Five Keys to Triumph Over Internet Insanity

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  Anybody out there dizzy like I am? Are you being bombarded by offers, suggestions, advice, luring seminars, and workshops—all to expose your writing, enhance marketing efforts, and boost sales? Confessing…I’ve been caught in the gotta-try-that frenzy. Most of us are dashing here and there, hoping to get that platform built. Eager to get our books promoted. Trying to get that door to open, one that will make our work soar to the top. Trying to book that big speaking engagement. Trying, trying till we collapse into bed, our head exploding with endless possibilities—too many to try. And some, too…

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Right There, Right Then: Immediacy

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Peace to you! Maureen Pratt here with my monthly blog about specific aspects of the writing process. Today, I thought I'd highlight some suggestions about immediacy in our writing. Whether we're writing fiction or non-fiction, we want our prose to carry the feel of immediacy, or a sense of time and place that draws the reader in to the exclusion of all other distractions and detractions. Compelling central plots do this to a certain extent, of course, but to carry someone along for the duration of a book requires some hooks-within-the-hooks. Immediacy boosts action to a more lively level, and it helps root scene and character…

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Lights, Action, & A Sense Of Humor

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Hi, Pamela S. Meyers here with more tips on marketing your new book. The release date for my historical romance from Summerside Press, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (LFYLG) is fast approaching. April 1st will be here before I know it! My friend who made my book trailer for Thyme for Love is hard at work developing a trailer for LFYLG, and he came up with a fantastic idea to have me personally introduce the story at the beginning of the clip. In addition to the romance, the story centers on the Rivera building which was built in…

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The Moses Quilt – A New Release

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The Moses Quilt by Kathi Macias, New Hope Publishers, January 1, 2013   As if facing major decisions about the love of her life and her future isn't enough, Mazie Hartford is also wrestling with a nagging question about her family's past. And the answer seems connected to her great-grandmother's Moses quilt. Can the patchwork pieces of a former slave's story stitch the pattern of her tomorrow?   Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in…

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A Listening Ear

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Hi, Sherry Kyle here, writing to you on my laptop from Central California. I prayed fervently on my way to the Capitola Mall on Saturday. The direction of my prayer went something like this, “Please, God, help me to be a listening ear to those who need encouragement coming into Inklings Books & Things. Help me plant a seed for Christ. And if I sell a few books, well, that would be nice too.” I wasn’t nervous or anxious at being the featured author at my neighborhood bookstore. Instead I was eager to see who God would bring my way….

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Tips from the Pros: Stephanie Reed

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin! Today I have the honor of interviewing historical fiction author Stephanie Reed – on her 32nd wedding anniversary! Congratulations on achieving such a wonderful milestone. Stephanie, how did you get into writing? How many books do you have published? Writing is what I always wanted to do. I have two books published by Kregel, Across the Wide River, and the sequel, The Light Across the River. The next book from Kregel will be The Bargain, with a sequel to follow. How did you get your first book contract? Kregel still accepted unsolicited manuscripts in those days,…

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Remedy For The Heart – A New Release

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Remedy For The Heart by Janet Lee Barton Even though she is thrilled to begin her career as a pharmacist, Esther is well aware that not everyone is willing to accept a woman in a man's field. But she is no stranger to adversity. As an orphan, she knows it well. She just did not count on falling for Andrew Radcliff, a man whose opinions are entirely opposed to her own. Andrew, a young doctor struggling to establish his own practice and reputation apart from his father, believes it is God's will that he help those who cannot afford proper…

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Research For Fiction Writing — Part I

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  Happy New Year from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailgaymermartin.com I hope this new year brings you blessings. No matter what month or year, I always look forward to sharing some of my expertise in writing fiction. This year I’m celebrating my 50th published novel. It will be in stores at the end of month and if you’d like to take a peek or pre-order you can do that from my website link at http://www.gailgaymermartin.com/books/her-valentine-hero/ It’s the first in the Sisters series. If you take a look, leave a comment and you’ll be entered into my free book drawing in March….

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Tips from the Pros: Maureen Pratt

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New Year's greetings from central Florida! Now that you've finished off all the extra fudge and gingerbread cookies, I hope you'll take time from the treadmill long enough to read today's marketing insights from award-winning playwright, journalist, and author Maureen Pratt. Maureen has lots of wisdom to share, so let's get started. Maureen, how did you get into writing? How many books have you published, and what are a few of your latest titles? I was always writing–scripts, songs, stories, even a comic strip–when I was young. My first paid writing job was as a stringer for a local newspaper….

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PUGS Pointers #17

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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. (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 working with a freelance editor (or know someone who is), e-mail me through the…

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