By Mitchell S. Karnes In 1969, Frank Sinatra released “My Way,” in which the singer faces his final stage (end of his life) and declares that through the hills and valleys of life, “I did it my way.” On the surface, it is a wonderful thought. No matter what life threw against me, I did not buckle. I made my …
The Writing Harvest You Can’t Measure in Book Sales
by Elle E. Kay @ElleEKay777 Book sales and page reads are useful metrics to track. They help us determine what advertising is working and where we’re wasting our money. They can offer clues about whether a book or series is resonating with readers. They can also show our progress year over year when we might otherwise get discouraged. Yet some things can’t …
I Wanted To Be Hidden. Then God Gave Me The Mic.
By Valerie Carr I remember the first time I had to use a microphone on a stage in front of a large group of lunching ladies. All eyes were on me as I announced the winners of the raffle we had held for the charity we were supporting. For most people, this would not have been an issue. They would …
The Conference Butterfly Writer
By Darlene Corbett @darlenemcorbett I love butterflies. I love writing. And I love conferences. What does one have to do with the other? To make it simple, I’m like a butterfly who flits to as many writing conferences as possible. My wings flutter as I immerse myself in the nectar of learning. On closer examination, complexity streams through the parallel …
Behind A Writer’s Books
By Dr. Dwight David Croy Life-changing events are priorities to be told. As a Christian writer, my first priority is to tell how I was saved by Jesus Christ. When invited as a guest speaker at a church, I often start with how I came to Christ because that is my authority for speaking. A book is like a platform …
Geeks Read Books!
By Bruce Hennigan @bhennigan55 I recently took a big risk. In my region of the South, there is a large convention called “GeekD Con” featuring anime, superheroes, fantasy, cosplaying, and more. Average attendance over the three-day weekend is in the tens of thousands. Last year, I attended GeekD Con because my adult daughter wanted to cosplay an anime character. At the …
I Wasn’t An Author, Until God Said, Write
by: Valerie Carr The story came onto my heart rather suddenly. It wasn’t something I had purposely prepared for or even considered writing. But I had a story in my head, and when I went looking for something like it in a book, I couldn’t find what I was searching for. If I came close, the story often contained content …
The Stories We Echo
By Georgia Curtis Ling @GeorgiaCLing I thought I was marrying a city boy from Columbus, Ohio. It turned out his roots ran just as deep in Appalachia as my own, maybe deeper. Hanging in our entryway is the proof: a sepia portrait of a family dressed in their Sunday best, posed on the front porch of a white clapboard two-story, …
I Can’t Write
by Cynthia Hickey My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart 12 turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near. Job 17: 11-12 Writing is a tough business. Someone once told me you can learn the craft of writing, but to be a storyteller is a gift from God. …
Wons, Nones, and Dones: Know Your Audience
By Bruce Hennigan @bhennigan55 Do you know your potential audience? Jesus knew his audience well. In Matthew 22:15-22 (NIV), Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees about the question of should they pay their taxes. Jesus answered them: “But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying …