A Drop of Ink

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

In our Southern Writers Magazine March/April 2019 Issue our contributor Londa Hayden features author Linda Apple.  Linda shared many things with us and I hope you will pour over this great article Londa did and find out more about this author. One of the things that stood out to me was Linda sharing with us her mantra which is a quote from Mark Twain, “A drop of ink may make millions think.”  

Our forefathers knew this better than anyone. It was a drop of ink that spread the call to freedom across the 13 colonies. A drop of ink declared our freedom as a nation. A drop of ink has started wars, ended wars and initiated treaties. It also has brought us some of the greatest stories, poems and songs of the ages. Mark Twain was right, a drop can make us think.

But the truth is this can only happen when it is in the hands of the author. The author’s thoughts are delivered to us by way of the ink or in today’s case digitally. No matter if the delivery is old school or high tech, the principle is the same. As authors that one drop of ink is indeed a great responsibility. What an author does with it can influence millions.

In 1839 English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton penned those famous words, “The pen is mightier that the sword.” A simple figure of speech which has become entrenched in our minds and society and mirrored by Mark Twain with his “A drop of ink may make millions think.” I think Linda Apple has the right idea to use this as a mantra. It not only makes you think about what it is you want to share but also about your responsibility as an author.      

As you write think about the message you are sending, think about the people it will reach and the reactions it may produce. Knowing today we can not only reach “millions”, as Suite T has done with over 3.4 million page views, we can do it with lightning speed. Before the next drop of ink, think.

Unplugging

By Londa Hayden

I love rainy days. They allow time for me to think. Life seems to stop for a moment and a hush comes over the world, reminding me to slow down and take a breath. Good days for writing too, especially if the internet goes down. I can still type. Yes! No temptation to interrupt my flow of thought. Unplugging is a good thing. Life can get so busy with all the things in life that pull at us. Family, kids, dogs, cats, neighbors, friends, and all the obligations that come along with it make us feel we should stay plugged in or we might miss something.

I recall the days we didn’t have cell phones. How did we survive without them? I can honestly say, just fine. Okay, I don’t think I’m that old. It wasn’t all that long ago when we lived in a world without all this technology to distract us. In fact, when my husband and I moved to West Virginia, it took the telephone company over two weeks to install our phone line. I had a toddler to care for while my husband worked 12 hour shifts during a strike. How did I survive? They had these things called payphones—quarters—lots of quarters.

I have a friend who ditches everything and hides out in an old shack when she has a deadline to meet. She leaves her family and the world behind for a few days. There is electricity to power her computer, a fan, or window air conditioner if it’s hot or space heater when cold. The phone is turned off except for a designated time to reassure family she’s alright or for emergencies: rats, a bear, or other infestations. Interesting set up. Kind of like in the movie “War Room” when the main character cleans out a closet and sets it up as a prayer room. Completely clear except for a place to sit, a Bible, journal and pen. Photos of loved ones and friends are taped to the wall with handwritten prayers beside them. That room is designated for one thing only for a specific time.

My favorite place to write is at the beach. Breathing fresh sea air and listening to the ocean waves outside take me to another place and time in my mind. I’m able to concentrate and focus. Another favorite place is in the forest surrounded by trees and birds with a nearby river or creek. The sounds of nature inspire me. Some may find busy places like Starbucks, or other public spaces have more to offer. The noise doesn’t bother them. They write best in the middle of crowded malls or bus stations. Not allowing other distractions to interrupt you is the key and can be an issue for many of us. I can’t go to a Starbucks without checking my phone, Facebook, and Twitter. Not to mention those Pinterest photo pop-ups with great recipes. Oh, good dinner idea. Before I realize it, instead of writing my story, I’m writing a grocery list and suddenly my precious time gone.

