Monday: Erica posted about how to use a trip to the bookstore to make you a better writer!
Thursday: Open Critique Day And we have two winners! Winner of a 5 page critique from Missy Tippens is Sarah Crouch and winner of a Kindle copy of either of Ruthy's new historicals "The Sewing Sisters' Society" OR "A Most Inconvenient Love" is Rachel Herod. Congratulations, ladies!!!
Friday: Amanda Cabot offered great info on writing a series!
Monday: Mary is talking about her new release coming next week!!! The Unexpected Champion!
Wednesday: Mindy Obenhaus will be here to talk about The Business of Writing.
Thursday: Jolina Petersheim chats about “Tending Your Soul While Tending Your Family”, plus be sure to comment for a chance to win her latest release, How the Light Gets In.
Friday: Beth wants to know what all y'all want her to chat about! What reader, reviewer, or blogger topics should she cover?! Please share your thoughts or questions in the comments this weekend and hopefully one of your ideas will inspire greatness (but we'll settle for craziness or fun too)!!!
Erica here: Love Inspired is running another So You Think You Can Write contest. A few years ago, I was blessed to be awarded a contract through a Love Inspired contest called BlurbToBook. You can find out more about the contest and how to enter by clicking: https://bit.ly/2T7fpTv
While we're all digging out of snowdrifts as high as a horse, you might enjoy a fun story that includes a blizzard, and also a handsome, hunky hero, a fish-out-of-water Southern Belle, and a brave and adorable collie! You can get your kindle copy here! https://amzn.to/2GSDxD1
Coming March 19th!
Book 3 in Mindy Obenhaus's Rocky Mountain Heroes series.
Lassoing the single mom’s heart…
Socialite Lily Davis agrees to take her children riding…despite her fear of horses. But now widowed cowboy Noah Stephens is determined to help her get comfortable in the saddle. And, at her children’s insistence, Lily finds herself promoting his rodeo school. As Noah and Lily work together, will Noah continue to shield his heart…or can they discover a love that conquers both their fears?
Socialite Lily Davis agrees to take her children riding…despite her fear of horses. But now widowed cowboy Noah Stephens is determined to help her get comfortable in the saddle. And, at her children’s insistence, Lily finds herself promoting his rodeo school. As Noah and Lily work together, will Noah continue to shield his heart…or can they discover a love that conquers both their fears?
Preorder your copy here.
Releases March 5th!
It is finally coming!!!
City dweller John McCall never expected to be out in the High Sierras of 1868 on a wild-goose chase to find the Chiltons' supposedly lost grandson. But now that he's out here, things have gotten even more complicated, mostly due to wildcat Penny Scott. She's not like any woman he's ever met--comfortable in the woods, with a horse, and with a gun.
When Penny and John are taken against their will by a shadowy figure looking for evidence they don't have, both realize they've stumbled into something dangerous and complicated. With their friends and family desperately searching for them, Penny and John must make a daring escape.
When they emerge back into the real world, they are confronted with a kidnapper who just won't stop. They must bring a powerful, ruthless man to justice, even as this city man and country woman fight a very inconvenient attraction to each other.
When Penny and John are taken against their will by a shadowy figure looking for evidence they don't have, both realize they've stumbled into something dangerous and complicated. With their friends and family desperately searching for them, Penny and John must make a daring escape.
When they emerge back into the real world, they are confronted with a kidnapper who just won't stop. They must bring a powerful, ruthless man to justice, even as this city man and country woman fight a very inconvenient attraction to each other.
How To Write A Killer First Draft in 6 Steps by Gilbert Bassey at Live Write Thrive
Congratulations to Sarah & Rachel and I hope all of you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI hope you all have a great weekend!! I'm seeing some sunshine here in Georgia and hope it lasts.
ReplyDeleteGrrrrrr….it's FIVE DEGREES HERE!!! Wind chill of 13 below!!!
DeleteBy the way, I love all the new book covers!!
ReplyDeleteHi Missy:
DeleteI agree about the cover artwork being very good. I'm a little concern about the message conveyed as a copywriter however.
My favorite is, "Her Colorado Cowboy". Now there is a cover where the reader knows instantly what she is getting. The setting is majestic. The guy is happy and handsome. But what about the title? She already got the guy. He's her's. He's happy. That's like the HEA on the cover.
Also fun is Mary's, "The Unexpected Champion", cover. The hero looks like Mavrick, Bart the gambler, and the heroine is holding on to him for dear life. It's like she does not want to let him out of her sight. I can see a whole story in that artwork alone!
Now the artwork for "His Prairie Sweetheart" sets the scene very well. I do find it a little static, frozen even, and centered. I can just hear the cowboy saying, "It's cold out here. Do you think we could go inside and talk?" The title is ok. She may be his sweetheart but does he win her as his wife.
