. Here’s what I’m gonna do:
1: Sit: So, from 2:45 to 3:35 I will be in the back of my classroom with my computer, and will turn off the wifi. (Sometimes I have to check my email like 100 times when writing… or Facebook…or Instagram…you know, just because. So wifi has to go!)
2: Pray: “God, it’s just you and me creating this story, so help me out, ’cause I’m totally not feeling the inspiration thing”
3: Write: Write even if it’s the worst writing ever. The goal is to slap down a 1,000 words in that 50 minute session and close the computer at 3:35. If I don’t hit a 1,000, well I hit something and that’s better than a big-fat-zero.
4: Repeat & adjust the writing times as seasons of life come and go.
What will happen to my writing schedule during summer break? I will adjust it accordingly in May as school draws to an end (18 weeks y’all!! Countdown!). Maybe I will get that 3-4 hour chunk of daily writing time then! Woohoo!
Here it is then. I’m resolved to:
1: Sit
2: Pray
3: Write
4: Repeat
Now that I’m resolved, I’m gonna bring some accountability to this deal. I know just the person…a fellow writer, with writing goals of her own.
The juggle struggle is real y’all, but there’s something to be said for setting goals, making priorities, accountability, and getting it done.
What are your writing goals? What’s your writing schedule like? How do you fight and make time to write? I’d love to hear your feedback. 🙂
Happy New Year!
About the Author:
Hannah Conway is a military wife, mother of two, middle school teacher, and speaker. Her novels are a deployment experience of their own, threaded with faith, and filled with twists and turns sure to thrill, and encourage. Hannah is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and My book Therapy. She and her family live near Nashville, Tennessee.
Check out her latest release, Up in Smoke ! Love it? Leave a Review on Amazon and let the world know!
Surrendering our lives to God never comes easily. If you’re like me, you can give a situation to the Lord only to take it back again and again in a tug-of-war for control. I suppose that’s why I wrote about the theme of total surrender in my debut novel, Under This Same Sky.
My heroine, Becky Hollister, doesn’t willingly choose to surrender her will to God; instead, adverse circumstances compel her to choose between entrusting her life to Him or turning her back on her faith. It’s touch and go for a while. After enduring great suffering and loss, Becky questions how a loving God can allow such hurtful events to happen.
Under This Same Sky takes readers on a journey alongside Becky as she works through her resentment toward God and seeks to determine what His will for her might be. But just as in real life, it takes the wisdom of God’s word and the love of friends (and in Becky’s case, a godly man) to pull her through.
Becky’s story is a tale of friendship and love, but even more so, it’s a quest for wholeness and deeper understanding of a God who longs to hold the deepest desires of her heart. Fully surrendering to the Lord is something I believe we all struggle to achieve. I hope you’ll be encouraged by Becky’s story and the message of surrender it conveys.
Why do you write?
Since my college days, I’ve had the dream of writing novels. I can only explain it as something God placed within me to do. I long to touch the hearts of readers by letting them experience growth and healing in the lives of my characters.
What do you love best about your novel?
It would have to be its message—that of surrendering to God, despite our circumstances. There are so many hurting people who don’t understand why God allows bad things to happen. While my novel doesn’t attempt to answer that question, it does seek to demonstrate that God is able to work through our hardships to draw us closer to Him.
What encouraging word would you like to give to others?
I’d like to encourage others to live their dream for God. Whatever He has placed on your heart to do, work toward it, allowing room for His timing. When we seek God’s blessing in what we do, He will be faithful to walk beside us. He gives us each our own special set of skills and traits. It’s up to us to discover how He can best put them to use.
Under This Same Sky Book Blurb:
~ She thought she’d lost everything ~ Instead she found what she needed most. ~
Illinois ~ 1854
Becky Hollister wants nothing more than to live out her days on the prairie, building a life for herself alongside her future husband. But when a tornado rips through her parents’ farm, killing her mother and sister, she must leave the only home she’s ever known and the man she’s begun to love to accompany her injured father to St. Louis.
