Marketing Lessons from the World of Retail

, by

  Tracy (T.L.) Higley here, posting another marketing lesson I’ve learned from my years in online retail sales. As I’ve mentioned in previous months, I’m currently in the midst of an experimental year, applying principles from my retail business to the marketing of my fiction. If you’ve missed earlier posts, and would like a better explanation of my background and what these posts are about, please see Principles #1-#9 here.   So, on to Principle #10… Give yourself a reality check.   Writing is hard. Making money at writing is even harder. There is considerable discussion and debate these days…

Read More

In the Trenches, Part 2

, by

Hey, writers! Jan here, writing once again with a focus on nonfiction–though the topic today could apply to fiction writers as well. Last month I offered In the Trenches, Part 1, where we looked at how crucial it is to get into our reader’s skin and keep them in mind while we write. We looked at ways we can get closer to our reader—intentional about knowing who they are from multiple angles, including through real conversations. We’re going to take that deeper in this post. Begin by imagining being trapped in a room . . .

Read More

Description III: Presenting Action

, by

Good morning from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com.   I sort of chuckled when I realized last time I wrote here, I was supposed to be blogging on Love Inspired Authors Blog so you received a blog from me on traveling and how it affects me life. I guess that has to do with writing also, but I wanted to finish my three blogs related to Description. So here you are – Part III Presenting Action. Describing action brings a story to life, but the amount of description is regulated by the kind of action. Ask yourself these kinds of questions: How significant…

Read More

CAN Book Feature: Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley

, by

Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico By Lena Nelson DooleyISBN: 978-1935416746Summerside PressHistorical Romance All that glitters is not gold. It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the…

Read More

We Are Able

, by

Hello from Bonnie in rainy Southern Oregon.   How often do you feel unfit to fulfill the call of God on your life? Once a month? Once a week? Once a day? More than that?  I don’t keep track, but I know I frequently doubt my abilities as a writer, a teacher, mentor, wife and mother. When I don’t reach my expectations I feel I’ve failed. We’re all uncertain, some of the time, about our skills and our readiness to fulfill obligations. I believe our lack of confidence exists because we rely upon the wrong power source.

Read More

Love That Travel, But. . .

, by

Hi from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com  Traveling is a passion of mine along with writing fiction. I’ve had the pleasure of traveling to so many countries and every state in the union, and I love setting stories in those places. Some of my travel is the result of teaching writing at conferences or speaking at various events around the country, so my writing career offers me opportunities to do two things I love at one time—talk about writing in other places than home. But. . .

Read More

Marketing Lessons from the World of Retail

, by

Tracy (T.L.) Higley here, posting another marketing lesson I’ve learned from my years in online retail sales. As I’ve mentioned in previous months, I’m currently in the midst of an experimental year, applying principles from my retail business to the marketing of my fiction. If you’ve missed earlier posts, and would like a better explanation of my background and what these posts are about, please see Principles #1-#8 here.   So, on to Principle #9… Pay attention to the bigger “customers.”   Allow me to share an example from my retail business…   In my online craft supply business, most…

Read More

The Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough

, by

The Anonymous Bride,  Book 1 in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series by Vickie McDonough from Barbour Publishing released April 1, 2010 ISBN: 978-1-60260-696-8 Three mail-order brides arrive in Lookout, Texas, each expecting to marry the local marshal. But—he didn’t order a bride. When a contest ensues to discover which bride will make him the best wife, there is a surprise fourth entry –an anonymous one. Mayhem occurs as the whole town tries to figure out who the anonymous bride is, and the mayor pressures the marshal to pick a bride or lose his job. Will Marshal Davis tuck tail and run for the hills? Or…

Read More

What are We Putting Out There?

, by

  Happy Monday from Jeanette, writing from exciting snowing-one-minute-and-sunny-the-next Reno. I spent most of today, not writing, but talking with my bank’s fraud department. Apparently someone borrowed our account number for some overseas purchases. “That’s it,” I told the bank representative. “Nobody in this family is ever ordering anything online again.” It’s possible that that’s all it took—an innocent purchase put information out there for a sick individual to snatch up for who knows what (make that, I don’t want to know what). It probably took them five minutes to rob us, while it took me hours to undo the…

Read More

Speaker Must Do’s…

, by

 Greetings, Dear Friends! Susie Larson here… I typically post on the last Thursday of each month on building a speaking platform. Please forgive me for being AWOL now and then. I’ve had had an insane travel schedule this spring but we are so thankful to God for His faithfulness in our midst. I want to connect with you today about a number of “Speaker Must Do’s” that I think will help you as you work to build a speaking platform.

Read More