Speak Life!

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Greetings, Dear Friends! Susie Larson here… I post on the last Thursday of each month, which these days, puts me on holidays. Oh, well. 🙂 My monthly theme is around building a speaking platform. When was the last time you had a conversation with someone, and something they said about knocked you over? Maybe it was one word or a short phrase or a word picture, but when those words went into your ears, your heart beat faster and maybe your cheeks even felt flush. Does that ever happen to you? Sometimes those moments happen while watching a movie, reading…

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Helpful Tools for Writers – Text to Voice

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Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with blessings from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com I have tried various tools for brainstorming plots and deepening stories, but I’ve usually given up and found the programs more trouble than they’re worth. One of the least expensive programs I’ve found and one you can even download free for a trail is Natural Reader, a text to voice program.

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More About Marketing to Libraries

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Hi, everyone. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and will enjoy a happy, healthy, productive and prosperous New Year. In September I wrote about marketing to libraries. I conducted an extensive campaign to public libraries over the summer months, marketing my books to more than 2,300 libraries. Since writing my September post I've begun to check back at the libraries I targeted to see the results. I'm about half way through my list, and so far I've found that libraries have purchased several hundred copies of my books since my campaign. And quite often I find that one or…

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POV, the Psalmist, and the Writer

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Jan here, writing as 2009 is drawing to a close about a recent prodding I received through another look at Psalm 23. As writers we seek to factor in the best point of view (POV) for the piece we are writing. We make intentional choices or shifts to bring out nuances of meaning or story direction. The topics and characters are important, as are the readers we bring along with us through our story or narrative. The power of POV came through recently as I was rereading Psalm 23.

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Outlining #5 – Pacing Needs Planning

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Today is December 25.  Wishing you a blessed Christmas from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com The screenwriting outline article I have been sharing with you lists a fifth and final major point for creating a dynamic story—pacing. Pacing is not only important for screenwriting. It is vital for plotting a novel. I’ve stressed this before in other articles on writing, but this will be a good review. 5. Pacing needs to flow like a river with all its hidden dangers. Through outlining the author can visual pacing before writing the book. He can see the river's calm and the turbulence and then…

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Tips from the Pros: Jocelyn Green

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Merry Christmas! I'm Mildred Colvin and I've come to talk with Jocelyn Green who has written a devotional to encourage military wives. A most worthy project! Grab a peanut butter ball (one of my family's favorite Christmas candies) and enjoy a visit with this busy author. I know she's busy because she has small children. LOL  Hi, Jocelyn, we'll begin with our first question.

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CAN Book Feature: Guardian of the Flame by T.L. Higley

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      Guardian of the Flame T.L. Higley B&H Books ISBN-13: 978-0-8054-4732-3   In a city ravaged by the clash of cultures, one woman fights for solitude. Will a Roman soldier destroy her peace?   Alexandria, 48 BC. Sophia has spent nearly twenty years as the keeper of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, alone in her task and in her heart. But when the wealthy capital of Egypt is invaded by Julius Caesar and his Roman legion, Sophia’s peace is shattered and her lighthouse invaded. The Roman general would steal both her country and its queen, the Greek Cleopatra, and when his…

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Merry Christmas from CAN

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Aloha from Karen, the CAN treasurer, Only a few days to Christmas and the end of another year. As you contemplate the miracle of God becoming flesh, God incarnate, it’s also a time to believe in your dreams and know that with God all things are possible. I end the year with two unexpected book contracts although some I’d hoped for have not come through. God has such a greater plan that I have. Take time as the year end’s to thank God for the gifts he has given you this year and the writing opportunities. Then pray for the…

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“This Feels like Homework”

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Happy December 21 from Jeanette. Today I spent a chunk of my writing day on a project that felt like homework. Usually I enjoy the type of assignment involved but this just wasn’t clicking. On top of that, my head was foggy from a cold, both sons are off school, and four days before Christmas all I want to do is bake and watch movies. Can you relate? Then maybe you’ll benefit from how I dealt with it.

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A Season for Trust

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Jeanne Dennis here. Since June, I’ve been a member of the CAN Board. Even though you haven't heard from me personally for several months, I post the CAN book releases on this blog every Tuesday and help keep the CAN website up to date.  During this holy season, I wanted to touch base with you again and express what’s in my heart. We live in a time of personal, political, and financial uncertainty. Countless people now struggle with poor health or finances; suffer the loss of loved ones, jobs, or homes; or deal with other crises. Pain and loss often…

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