Linda J. White here, writing from Somerville, Virginia, where an unusually warm December has had me wearing sandals and thinking about the beach. And while I know Old Man Winter still has a punch or two in store for us, I think the beach is a great lead-in to a few words about marketing.
Month: December 2015
This is our archive pageHere’s to a surprise-filled new year.
Hola from Janet Perez Eckles…Igniting Your Passion to Overcome When everyone is busy looking at the horizon of a new year, planning, crafting goals, and plotting strategies, I decided to do the opposite. I’d look back instead, pondering on lessons learned, gems collected, insights applied, and wisdom gained.
Readers Wait for Your Words (Really!)
On Christmas Eve, Iceland celebrates the national tradition of Jólabókaflóð, the “Christmas Book Flood. That evening, Icelanders anticipate and enjoy exchanging books. After they open and admire their books, family members retire to their individual beds and read themselves to sleep. This literary tradition traces back to World War II, when the government restricted currency and imported gifts. In contrast, Icelanders enjoyed a flux of money because of the war. Fortunately, restrictions on imported paper remained lenient and books burgeoned as the country’s most popular gift for Christmas. Fast forward to today and the holiday-reading tradition virtually supports the book-publishing industry. According…
Believing God for the Impossible
Dianne Barker here…just thinking about my biblical friend Abram. The Lord had given him huge promises. “I will make you into a great nation…To your offspring I will give this land” (see Gen. 12:2, 7). He kept talking about the future (Gen. 13:14-17), but nothing seemed to be happening.
Tip From the Pros – Nancy Mehl
Welcome from C. Kevin Thompson! The more I write, the more I become appreciative of those who have gone before me and “blazed a trail,” if you will. It’s no small feat to write multiple books, especially when it was done before the advent of the modern self-publishing phenomenon. I know of many people who tell me they’ve started a book. It’s the finishing that’s the hard part. That’s why writers like our guest keep me writing. They’ve shown that good, old-fashioned hard work, perseverance through times both good and not-so-much, and a persistent pursuit to hone their craft pay off…
Bless Back
This Christmas, I had the joy of speaking at many women’s teas and Christmas events. My message was on “Christmas Light” and it is based on our family’s Christmas Advent Wreath and Dinner and Dialogue tradition. We use Isaiah 9:6 as the center of our celebration and conversation because it is the center of the hope and light we all enjoy because of Christ’s birth. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” This Christmas, which…
An Opportunity Is Not Necessarily God’s Open Door
Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert where it actually can get cold! As I visited with my friend who complained about everything going on in her life and all she felt compelled to do, I could sense she expected me to volunteer to help. My heart went out to her but I’d really been seeking God’s will rather than responding to every need of others. It took every fiber of my trust in God to not offer to take some of the load from her, but in my heart, I knew God wasn’t calling me to this…
Short and Sweet: The Romantic Novella – Part I
Happy December Friday from Gail Gaymer Martin. Today I’ll talk about writing a novella. I have a lot of experience with these short novels when I wrote for Barbour and even Love Inspired has the Duet books which is two short novels under one cover. They are interesting to write since they are a challenge to create a great story in only half the pages of a regular novel. In Part I will cover Major Differences Between a Novel and Novel and Connection between the Hero and Heroine. Part II will cover Subplots in a Novella, Setting’s Purpose in a Novella, and Time Span…
Tips From the Pros: Laurie Alice Eakes
Good morning from Colorado. Davalynn Spencer here, happy to introduce author Laurie Alice Eakes who has some great things to share. How many books do you have published and what are a few of your latest titles? Currently, I have twenty-one books published, not counting the compilation books in which my work appears. My latest book is The Mountain Midwife. “Over a Barrel” is a novella reprinted in The American Dream Collection with eight other authors, and A Stranger’s Secret released in April, the second book in the Cliffs of Cornwall series.
Marketing: Adding Something Extra
I love, love, love when the box arrives from the gal who sells me make up. Yes. I love the product, but I also love the little something extra that is included in the box. It is a a little TLC, just for me, generally in the form of a sample. Authors can learn from the gift of make up samples.