by Deborah Raney There are many different ways authors come up with names for their characters and even more stories surrounding character names. Here are just a few of my stories. I wanted 12 kids and had a list of 24 names for boys and girls long before my first baby was born. Some of those names that I didn’t …
Montana Magic
by Roxanne D. Hicks My memories of herding sheep for my grandfather, a Sioux Indian, during my childhood summers remain sweet and precious to me. My grandparents lived in the northeastern-most corner of Montana, nestled next to the borders of both Canada and North Dakota. Grandpa owned a flock of three thousand sheep, one of the largest in that area …
Lessons from Birthing a Second Book
by Linda Dindzans My most recent blog compared the release of my first book A Certain Man with birthing a baby. The next book in the series, A Certain Mercy, is undergoing content edits. This manuscript has readily confirmed that writing a second book is like expanding your family by the birth of another child. When I was expecting my …
Be a Different Egg. Don’t Get Scrambled!
By Cynthia Herron @C_Herronauthor All of us have met people who are “different eggs.” Different eggs march (or roll) to the beat of a very distinct drum. They come from various walks of life and they have a unique approach to the world around them. Maybe you’re one of those eggs–a delightful creative who thinks in the abstract and acts …
God-Directed Fiction, Part 2 (Maakah)
by Mesu Andrews In yesterday’s post, I shared some of my research process to layer biblical Truth with historical facts. But what do I do when history seems to contradict Scripture? I fall on my knees and pray that the Lord will provide a creative fictional answer! In every book I’ve written so far, I’ve experienced at least one fact/Truth …
Fighting for Peace
by Sarah Sundin @sarahsundin Today is the 80th anniversary of V-J Day, commemorating victory in Japan in World War II. At last, World War II had come to an end. Many rejoiced that the killing had stopped and peace would return. Many cried in relief that their loved ones would come home. Many mourned for those they had lost. For …
Something to Write About
by Suzanne Lee I was eight years old when I first put a poem on paper. I had sung and dreamed many before then, an unconscious imitator of Nash, Stephenson, and Walter de la Mare, of Shakespeare’s elegant conversational cadences, of the rich flavor of hymns and chants in Latin and English that had pervaded my childhood, and of the …
The Value of Writing Short Stories
by Glynn Young In the seven months since my last novel Brookhaven was published, I’ve been focused on talking about it, writing about it, publicizing it, sending out copies, and all the usual things you do to promote your book. I haven’t done much writing of anything else or anything new. An idea for a new novel has been percolating …
Keep Your Eyes on the Goal
by Rebecca Reed I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I think of a new story idea. I spend time thinking about characters, backstory, motivations, settings, and events. I call this “story noodling” and I love this activity. At some point, the newness wears off. Writing becomes less fun and more like work. I make excuses to …
When Success Doesn’t Follow You—Finding Identity as an Unpublished Christian Author
by Jeffrey Friedel, writing as Jefferson Riede @JeffersonRiede Scripture: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” ~Philippians 3:7 (ESV) There was a time in my life when I had the titles to back up my name. Lawyer. Executive. C-suite officer. I traveled the world. I stood in boardrooms. I rang the opening bell at …