Going off-grid for a while is a good way to reset your focus. So, find a treehouse, borrow a friend’s trailer and set it up in your backyard with a do not disturb sign on the door, or rent a cabin at a state park. If you can, go on a private beach getaway. When you need a break, take a hike or a walk to clear your head and then get back to work. The peace and quiet may drive you crazy at first, but just start writing. Play your favorite music on your iPod or not. Do what works for you. Resist the urge to edit your work. Just write the story. Bring your notebook with photos related to your project, or open the photo file on your computer along with your list of characters and descriptions for quick reference. No Wi-Fi. Do not use internet, not even for research. Simply flag that spot and return to it later. This is your chance to get a first draft written, and rewrite a second or third one. Editing can wait. Just get the story written. And in the meantime, relax and enjoy the simplicity of an unplugged world.

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Londa Hayden is a native Texan now living in beautiful Alabama with her husband and three sons. She studied music at East Texas Baptist University. Where Two Rivers Meet is the first historical romance in the Washington's Woods series. The idea for this novel was conceived while Hayden lived in West Virginia and began researching her personal genealogy. She discovered ancestral involvement with George Washington and his tobacco plantation during the Revolutionary War Era near Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Thus, the title Where Two Rivers Meet came about while overlooking the confluence of the Kanawha River and the Ohio River. Two more books are expected to follow. Her experience in the medical field gave her the opportunity to volunteer during the Katrina crisis, which inspired Candy Moon, the first in a children's book series. Candy Moon Choo Choo is the sequel and offers a touching tribute to veterans. Londa is the founding president for Bartlett Christian Writers and a staff writer for Southern Writers Magazine. Her memoir, Date Pray Wait offers Christian dating advice. Londa is happily married to Steve, her first and only husband, for almost three decades now. She enjoys spending time with her family. Other interests include volunteering for non-prophet organizations to help the homeless and teach Christian values to youth, theater, movies, music, crafts, the arts, exploring the outdoors and other cultures.

Candy Moon Choo Choo Book Signing

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

Londa Hayden, author of the Candy Moon series, recently had a book signing for her second book in the series Candy Moon Choo Choo. The signing was in Bartlett TN at Book Stop Plus, a local bookstore that has a strong connection with the writers and writers groups in the area. Londa made this a special family friendly event and many families came with children and grandchildren.  I attended with my granddaughter Lily Sloane and Londa did not disappoint.

Upon entering Book Stop Plus we were met by the author herself. This was nice being greeted by the writer, thanked for coming. Londa directed us to her hospitality table, book table and illustrator Nick Nixon’s table. She invited us to return and she would sign her books.

Her hospitality table included copies of Candy Moon and Candy Moon Choo Choo you could thumb through. Also was a copy of the Candy Moon Choo Choo Coloring Activity Book. She also had directions to her social media sites, the site for downloading and printing free activity pages and her website which included all her books. Fellow members of her Bartlett Writers Group worked the table and handed out candy, cookies and the like to visitors.  The CD recordings of both books read by illustrator Nick Nixon was an added touch.

Having illustrator Nick Nixon there was a very special pleasure for everyone attending. Nick has done some great work on these two books. Bringing his voice over experience from the advertising world to Londa’s CDs was again a treat. Nick had a busy table as well doing caricatures of the children which they all loved. Nick was wonderful with the kids and after meeting his grandchildren I can see his grand parenting skills are excellent.

Londa not only signed the books but became involved with each child and took time to read something or show them something in her Candy Moon Series. Londa used all available tools writers have to connect with her readers. I left thinking I can’t wait for the next book in her series. Londa made this an enjoyable event and all inclusive for families. Londa, well done!

        

     

Another Side of Southern Writers, Part One

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


In each issue of Southern Writers, we proudly present interviews and instructional articles by the cream of the publishing crop.  Having featured over 900 outstanding authors in our four years of publication, I thought we'd turn the tables today and throw the spotlight on the unsung heroes who help make each issue possible: our staffers and regular contributors. It won't surprise you that most of them are authors in their own right. 

Susan Reichert, our Editor-in-Chief, somehow manages to orchestrate a magazine, a publishing company, a writers group, author seminars, and a dizzying bevy of other projects, while I have yet to see her lose her equilibrium or her cool.  Everyone on staff has been inspired by her ability to stay focused, sometimes in the midst of chaos. What are the secrets of staying balanced? Susan's latest work, Storms in Life: Overcoming–Surviving–Living offers advice for everyone from busy executives to families in crisis. You'll find her encouragement to be the calm after the storm.

