by Lisa Kelley @LisaKelleyWrite Writing is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Even so, the quest most of the time is rewarding. But sometimes the doubts mushroom, and I think my efforts are futile. Have you felt this way? Maybe you, like me, have said, “Lord, I’m done. I have nothing more to give.” Like me, you may have had …
How to Kill Your Characters Without Physicians Cringing
by Jenny Powell MD When I researched for my manuscript about the Apostle Paul, I wanted to know the impact of stones thrown at a body. How did stoning cause death? How far away from a body did someone have to stand to do the most damage? How does the body respond to such repeated insults? Of course, the scientist …
Building a Home, Building a Novel
By Diane E. Samson My husband and I have been in the process of building a home for the last 18 months. Our new place will be ready in December, and as all the various design pieces come together so it looks like an actual home, I can’t help but notice the similarities this experience has been to bringing a …
ACFW New Releases: December 2024
December 2024 New ReleasesMore in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: Always In My Heart by Iola Goulton — Broke solo mother Maya Allen is raising her daughter, Sarah, as well as her dead best friend’s daughter … who just happens to be her own daughter’s half sister (thanks, cheating college …
Singing the Song of Thanksgiving
by Christine Sunderland There is a white cross on the hillside of Angel Mountain, aka Mount Diablo, the setting for one of my novels. I have learned recently that it is a place of prayer and meditation, a light in the dark. We can see the cross from our house, a moving reminder to pray and give thanks, and on …
Christmas Musings and Reads
By Marguerite Gray Hello, fellow readers and authors. Tis the Season for a lot of things. It is the joy of Advent—a time of anticipation as we remember our Savior’s birth. What are some of your “Tis the Season” activities? I start anticipating the season with an abundance of Christmas novels and novellas that I have collected since January. I …
A New Writer’s Journey: Five Tips to save you a lot of heartache!
by Lisa Larsen Hill I wrote my biblical novel during the pandemic. Looking back at my journey, I wish I could’ve told myself, “Don’t worry. Don’t lose sleep (unless your characters are talking to you), and you’re about to start an amazing journey better than you could’ve planned. God will guide you.” Here are my biggest lessons. Learn from your …
Is Fiction True?
by Suzanne Lee The Truth “Is this a true story?” asked the form. “Is it about someone you know?” “Is it about you?” Yes, I replied. No. It is fiction, and so, complete invention, and also, seamless truth. A million of us, nameless, have lived its myriad parts, fought, loved, wept, laughed, hoped, hurt, gone on when breath was pain, …
Writing Realistic Villains
By Darlene L. Turner What are the trademarks of a villain? Do they have dark, piercing eyes, a snarly grin, crooked-yellowed teeth, knobby fingers, an evil laugh? Or is there more to it than that? The antagonist can be the hardest character to write but also the most fun. How can we be successful at it? Here are some tips …
Here I Am, Send Me
By Janet Morris Grimes Writing is a rather lonely sport, as we all know. In order to be a successful author, we must live within disciplined parameters that require us to keep our distance at times. While we’d love to accept every invitation from every family member or friend who is hosting a gathering, we’ve lived that life. And though …