A Facebook Page Arthur Fonzarelli Would "Like"

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

"Ehhhhhhhhhhh, I give this Facebook page two thumbs up." The coolest dude in Milwaukee would not click to register his like. He'd probably just thump the side of the computer screen and it would magically appear. The better question isn't how the Fonz registered his like but why. We'll unlock the answer by making our pages more Arthur Fonzarelli and less Ralph Malph.

Fonzie Showed Up

Whether Richie was in an unfair fight or Joanie was in a compromising position, the Fonz always showed up. You build a successful page by being an active participant in it. Comment back when someone drops in. Post updates three or four times a week. Occasionally I'll visit a Facebook page that hasn't been had a post since October 2010. If you aren't hangin' around the juke box, nobody else will dance.

Fonzie Had a Cool Name

Have you ever seen a facebook url that looked something like this? www.facebook.com/wowthisisareallylongname/userprofile/#!/whatintheworldisallthisstuff/123456789 This is the Facebook url of an Arthur. If we want to be a Fonz, we need a direct url. With just 25 likes, you can claim your cool at www.facebook.com/username with a custom url such as: www.facebook.com/coolestwriterever. The next thing we know, you'll write wearing leather.

Fonzie Had Something Worthwhile to Say

The Fonz was a man of few words. Therefore, the ones he used were heeded. We'd do well to follow his example.

We spent many hours in the Cunningham's home but we never watched them cut grass for an entire episode. Mr. Cunningham would occasionally show up at the hardware store but he never spent thirty minutes explaining the difference between a circular saw and a drill. To be successful on Facebook, we need to invite our friends and followers to the family dinner table without serving them meatloaf every week. Keep our message simple and others will read it.

Grab a malt and hop over to Facebook. Implement a few quick changes. In no time, your fan page could garner a like from Arthur, Potsie and even Mrs. C.

An Audience with the Queen: The Value of Online Book Reviews

by Dan King

I was going about my business like I usually do when it happened. I looked at the feed of Twitter updates in my TweetDeck app, and I noticed that a blogger buddy was sharing a link to a recent post of his. While it was the title of the post that sounded relevant to me, I was pleased to find an excellent review for an e-book on a topic that was very timely for me.

After reading his thoughts on the book, I realized how much I needed to read that book as well.

So I headed over to Amazon.com, ordered the Kindle version of the book, and started reading. As it turns out, it was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down. So what was my response? Yep, you guessed it! I wrote my own review for the book on my website. And my Amazon Associates reports show a few more people bought copies of the book after clicking on the links from my review.

The crazy thing is mere minutes before purchasing a book I would eventually try to help sell, I wasn’t even thinking at all about purchasing the book. In fact, I didn’t even know the book existed!

In social media circles, that’s what we call the viral effect. It’s the ability that the web and social media sites have to spread ideas like the swine flu. If you’re lucky (or good), then this whole thing can take on a life of its own.

Here’s how to get more than luck on your side:

1.    Start with who you know. Tap your existing networks to offer your work for free if people are willing to do reviews on it. This is obviously easier if you can offer an e-book option. But the idea is to get it in front of people who already follow you who are willing to talk about the book on their blogs and/or in their social networks. This one has two sub-groups of activity:

○     The high-value blogger - The reality is that some of the bloggers you may know already have large followings and a high level of influence. Identifying this group of people may be helpful, and open doors for higher-impact posts. Be open to doing more than offering a free copy in exchange for doing a review. Consider being available for interviews and/or sharing more copies as giveaways with these people.

○     All other bloggers - You may not have the bandwidth to do a whole lot with every other blogger who wants a free copy of the book, but don’t underestimate the value of getting lots of people talking about your book. This is particularly effective if you have a website dedicated to the book that these bloggers can (and should) link to. All of these links make a big difference in the search engine results, pushing your book higher for associated keywords.

2.    Leverage popular book review sites. There are lots of sites out there that are dedicated to doing book reviews. A couple that I know of are Englewood Review of Books and Crazy for Books. Both of these sites take very different approaches to how they connect with book reviewers, but you’ll find some value in them both. Englewood Review of Books is specifically focused on the faith niche, but a Google search for sites like this in your niche should turn up some decent results, and great opportunities to connect with review sites and other book review bloggers.

