Simply Salsa by Janet Perez Eckles – A Book Review

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Simply Salsa “Picture yourself seated in a comfortable chair. A luscious Latin melody dances in the background as you spend a few hours with a dear friend. Her smile embraces you like a warm hug. Her openness encourages you to share your heart. And her words of wisdom challenge you to follow the God of boundless love. This golden afternoon mirrors the experience of reading Janet Perez Eckles’ Simply Salsa: Dancing Without Fear at God’s Fiesta. The book takes a refreshing look at the Christ-life—with a unique Latina flair. Authenticity drives this project, whose author shares her wisdom through real-life…

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Amelia’s Journey By Martha Rogers – A New Release

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Amelia’s Journey by Martha Rogers For Ben Haynes it is love at first sight, but can a Boston socialite find true happiness with a cowboy from Kansas? Once childhood friends, Ben Haynes is taken with Amelia Carlyle when he runs into her at her sister’s wedding. Although he will be returning to Kansas and life on his father’s ranch, Ben calls on Amelia several times, and they find they have more in common than they first realized. As he leaves for Kansas, they promise to write. Back in Kansas, Ben begins to save money toward a home for Amelia even…

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My Heart Leaps for JOY!

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Hi from the central coast of California. This is Sherry Kyle with a word of encouragment for you. Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”   I love this verse.  It reminds me of the chorus to the children’s song: “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”    Do you remember singing that song in Sunday School when you were a child?  For those of you who didn’t grow up in a Christian…

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Persistence

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Aloha from Karen, At my first writer’s conference I won the persistence award. I wondered if I just asked the most questions and if that was a polite way to say I was a pest. But over time I realize writers need persistence to succeed and someone saw that in me. I looked at this year’s calendar and already see deadlines looming and contracts that look great-more than I ever expected. I look back and realize I persisted and years of hard work matter. Even more, I see other writers I knew from my early beginnings also finding more success…

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Poetry Basics: Organizing the Poem I

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      Hello. I'm Donn Taylor, here again to talk more about poetry writing and ways to achieve the "higher voltage" that distinguishes poetry from most prose. We've talked about putting strong words in emphatic places, use of images, and a little bit about figurative language. Reserving that last for further treatment later, today we'll begin looking at ways to organize a poem. Those ways are infinite, or course, so we'll confine ourselves to some of the most common. Today, only one.       First, some generalizations: In narrative poetry, the structure of the story becomes the structure of the poem. That…

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Tips from the Pros: Jolene Philo

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Hello from Sarah Sundin in California where some of us are actually praying for rain. Today I have the privilege of interviewing Jolene Philo, who turned her experience with a critically ill child into blessings for others by ministering to parents of special needs children through her blog and her books. Jolene, how did you get into writing? I’ve always enjoyed writing, but for many years thought it was no big deal. About twenty years ago, I began writing stories about my dad for my children. He was in a nursing home because of multiple sclerosis and unable to communicate…

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Jesus Prays for Us!

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                            Grace Fox here with a thought that's been on my mind lately. Hebrews 7:25 encourages me, especially on days when I’m frustrated, discouraged, or doubt-filled. It says, “Therefore he (Jesus) is able once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” The thought of Jesus praying on His followers’ behalf excites me! My hunch is that He prays a lot more than, “God, please bless So-and-So today.” My sanctified imagination tells me His…

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PUGS Pointers #6

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Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about “PUGS”–Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling…tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit. Each blog post will have one tip for each of the four categories, as well as a reason it’s important for authors to “polish their PUGS.” (For more PUGS tips, check out my website, www.KathyIde.com, or get a copy of my book “Polishing the PUGS” (available through the website or at the conferences where I teach). If you’re interested in…

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REALITIES OF “MARKETING” Part II

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    This follow-up article is a continuation of James Watkins article on Self-Publishing And Piranhas . He is graciously allowed me to share this information with you. Feel free to visit Jim’s web pages filled with wise thoughts about writing, publishing, and marketing at: http://www.jameswatkins.com/marketing.htm. This discussion covered warnings for writers considering self-publishing on the many scams and poor choices that are beckoning to eager writers. The next point talks about the number of copies that must be ordered and finallly, the question regarding your niche market. I hope you find this article helpful.   

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Are You Doing it Wrong?

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Jeanette here, with another crocheting metaphor. During this Christmas season, I crocheted six scarves and a set of coasters. Since I was on a roll, I crocheted three more scarves after Christmas to give to friends who I thought needed a lift. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, but I do enjoy this pastime and those who receive scarves and coasters always love them. I have a confession to make though: I do it wrong. I hold my hook upside down. At first this frustrated my friend Marion, who taught me last year. No matter how many times she reminded…

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