On Being Productive

By Edith Maxwell

I’m often asked how in the world I can write three novels a year. For one thing, my publishers set deadlines, and panic is a great motivator! More seriously, I approach my fiction writing as a career. I left my most recent day job – writing software manuals – three years ago. I’m not retired; this is just my new (and, I hope, last) full-time job.

My most creative time is in the mornings. I’m always up by six AM and writing by seven. Ramona DeFelice Long, a writer and editor friend in Delaware, cyber-hosts morning “sprints.” It’s a great way to work. She posts the sprint thread on Facebook every morning sometime before seven o’clock. Bunches of us from all over check in, writing things like, “Running down for a second up of coffee,” “Here, but barely,” or “Got up early, already have one sprint under my belt.”

Then we do nothing but work for an hour straight. No email, no Facebook, no phone. Just work. If I’m writing a first draft, my goal for the morning is 2000 words. Sometimes, if the story is flowing, I can churn out almost half that in the first hour. If I’m revising, I dive in and polish, trim, elaborate, whatever the book needs, for the hour.

At eight I surface, get some more coffee, grab a bite to eat, and then set the timer again. I find turning off those exterior distractions is so important to letting the words flow. It’s also key that I don’t schedule anything but writing for my mornings. I leave appointments, exercise, and all the considerable business side of being an author for the afternoons.

I have other author friends whose creative time is later in the day, and others who have a day job and sprint on their lunch breaks. We each make it fly in our own particular way. By working every morning but Sunday, and with some focus, I manage to write three mystery series. And I’m living my dream.

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Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries, the Local Foods Mysteries, and the Country Store Mysteries (as Maddie Day), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Maxwell, a former technical writer, farmer, and doula, is Vice-President of Sisters in Crime New England and Clerk of Amesbury Friends Meeting. She lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can find her onFacebook, twitter, Pinterest, and at her web site.

Write on a Round Desk

By Michael H. Thompson

A: “Why would any writer believe me, you ask? Maybe it’s because they have highly creative minds.”

Q: “What’s a round desk have to do with creative writers?”

A: “It’s simple, really. Round corners … they’re round, no sharp edges. Do you know what that does to the human mind?”

Q: “Afraid you’ll have to explain.”

A: “Well, I’ve experienced this phenomenon for some time. In fact, I’ve had plenty of experience with the “four-corner creative killers,” I now call them.”

Q: “What’s four corners got to do with anything?”

A: “Two problems with four corners. One, the edges interfere with your creative liberty.”

Q: “Really? That’s a new one for me.”

A: “Well, those square corners are out there in the periphery of your eyes. Your eyes are connected to your brain, right?”

Q: “So?”

A: (I pointed to my temple.) “Those square corners become interference to the mind, like a bad song stuck in your subconscious.”

Q: “I’m not buying it. That makes no sense to me.”

A: “Sorry, bad analogy. Let’s try this. We all have a subconscious, right? God made us that way. Now the subconscious, what does it do?”

Q: “I don’t know, you tell me. I thought I was asking the questions here.”

A: “You are. I just wanted you to consider the subconscious. You do know it detects things in our minds we’re not even aware of, right? Now put that thought into this thought … square corners on a writing desk suck up the energy in our writing.”

Q: “How so?”

A: “Simple. Our subconscious recognizes them, but our conscious self doesn’t. A round desk shaves off those intrusive little gremlins, leaving us free to write without subconscious distraction.”

Q: “You’re kidding me, right?”

A: “No, try it sometime.”

Q: “I think you’re insane.”

A: “Why?”

Q: “Well, for one, your computer screen is square. It’s not round. How do you explain that for your subconscious?”

A: “I can’t. I can only tell you that it’s not the machine we’re using to create our work; it’s our surrounding that subconsciously interacts with our work.”

Q: “Hemingway! He wrote at a square desk. What about him?”