3.    Join networks in your niche. As a faith-based blogger/writer, I also find a great deal of benefit to being a part of a network of like-minded writers at TheHighCalling.org. The site doesn’t post a large number of reviews, but allows for a great number of people to connect with who can be potential reviewers. This is more of a long-term strategy, because not many people are big fans of the guy that shows up to the party leading off with, “Hey, I’m Dan! Wanna help me sell my book?” Take your time, build relationships, and the opportunities to leverage the network will come.

I wish I could share more, but I’ve got to get back to a couple projects that I have going right now. One of them is a five-part review for a book I liked so much that one review wasn’t enough. The other is working through the editing of my upcoming e-book, and lining up bloggers to share something related to the book when I send them their free copy.

 
Just don’t forget that content is still king. If you write ideas that are worth sharing, then people will be more likely to share them. But if content is king, then the online book review is the queen... and we all know who the one person is that can tell the king what to do!
__________________

About Dan King: Christ-follower. husband. father. corporate training development guru. school of ministry and missions instructor. social media editor for thehighcalling.org. blogger at bibledude.net. co-founder and media director for the activistfaith.org movement. social media director for help end local poverty.

Catch up with Dan online at his blog, Facebook or Twitter.

What's Your Point of View?

Today our Editor-in-Chief, Susan Reichert, is taking a break from Wisdom Wednesday to bring us the insight of our Special Features Director, Richelle Putnam. Please give a warm Southern welcome to Richelle!
__________________________________

by Richelle Putnam, Special Features Director

Defining Point of View (POV) in literature has always been a bit tricky, especially since Webster defines point of view as:

a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated.

And, of course, who can argue with Webster?

Literary POV, however, simply means “how” the story is told, not “who” is telling the story. Let’s say an argument happens between two friends and each tells you their side. In literary terms you’re hearing the stories from the same POV: first-person, but from two different “perspectives.”

Tricky? Yes.

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY POV:

First Person: The Narrator participates in the story, telling the story from his/her perspective. (“I”).

Second person: The reader (“You”) becomes an active participant in the story. This POV is rarely used because of its limitations and because most readers like to escape into someone else’s drama. Still, there are cases in which second person works. 

Third Person: (“he,” “she,” and “they”) Includes narrators that:

a.      See into any of the characters (omniscient). This all-knowing POV can include “editorial” omniscience, which makes judgments about the characters and their actions. Or can be “impartial,” which doesn’t make judgments about the characters’ thoughts and actions.

b.      See into one major character (Selective omniscience)

c.       See into one minor character (Selective omniscience)

d.      Remains objective and doesn’t see into any of the characters (objective  omniscience)

Writers can often get hung up between “literary point of view” and “Webster’s point of view,” thinking they’re one in the same. For instance, in a critique session, if fellow critiquers say you changed POV midstream, unless you changed from third-person to first-person, or vice-versa, they really mean you changed “perspectives.”  Third-person is third-person, whether the focus is on Helga or Swen.  For instance, in a third-person POV book, if a new chapter begins inside another character’s mind in third-person, the POV is the same. The perspective has changed. Perspectives can change throughout a book with each character sharing what he or she is thinking, planning, and feeling. Only when authors switch from First Person (I) to Third Person (He, She, They) does the book’s POV change.  Have I said that enough?

One novel that masterfully changes the novel’s POV is William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, which consists of First Person and Third Person POVs. Best-selling author James Patterson also does this well.

In short, it’s not in “whose POV is the story written,” but in “what POV” is the story written.

What’s important is to keep your characters “perspectives” from crowding the same paragraph or chapter in your novel. Give each character space by separating each “perspective” with a new chapter or extra spaces and four asterisks.

Here’s a helpful suggestion. Imagine a big room. In the center are five chairs spread out into a wide circle, like what you’d imagine for a group session. 