If you went just by the cover art, which book would you buy first given you could only buy one book a week?
Me, I've got to see if that grasping heroine can hold on to that guy until the end of the book. :)
QUESTION: Do you look at cover art and start 'seeing' a story unfold right before your eyes?
I do.
Have a great weekend. Thanks to the AAF there are four football games this Saturday and Sunday. Happy Dance!
Vince
Vince this is all so true. A cover can be such a huge boost to a book. And they are HARD to get right!!!
DeleteIt's an interesting process.
We talk about a pitch for a book, or a blurb. It's so hard to boil a whole book down to one sentence or even 100 words. Well, that's the same thing we're trying to do with a cover. Capture the book in one picture.
Bethany House does good work with that and I'm left in awe.
Topic Idea for Beth
ReplyDeleteThis Coming Friday
"How to be Kind to your Reader"
Neil Gaiman, in his Master Class, talks about "being kind to your reader". To do this Neil says make it easy for readers to instantly identify your characters.
Start by learning what your characters' voices sound like. Give each character a distinct voice. Make them identifiable by simply hearing them speak.
Make your characters physically different from each other in a way that no character would be mistaken for being a different character.
"You never want to cause your reader to stop and turn back pages to determine just which character a given character is."
Something I'd like to see in historical novels is a tombstone at the start of the first chapter and on subsequent chapters when appropriate.
Example from "The Accidental Guardian" by Mary Connealy:
SOUTHWEST OF LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA
OCTOBER 1867
I just love the above as a reader. I'm immediately invested in the story. I've been to Lake Tahoe several times, I'm very interested in US history from 1865 to 1914. The stage is set in my mind and I'm ready to read. I find this to be very kind to the reader.
I think there are many more ways to be kind to your readers. I'd love to learn as many as possible on next Friday.
Vince
Thank you for the suggestion, Vince!
DeleteVince I like putting that on my manuscript when I'm writing and love that Bethany leaves it in the print book!!!
DeleteI could really use some prayers. Things have really escalated with the stalking patient. In the meantime I am being moved to a new room but don't know where or what kind of roommate I will have. All not good for the healing process. Trying to stay positive but it's a losing battle. In the meantime I am hiding in my old room with the door closed and afraid to do anything.
ReplyDeleteWilani, I'm praying for your protection and peace of mind!
DeleteOh my goodness! Praying for your protection and for him to be stopped as well as healing for you!
DeleteI finally got moved to my new room. My new roommate is sweet. I feel so much calmer.
DeleteThanks for the prayers.
Wilani, I hope you are safe. Saying a prayer right now!!!
DeleteWilani, I'm glad you have a good roommate. I hope the facility is doing something about that stalking patient. Praying for your comfort and healing.
DeleteBeth I'd love to see a post on cover love! What makes or breaks a cover? What works for the different genres, what are trends, and what are some successful ones that broke out of the mold?
ReplyDeleteOoooo, Heidi! You've hit on one of my favorite topics! Thank you, friend!
DeleteCongrats to the winners! Beth, looks like you've been given a few ideas for a blog post. Anything you share will be wonderful!
ReplyDeleteDebby, you are the sweetest! HUGS!
DeleteThanks for the taking the time to put together the weekend post! Can't wait to read all the new books and love the covers!
ReplyDeleteJust a little weekend country music fun…
ReplyDeleteAnd they called the wind Miranda
She stole my heart
and then she took my name.
She gave me sweet loving,
Oh, I'll never be the same.
Yea, Yea (Pistol Chicks three woman chorus sings here)
And when she walked out,
it brought her greater fame.
Like a devil woman she kept my heart
but she did send back my name.
Yea, Yea (Pistol Chicks three woman chorus sings here)
She left me just a tin man
with no heart and feeling no pain,
just a sad and lonely tin man,
a scarecrow rusting in the rain.
Yea, Yea (Pistol Chicks three woman chorus sings here)
I see her celebrating
with a fancy "divorce cake"
living rich with two hearts
while I have no heart to break.
Yea, Yea (Pistol Chicks three woman chorus sings here)
And now she's hooked a new love
she's known for just a few days.
She's stolen another heart.
She'll never change her ways.
Yea, Yea (Pistol Chicks three woman chorus sings here)
Don't let her steal your heart.
Don't let her take your name.
Just find yourself a true love
and stay out of the rain.
Yea, Yea (Pistol Chicks three woman chorus sings here)
***********
"A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich"
Alice Childress
Addendum: to better appreciate the above country song, view the inspiration here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr0ktKa7SaQ
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ReplyDelete