Seekerville

2010-01-08T02:00:00.002-05:00

Today Allen Arnold, Senior Vice-President and Fiction Publisher at Thomas Nelson stopped by Seekerville to answer our questions. Cara Slaughter has her first book Love on a Dime, releasing from Thomas Nelson in June, the first of a three book series. YAY Cara! Yay Thomas Nelson!

Allen will stop in today if his life allows. If you've got questions he will try and answer them. Allen has been at Thomas Nelson for 18 years – initially overseeing marketing and branding for the company's top authors until he launched the Fiction division six years ago. For the first two quarters of 2009, Thomas Nelson has been ranked the #1 Christian Fiction publisher at Christian Retail and is recognized for publishing a rich tapestry of diverse titles (Christian and General Fiction), genres (from YA to Amish to Suspense) and authors (from Ted Dekker to Country Music Artist Sara Evans!). Prior to his time at Thomas Nelson, Allen worked at some of the most acclaimed Advertising Agencies - helping develop campaigns for everything from soft drinks to traveling circuses! He’s passionate about the power of a well-told story and the ability of art to transform hearts and culture. In his spare time, you’ll often find him reading Superman comics while eating the spiciest peppers known to mankind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now the interrogation begins!

1) Thomas Nelson doesn't accept unagented submissions. We have a strong readership on Seekerville of unpublished authors. So is the only path to Thomas Nelson through an agent or are their other ways? Do your editors ever judge contests or accept manuscripts submitted at conferences?
Our editorial team does judge contests and review manuscripts at conferences like ACFW. But the absolute best chance for an unpublished author to be published through Thomas Nelson Fiction is through an agent. Besides acting as a quality filter for publishers, good agents bring tremendous value to the process by critiquing the manuscript, shaping the proposal and then pitching it to the right potential publishing partners…not to mention overseeing the lengthy contract negotiation process should a deal happen.

2) Thomas Nelson publishes a wide variety of books. Legal Thrillers, Amish romance, suspense western romance, romantic suspense, Sci Fi/Fantasy and on and on. Do you search for a balance between all these genres? Are there a certain number of slots to fill every year in each genre?
While I believe Thomas Nelson Fiction’s program offers the most diversity across genres of any Christian Publisher, our goal isn’t to attain a perfect balance between all the genres. We’re open to all genres since the genre at the bottom of the list today is only one surprise hit away from being tomorrow’s next hot genre!
We approach acquisitions with a two-fold goal. First, we’re keenly aware of what’s working best in the marketplace based on what Christian Fiction readers most want to read. A successful publisher learns quickly not to publish solely for his nightstand (personal tastes)…but rather to publish the best stores in the genres readers are most excited about at that time. Currently, the greatest heat is with Amish, romance and historical novels.
Second – and simultaneously – we’re always searching for the best stories regardless of genre – because nothing trumps the power of a fresh story hitting all the right marks. And you’ll never come up with “the next big hit” by only looking in your rearview mirror and doing what worked great yesterday. Sometimes, readers don’t know if they’d like something new until they see it. It’s up to the publisher to “see if first – even before it exists” and then bring it to market.

3) I love the history of Thomas Nelson. Founded in 1798. That's so impressive. You've been a company in four centuries now. Do the roots of the company affect you in any way today? It seems like a big responsibility to continue the work when the history is this rich.
I agree – and absolutely love being a part of a 212 year-old publishing heritage. I often think about rich heritage and am motivated by that significant responsibility. Our company was founded in Scotland by a real man named Thomas Nelson. He was an incredible innovator – from creating major breakthroughs in the printing press to hiring the publishing industry’s first traveling sales force. At the end of the day, my goal is also to be an innovator. Someone who leads with ideation and publishes the best stories to the broadest audience – always from a Christian worldview. In times past, Christians often led in areas of the arts with story, music, plays and sculpture. Somehow in recent decades, there’s been a shift where Christians now simply try to mimic what’s hot in the secular world – with a light Christian twist. This drives me crazy! We follow a God of ultimate creativity and we should be the ultimate creators this side of heaven. So part of my mission is to usher in a creative renaissance where once again Christian storytellers are leading the way in the arts. More than a dream, this can happen…and is happening!