Imagine that room as your manuscript. The chairs represent different parts of your manuscript, either a new chapter or a section set off by four asterisks. One character is allowed to sit in each chair because, well, there’s only room enough for one.  Now, during “group,” you, as the leader, must keep your characters on the issue at hand, which is the plot, allowing only one character to share their “perspective” at a time.

By doing this, your readers obtain necessary facts and information from several different characters without getting confused as to who is feeling what, when, where and how. And there is much more opportunity to end each chapter/section with a “hook.” But we’ll save that for another blog!

Point-of-view and perspective can be tricky, but knowing the “tricks of the trade” will keep you from falling victim to the trickster.

Well…that’s my point of view.

Judging Books by Their Covers

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


The parade of new movie posters hanging outside the local Malco theatre on any given weekend affect me in the same way ancient sailors found themselves drawn to the song of the Sirens. Approaching them from afar fills me with unparalleled anticipation of the mystery, beauty and adventure Hollywood hopes will lure us into its buttery-smelling catacombs.

And yet, once the posters are within view, it takes less than two seconds to assess each banner and develop a definite sense of whether or not that matinee will get the nod. About a second for the title and a second to glance at the picture, and I’m on to the next.

Relatively speaking, a great many factors are deduced in such a short amount of time. All at once, consideration is given to familiarity with actors, the appeal of the graphics, the cleverness of any tagline and, of course, the showtime (in the event I’ve already missed the beginning). But, for my money, the most immediate deciding factor is the title.

Case in point: a movie came out this week called Columbiana. It may be a terrific film; it may be a total bore. I’ll never know personally because the title was one of those instant turnoffs. It just sounds like yet another South American drug smuggling artillery-fest. (I’ve since learned that it’s about a girl who grows up to be an assassin or something.) I contend that the movie would have a wider appeal if they had taken a little more care to pick an enticing title. If the girl had an interesting name, Natasha would be a better title. Or since she’s a killer, how about Femme Fatality?

Not to pick on Columbiana; that just happens to be a current example. For the sake of contrast, let’s look at other titles now showing that do evoke some sense of what the movie’s about:

     Rise of the Planet of the Apes

     Our Idiot Brother

     Bad Teacher

     Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

     Cowboys & Aliens

Regardless of whether those titles draw you in, they don’t beat around the bush; they tell you something. Another example, Midnight in Paris, suggests a mood that is very much like the movie itself. And vague though they may be, even The Debt and Crazy, Stupid, Love at least suggest a theme. Now, I haven’t seen any of the above and am not endorsing any (although another intriguing title is Seven Days in Utopia; I have seen that and recommend it enthusiastically).

The same personal scale by which we rate movie posters is in play when we’re browsing the bookshelves. That all-important title, coupled with appropriate cover art, is going to determine whether we pick it up to see more. A look at this week’s New York Times fiction bestsellers reveals these evocative titles:

     Kill Me If You Can

     A Dance with Dragons

     A Trick of the Light

     The Language of Flowers

     Flash and Bones (I think this author would appreciate Femme Fatality)

All of those titles pop, and even the most indistinct of them bear some connection to what lies between the covers. In all cases, if the title doesn’t say it all, the supportive artwork fills in the gap.

Whether it’s your book, movie, blog or YouTube video, it never hurts to declare your intentions with a solid title. You can still get creative as long as you decide on a name that evokes some idea of what you’re going to deliver. Whichever the case, you’ll want to avoid ambiguity, which could cause you to be written off, having evoked no reaction at all.

Next time you’re at the movies, I invite you to take note of how much the titles alone have influenced your choice. And if you see Columbiana, you’ll have to tell me if it’s any good.

Tears Don't Flow the Same in Space

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Frank Culberston had a unique position from which to observe the attacks of 9/11. He was the only American not on the planet at the time of the attacks. Frank Culberston observed the attacks from two hundred fifty miles in space on board the International Space Station. He arrived August 12^th and would remain until December 15^th.  It was his 30^th day aboard and had called mission control for a routine medical check and was told by the doctor, “We aren’t having a very good day here on earth.” Culberston and his crewmates took notice of the attack areas in New York City and Washington D.C. With perfect weather they were able to capture some amazing shots.