Her blog, "Authors Visits", features interviews above and beyond the magazine at http://authorsvisits.com


Writer-at-large Chris Pepple is also a speaker and a freelance writer with two books of encouragement and a novel in the works. Look to See Me, her collection of "slice of life" short stories, delivers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary women who possess extraordinary determination. Each woman in these stories walks through life with a unique blend of faith, courage and love. Chris introduces the reader to women whose voices should be heard and whose stories should be told.

http://chrispepple.blogspot.com



 
Jessica Ferguson is an award-winning author heavily involved in writers associations. She not only writes a great interview, she tells a riveting story. Mystery and romance go hand in hand in her latest novel, The Last Daughter, in which a woman with too many questions about her past seeks the answers that lead to an emotional journey into danger.

Jessica is currently working on a friendship series—four girls, four stories—for release in 2016.  Check out her blog at http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com




Londa Hayden heads up writers groups and conferences, and has created an instant classic for the holiday season. Candy Moon inspires the Christmas spirit in a charming tale that follows a family on their way to help others less fortunate. In a world where traditional values are challenged, Candy Moon is a well-timed children's book that is long overdue, with colorful illustrations by Nick Nixon.

The sequel, Candy Moon Choo Choo, is due out this fall, as is Where Two Rivers Meet, the first fiction novel in the Washington's Woods series. Both are available for preorder at http://londahayden.com.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing and a former literary agent. A popular conference speaker, his "Book Proposal Boot Camp" column appears in each issue of Southern Writers. Among his helpful writings for aspiring and experienced authors, Terry's Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams is a must-read that covers the essential skills for every writer to get published. For practical advice from a pro, this is the place to go.

Terry also offers answers to proposal questions at http://www.AskAboutProposals.com

Poet and educator Sara M. Robinson graces each issue of Southern Writers with her column "Poetry Matters." Her latest book of poetry, Stones for Words, takes the reader through five distinct levels of an evolutionary journey of her writing and philosophy of life. Her personal development is likened to layers of hard and soft rock, which she must mine for definition and clarity. With characteristic candor, Sara is not reluctant to involve the reader in the intimacy of her thought process and writing revelations.

Her next poetry book, Sometimes the Little Town, will be released in early 2016. It is poetry based on the photo books of well-known regional photography of Hobby Robinson. The people and setting around small town Elkton, VA, are the focus. www.saramrobinson.com

There are more fine authors who appear in each issue, and they are the subject of my Tuesday, July 28th blog post.  

If you enjoy what these wordsmiths do in Southern Writers, I encourage you to check out their own masterpieces. You'll experience firsthand how their talents help make a magnificent mag.

Blog to Build Your Audience

By Londa Hayden, Staff Writer for Southern Writers Magazine

In promoting a book, one must think outside the box at times. It finally dawned on me one day that I would serve my book's intended audience far better by offering a blog by the same title at http://www.datepraywait.com. My book “Date, Pray, Wait” is a nonfiction work about my dating experiences as a young Christian woman. I share about how I came to know Christ and learned to wait on God to bring my husband into my life. But, there is so much more to my story than just my dating experiences. Every person can relate to the loneliness of being single. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, almost everyone wants to find that one and only someone to have and to hold until death do you part. I've been married almost 26 years now, so what the heck was I thinking when I wrote this book for single people? I mean, doesn't it make more sense for single people to want to read book written by other single people? Perhaps that is true, but I do have the advantage of experience and wisdom to share with Christian singles without being their mother or teacher.

Of course, there are tons of websites out there for Christian singles who want to date, which could be considered my competition. Cyberspace can be a remarkable social networking tool, but it can also be a pretty scary place if you’re not careful. Instead of looking at all these Christian dating websites as competition, I decided to go with the flow and use my blog to compliment them instead. And once I can get the SEO and RSS feed stuff figured out, I hope to start getting a lot more traffic to my website. This is an age of social networking unlike anything the world has ever seen or experienced before. Single people especially use the Internet constantly all day long on their laptops, desktops, iPads, phones, Kindles, etc. They are always online and connected to the Internet in one capacity or another. You must learn to use this technology in order to communicate and reach your audience.

