By Edie Melson As writers, we all know the importance of building an online following. We spend time crafting valuable blog posts with SEO rich headlines. We follow others on social media, working to connect. All the while keeping a sharp eye on those numbers that define success or failure. It’s easy to get caught up in those numbers. But …
Is Your Local Bookstore Your Local Bookstore?
by Suzanne Kuhn “My dream is to have my book published, but never be found on a shelf in a bookstore,” said no author ever. Instead, it’s every author’s dream to discover their book on the shelves of bookstores far and wide. But the question remains: How does an author go about getting their book onto store shelves? One way …
What Are You Writing Into Your Story?
by Lanny Smith I like reading Christian action-suspense thrillers. One of my favorite authors is Joel Rosenberg. No matter how dark certain parts of his stories may seem, his novels have always glorified the Lord and inspired me. My first novel, The Radical Ride, was an action-thriller because I wanted to take a blatant, in your face jab at terrorism. …
Seeking Soup Perfection
by Shelley Shepard Gray I made French Onion soup today. My husband has had bronchitis and feeling under the weather. I’ve felt so badly for him I ran to the store, picked up 5 yellow onions, and started slicing. Hours later, I brought him a bowl of something I’m inordinately proud of. There’s a story here. See, I really like …
Benefits of Out Of Print Book Collections
By Gail Gaymer Martin Recently I had the opportunity to enjoy two of my OOP novellas being used in a published collection of stories with a similar theme. My novella, Apple of His Eye, was published in Barbour’s, The British Brides Collection, which included five novelist with nine stories ranging from Jane Austen to Dickens. This month, An Old-Fashioned Christmas …
Devotional for Deadliners
By Anne Baxter Campbell Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God (Psalm 69:1-3, NKJV) …
Why Write?
By Michelle Arch I’ve spent nearly every weekend this year (and many weekends of the previous four years) working on my novel-in-progress and MFA thesis, Time of Death. To date, only a handful of workshop peers, a few contest judges, two editors, and one trusted writer friend have read excerpts from this body of work. When I’m not writing or …
The Care and Feeding of Readers
By Suzanne Woods Fisher A few months ago, I was tracking the traffic numbers on the Amish Wisdom blog and noticed a significant spike during the course of one week. An interview with a well known, bestselling author had been featured. Naturally, I assumed that interview was the cause for so many hits. But then I looked a little closer …
Listening to the Story
By Jane Kirkpatrick Some years ago I wrote a novel based on the life of a Native American woman. I’d worked for many years on an Indian reservation and had many native friends who helped me capture the essence of this woman. The book received fine reviews and I spent a fair amount of time doing newspaper and radio interviews. …
Top 3 things I’ve learned about Brand from Reality TV
By Traci Tyne Hilton That’s right. Blogging TV again. Why? Because there is no better place to learn about brand right now than Food Network Star, and because I love watching TV. #3: Your brand is your unique point of view and voice. The Meat on the Side girl, from a season or two back, cannot star in the same …