Culberston said later they found the gray smoke drifting over New York City, Long Island and out to the Atlantic was from the collapse of the South Tower. In a public letter he wrote, “Tears don’t flow the same in space...The feeling that I should be there with all of you, dealing with this, helping in some way, is overwhelming.”

We may have never experienced space travel but each of us has been a part of or witnessed some event from a unique position. It may have been a historical, family or community event. It could have been your school years, politics or career situation. We must search our minds, realize our uniqueness then share our story; a story that no one else can tell. Present that story to fellow authors, critics or agents and discover the interest others have. Before you know it you could be getting positive results from you query letters and we will all be able to read your story.

I once attended a seminar where participants were asked what made us unique. I was amazed at the answers. They ran from I am a twin to I have the tattoo of a Kansas Jayhawk on my molar. Do you have something that makes you unique? Would you be willing to share it? If so we want to hear from you in the comments section.  

My Blog Blows

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

My blog blows. Do you ever feel that way? You've followed all the design advice and your blog appearance is top notch. You provide excellent content. Everything about your blog says professional. The only problem is your reader list which is your mom, your great-aunt Martha and your first grade teacher, Mrs. Goldstein.

Before you turn in your Blogger badge and ride off into the sunset, consider trying these tips:

Hang with Your Hombres

You're blogging about gardening but spend your free time at an inner city roller derby rink. Chances are they don't know a petunia from a peony. Find places your audience congregates and mingle. Your mastery of the subject will naturally draw these acquaintances to your site.

Help a Hero

Find someone in your area of expertise whose blog you devour. Volunteer to help them by commenting on their blog or reposting their blogs on Twitter. You may be thanked with an opportunity to guest post or with a credible recommendation.

Host a Happy

Everybody likes getting something for nothing or practically nothing anyway. Fund a giveaway for your site that directly relates to your content. If you're blogging about beauty, aggregate a package of new product. If you're writing movie reviews, offer movie passes complete with popcorn and drinks. What do you ask in exchange? Ask them to follow your blog, mention it on Facebook or tweet about it. You'll be amazed how excited people can get over even a low-value prize.

Does your blog blow? Harness the wind by hanging with your hombres, helping a hero or hosting a happy. Soon your blog will blow hurricane style.

The Write Personality

by Shona Neff

Our individual personalities impact the way we flow through life. However, did you know that they also influence the way we write? Each of the four personality types (sanguine, choleric, melancholy, and phlegmatic) affects the way we craft our words as well as the way we approach writing. What is your write personality?

Phlegmatic

Phlegmatic personalities resemble a slow moving river. They naturally make everyone around them feel comfortable, and they have the most stabilizing influence of all the personality types. These wonderful characteristics flow easily into the world of writing. 

Phlegmatic individuals are non-offensive in their approach to life so they are naturally diplomatic when tackling tricky topics. There is a practicality in their writing which appeals to broad audiences. However, a phlegmatic writer’s low-keyed demeanor sometimes translates into a dull read. These capable writers need to incorporate descriptive words and phrases into their stories in order to add a spark of interest.

When actually crafting a piece, phlegmatic writers are well suited to the quiet, solitary environment of their offices. However, because they are notorious procrastinators, they need to allow plenty of time to meet deadlines.

Melancholy

Melancholy people are deep thinkers and the most sensitive of all the personalities. They mirror a still lake . . . tranquil on the surface, with deep running waters. As lovers of beauty, these natural word crafters often touch hearts like no others. Their deep thinking essence allows them to whisk readers away to unexpected locations and see simple concepts in new and profound ways.

Many melancholy personalities strive for perfection; this compels them to dissect every detail when writing. This trait, when taken to the extreme, sometimes bogs readers down in a literary quicksand of unnecessary nuances. To overcome this tendency, these detail-oriented writers need to determine which items are crucial to a piece and which ones can be eliminated.