Catapulted into a world of unknowns, Becky finds solace in corresponding with Matthew Brody, the handsome pastor back home. But when word comes that he is all but engaged to someone else, she must call upon her faith to decipher her future.
AUTHOR BIO:
Cynthia Roemer is an award-winning inspirational writer with a heart for scattering seeds of hope into the lives of readers. Raised in the cornfields of rural Illinois, Cynthia enjoys spinning tales set in the backdrop of the 1800s prairie. She writes from her family farm in central Illinois where she resides with her husband and their two college-aged sons. Under This Same Sky is her debut novel.
Recently, I wrote a post for ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) called Teaching Tools for Writers: 4 Steps to Building a Public Speaking Platform. Check it out here.
The focus was on building a speaking platform focusing using four steps.
Today I’d like to focus on sharpening our public speaking skills and wowing our audience with engaging and interactive presentations.
As a 7th Grade World History Teacher, I’ve learned a few things about how to make an audience fall asleep and drool during class, and a few things that keep them on the edge of their seat wanting to know more.
Figured we don’t want to bore our audience to the point of drooling, so let’s add some SPICE, aka The Key To Awesome Presentations:
Short
Passion
Image
Color
Experience
S: Short
If using a slide format to present, or providing handouts, keep the information as short as possible. We’re offering snippets, thoughts, bits of info, not a dissertation. Wordiness is killer on the attention span—even for adults. And, it’s insulting. Give one word, no more than six words per slide, and let the reader/student/attendee take notes based on what they find significant.
Fewer words also increase the likelihood of remembering.
Caveat: Some slides may include more words than six words. For example, a slide focusing on a particular scripture, or a slide with group discussion questions. But as a rule of thumb, work to keep the great majority of slides as short and sweet as possible.
P: Passion
Sometimes we need to tell our face that we’re having a good time. If we aren’t into what we’re speaking about, our audience won’t care either. Add passion. How? Well, sometimes it’s a fake it ‘til we make it thing where we are consciously making ourselves move around the room/stage. We are consciously adding dramatic pause, changing the pitch of our voice, adding facial expressions, even cracking jokes.
That may mean writing out the lesson word for word, and then reading over it aloud in order to get a feel of where elements of passion can be added. Over time, and with practice, passion will flow—we can’t help it, and when passion flows, it’s contagious!
I: Image
We are visual, and many of us are visual learners. We connect ideas, beliefs, and concepts to an image. That old saying “a picture is worth a 1,000 words” is pretty spot on. However, adding an image(s) to our presentation can evoke emotions. And when an emotional connection is made, coupled with a passionate presentation, and short snippets of info, BAM—something happens in our brain. Things stick better, which brings us to the C in SPICE:
C: Color
We should use color, and boldness, in our presentation.
For starters, no slide background should ever be plain ‘ole white. In fact, avoid a white background all together. Go with a colored background, and use white as the letter for a bold, memorable effect, if white is a must have.
Bold and enlarge the points we want our audience to remember, not the title. We don’t want them to remember the title of the presentation, but the concepts. So Bold, underline, and enlarge the font for those points.
Let’s recap.
So far, we’ve learned to keep our presentation short using one word per concept, no more than six words per slide.
Adding passion is a must, and including an helps our audience make deeper connections to our presentation. We’ve also learned the benefits of using color and boldness. Now let’s look at the E in SPICE.
E: Experience
We want to allow our audience to experience the lesson or presentation. A mental field trip of sorts. How?
Tell stories. Tell stories that appeal to the senses: touch, sound, smell, taste, and site.
Stories, especially stories with drama, intrigue, romance, and action activate more parts of our brain allowing us to experience what we’re learning, which allows us to remember better. Jesus knew this, and taught with stories.
Where can an analogy, or personal story or testimony be added into the presentation?
