Tips from the Pros: Roseanna M. White

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Today I have the privilege of interviewing historical fiction author Roseanna White. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her on line, and love her skill with words and her sense of humor. Roseanna, how did you get into writing? I’ve been writing since I learned how to put pencil to paper in primary school. It was a day when I was out sick with an ear infection that I realized I could entertain myself by scratching a story about a princess with a magical hair bow on some scrap paper–and there’s been no stopping me…

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Author Kathy Howard on writing and promoting

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Today I’m happy to introduce author Kathy Howard as she shares highlights from her amazing writing journey. You’ll be encouraged by her discoveries and innovative suggestions. Thanks for reading!                                              ~Davalynn Spencer   Kathy, tell us how you first became involved in writing. My passion for teaching the Bible led me to writing. About 10 years ago, God dropped me into the middle of a teaching ministry to spiritual seekers. After using the material I had for a while, I knew I could develop curriculum that would better meet that group’s specific needs. I was in seminary at the time…

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Tips from the Pros: Cecelia Dowdy

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California. As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s especially fun to feature Christian romance author Cecelia Dowdy! Cecelia has a unique background for a writer – with a degree in finance, she worked as an accountant for a travel agency and was able to travel the world. Nothing stokes story ideas like travel! Cecelia, how did you get into writing? About fifteen years ago, I didn’t have a book to read during my lunch break, so I started writing. I’ve been writing ever since. How many books do you have published? Five. Three of my titles (John’s…

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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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Creating an Article Plan for 2013

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The New Year is upon us, so do you have an Article Plan for 2013? When my book came out one of the things I did was create a year-long article plan. Much like an evergreen article plan, a year-long article plan for your book takes advantage of the calendar and what editors are already looking to print. Here are the steps to take…

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Tips from the Pros: Dianne Neal Matthews

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin on a drizzly day in northern California. As the year draws to a close, we begin to plan for the coming year. What a wonderful time to feature Dianne Neal Matthews, the author of four daily devotionals! Her newest offering, Designed for Devotion: A 365-Day Journey from Genesis to Revelation, just released, and it looks like a fabulous way to tour the Bible in 2013. Dianne, how did you get into writing? I always fantasized about being a writer but didn’t do anything about it. Then in my mid-forties, I began writing occasional articles for my church’s…

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The Challenge of Writing for Children–Part 1: Boardbooks

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Many writers want to write a children’s book because they think it would be fun. Writing for children is fun, but fun does not mean easy! In fact, the more you learn about writing for children, the harder it gets. Most writers think of the standard 32-page picture book when they consider writing a children’s book, but there are other sub-genres within the genre of children’s literature that writers need to be familiar with.

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Jeanette Hanscome’s tips on marketing: It’s not bragging

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Davalynn Spencer here, still full after last week's great meal and all those leftovers. Today Focus on the Family author Jeanette Hanscome joins me with a few tips on learning to be brave while being true to one's self. Jeanette, tell us how you got into writing? My therapist made me do it. Can you believe that? He was so demanding! He also made me attend my first writer’s conference.

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Beyond the Movie in Your Mind

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Hello! Maureen Pratt here with another blog post about the craft of writing. I’m typing this just before I leave to see one of the "blockbuster" movies coming out during this holiday season. Many films are timed to open during the next couple of months so that they can be eligible for award consideration, so the selection these days is varied and abundant. Anticipating seeing "Lincoln," (my movie of choice today), I thought I’d talk today about fiction writing and a very specific way of filtering that "movie in the mind" to better hone story telling and characterization. The concept…

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Tips from the Pros: Judy Gann

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California. Oh, what a treat I have for you today! Judy Gann is one of my dearest writer friends. I’ve been blessed by her gentle spirit and kind encouragement, and I’ve benefitted from her phenomenal knowledge as both a writer and an experienced librarian. I know you’ll be blessed too. Judy, how did you get into writing? I started scribbling little stories in second grade. My first published piece was a character sketch of a six-year-old, published in a high school literary journal. Then life became busy with college, teaching, and then library work. Several…

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