As the embodiment of quality and high standards, the melancholy writer sometimes stifles his or her creativity by sweating over too many details. It isn’t always easy, but these masterful word smiths shine when they can relax their natural tendency for each word or phrase to represent perfection. They also need to allow plenty of time to finish any projects with a deadline because they don’t work well under pressure.

Choleric

The choleric personalities of the world tend to be the most intense. Everything about them screams, POWER. Being in the presence of this powerful personality is like a wild ride on river rapids! They are quick thinkers and always on a mission.  These driven individuals often make the casual observer tired because of their ability to accomplish so much in short spurts of time.

As writers, they bring intensity to any page. They don’t generally write touchy feely pieces, but gravitate toward practical and active topics. Their “brick-between-the-eyes” style ignites choleric readers, but may be too blunt for others. Choleric writers reach a broader audience when they tone down their intense approach to writing.

They are quick thinkers and work well under pressure.  Although I don’t advocate any writer wait until the last minute to meet a deadline, this personality can generally pull off a last-minute article better than  a phlegmatic, melancholy, or sanguine writer.

Sanguine

Sanguine personalities are like the dancing waters of a fancy fountain. They are spontaneous, fun-loving, and extremely creative. These lively traits make for an entertaining story teller. It is not unusual for sanguine writers to have heads bursting with ideas ready to splash all over the page.

A sanguine writer’s creative juices flow like a fast-moving river. Their words are as lively as their exuberant demeanor. This sometimes leads them to over exaggerate some of their non-fiction stories, but gives them an edge when it comes to fiction. Writing is the perfect place for sanguine daydreams to become reality.

When it comes to completing an article or manuscript, the sanguine writer sometimes struggles. Putting in the long hours and copious amounts of energy required for polishing is not always easy for this fun-loving personality; they are easily distracted by entertaining things like people and socializing. These activities do not always promote good writing habits in a sanguine writer’s world.

There is no right or wrong personality when it comes to writing. However, if you understand your “write” personality, it will assist in as you navigate the creative waters of success.

___________________________________ 

Shona loves to encourage and equip people. She is a CLASS (Christian Leaders, Author, and Speaker Seminars) Certified Personality Trainer and blogs regularly about The Personalities at www.shonaneff.com.

She is co-founder of StepUP Writing and Speaking Services which offers a variety of services to equip and encourage writers and speakers wanting to enter the Christian communication market.

 
Shona lives in northern New Mexico with her husband and trio of terriers. She is a new member of the empty nester’s club, but loves it when her college-age sons come home to visit.

Take Time for Reflection

by Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief

Ever just sit at a lake and look at the beautiful colors how they pop against the sky so blue? Everything is quiet except a rustle in the trees from the occassional wind. Looking out into the lake, it is as if you were looking into a mirror. It is as still as glass and all the beautiful colors are popping against the water. There is such a comforting feeling sitting there. It feels as if you got off the world and sat down in solace to drink in the beauty and the serenity.

We all need times like these. It helps us appreciate our Creator as well as the creations.

Grab a spot today and drink in some beauty and serenity.

Swinging In On a Vine

After putting the September issue to bed, Gary is taking a much deserved day off. Help us welcome his guest poster,  Vicki Moss, Editor-at-Large.

Have you ever swung into the writing jungle for a critique and disagreed with comments or some of the advice? If so, did you revise the manuscript or hold to your original wording?

I remember for the longest I didn’t want to enter contests or have someone critique my work for fear of what might be said. Traveling across country once to attend a writing conference, I was exhausted. Midnight approached. Fourteen toughened writers sat around a table as an author critiqued their work. I was fifteenth. A writer newbie. As the night dragged on, I kept thinking, why did I send my manuscript in? These people are such prolific bards. My manuscript is horrid. How can I slip my story out of the pile and roach-squeeze beneath the door crack? If only I could toss coffee on my words so they would be illegible.  

At last, my manuscript, “My Bugs Bunny Bad Hair Trip,” was pulled from the pile. The well-published author who had critiqued our work read a couple of paragraphs, waved her arm and belted out, “Who cares!”

Ouch.

Why don’t you tell me what you really think!