Want to add a deeper level of audience experience? Add even more crowd interaction with Quizlet Live! Oh friends, the fun we have with this little gem! Used it not long ago while speaking at a Military Wives’ Conference, and it was a hit! Any topic can be created from Bible Trivia, Elements of Plot Structure, The Point of This Lesson etc. Want more info?
Stay tuned for my next post on Quizlet Live for the Speaker!
So, there it is! SPICE up your presentation and rivet your audience!
Not sure what presentation format to use when prepping a talk?
Check out these Free or Nearly Free Presentation Formats that Rock!
PowerPoint is an oldie but goodie. Images, audio, and video can be added, and PowerPoint also has fun features that can add animation to each slide and/or point. Stick to the SPICE model, and it will provide a presentation that kicks, pops, and sparkles.
Google Sides is free on Googledocs and works very much like PowerPoint. I was raised on PowerPoint, so I’m not as savvy with Google Slides, but my students are pros at it, and actually like it better than PowerPoint. Not sure how to get started with Googledocs, which is awesome? Sign up for a Gmail email account…that’s it.
My personal FAVORITE presenting format is Prezi! It adds movement, color, images…oh I get all goose-pimply thinking about how great it is! It works very much like PowerPoint, and will admit there’s a little bit of a learning curve there, but it’s worth playing with. LOVE IT!
Prezi has a free version, and a paid version. So far I’ve only used the free templates. Check this one out!
Hope you found this post helpful!! Feel free to share this post, leave comments or questions.
Many Blessings,
Hannah R. Conway
Military Wife, Momma, Author, Speaker, Teacher, Lover of coffee, chocolate and books!
Need something else to do? Why not Help me Launch my latest book, Up in Smoke, coming out this Summer! You’ll get a FREE Advanced Reader ECopy! Join the Launch Team: Conway’s Convoy here!
Looking for a Speaker at your next event, conference, book club or conference? I’m in! Let’s chat! Contact me here!
Hey y’all! Today we’re getting to know fellow author, speaker, and educator, Lauren Brandenburg!
Lauren will be giving a copy of her latest release “Orlo the Created”. Be sure to enter to win below!
Welcome Lauren!
Lauren is a speaker and advocate for home education, as well as author of the middle-grade series The Books of the Gardener and creative writing curriculum, The Engaged Writer. Her novels are recognized as a “Top Safe Read” and “Top Read Aloud” for young readers in the homeschool community. She is active in ACFW and Masterpiece Ministries. Lauren and her husband, Jamie, live in Nashville, Tennessee with their two children.
Tell us about your latest novel, writing project etc and any personal inspiration behind it.
Oh, how I would love to give you all the details! But as it is currently being shopped, I think it wise to hold off a bit. I will say that it is an adult contemporary and probably my most favorite piece I have ever written. There are glimpses of my own story in the midst of massive financial loss, sprinkled with some larger than life characters, a lovely town, and a flea market . . . and macaroons. Yes, macaroons are very important!
Do you have any current projects you’re working on? Care to share?
Happy to share! I am currently cleaning up my fifth children’s novel—Orlo: The Burdened, outlining the sixth in the series—Orlo: The Chosen, and brainstorming the follow-up to my adult contemporary (it’s my happy place).
What is your favorite scripture and why?
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
When I am afraid or worried, the Father reminds me to think on what is true—it has helped me through many dark moments. Recently, the idea of dwelling on things that are lovely has consumed me in such a fun, calming way. I have found peace in thinking on the lovely, finding the joy in simplicity, and looking beyond that which is not glorifying to our Father. Think lovely thoughts!
Are there things you put off doing because you dread them? (ie I can’t stand to fold socks. Torture!)
Folding! I am 100% guilty of leaving clothes in the dryer and running it multiple times until I finally feel like folding them. I’ve also been known to stuff said clean dry clothes in a laundry basket then three days later-ish have to put them back in the dryer for fluffing and wrinkle releasing. Oh, and the words “Have you checked in the dryer?” have come out of my mouth on multiple occasions as my kiddos search for martial arts uniforms, socks, undies, etc. (The dryer just now buzzed as I am typing this! LOL It’s a first round dry, but since there are wet items in the washer, into the basket the dry clothes will go!)