4) You and Karen Ball talked at the ACFW Conference about making your publicity efforts into a party. It was a really good program and even though my brain is pretty full, I believe I tucked some new knowledge in there thanks to you and Karen. We like to think Seekerville throws a pretty fun party every day and we have a lot of fun doing it. Have you got advice for us?
It’s simple. The people who host the best online parties will attract the most involved followers. The most value an author has to a publisher– next to great stories – is a loyal, growing, interactive, rabid fan base. And that really is something the author needs to nurture and grow. Publishers should take the responsibility of introducing new readers – but authors are the gatekeepers to existing fans. And there’s no way to keep those fans happy than hosting the best party. A misnomer is that this takes way too much time for an author. But it shouldn’t once it is up and running. Once you create the gathering place for them – you can step out of the way to some degree. Just like at an in-person party, the host would start to become irritating if they felt they had to be in every conversation. Let like-minded fans hang out and drive the conversation – you focus on hosting and keeping new and exciting content in front of them. Fans will keep the party going! And here’s a hard reality – if an author can’t generate enough fan interaction and excitement at their online party – how much confidence should a publisher have that somehow once they print their novel that readers will react with any greater enthusiasm in the real world? Read Seth Godin’s short book Tribe for additional insights on this topic.

5) What does it take to make you enthusiastic about a book. What are you looking for?
I’m looking for great writing and a distinctly unique voice. A lot of authors say they are the next Ted Dekker or Karen Kingsbury or Beverly Lewis. Well, those authors already exist – we don’t need an imitation of them. Those authors hit it big because they had a unique, fresh voice. We need the next unique, fresh voice – regardless of the genre. And we need an engaging author that we’ll enjoy working with. Relationship is so important – and even if you’re writing world-class fiction, we’re still not going to sign you if we don’t look forward to our conversations and the process. Life is just too short to do otherwise.
6) Give us an idea about a day in your life. What is your involvement in a final decision about offering a contract? Is the decision yours? Do you have final veto power or is it a vote between all your acquiring editors?
Here’s my motto (taken from Gladiator): “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” I really do start each day with deep passion and gratitude for what God allows me to do. I absolutely love my role in bringing stories of salt and light, epic good and evil, loss and love, etc. to people. Nothing I’d rather do. Period. And every day is filled with asking two big questions: 1) What If? This leads to doing things different and fresher than others. 2) What Can We Do to Make it Better? Whether the title, cover, plot point, format, etc…how can we make something good even better. And in terms of contracts and acquisitions, we have a very democratic process filled with vigorous conversation. And we have some of the most seasoned, wise, passionate editors in publishing (Christian or General Market). But yes, at the end of the day, there has to be one person accountable and driving the ship and that is me. I don’t see that as a source of power but rather as a way to best serve my team and our authors.

7) I was at a book event in Omaha, NE last spring called Mayhem in the Midlands and I was on a panel with a young man who writes murder mysteries. Then, I was in Denver and saw you in the crowd and almost went up to you to say hi, because you look so much like that man, who, I admit, I only met that one time several months earlier. You don't write murder mysteries under a pseudonym by any chance do you?
If he said brilliant things and wowed the crowd, I’ll claim him as the twin brother I never knew I had. ; )
I'll understand if you deny it.
And no, I don't think I'll tell you his name. What if you don't think he's good looking? I can't handle that kind of pressure.
No pressure there. I don’t really ever think any man is good looking…including me. Men are at their best when we’re living an adventure rather than primping in front of a mirror checking to see how good looking they are!

Thanks for being on Seekerville, Allen.

THOMAS NELSON WEBSITE

The 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award, a high-profile contest with many, many cogs

2010-01-07T00:19:00.007-05:00

I'm excited to introduce Donnell Ann Bell as our guest to Seekerville. Donnell is known all over the writing world for her humor, grace and the ability to draw the best out of anyone she meets. 2010 ushers in her eighth year of service with the Daphne. Don't hesitate to ask questions of Donnell...she's offering an extra special surprise....

Good morning, Seekerville, and thanks for inviting me here to talk about The 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Hosted by the RWA®’s Kiss of Death Chapter, this contest is very near and dear to me. One, because it involves my favorite genres, mystery and romantic suspense, and, two, it honors the legendary Suspense Author Daphne du Maurier.