After a nightmare like that, did I ever go back to another conference for a critique?

You betcha.

And received even more criticism.

But the next time, I’d changed my mental attitude and my cowardly lion carcass had become as tough as elephant hide.  

It took me awhile to realize that a critique was subjective.

Some may not like what I write—others may love what I pen.    The trick was to discern which suggestions were to be written in stone. Only I, as author, knew what audience I was trying to reach.

Of course, there were basics that needed to be adhered to like plot, story arc, beginning a story with a hook and also ending a chapter with a hook to keep the reader engrossed and turning pages.

Rules.

And I could break some of those once I knew them.  

What really cleared smoke from my eyes was when I sent three manuscripts to a contest. Each manuscript was critiqued by two judges. For two of the manuscripts, the judges made similar comments. No brainer.

Revision—expedient.   

On the third manuscript, the judges were polar opposites on the critique and scores. After carefully reading through comments from both, it was obvious one judge wasn’t as experienced at critiquing. So, some suggestions I kept; others I tossed.  

Sometimes, I had to use intuition, especially if a judge didn’t have my synopsis and had no way of knowing where my story was headed. On one occasion, a judge told me I had to change a certain line. Did I want to change the line and have a better chance at winning the contest…or did I stick with my inherent beliefs?

I adhered to my beliefs.

The article won first place. Later, I expanded the story leaving in the same line and the story won first place in a different venue.

What I’ve learned in summation:

• Grow skin thick as an elephant's hide
• Open your writing to critique
• Revise, revise, revise
• Never fear - writing is subjective

Give a Tarzan yell and rally 'round my new motto: "Bring on the poisonous blow darts and the kettle water on to boil-I'm swinging in on a vine."

Labor Day

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

On this date in 1882 the first Labor Day in the United States was observed. Ten thousand workers involved with the Central Labor Union of New York took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City. This spread to other cities. The idea of a workingman’s holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September was observed and legislation was passed in some states to officially recognize it.

It wasn’t until twelve years later, after the American Railroad Union led Pullman Strike in which more than a dozen workers died at the hands of Federal Troops and U.S. Marshals, that consideration for a national holiday by President Grover Cleveland was considered. The legislation was rushed through Congress in only six days. The first Monday in September remained as the date to distinguish it from the International Worker’s Day in May. Now worker’s rights could be celebrated and Labor Day observed with pay.

Originally the pattern of celebration was set to include a parade followed by a festival for the workers and their families. Later on speeches were introduced. Today Labor Day weekend has become a prominent place for politicians to begin or continue their campaigns. Labor Day has also developed into family time to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of school.

Labor Day, like so many of our holidays, celebrates our rights and freedoms as Americans. These rights and freedoms were achieved only after the sacrifice of our fellow Americans who felt the call to lead the way. Because of their sacrifice we have the freedom and opportunity to pursue our individual paths in the workplace today.

No matter how you celebrate this holiday our staff wishes you and your family a great Labor Day. We also hope that you make our labor of love, Southern Writers Magazine and Suite T a part of that.

When the Sleeping Giants Rise

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

Embracing a life of passion and purpose was like waking from a 39 year slumber. The fog lifted a bit at a time. Eventually I penetrated layers of insecurity, doubt and timidity caked decades thick.

Perhaps you, like me, never pictured yourself as a writer. Just behind the label "Least Likely to Write a Novel", you would badge yourself with "Least Likely to Self-Promote". If the label fits, you're a kindred spirit.

• As a child I shuddered when faced with telephone usage. I recall tearful pleas to my parents to make calls on my behalf.
• As a teen, I allowed self-doubt to overshadow confidence in my ability to attract and retain a date.

How then does an awkward youth blossom into a social butterfly who today works as a Social Media Director and delivers talks to audiences of any size? I slayed the giant sleeping dreams.  All those years, the dream of speaking and writing hid beneath the surface. I awoke the behemoth with one Herculean leap of faith - I began a blog.

Here are three easy steps to awaken the dreams within you:

Acknowledge the Passion

Passion fuels purpose. Passion writes in twilight hours. Passion dares to share the written word. Passion acknowledged is passion kindled. Acknowledgement ignites your dreams.