A: “Please, keep your voice down. The library guard. She’s already watching us. But you’re right. And my point exactly. Hemingway was a stiff writer. He never loosened up. Too stilted … the square corners got him.”

Q: “You’re crazy, you know that?”

A: “I’m sorry I disappointed you. I think I asked more questions than you did, though. Oh, and there’s one more thing I forgot. With that circular periphery, most of your desk mess is out of sight, which could be another distraction disaster. You cool with that?”

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Michael Thompson was a successful ad agency owner, winning numerous national and international awards. After selling his firm in 2011, Michael turned his attention to full-time writing. His latest novel is The Rector, available on Amazon in print, on Audio Book, and Kindle. Two graphic novels on the life of David from the Old Testament–DAVID–The Illustrated Novel came first. (Volume 2-won first place BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL and BEST INTERIOR DESIGN, 2012, from USA Book’s INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS. Volume 1 won the Silver IPPY for Graphic Novels in 2011 from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.) Next was a sci-fi thriller (CLOUDS ABOVE) that was serialized in a monthly magazine for a year. (Out in book in 2016.) Michael writes Christian novels that entertain, intrigue, and shine a light on his Jesus. He’s a member of the ACFW, Mystery Writers of America, The International Crime Writers Association, and the Southern Writers Association. Visit his website, www.michaelthompsonauthor.com to learn more.

Benghazi –The Rest of The Story

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine    

Paul Harvey passed away in 2009 but many of us can still hear that big booming voice telling us “The Rest of The Story”. Harvey was always interesting and informing. Harvey informed America and made us look into the mirror and see ourselves as a nation. Harvey spent 5 decades speaking to as many of 24 million people a week. He was recognized as a great American and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. A great man and a great career we could all learn from. What would Paul Harvey say about Benghazi?

Having worked in government in a position that was watched over by the media from the start of the day until days end, I know what the difference is between what went on and what was reported. I know that each evening I could watch the local news and wonder how they came up with the story that was reported. I always thought of Harvey and wanted to tell the public what the rest of the story was. The same has been presented to us about the tragedy in Benghazi. All we have seen is the finger pointing and have yet to hear the actual events of the attack. Now we have an opportunity to do so from someone that was there on the ground.

Michael Zuckoff’s book 13 Hours, The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, was written from the view of a 6 man security operation, made up of former Navy SEALS.  This security force was contracted to protect CIA workers nearby.  Although they were not ordered to go they took it on themselves to protect Americans. It sets the record straight on the events of that night of September 11, 2012. It is presented as the truth and not something shrouded in the mystery of governments reports and media spin.


When the movie, made by Michael Bay, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, opened some complained that it did not address the political aftermath and what was done or not done to protect the compound. Zuckoff’s explanation was that was not in the scope of the film or book. “It’s what happened on the ground, on the rooftops, in the streets when these events came to pass and everybody who was involved…that became a bit of the mission statement.”

13 Hours is a good example of what a writer can do with a well-known topic. Zuckoff had the benefit of a story that was widely known and although controversial in the political world did have what is known a “good legs” to carry the book further than something connected with an unknown event. Veering away from the controversy, which opened the door to readers, and presenting a story of the tremendous self-sacrifice by a few extraordinary men when there was no help coming was brilliant and needed to be told. They did not arrive at the consulate in time. They then returned to another siege at their compound which many of us were not aware of. There they lost their leader in that fight.

Telling “The Rest of The Story” may be something you would want to do. You may know a behind the scenes story connected with a well-known one. Tell us that story. It worked for Paul Harvey for 5 decades. Maybe we too can make a career of telling "The Rest of The Story". 

        

Just Close Your Eyes and Write

By Cindy Loven

Did you just do a double take? Has she gone off the deep end? Was that the question you asked as you read the title of this blog post? Well, take heart, I don't mean literally. But sometimes as authors, we are the greatest procrastinators in the world. We check email, we check Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ anything to keep from actually sitting down with the intent to add to our word count in our current WIP. 