Now, I’d like a show of hands, because as a contest coordinator, I come complete with an omniscient viewpoint. Thus, I can see all of you out there. How many of you fabulous Seekerville blog readers think I coordinate this contest all by myself?

That many? Wow! I would love to take all the credit for the growth of this mystery and romantic suspense contest, but the truth is, I have help – enormous, qualified and distinguished assistance. So, today I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce them. The truth is there’s a reason for the Daphne’s success, and I’m just a cog in a process that makes this contest click year after year.

INTRODUCING THE PUBLISHED DAPHNE COORDINATORS

(The published contest, divided into sub genres of: Mainstream Mystery, Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Category (Series) Romantic/Mystery Suspense, Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense and Paranormal Romantic Mystery/Suspense. Open to published authors who have a 2009 copyrighted mystery or romantic suspense novel, The Daphne Published contest levels the playing field. It is open to self-published, e-published, traditional presses and vanity press authors. Of course the books must be bound, and you would do well to make your product look as professional as possible, but non-traditional published authors have done extremely well in the Daphne published contest.)

Kelly Ann Riley and Caroline Dunsheath are the longest-standing members on the Daphne committee. They work tirelessly January through July, in which Kelly receives the published books and distributes them, while Cee is in charge of training, coordinating and handling the score sheets for the published side of this competition.

About Kelly Ann Riley: Penning stories at an early age, Kelly Ann, received special recognition for her short stories. Later, she became a reporter and editor for her high school newspaper. After earning a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition and a MBA, she worked for years as a Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutritional Services, but never gave up her first love of writing. Before she was published, she finaled and placed in numerous writing contests, including winning first place in the Daphne du Maurier Contest and Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart competition.

Kelly Ann is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and RWA's Mystery/Suspense (KOD) and Inspirational (FHL) chapters. She's been a Published Coordinator for KOD's Daphne du Maurier contest since 2002. She enjoys working with the Daphne committee and interacting with the authors who enter the contest. It's always exciting when the finalists are determined and then announcing the winners at RWA’s National conference.

Kelly’s first published novel, which won the Golden Heart in 2009 for Best Inspirational manuscript will be released by Steeple Hill as a Love Inspired Suspense in July 2010 with the title "Firestorm." She is also contracted to write a Guidepost Patchwork Mystery novel for Christmas 2010.

Kelly lives in Alabama where she writes her novels and enjoys many adventures as a youth leader in her church, wife to an engineer, and mother to two wonderful teens. You can contact her through her website at http://www.kellyannriley.com/

About Caroline Dunsheath: Cee has been involved with the Daphne since it evolved from a one-page, then a three-page contest [to its present day form]. As an entrant, judge and later a coordinator (originally Unpublished, and now in her third year as Co-coordinator of the Published Division), Cee never fails to be impressed with the breadth of talent on both sides of the score sheet. The competition stiffens every year as the Daphne’s reputation draws the best in mystery and suspense. But our judges are so amazing, giving such great feedback, that she believes even the nonfinaling entries “win” big.

Volunteering for a chapter contest is daunting, especially one that attracts a large number of entries, but Cee credits a committee filled with talented, selfless, and seemingly tireless members as the secret to the Daphne’s success and the reason the job hasn’t driven her insane (that, and having a super-productive best friend who lets her rant about late scores, lousy math and the lack of a 25th hour in a day, as a partner!)

Sanity challenged or not, she still whole-heartedly encourages writers to become a part of their chapters’ contests. It’s not only rewarding, it’s a gold mine of inspiration, motivation and on-the-job training. “I feel as though I’ve gotten a non-accredited Master’s degree in writing by judging, submitting for judging and seeing how other writers judge. There’s something to be learned in every step of the process.”

When not volunteering, Cee puts her contest-garnered education to use writing paranormal suspense. She is represented by Kelly L. Mortimer of Mortimer Literary Agency, whom she met via cell phone at Death by Chocolate, when her manuscript “SEEDS” took first place in the Daphne.

INTRODUCING THE UNPUBLISHED DAPHNE COORDINATORS

The Unpublished side of the Daphne (now 100 percent electronic) is also divided into sub genres of : Mainstream Mystery, Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Category (Series) Romantic/Mystery Suspense, Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense and Paranormal (PTTF) Romantic Mystery/Suspense. The coordinators of these sub-genres are amazingly talented not only in coordinating the Daphne but in their professional lives. Read on:

Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Coordinator Joelle Charbonneau. Now in her second year with the Daphne, Joelle brings to this committee her tenacity, networking savvy and contagious gregariousness.