Are you a veteran or do you have someone in your family that served in the Military? Tell us a little bit about your service or their service; it’s our way of honoring you/them.
I’ve always told people that I grew up I a military family even though my dad was unable to directly serve. My brother currently serves in the Navy, my grandfather served in the Army during WWII, my uncle is a retired Army Ranger, and my other uncle serves in the National Guard. As a young child my dad contracted hystoplasmosis(my entire childhood I was forbidden to pick up a feather or play in our attic because of it). The illness left my dad’s lungs so scarred that on an x-ray it appeared that he once had tuberculosis. Because of the scarring, my dad was not permitted to actively serve our country in the armed forces. However, he raised me to honor our leaders, respect our military, and respect our country’s flag—I’d say he served his country well.
If you could switch genres in your writing, in which genre would you choose to write your next novel?
(Click image to purchase)
I thought that I would always write for children. I had accepted it as my identity and envisioned many book signings chatting with young fans. Not once did I see myself writing for adults, but then . . . But then I shared a wild idea with my agent. She encouraged me to get it on paper and test-drive it before several publishing houses. Along the way, I think I found myself. I had many real conversations with the Father about who I was trying to be and the design he actually had in mind. So a genre switch . . . how about Children’s Speculative to Adult Humorous Duel Timeline! I’ll finish my children’s series, but I have a feeling I will land somewhere else.
Let’s play a game of favorites! Feel free to elaborate.
Favorite Dessert:Chocolate. Oh wait, I should be more specific . . . Chocolate Cake (unless it is winter and then a cozy cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate will do the trick). But if it is my birthday, Red Velvet Cake (It’s really chocolate cake dyed red with a unique cream cheese icing, so it counts as chocolate, right?)
Favorite Restaurant: Banana Leaf Modern Thai in Cincinnati! (BEST CURRY EVER!)
Favorite Branch of the Military (I won’t judge you if say anything other than Army) : Navy (Shout out to my baby brother!)
Favorite Genre of Music:Alternative (Is that still a genre?) My daughter and I are on a Twenty-One Pilots kick right now! Rumors that make it okay to listen to this band: One of them was homeschooled. One was a youth pastor. Their music has Christian overtones.
Favorite Subject in School:English (I have no fun comments on this, just English.)
Today we welcome Author, and Speaker, Rebecca Waters! Rebecca has valuable insight to share, and a FREE COPY OF HER NOVEL, Breathing on Her Own. Rebecca, thank you for joining us today!
Breathing on Her Own: Lessons from My Firstborn “Bookchild”
Publishing that first novel is akin to raising your firstborn child. You do your best, make a few mistakes, and learn along the way.Now that Breathing on Her Own is a three-year-old, I’m prepared to offer other fledgling parents of books my sage advice.
Lesson 1 Birthing a “Bookchild” Requires Preparation
First time parents want to do this whole baby thing right. Moms exercise and eat healthy. Dads dutifully paint the nursery. The couple reads everything they can about raising children and they spend long hours discussing the child’s name.
In the same way, writers seeking to be authors need to exercise their writing muscle in order to draft that sweet manuscript. They must purposefully study the craft of writing and nuances of publishing. Writers need to identify their strengths and weaknesses and create a plan to improve as a writer. Choosing the title will emerge as the story unfolds. When I embarked on crafting that first novel, I created a business plan for my writing. I budgeted my time to study writing and publishing and engaged daily in writing exercises.
Lesson 2 Nobody’s “Bookchild” is Perfect
You wrote it. You love it. I get it. However, nobody births a perfect “bookchild.” Even the best of the best authors must revise and edit their work on a constant basis. I worked hard on that first novel to write a compelling story. I was sure I nailed it. When my publisher introduced me to my editor I waited for her to rave about the book. Fortunately, she knew her job was to polish my work not to caress my ego. Working with a professional editor may be painful or even costly. Think of it as putting braces on your child to correct the overbite. Healthy straight teeth improve speech quality, digestion, and physical appearance. A professional edit will allow your voice to be heard. It will give your manuscript the look and feel of a successful book.