I admit it; I am giving this pep talk to myself. I write every day, however, when all is said and done, that word count has not moved forward. Why oh why, do tweets, Facebook posts and blog posts not count towards our word count for our books?  Of course, I understand why it doesn't. I mean a book with "#buymybook @www.buymybook" would look funny in the middle of a children's story, or a devotional. I really don't see a picture of my flowers adding anything to a romance, or a suspense. And my status? Well. I am sure it is not entertaining enough to end up in a story.

So how can we get past this procrastinating? Close your eyes take a deep breath and write. Well, open your current WIP first. LOL. Some days we have to talk to ourselves like our mommas used to. "Girl, get in there and get the job done. You know what you need to do. Do it! Don't make me come down there and sit by you while you write." I hope you heard your momma's voice as you read those statements.

So what are you waiting on? Open that WIP, close those eyes, and start typing. Wait, open your eyes, "ahdoapidpfhpaisdhfgnad," doesn't add to the word count either. :-). Happy writing.

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Cindy Loven, a stay at home, work from home, wife and mom. Cindy is the co-author of Swept Away; Quilts of Love, with Laura V. Hilton, and Dianna's Wings the Parables of Trevor Turtle. She also was a contributor to the devotional Fear Not, compiled by Anne Baxter Campbell. As a virtual assistant to another author, a book reviewer and a very active participant in many online authors groups and writing groups, she manages to stay busy. When she has a spare moment, she loves to read for fun, (not reviews) sew,  crochet and visit with her friends. She is a member of the ACFW and has served as a board member of her local group in 2015. A mom to two sons, one in heaven, and a 23-year-old, wife to her “darling Dave” for 30 plus years. She makes her home in Arkansas with her family and her fur babies. Blakely Mae, and Shadow. Where to find me on the web Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/authorcindyloven Twitter handle: @cndloven Blog: http://cindylovenwrites.blogspot.com Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cndloven/Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cindy-Loven/e/B00J54NEQY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Your Adoring Public

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

During a memorable Johnny Carson interview, Jackie Gleason made a comment that serves as a reminder to anyone involved in the creative arts. The Great One and the King of Late Night were discussing the latest crop of 80s sitcoms and how they relied on canned laugh tracks.  Gleason had this to say:

 "We never did a show any other way but in front of an audience ... that's the only way to do a show.  How are you gonna know if you're timing [is right] if you haven't anyone to say it to?"

Any standup comedian who has graduated from comedy club work to sitcom success will be the first to credit their on-stage experience as the school of hard knocks that helped them hone their craft.  Honest, instantaneous feedback cannot be bought or learned in a book.

My many musician friends sing a similar tune about the difference between studio work and playing in front of a live crowd.  While the perfectionist enjoys the luxury of recording and tweaking until they're satisfied, there is a rush and a reward (and realizations) that can only be experienced via an audience reacting to a live performance.

The ticket seller at my local movie theater told me about a little game she plays.  Often, as a customer approaches the booth, she mentally tries to guess which movie they are coming to see.  Parents with children, for example, are usually treating them to the latest Pixar flick. But sometimes she'll be surprised by a little old lady buying a ticket to see James Bond, or a not-so-young guy seeing The Jungle Book by himself (that would be me, by the way).

When the film studios get their box office receipts, they have no record of demographics to give them the ages, sexes, races, etc of those who came to see their movie.  They can only gauge the success of their releases by how much they raked in that week.  That is another advantage connecting with an audience can give a TV star, a musician, and even a writer.

As Vicki H. Moss points out in the latest issue of Southern Writers, the crossover of readers to genres outside their typical demographic is as prevalent as ever ("The Cross-Under", July/August 2016). Being aware of who your audience includes can be invaluable feedback that today's writer is wise to take into account.  Especially when it's so easy.