About Joelle Charbonneu. Joelle is a storyteller at heart. She has performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children’s theatre productions across the Chicagoland area. In addition to her stage work, Joelle has also performed with several bands and worked as a solo performer. While Joelle is happy to perform for an audience, she is equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use her experience from the stage to create compelling characters in her mysteries. She lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and toddler son while penning the third book in her soon to be released mystery series. Her first comedic mystery, Skating Around the Law, will be released in the fall of 2010 by St. Martin's Minotaur. To learn more, visit Joelle at her website http://www.joellecharbonneau.net/

Single Title Coordinator and Co-Judge Coordinator Brooke Wills. What Brooke doesn’t say in her bio is that she’s a contest finalist in her own right and she brings the same dogged exactness in being a controller to the Daphne.

About Brooke Wills: Brooke is a financial controller by day and so far a controller by night. Her interests include reading, writing, gardening and cooking. This is her fourth year with the Daphne contest, this year coordinating the Single Title, Unpublished category and helping with judges’ training. In addition, Brooke is treasurer for RWA’s Chick-Lit chapter. The Daphne contest is great because it’s not just for RWA members, but also for mystery writers in general. There is so much hope in each entry, and the feedback provided by the Daphne judges is such a huge part of the contest.

Category (Series) Coordinator Elizabeth Pina Elizabeth Pina wears so many hats it’s amazing she has hair. When she’s not helping others, she’s winning numerous contests and publishing her wonderful work. Elizabeth returns to the Daphne for her second year.

About Elizabeth Pina: A native Brit and long-time Texan, mother-of-four Elizabeth Pina lives not far from Houston. Her youngest is now a senior in high school, but Elizabeth is constantly busy with livestock, show dogs, and full-time employment. Whenever there's a spare moment, you’ll find her happily ensconced behind her laptop. She's a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, and various local and on-line chapters of each, including the Kiss of Death where she coordinates the Lethal Ladies critique group. Elizabeth credits (or blames) her success on contests, and would like to help others achieve their goal of publication in the same way. She considers KOD a wonderful community and support group, and enjoys working with Donnell and the other coordinators to make the Daphne a success.

Inspirational & Historical Romantic Suspense Coordinator Jen McAndrews If you want something done, give it to a busy person. Also, in her second year, I’m amazed she didn’t shoot the Overall Coordinator for giving her two sub-genres. What’s more O.C. is still alive, AND Jen returned (of her own free will) for a second year to take on the same two sub-genres again.

About Jen McAndrews: Jen has built a career in legal and academic publishing. She is currently working as a markup specialist with a high profile science publisher, where her duties include troubleshooting, project management, and new technology development. A mystery- and romance-writing member of RWA since 2003, Jen has served in numerous roles within local and online chapters, but coordinating the Daphne is a unique treat that allows her to experience all the thrills, fun, and excitement of one of the most prestigious contests in the RWA. And if that's not enough, working with the rest of the committee is an absolute highlight of the year!

Paranormal (PTTF) Coordinator Connie Gillam brings to the Daphne a level of calm and an equal level of professionalism. What this 2008 Golden Heart finalist doesn’t mention is that she’s coordinated other contests as well and that her own compelling work is steadily rising to the top.

About Connie Gillam: After many years in the medical profession, Connie decided to pursue her love of writing and found a home with Romance Writers of America. Because her novels always contain an element of suspense, the Kiss of Death specialty interest chapter was a natural fit. This will be her third year coordinating the Paranormal category of the Daphne. The contest always attracts such excellent manuscripts, and she likes to watch the cream rise to the top. It's interesting to see the finaling manuscripts win in other contests and ultimately the Golden Heart.

A transplanted Midwesterner, Connie Gillam resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her family. You can read more about Connie at http://www.constancegillam.com/

Daphne Advisor Jean Willett Without Jean Willett, there would be no Daphne du Maurier Award. Former KOD co-president, Jean was instrumental in obtaining permission from the du Maurier estate to use the name Daphne du Maurier. Every year, Jean orders the beautiful bookmarks that go to our first place sub-genre winners and the incredible bronze scroll plaque which goes to our published Daphne Winner, and an aluminum scroll plaque which goes to our unpublished Daphne Winner.