Think about who your book will attract. Now think about who is really buying and reading your book? What does your true demographic audience really look like now? Guess what? That is your audience. So work your promoting and marketing around that demographic; their wants, desires, and needs. Starting a blog is one of the easiest ways to gain internet presence and market your book. I also blog on a separate author website at http://www.londahayden.com about writing, and I have set up separate pages to promote each book I have written. I have a fan page on Facebook for just my book titled “Date, Pray, Wait.”  And of course Twitter is another authority website which really should not be ignored. All of these avenues of social media are interconnected with one another and help me target my marketing efforts to my specific audience. All I need to do is click on the Twitter or Facebook icon to get the link to my new blog article posted to every one of them. It really is just as simple as that.

If you really want to reach your audience, you must consider building a strong internet presence as a big part of your platform for marketing. Most publishers will expect at least this much from any potential author. A blog about your book is a great way to serve and build your audience, and a great way to help promote your book to thousands of people who otherwise might never hear about you or your book. There are many free website hosts where you can easily set up a blog. Here are just a few: Wordpress.com, Webs.com, GoDaddy, Weebly.com, Myspace.com, and Google offers Blogspot.com.

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Londa Hayden is the founding president of Bartlett Christian Writers and a staff writer for Southern Writers Magazine. Her debut book, Date, Pray, Wait inspired a blog by the same name at  http://datepraywait.com and encourages Christian singles to date with wisdom. To learn more about Londa and her other works, please visit her website at http://londahayden.com.

The Gift of Leadership

by Londa Hayden

Londa at a BCW Meeting with Southern
Writers' Creative Director, Gary  Fearon
and Managing Editor, Doyne Phillips

I have been honored to be the founding president of Bartlett Christian Writers for the past year and a half and have enjoyed every minute of it. My passion for writing with excellence is stirred every time we meet. When I was first approached with the idea of starting a Christian writers group in my area, my first thought was I'm not qualified enough to tackle such a feat. I wasn't even a published author at that time. My insecurities kept me from following through for almost a year. Instead, I kept driving an hour away to participate in another writers group until the leader asked me again the same question, and I felt the urge within to go ahead with it.

The story of Moses came to mind. When God asked him to lead the Jews out of Egypt, Moses voiced his concerns with stuttering lips. Yet, unbeknownst to Moses, God had been preparing him all his life for such a task. I took a deep breath and plotted out a plan of action to start a local writers group out of my church. To my surprise, the local newspaper editor offered to send out a reporter and write an article about our group. We only had five people show up for that first meeting including the reporter, but we still got a nice article in the paper. Fearing our number was too small to justify our meeting space, a scripture came to mind, “Despise not small beginnings.”

The next month we sponsored a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” workshop, which garnered in a few more members. We got a free website up and running shortly after that and a Facebook page. I made sure to keep the local media posted on all monthly updates and to make announcements. I contacted the local Christian radio station, posted on the special events pages of several websites, and I made a small investment for business cards, brochures, and flyers to have posted at local Christian bookstores, libraries, and churches. In August, we held a new members brunch which brought in even more members. By fall, we had ten to twelve members attending our monthly meetings. Now in our second year, we have twenty-five members profiled on our website and Facebook page.

I enjoy making friends with other Christian writers and seeing how God works in each of their lives. It is my privilege and brings me great joy to help educate and encourage them in their journey to getting their work published. I too have learned so much. Looking back, I now see where God had been preparing me to lead Christian writers for several years by stirring the passion in my heart for writing. Someone once told me, “God doesn't necessarily look for people with great ability as much as He looks for someone willing to do whatever He calls you to do.” With some prompting and a lot of encouragement, I stepped out on faith to lay the ground work and God honored my efforts. I don't get paid, but I've been blessed with more than money can buy. I love my job!

What about you? Is there a way you can use leadership skills you may not even realize you have to benefit other authors? When you give your leadership away, it will be a true gift.