Readers love to make any connection with their favorite author. A well-maintained blog and/or website is something they expect you to have.  If your online presence consists only of an Amazon listing with no photo or bio, there is little reason or opportunity to try to tell you they enjoyed your latest book.

Social media may sound like too much of a challenge to those who've never tried it.  But, when done right, it can be both an enjoyable and effective two-way tool for connecting with your audience.  I recommend Edie Melson's Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers to anyone intimidated by the idea of social media, and anyone who's been doing it long enough that they have questions about content, frequency, etc.

Stephen King says he writes with a particular audience in mind; an audience he is intimately familiar with.  In his case, it's his wife Tabitha, who is his first reader.  If you have a sense of who your audience is, and an awareness of what they like about what you do, you're in the best position to come up with what will keep them coming back.

Writing the Perfect Villain

By Susan Sleeman

As the books in my Agents Under Fire series releases, I hear from readers that they think I write good villains. Some of them, especially the one in Web of Secrets is pretty evil and I’m asked if it’s hard to come up with such a terrifying bad guy. My answer is no, the bad guy comes easy to me. I’m not evil or a bad person, I promise, so let me explain how I create these villains.

The perfect villain for me starts with finding his or her motive and what they are trying to accomplish in the book. What has happened in their life to cause them to do the nasty things they are doing? What is driving them, and what would happen if they failed to achieve their goal?

A villain doesn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be a bad guy. His personality has been formed and honed over years and some catalyst has set him off making him do the very evil things we find in thrillers. BUT, he’s still a real person just like the protagonist. He has flaws. Weaknesses and strengths. His motives have to be understandable to the reader. He’s even likeable at times.

He has a plan. Revenge is in sight. He’s highly motivated to achieve his goal and won’t give it up under any circumstance. But he’s also flexible so when the world or the protagonist throws him a curve-ball, he can react and adjust. It may, in fact, just encourage him to try harder and become more creative.

By this point, the villain has told me what has caused him (or her) to go to the dark side and then it’s time for me to figure out what this particular villain might do to express that dark side. For me, a perfect villain acts in unusual and creative ways that we haven’t read about before. Show me something different. Something not seen in another book. That’s a villain I want to read about and so that’s the kind of bad guy I strive to write.

My best villain to date is Van Gogh who appears in Web of Secrets, my latest release in my Agents Under Fire series. This series features three FBI agents who are part of an elite Cyber Action Team called in to solve the most difficult cyber intrusions. You know, intrusions like you’ve heard about on the news with companies like Target and Home Depot. But these stories go beyond simple credit card theft. In each book, the intrusions include high-stakes that involve national security and serial murders. And, each intrusion takes a crazy turn and the agent suddenly finds herself in a run for her life.

Web of Secrets features FBI agent Becca Lange. At fifteen, she was abducted by a serial killer but managed to escape and the man was never caught. So she was given a new home, a new name . . . and the determination to save other foster kids from suffering similar horrors. Now Agent Becca Lange, is the middle of a credit card fraud investigation when she’s faced with her worst nightmare: the serial killer, Van Gogh–given the name because he removed his victims’ ears–has resurfaced.

I hope you’ll check out this series on my website and let me know if you find this villain engaging.

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Susan Sleeman is a bestselling author of inspirational and clean read romantic suspense and mystery books. With over twenty-five books in print, readers love her Justice Agency, First Responders, and Agents Under Fire series for the well-drawn characters and edge of your seat action. As a graduate of the FBI, Washington County, and the Beaverton Police Citizen’s Academies, her research is spot on and her characters are real.  Awards include Romantic Times Best Book, Swoony award winner, Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence and EPIC Award finalist. Susan grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books. Today, she channels this enthusiasm into writing novels and hosting the popular Internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. Susan currently lives in Oregon, but she and her husband have had the pleasure of living in nine states. They have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law, and an adorable grandson. To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web. Her Website -   http://www.susansleeman.com
Facebook -      http://www.facebook.com/SusanSleemanBooks
Twitter -           http://www.twitter.com/susansleeman  

Review Site -   http://www.TheSuspenseZone.com

From Fact to Fiction

By Adam W. Jones

We all write what we know…whether through research or real experiences.  The rub is to know how to turn your real experiences into a work of fiction, but to keep the essence of real events.  The old saying, “names have been changed to protect the innocent” speaks to the frequency in which real events are fictionalized. 