About Jean Willett: When Jean isn’t penning her mystery and thrillers, she finds time to advise the Kiss of Death Chapter’s board, lead the Golden Heart Network as its 2010 president. A winner or finalist in numerous contests, Jean has won such prestigious competitions as The Maggie, Colorado Gold and was a finalist in The Golden Heart.

So now my secret is out. I hope now you can understand why the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense is such a well-oiled machine. Thanks Seekerville for allowing me to get this off my chest. I am but a cog in the wheel, but so proud and privileged to be affiliated with the above people as well as the Kiss of Death Chapter that hosts a contest in support of the mystery and romantic suspense genre.

The Daphne opens its contest doors on January 15, 2010. Check out: http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/ for more information.

Overall Daphne Coordinator Donnell Ann Bell has served on the Daphne Committee since 2002, serving in most every capacity to learn what it takes to run this high-powered contest. She is a multiple contest finalist and contest winner, including a final in the 2007 Golden Heart. Check out her website at: http://www.donnellannbell.com/

For those who comment or ask questions about the Daphne, Seekerville will draw one name for a free admission to either the Unpublished or the Published Contest. Make sure you include your email address with your comment!!

Seven of Nine – uniqueness in your characters

2010-01-06T00:01:00.003-05:00

Camy here! I’m a HUGE Star Trek Voyager fan (I watch the reruns on SpikeTV). I really like the character Seven of Nine.

For you non Star Trek fans, Seven is a human woman who was a Borg (mindless cyborg) for most of her life, but Captain Janeway rescued her from the Borg collective and is teaching her how to be an individual.

Much of her storyline is Seven learning to be a unique individual after being just like all the other mindless, unethical Borgs. Sometimes the situations she gets herself into are humorous, other times they are heartbreaking or bittersweet.

Seven is a good example of a character who is unique. She has two aspects her character that make her so unique:

(1) Her backstory as a Borg is very unusual
and
(2) her striving to become someone different gives the audience something to root for. Her goal of overcoming a complete LACK of individuality is a very different sort of character arc.

Seven’s example also teaches me, as a writer, to work harder to break out of the box when crafting my characters. My characters should also have an intriguing, unusual backstory, and then strive toward a personal goal.

Unique characters don’t have to be aggressive or outgoing. My favorite example of a unique literary character is Anne Elliot from Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Anne is a very quiet character, yet she stands out from other characters:

(1) She has a strong emotional backstory. She turned down the one man she loved at the pressure of her family, and has regretted it ever since. What romance reader wouldn’t love a backstory like that?

(2) She has a strong personal goal in the story. The man she spurned returns and is attracted to another woman completely unlike herself—a woman of determined, headstrong opinions and playful willfulness. Yet Anne strives to remain true to her own personality, to not give in to despair. She doesn’t change who she was and she remains confident in her own sense of self-worth, despite the painful things that happen to her and her disagreeable family.

This sort of character might not work in today’s modern publishing industry (for one, Anne doesn’t have an external goal for the story, whereas current publishing trends favor characters with external goals), but Anne Elliot illustrates that a quiet character can still be unique and memorable, as long as she has those two elements.

I want to challenge you, as a writer, to look at your own characters and see if they’re unique and memorable. Think of your favorite characters from fiction—whether it’s Scarlett O’Hara or Stephanie Plum, James Bond or Hercule Poirot. Are your own characters as unique? Do they stand out from the pack?

Look at the backstories and story premises of New York Times Bestsellers. Many of them are very unique:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen—the hero, Jacob, had lost his parents and walked out of his veterinary exams and joined a second-rate circus.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See—two women deepen their friendship over the years through the use of nu shu, a secret language among women, painted on a fan.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards—a man secretly gives away his newborn daughter, who has Downs Syndrome, while keeping her healthy fraternal twin brother.

While not copying the story elements, try to capture the kind of color and vivacity of those characters in your own characters. It can be an intriguing or emotional backstory, or an intriguing or emotional story premise.

Utilize your critique partners and ask for hard, honest truth. Is your character really different? Does she have a unique backstory and a strong character goal for your story?

(Please note, as I mentioned briefly a few paragraphs ago: while a strong character goal wasn’t as necessary in older works of fiction published 15 years ago, it’s strongly encouraged for debut novelists wanting to break into publishing now.)

What can you do to MAKE your characters more brilliant or defined? Maybe give them a deeper backstory? Maybe give them a more dire personal goal?

A truly unique character will make an agent or editor stand up and take notice from the query letter alone. With a little bit of intensive thought and brainstorming, you can make your own characters colorful and memorable.

If you’re a bit stuck on your characterization and want some feedback, feel free to post about your character in the comments and ask for ideas on how to make him/her more unique! We have lots of great brainstormers here!

Also, I’m hoping my Seeker sisters will chime in with how their own characters captured the interests of their editors! I think it will be helpful for everybody!

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her novels Single Sashimi and Deadly Intent are out now. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels and ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for giveaways!

Failure To Dust Is The Path To Hell and Other Myths

2010-01-05T00:00:00.003-05:00

WARNING!

The residents of Seekerville cannot be responsible for heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting or tremors caused by reading today's post.

Proceed with caution.

As we begin the new year of writing and setting goals, it's important to separate fact from fiction. Many of you are new to this journey and as seasoned writers we in Seekerville would like to address a few myths that may be standing between you and your writing. I've also tossed in a few little writing tricks we've learned around here.

1. No one ever died from a dusty house. Ever. Ask Vincent. When given the choice between writing and dusting. Write.

2. There's no such thing as a sagging middle in fiction; a myth that Seeker Mary Connealy has busted time and again. If it sags, kill someone. Preferably not the hero and heroine.

3. Readers hate heroines who are too stupid to live. Never ever under any circumstance allow her to go into the woods at night, into the basement when the light bulb has burnt out or stay in the house when the electricity goes out. Action must be supported by believable motivation.

4. Family life will suffer if you spend too much time writing.
Busted! It's all about quality not quantity. Your family will learn and grow from watching you strive to reach your goals.

5. It's never too soon to begin training your family, friends and neighbors. If it doesn't involve copious amounts of blood or large arachnids, you should not be interrupted while writing..EVER!

6. Maintain a program of exercise and hygiene even during deadline dementia. Snack on fresh veggies and fruits instead of empty calories.

7. One of our favorite terms in Seekerville is: Don't Diva. If you get a request for revisions do them. Get in there and chop, chop, chop. Remember, divas have books under their beds, in their drawers but not in bookstores.

8. Fact: most people just don't get writers (especially romance writers). We are an odd bunch. Cultivate a support group of like minded writing friends who can cheer for you, commiserate and kick you in the boo-tee when needed.

9. Learn the rules of writing, then you can break them. True or False? The older I get the more I think this is a myth. After all, good girls don't make history.

What's your opinion?

That's it. Here's hoping 2010 unleashes the creative genius in you.

And never, ever let a little dust, and screaming stop you!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

2010-01-04T22:43:00.000-05:00

Edna is the winner of the random drawing for a signed copy of The Husband Tree.
MJ is the winner among those who left an excerpt.
You all did terrific and I'd love to send everyone a book. I'm so proud of all the talented writers, both published and aspiring to be published, that hang around Seekerville.

Thank you all.
If you don't want to buy a copy of The Husband Tree, you have my blessing to go get it at the library. I love libraries.
If the library doesn't have it, please called 911 because it is an EMERGENCY that they get it right away! Police involvement is essential.

POV-CPR-ASAP-WUCIWUG

2010-01-04T01:06:00.003-05:00

I'd been writing a long time before I got my first book published. I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about writing when I started, except what I knew from reading. I just had a story I wanted to tell.

I really think I learned every single bit of the craft as slowly and painfully as possible.
So, when I entered my first contest, a lot of the contest comments were in a foreign language to me. Use the senses. I can't see her. Backstory dump. Show don't tell. POV error.
Huh?
I knew none of that. I mean I didn't even know what the judge MEANT by POV error. I didn't know what POV was an abbreviation for. AND THERE WAS NO GOOGLE. I wasn't even online at home. I didn't know RWA existed for three years after I started. Seriously, Christian Fiction wasn't even invented yet. Redeeming Love had been published for about two years...an event I consider marks the beginning of Christian fiction as we know it today.