Lesson 3 Not Everyone on the Playground Will Choose Your “Bookchild”
Once I decided to become an author I attended a writing conference. I hadn’t finished the first draft of Breathing on Her Own but was very close to the end. I pitched the book to agents and acquisition editors for publishing houses. I practiced what is called an elevator pitch. The first two agents interrupted me about halfway through my pitch. The next one and a couple of the publishers offered a kind word but a firm no. My last appointment was with Eddie Jones of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. He listened. He read the chapters I sent him. Two months later I had a contract. Not everyone will choose your book, but it only
takes one.
March 24th marks the third anniversary of the release of Breathing on Her Own. In celebration, my publisher is offering a freecopy of the book today!Grab it nowon Amazon.
Are you an aspiring author? I would love to hear from you. How are you spending these months of preparation to birth your own “bookchild?”
Interview with Rebecca:
1: Tell us about your latest novel, writing project etc and any personal inspiration behind it.
My husband died in a bicycle accident a few months after Breathing on Her Own released. That has been the hardest experience of my life. I put my novels on the back burner. I have a strong following on my blog, A Novel Creation, a background in education, and experience as a speaker. I’m often asked to speak to groups about the writing and publishing process. As a result, I recently published three handbooks for writers: Designing a Business Plan for Your Writing, Marketing You and Your Writing 101, and Writing with E’s. Proceeds from these books go to the Thomas R. Waters Memorial Scholarship for Ergonomics Research set up by the CDC Foundation.
2. What is your favorite scripture and why?
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do it heartily as for the Lord and not for men.” I claim this verse in every area of my life. In school I applied it to every assignment, always trying to do my best. Even if I didn’t like the teacher, I wrote the paper for God. What a difference that made! As a young wife I could sometimes feel unappreciated by my husband who tramped across the newly scrubbed kitchen floor with his muddy shoes. But when I scoured the floor for God, my feelings changed. He appreciated what I did. I now apply this to my writing as well. An agent may not like my book, but that’s okay. I didn’t write it for him!
3. I love hearing how God has set people free. There’s so much more to freedom than patriotism. Would you share a time with us when you experienced God’s freedom?
I love this question. It is interesting to me because of the timing. As I’ve shared, my husband died quite suddenly in 2014. He and I had been married for 43 years. I’ve clung to passages about God’s care for me and that He has a plan for me. It’s been hard.I relied on Tom for so much. Recently I heard a message about Lot’s wife. I never had much respect for Mrs. Lot. After all, she was told to not look back but did so anyway. She deserved being turned into a pillar of salt, right? Curious. The minister mentioned that aspect of disobedience, but said it wasn’t that she looked back with her eyes. She looked back with her heart. She looked back and longed for a life she couldn’t have. For me, a life I had enjoyed but one that could never be again. Don’t misunderstand. I will never forget Tom. He will always be a part of me, but now I am leaning on God more. I’m seeking His counsel and trusting His judgment more. I’m no longer looking at the plumber and wondering what Tom would do. There is a newfound freedom in that. Knowing that God has my back and He is all-powerful to care for me? Yes, that is true freedom.
ABOUT REBECCA
Rebecca Waters’ freelance work has resulted in articles for Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Lookout Magazine, The Christian Communicator, Church Libraries, and Home Health Aide Digest. Prior to publishing her first novel, Breathing on Her Own, Rebecca was a college professor and speaker on the Ohio Writing Project circuit.
Today we welcome guest blogger and author, Cyn Taylor! She’s got some great writing advice to share, AND she’s giving away a copy of Book 1 in the Smoky Mountain Mist series, “Blue Mountain Sky”!! Enter to win below!
JUST START
Many folks live by the mantra that life is all about the journey. As a writer, I disagree. The journey to becoming a published author is fraught with perils. Who wants to live like that?