I began writing my debut novel, Fate Ball, as therapy to help get through a very difficult relationship and ultimate breakup during my college days.  I went to a therapist for the first time in my life shortly after this breakup and was instructed to write down my feelings to get the emotions out.  I kept a small journal and when emotions ran high I jotted down a line or two describing what I felt or what I was doing…i.e. sobbing, angry, missing a touch/feel/smell, etc. So, what began as a way to process real raw emotions later was the nucleus for this work of fiction. 

Turning my real experiences into fiction was a matter of changing locations, names, time of events and knowing where I should embellish the truth and what real life details to leave out of the story.  An innocuous verbal spat between bar patrons in real life may be embellished into an all-out fist fight with a knife drawn from a boot.  A simple flirtatious interaction in real life may be embellished into a torrid love affair between married friends.  Also, I had to create wholly new scenes and characters and integrate them all to create a work of fiction.  Real life scenes that may reveal too much to those in the know may need to be left out and replaced with a similar feel, but different facts and players.

There are a handful of scenes that came from my real life experiences, but they were embellished enough to be unrecognizable to anyone other than possibly an immediate player of the real events.  Other scenes were based on me attending AA and NA meetings, where the real experiences of others who told their stories were made part of Ava’s (the female lead) alcohol and drug history.  These real experiences and emotions really gave Fate Ball substance. I am hearing in the wonderful early reviews that this “real emotion” is what readers love about Fate Ball and its characters.

Of course, most of Fate Ball came from my pure imagination as these characters moved along through their lives, intertwining from time to time.  That was the most fun for me as a writer. 

A reader recently asked me if the girl who Ava is based on would know she was the inspiration for the book if my name were not on the cover and my photo was not on the jacket.  After a brief moment of reflection, I said, “No, I think she may find some scenes familiar, but nothing more than that.”  If you can answer the same after turning fact into fiction in your writings then you have accomplished your goal.

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Adam W. Jones’ debut novel Fate Ball was published by Wisdom House Books and released in April 2016.  To date, it has been a FINALIST in the National Indie Excellence Award and was named to the DEEP SOUTH Summer Reading List as a best in new fiction.  For more information go to www.adamwjones.com  or www.wisdomhousebooks.com

Editing Genius and Your Writing

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

Until I watched the recently released movie Genius, I didn't know the name Maxwell Perkins. Escaping the sweltering heat in a cool movie theatre one afternoon, I was mesmerized by this movie. With an outstanding cast led by Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney, I was not disappointed. The movie starts in 1929, when Maxwell reads The unpublished Thomas Wolfe original offering that had been passed around the publishing houses of New York City at the point until it landed on Perkins' desk. 

What the movie didn't tell was Perkins, a Harvard graduate, began his career in the advertising department at Charles Scribner's Sons publishing house in 1910. He moved to the editorial department in 1914. With that move, American literature was forever impacted. We are all better for Perkins's ability to find undiscovered authors who were often rejected elsewhere. As his character says in the movie, "my only job is to put good books in the hands of the readers."

It's so interesting to get a glimpse into publishing in 1929  before our world of electronic submissions.  Authors actually knew their editors, and editors knew their authors. Editing was done with a red pencil. Volumes of edited papers were typed up by a secretarial pool of typists. Through the editorial process, a new author states, "I bring you stuff wretched right from my gut." Perkins reassures the author, "the book belongs to you...that's what we editors lose sleep over, you know. Are we really making books better or just making them different?" Profound. 

