CAN Book Feature: More Than Conquerors by Kathi Macias

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More than Conquerors  Book two of the four-book Extreme Devotion series from New Hope Publishers ISBN-10: 1596692839  ISBN-13: 978-1596692831  Release Date: April 5, 2010   With violent crime on the rise and the political climate changing throughout certain parts of Mexico, the opportunity for open Christian witness, particularly in some areas of Chiapas State, is rapidly decreasing. Hector Rodriguez pastors a small church in the tourist-popular border town of Tijuana. He also routinely carries Bibles deeper into the hostile areas of Mexico, where he ministers despite increasing difficulty and persecution. Hector’s mother accompanied him on one of those trips and felt God called her to stay in…

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Tips from the Pros: Sarah Sundin

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 Hello, I’m Mildred Colvin. I’ve come to interview Sarah Sundin, who has written a series of historical novels set in the 1940s. Sarah received a degree in chemistry from UCLA and a doctorate in pharmacy from UC San Francisco. She lives in northern California with her husband, three children, an antisocial cat, and a very social Labrador. She works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, teaches Sunday school to fourth and fifth graders, and teaches women's Bible studies. She is a member of Diablo Valley Christian Writers' Group and American Christian Fiction Writers. Her first novel, A DISTANT MELODY, will be released…

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Conference Blessings

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Aloha from the CAN Treasurer Karen Whiting          I recently returned from the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference and know many friends will be leaving this week for the Mount Hermon Writers Conference in California. These are two large conferences with many editors and writers attending. Conferences have shaped my writing career.

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CAN Book Feature: No Greater Love by Kathi Macias

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 No Greater Love  Book one of the four-book Extreme Devotion series from New Hope Publishers ISBN-10: 1596692774  ISBN-13: 978-1596692770  Release date: April 5, 2010   Orphaned four years earlier when their parents, active in the African National Congress (ANC) movement against Apartheid, were murdered, 16-year-old Chioma and her 15-year-old brother, Masozi, now live and work on an Afrikaner family’s farm. When Chioma and Andrew, the farm owner’s son, find themselves attracted to one another, tragedy revisits their lives. Chioma escapes to join an ANC rebel band in her effort to survive and gain revenge for her family and race. When cultures clash…

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Reflect, Refocus, Recharge

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Greetings from Jan! Today I’m busy packing and making preparations for the Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference where I’ll be teaching a Head Start Mentoring Clinic and running the manuscript retrieval process for editors, critiquers, and writers. One of my other delightful tasks for the week will be to give a workshop for the writers about midway through our time there. We will stop to take a few deep breaths. We’ll step away from the busyness of the conference into God’s waiting arms to catch a glimpse of his hand in all our circumstances. In that place with him, we’ll reflect, refocus, and rechage. As our spirits quiet,…

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10 Things I Love about Writers Conferences

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Hello from Jeanette! I’m in the process of last-minute preparations for the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (March 26-30). This conference is always a highlight of my year. I attended for the first time in 1995 and now have the honor of serving on the Support Staff as the coordinator of the first-timers’ Buddy System. If you have never attended a conference like Mount Hermon, I highly recommend it. Here are just a few of the things I love about writers’ conferences:

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The Writer as Learner

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Jan–nostalgic and wishing we could get together and chat about writing over a cup of tea or coffee. Yesterday, I slid a package out from my mailbox at the end of the country road where I live. Inside, along with a couple of text books I ordered, was a book about writing nonfiction and understanding the editor’s perspective. Earlier today, I turned to another resource to look up a grammar tip. What was that rule about . . .? After that, I read a few blogs I visit from time to time and read about writing and marketing. On a recent road trip,…

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Description II: Purposeful Details

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 H from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com. Right now, I am away from home on staff at the American Christian Writers conference in Dallas, Texas, and today I want to give you some information on purposeful details. Description can connect with readers when it evokes emotion, and it can also deepen characterization by helping expose characters’ attitudes. When you use detailed descriptions in your novels, think about the affect the details have on readers. Develop them to get the most emotional impact you can. And how do you do that?

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Tips from the Pros: C.S. Lakin

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California, where the plum and nectarine trees bloom in the rain. One of my favorite March happenings is the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Last year I was at Mount Hermon to see Susanne Lakin (writing as C.S. Lakin) win Zondervan's First Novel contest and receive her first contract. That novel, Someone to Blame, will release in August 2010. Today we hear from Susanne and see what exciting things have happened since winning that contest. Susanne, how did you get into writing? I was raised by a Hollywood screenwriter. Both my brother and mother were successful TV writers and producers, so…

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CAN Book Feature: 102 Wiggly Bible Rhymes and Rhythms by Karen H Whiting and Mary Rose Pearson

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102 Wiggly Bible Rhymes and Rhythms by Karen H Whiting and Mary Rose Pearson  Abingdon Press ISBN 13-978-1-4267-0849-7  A treasure book of rhymes, rhythms, songs, and games for  preschool and young elementary children. Church leaders, teachers, and parents will find this resource easy to use to help get wiggles out of restless little ones. The book helps children use different learning styles to remember and reinforce Bible stories and their meanings. The book includes a wide array of styles and types of activities that include clapping songs, choral readings, finger plays, action rhymes,  and rhymes with games. Indexes list rhymes…

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