Your book begins with joy and elation; much like bringing a first child into the world. (Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration — but it’s my analogy, and I’m sticking to it.)
Soon we come to the middle of our tale. Let’s correlate this period of writing with the teen years of the child you birthed earlier. Joy and elation gives way to gnashing of teeth and tearing of hair. This may be why there are so many bald authors.
We make it through the meat of our story. Whew! Now let’s wrap this up. However, finding the perfect ending can be as elusive as that candy bar that keeps sliding just out of reach under the seat of your car. Sure, you’re the one that hid it there due to a complete inability to share. However, you didn’t know at the time how far into the clutches of darkness a car floorboard could go.
Finally, the perfect words fly from your brain, down your arms and to your fingertips as you tap the computer keyboard as fast as the Flash can dart. The beginning is tempting, the middle moves the story along and the ending, well, IMPAC Dublin Award here we come.
Have a nice cup of tea and take a moment to catch your breath, because now the real work begins; finding a publisher that agrees with your assessment of the book. Once that happens (yes, sometimes fairy tales do come true) it’s on to the world of marketing. Let’s leave that experience for another day.
I wrote my first novel more than twenty-five years ago. I rewrote that book ten years ago. Then revised said book a couple of years ago. It wasn’t that Iwantedto keep changing the story. I just wanted to be published.
Having first written the book as Romantic Fiction, I submitted it to Harlequin. Their response was along the lines of “We have numerous books at this point. We’ll get back to you.” They didn’t. Hence, the next rewrite.
Inspirational Romance was hitting the market big time. I moved my characters into a Christian setting, added suspense and a bit of humor. I got to know my characters better and felt an attachment to them. I submitted to various Christian publishers. Responses varied from “Not what we’re looking for at this time” to “We would love to help you self-publish.” BLAH!
When I took a job as a photojournalist for a community paper, I began looking at my book through the eyes of a reporter. Hence the next revision. That one was a mistake.
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My characters needed more depth. I tried reading Christian Romantic Fiction and found myself falling asleep. While this was good for my health, it did nothing towards helping me become a better writer.
A friend suggested I read Stephen King’s book“On Writing.” I always found his stories terrifying and was never a fan. Now when I’m asked what helped me most in improving my writing I recommend this book. King is entertaining and the master at turning a phrase.
As I worked on redeveloping my first book, I had the idea of making it into a series set in the Great Smoky Mountains, my area. Before I had rewritten book one I was well on my way through books two and three. I had found my niche. I finished book one. Again. I started searching for a publisher. Again.
During this search, I received an assignment to interview a local author. I was impressed with her book so I bought it and saw her publisher listed.
I submitted my first book“Blue Mountain Sky”to Mantle Rock Publishingin October of 2015. Editor Kathy Cretsinger liked it enough to send a contract. The book released July 2016. Book two in this series “Red Morning Glory” released January 2017. Book three “Dawn’s Gray Light” should be available later this year or early 2018. The genre is Faith-based Contemporary Romantic Suspense.
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So here we are at the end of this particular story. That of a published author. How do we wrap this up? Let’s not. As a believer, I know that our stories are never ending. We all play a small part in the greater story woven by God.
If you have words stuck in your head, get them out. Put them on paper. Record them. Share them. Open yourself up to change. Don’t be afraid to self-promote. You may write the next great American novel. You’ll never know if you don’t start.
Happy writing!
Cyn Taylor
Weaving fiction, speaking Truth
ABOUT CYN:
Cyn Taylor lives and plays in Knoxville Tennessee in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. She and husband Brent live on his family farm at the peak of Thunder Ridge along with a feral cat and other woodland creatures who come round to visit. They have two adult children and seven grandchildren.
As a former freelance photo journalist, Cyn has written faith, community and feature articles.
Cyn gets some of the best inspiration for her books when she accompanies Brent on fly fishing excursions to the Smokies. He fishes. She writes. Life is good.