Five years after joining the editorial staff at Scribner's, he set himself apart by signing F. Scott Fitzgerald and although it had been rejected within Scribner's, Perkins worked with the author on revisions. Perkins then garnered support in the publisher's house and This Side of Paradise was published in 1920. It was the roaring 20's with the Great Depression approaching. Fitzgerald's publication could easily be paired with the arrival of new American authors with different writing styles. The Great Gatsby followed in 1925. Through Fitzgerald, Perkins met Ernest Hemingway. Perkins fought for Hemingway's first book, The Sun Also Rises, and it was published in 1926, even though traditional editors objected to the profanity in the book. Perkins was a rebel in the editorial publishing world. A Farewell to Arms followed in 1929.  

His editorial skills were tested in his relationship with Southern author, Thomas Wolfe. His first book, Look Homeward Angel had to have 90,000 words cut to be published in 1929. His second book, Of Times and the River brought more challenges for Perkins. 

Max Perkins was noted for his courtesy with a professionalism that was able to discover new authors. He recognized unique writing that readers wanted to read all while developing writers as few editors did, or do. In watching the movie, I was intrigued by Maxwell Perkins. Many books have been written about Perkins's relationships with his authors. There are numerous books based on letters between author and their editor, Maxwell Perkins. Fascinating. It makes me wonder if Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Wolfe would have found publishers in today's world if publishing. 

The movie didn't touch on one of Perkins greatest authors, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Women authors in this era of publishing were few. Rawlings's, The Yearling was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Rawlings and Perkins had a special relationship. A Southerner from Florida, she would send him oranges from her citrus groves. He would encourage her writing by sending her nonfictions, which she enjoyed reading while writing. Their correspondence between editor and author can be read in the book, Max and Marjorie.  

The movie Genius was based on A. Scott Berg's, book, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius. In order to write the screenplay for the movie, John Logan had to do what the Perkins character of the movie had to do, edit a book to tell the story, so the movie audience would want to watch the movie. I think Maxwell Perkins would have found that ironic.

Let me know what you think of Genius.

Cheap Ways to Promote a Book

By Cyci Cade

There are many ways to promote a book; some are very expensive and sometimes inefficient. Good and expensive advertisements aren´t equal to success, as well cheap forms to promote a book. I believe that what really works is quality.

Everybody knows that it is very expensive to publish a book. The fact is, authors and publishers don´t want to waste money, this isn´t the objective. Therefore, it is necessary to look for economical alternatives to get good results.

Honestly, I believe these five alternatives are more efficient. These ways demand more work, but you´ll get involved in the process, you´ll have control over it, and you´ll have a better feedback. 

Remember, first of all, you´ll need a website or a blog. 

1- Guest posting: writing articles, posts and flash or short stories for other blogs and magazines is a great way to divulge your name and work. People will have opportunity to know you and your work. If they like it, they´ll visit your website or blog and look for more information about you.

2- Bonus material related to the book: after editing a book, there are deleted scenes, or a different ending. You can publish them as bonus material. Colleen Houck, author of Tiger´s Curse series did it. She had written a different ending for the last book and she posted it on her blog.  

3- Flash / short stories related to your book: you can write flash or short stories related to your book to publish on your blog or other blogs and magazines. Recently, I posted a short story, The boys and the dragon; I wrote it to promote my book Dragon´s Curse. I also wrote Son of Egypt to promote two new books.  

4- Literary contests: they are a good alternative too. Writer´s Digest offers many contests during the year, as well other magazines; Southern Writers Magazine is one of them. You´ll gain a great exposure; if you win the contest, it´ll open new doors. 

5- Social media: you can use social media like Wattpad  and Goodreads to promote you book too. On Wattpad, you can publish flash and short stories, or an entire book. Many writers started publishing on Wattpad. The problem is, to get followers, you need to read, vote and comment other writers´ stories and it demands time. I confess that I´ve failed a little in this part due to my lack of time.  On Goodreads, you can create an author profile, join groups, follow authors, and get reviews to your books… There are many options.