Plan Your Purpose

Make specific, achievable goals which plot your purpose in actionable steps. Do you need to join a social media such as Facebook or Twitter? Should you submit your first article? Will you fine tune your book proposal?

Plan your purpose and live your passion.

Commit to Consciousness

The familiarity of sleep overtakes the dream left to smolder. The safe position is retreat. Commit to consciousness. Refuse to sleep once more. A conscious giant delivers mammoth results.

Did you feel the splash of cold water on your face? Now that you're fully alert, walk in your purpose. Will you self-promote? No. You will love your corner of the world enough to share your gifts. Let your sleeping giants rise.

The Pocket Folder

by Jessica Kirkland

It was tucked away in a ragged, grey pocket folder. It also had friends. I stared at it through six cities, three colleges, and the birth of three babies, my now 5-year-old triplets. All the while, I asked God, “Are you sure you want me to be a writer?” As a matter of fact, I’ve asked Him that same question since I was 15 years old. How many times do we hear the whispers of purpose only to whisper back, “Really, God?”  See, I love a comfort zone and uncertainty has never been my favorite friend.  I don’t color outside of the lines, and usually when I come face-to-face with something new like technology, I never read the manual. So, how in the world did a girl like me find herself writing, creating, and releasing a children’s book app for iPad?

It all started with the pocket folder. I am sure that you have something similar. Maybe it’s a desk drawer, a secret journal you keep stashed away, a computer file, or a blog. Yet, everyone that dreams of writing has a proverbial “pocket folder.” You’ve probably toted it through cities, colleges, marriage, and childbirth, and you might have even shown the world, only to have “rejection” stamped all over it. Then, you took out your folder, and put your story back under lock and key.

In today’s global marketplace, pocket folder stories can find a home. Let me tell you a secret about “The Sounds of Night,” my Christian book app for kids. I was too afraid to even get it out of the folder. Then, one day I started researching e-books and listening to the success stories of new authors, just like me, finding their niches. I read about e-books for months and I asked God again; “Is an e-book for me? Are you sure you want me to be a writer?”

Then, one day my mother-in-law got an iPad and I noticed something; my children were enamored with it. Then, my own mother purchased one, and soon I followed. Suddenly, the television was out and the iPad was the most sought after piece of entertainment in my home. They played Angry Birds, built Cupcakes, and did Geometry. Their fingers slid over that touch-user interface in a way I never imagined. My four-year-olds were learning and having fun with one of the hottest pieces of technology: the iPad. Then, they wanted more.  As a Christian parent, I wanted them to have apps that taught them, entertained them, but also brought them closer to God. I started searching for Christian book apps and my search turned up completely dry. How could that be? For weeks, I typed in key words and looked for reviews on the Internet for good, Christian apps, and still nothing.

It was at that point that I decided the contents of the pocket folder must be unlocked, tweaked, and ultimately transformed into fun, interactive books that taught kids about God. Inadvertently, my kids love for the iPad coupled with a felt need in the Christian marketplace for quality, God-centered apps, was the catalyst for me entering the exciting world of children’s book apps. I removed my tattered, grey pocket folder from an even more tattered brown moving box, and took a giant leap of faith. Along the way, I have seen my God-given gifts, talents, and hobbies all funneled into one place: apps. If I listened to my distaste for manuals or my love/hate relationship with technology, I would never be here. Instead, I listened to the pocket folder, the dreams tucked away, and the One who gave them to me years ago.

______________________________________

Jessica Kirkland lives in Southeast Texas with her husband, Robb, and five-year-old triplets. She is an author and speaker whose greatest passion in life is to see young families grow deeper in their walk with God. When Jessica isn’t writing, you can find her cheering on her boys at the soccer field, or watching her little girl at the dance studio.  To find out more about her current writing projects, connect with her at: www.christianapps4kids.com or on her personal blog: www.jessicakirkland.com

We, at Southern Writers, would like to invite you to preview Jessica's app:  The Sounds of the Night