When Something Happens

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Hello, again!  Maureen Pratt here for my monthly blog post. And what a month it’s becoming! No doubt many of you have multiple works in progress gracing your keyboards, computer screens, notebooks, and imaginations. Some deadlines, too. The life of a working writer. And then…something happens. How do we handle health and other emergencies and keep our writing in mind and heart, too? We are writers, after all, and writers, well, we write. As I write this, I am in the midst of a significant family emergency. One minute, I was working on a new magazine article, and hours later,…

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I finally took the Pinterest Plunge: tips

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I’ve been a lurker for several months. There were several reasons for my reluctance 1. I didn’t want to spend time on a fad that would fade, 2. I couldn’t see adding one more social media need-to on my list of must-dos, and 3. I just didn’t get it. I didn’t see how I’d use Pinterest and how the time invested would offer a worthy return. But, after several months of reading the stats, I finally decided to take the plunge. Here is what I found.

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Friends and Experts

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Hi, all! Ava Pennington checking in from sunny Florida. They say the life of a writer is lonely. That’s true in some ways, but the advent of the Internet has connected us in ways we never imagined. It has also made research easier than ever. However, easier is not always better. We’ve all heard the warnings about verifying the accuracy of our sources. Certain websites have more credibility than others. Just because something is on the Internet doesn’t make it true.

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Tips from the Pros: Elizabeth Baker

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May greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Today I have the honor of interviewing Elizabeth Baker, who went from a dyslexic high school dropout to a multi-published author, speaker, and Ph.D.! Elizabeth, how did you get into writing? I stumbled my way in because I didn’t know what I was attempting was impossible. It’s a rather long story and you can read full details on my website, but I sent a poorly typed manuscript of three chapters to an address I did not know for sure published books. They accepted, and I had a contract in my hand within three…

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Tips from the Pros: Martha Rogers

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May greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Today I have the privilege of interviewing multi-published author and speaker Martha Rogers. Martha inspires the membership of American Christian Fiction Writers with her Verse of the Week posts to the e-mail loop, and her story should inspire anyone who wonders if it’s too late to achieve their dreams. You see, Martha sold her first book at the age of 73. Now she’s had nine novels and two novellas published – and in a very short period of time! Her newest novel is Spring Hope, book 4 in the Seasons of the Heart…

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7 Twitter Rules of the Road

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Hi, Ava Pennington, CAN Secretary, here. Our CAN members have been learning how to better use social media, thanks to several recent member webinars. As I apply what I’ve been learning, I’ve noticed some parallels with driving…

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WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD: WRITING CONTROVERSY

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                                            [The woman] looked closely at Peter and said, "This man was with him." But Peter denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. (Luke 22:56-57, NIV) A blessed day to you! Maureen Pratt here with my second CAN Blog post. This time, I'm going to dive right into the deep end and talk about writing controversial subjects, characters, and themes. I've had very recent (ongoing, actually) experience with doing this, so I'm looking at the topic with eyes wide open and have some tips for handling not only the material, but also the feedback that inevitably comes when one "stirs the…

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The Marketing Seesaw

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Hi from Ava Pennington, CAN Secretary… When was the last time you played on a seesaw? Maybe you called it a teeter-totter. The fun lasted only as long as the person on the other end weighed about the same as you. Enough of an imbalance and you either spent most of the time camped on the ground or hanging in the air. A seesaw is not the only place balance is important. It would be nice to think being an author meant spending all our time weaving words to enthrall readers. It would be nice…but not realistic. The reality of…

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Tips from the Pros: Marion Stroud

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Hello from Sarah Sundin, who has a sudden longing for tea and crumpets. Why? Today’s guest, Marion Stroud, hails from my favourite country, England. Yes, I added the U for Marion’s sake. Marion is the prolific and bestselling author of 23 books, translated into many languages. This mother of five and grandmother of thirteen also serves as a British magistrate. So do not speed down her street. Marion, how did you get into writing? How many books do you have published? A bookworm since babyhood, I always wanted to write. When I “retired” from my profession as a physical therapist…

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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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