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Cyci Cade is writer and blogger. She´s the author of Dragon´s Curse, flash and short stories like Perhaps Love, The boys and the dragon, and Son of Egypt. Blog Facebook Goodreads Pinterest Wattpad

One Good Promotion…Creating Buzz About Your Book

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine

Authors want to know, “When I am ready to launch a new book release, what will my marketing plan be?”

The answer of course is – one that will engage their current readers and be appealing to potential readers.

Let’s face facts though; promoting a new book isn’t easy. It takes time and effort.

We all know an important step is getting the new book out for our readers to see. In order to see it they have to hear about the book.

Marketing and promoting a new book release affects its sales.

While we all wish, there was one way we could use that worked a 100% of the time we know it takes many venues to market the books. We have to make sure we get it to the right audience.

Are their creative ways we can use that will maximize our book release and not spend a fortune doing so? 

Here is one way.

Giveaways.

When you have a new book releasing, get twenty-five books from your publisher and create a giveaway. Here is a sample to use for the giveaway. Be sure and put it on your social media.

“I have 25 copies of my new book (name of book)______________________ (description of book)_________________________ to give away to readers who would like to be the first to read the book which releases on ____________, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form (link to a form) by date______________ at such and such time.

Then draw the names and notify them they were one of the twenty-five who will receive your book. When you mail the book, be sure you include information as to where they need to share your comment along with the link. It would also be smart to have them email you and share with you their thoughts on your book. Let them know you are interested in what they thought of the book.

This is a good way to launch a book release because it is easy and doesn’t take long to do and you will get some new fans.

We all like to receive gifts, so it is a win-win for the receiver of your book and for you because it starts the buzz about your new book release.

How to Survive the Trenches of Debut Authorhood

By Elaine Stock

Surviving? If you’re a pre-published writer who desperately wants to become published you might be rubbing your furrowed brows wondering why a debut author is offering survival skills. Shouldn’t she count her lucky stars daily until her sophomore book releases? Since I cringe at narrow-eyed gazes cast my way I’ll back up a sec. Yes, ever since my novel debuted in January 2016—after many years of submissions and rejections and close but not quite what we’re looking for responses—I have thanked God for the blessing of the one yes that’s changed my life.

Yet, I learned a lot since that January day about things I never thought I’d learn. Ultimately, what I discovered about having a novel debut swings right back to learning more about myself, others, and Life 101 Part B. This is why I believe it’s necessary to share with others.

1. Expect a temporary neurosis

    I’d waited for this special moment in my writing life for seemingly forever. In my mind’s eye

    I’d visualized the time between signing the contract to the novel’s release as a time of sheer

    joy and peace because, hey, isn’t that what happens after having a dream come true, i.e., The

    Contract is finally signed?

    Nope, it doesn’t happen. I jumped from writer to soon-to-be-released author during days  

    stretched thinly across the deep waters of excitement, wonder, and fretting. Then there were

    the days of keeping so busy to escape stress that I became more stressed.

   

    Remedy: keep your eye on Him. Read scripture. Read inspirational blogs. Reach out to author

    friends who “get you.”

2. Expect Delays

    What I’m referencing here is the delay of congratulations, how-can-I-help?, interview

    and blog guest invitations, reviews of your book on Amazon, or even a simple Retweet

    or a Share on Facebook of your newest meme.

    Don’t take these delays personally. The uncle that you last spoke to five years ago will

    pick up your book, your neighbor will look at your website, and your critique partner will

    surprise you with trumpeting your name across Facebook when you least expect it.

    Life is complicated for many folks. Those who love you, support you, and are your friends

    will not forget you. Thank them!

    Remedy: forget about you and reach out to others and help them.

  

3. Don’t read your debut novel

    How many times did you read this novel in its manuscript form, from creation to final edit?     

    Right—one too many! I doubt you’ll be able to read your own story without wondering

    why you didn’t plot differently, or why you had a character die, or why you used the

    same word twice on one page. You will land back into #1: neurosis.

    Remedy: begin another writing project.

Will I proceed with trepidation or courage when my next novel is about to launch? Bring it on—I

can’t wait to find out. And, I’ll look out for your book!

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A former Brooklyn gal, Elaine Stock lives in the Northeast with her husband where she enjoys spring, summer, autumn, and puts up with the winter. Elaine writes contemporary fiction, fusing family drama and psychological suspense. Her debut novel, Always With You, Elk Lake Publishing, released in January 2016. A 2011 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist and a 2013 My Book Therapy’s Frasier Bronze Medalist, Elaine is a member of ACFW and WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association), as well as a contributing author to the international “Happy Sis Magazine.” In addition to Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, she hangs out on her active blog, Everyone’s Story, dedicated to uplifting and encouraging all readers through the power of story and hope. Please visit her on her website for more information.

Story Ideas Come from the Darn-dest Places

By Donna L.H. Smith

Art Linkletter used to say, “Kids say the darn-dest things.” A few years ago, when I decided to write a novel, I asked myself, “What on earth could I write a novel about?”

Within a very short time, a confounding idea popped into my head, only a phrase actually. “Gunfight at Hyde Park.” I knew it was something from an obscure history lesson from my hometown in Kansas, something I learned about in fifth grade. I had to Google it to re-learn the details.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought about that history lesson in probably fifty years. I remembered nothing about it, except that phrase. How in the world can I work in a story, to include the beginning of a series of gunfights over a ten–day period that killed and wounded more people than at the OK Corral––for the climax?

Two guys named Billy Bailey and Mike McCloskey started the whole mess. Ten days later, a young, sickly fellow by the name of James Riley was the last person to be involved. He was on McCloskey’s side. He killed someone, someone on Bailey’s side, and then disappeared from the face of the earth. Nothing was ever heard about him again.

I began to weave a story about a spoiled, immature rich girl from Missouri coming to a newly established, wild Kansas railroad town to tutor the children of Santa Fe Railroad executives. And since I love romantic triangles, she met two very different men, eventually falling for one who would get in the way of a stray bullet from the beginnings of the gunfights. Throw in a contentious town political election, and let the gunfights begin.

For most of those, I read, there were two reasons a young woman launched out on her own, and she was forced to: 1) her father died, 2) her father was a jerk, and she had to escape a horrible arranged marriage. I wanted her circumstances to be different. I’ve probably read 150 historical romances in the last three years. Therefore, her loving father “requires” her to work for a year before marriage, to teach her fiscal responsibility and hopefully, develop some maturity.

Many other story ideas come to mind. How can I possibly write them all? They come to me in all kinds of ways. I’ll be watching a movie or something on television, and I’ll think, “Hmmm. That idea might have possibilities if I change this or that.” Or “I’ve not seen anything quite like that before. I like it. How could I use or change that and still be intriguing?”

Those little light bulb moments where we think “Aha!” is something we should pay attention to. We never know whether our next idea might just make a best seller.

Where do your ideas come from? What sorts of unusual scenarios come to your mind?

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Donna L.H. Smith is a Kansas prairie girl transplanted to Lancaster County, PA, writing on and off for forty years, including broadcast journalism, newspapers and magazines, marketing and public relations. She writes historical romance and love stories and serves as the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Pennsylvania State Chapter President and Area Coordinator. Her novel, Meghan’s Choice was a semi-finalist in Operation 1^st Novel 2015, and placed in two categories of the 2015 Blue Ridge Advanced Novelist Retreat. She speaks at writers’ conference workshops, and leads women’s retreats. Her website is http://donnalhsmith.com where she blogs about writing and other things. She’s also involved in Almost an Author as a monthly contributor with The Writer’s PenCase. She can be found on Facebook: and her author page, Twitter, and LinkedIN.