ACFW wasn't even a twinkle in someone's eye.
So, I had to find out what POV was, then figure out what an error was. It was surprisingly hard. And one of the reasons it was hard was because most of the novels I was reading were head hoppers. Using a single POV per scene is the new style. And there are still plenty of books written by established authors who don't obey it.
But newer authors and even more importantly aspiring authors MUST USE ONE POV PER SCENE. To break that rule marks you as an amateur.
So I figured out what it all meant, then I plowed into my book to correct the POV errors. Only one trouble, I hated it. I built my story on her thoughts, his thoughts, the villain's thought, her thoughts again. All on one page.
How was I supposed to tell my story if I couldn't explain the thoughts that were pivotal to it.
Sooooo I was reading The Husband Tree and I hit a passage that I thought was a good example of using one person's POV but showing the thoughts and reactions of the other people…without committing a POV error.
The Husband Tree

(excerpt)
All of a sudden Silas figured something out that he should have known all along. "We aren't taking a baby on a cattle drive."
Belle stepped away from his side, where just a second before he'd decided it was to be the two of them against the girls, and liked that just fine. She lined up with her daughters.
The whole gaggle of women froze. Even baby Elizabeth stopped her cheerful torment of Emma and stared at Silas.
Sarah took the eggs off the stove and, with a towel wrapped around it's handle, held the hot pan like it was a weapon. Lindsay set down the tin plates she was laying out with a sharp click
The five women stood shoulder to shoulder against him.
They didn't look much alike. Lindsay and Emma some, but otherwise they were as different as if they shared not a drop of blood. But their eyes, whatever the color, held the same cold glare.
Belle could have slit his gullet with the sharp look she was giving him. She said quietly, but with a voice that spelled Silas's doom, "What kind of a man are you that you would go off and leave children home alone for so long?"
Not his doom as in he was fired. His doom as in he was going to have to go on a cattle drive with five woman, one of 'em wearing diapers."

There is no doubt in any readers mind (I hope) exactly how all six people in this scene feel about what is going on, but Silas is the POV character. He is seeing the woman react.
So do any of you struggle with POV? Everyone figured it out faster than I did, I'm sure. Of course you've got an advantage on me….you didn't start out your writing career chiseling your books into a chunk of granite.
FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF THE HUSBAND TREE…Give an example from their own work or a book you love about non-POV characters feelings being clearly revealed through the POV character's eyes.

I'm giving away two books today. One book out of the people bold enough to post an example…and a second out of all the comments, even if you're too chicken to post your work….because that's just the kind of sweet hearted, generous lady I am.

Buy The Husband Tree

Find out more about it and all my books, on MY Web Site

Weekend Edition: 2010 Read The Signs

2010-01-02T00:37:00.004-05:00

You're in the right place.
Seekerville is preparing for another year of the journey.
All you have to do is show up and follow the signs.

Wednesday winners of The Husband Tree, Mary Connealy's new release, are Ann and Bookie!

Madame Zelda brought in 2010 on Thursday, and we have winners! The winner of Fearless, is Joanne Sher. Bookmarks going out to Karen, Robyn and Patty!

Friday's Contest Update winner of a lovely Unpubbed Island necklace is Casey.

Send an email with your real world address to tina at tinarusso dot com.

Monday: Barbour author and stand-up comic, Mary Connealy starts off this week in Seekerville with a post on POV, and she'll be giving away a copy of her newest release, The Husband Tree.

Tuesday: Tina Russo has been chasing the muse for hours and still has no clue what she will post on, however; she will be three pounds lighter by Tuesday.

Wednesday: Steeple Hill Suspense and Zondervan author Camy Tang is posting about Seven of Nine (Trek fans unite!) and uniqueness in our characters.

Thursday: Donnell Ann Bell, Daphne Unpublished Division Coordinator stops by for insights on the contest. Join her for The Daphne: A Contest With Many Cogs. (Word on the inside is she is doing a giveaway too!)

Friday: Thomas Nelson Senior Editor Vice President, and Fiction Publisher Allen Arnold stops by for an interview.

Congratulations to all the entrants in the first annual Phoenix Rattler, Does Your Story Have Bite? contest. Below are the finalists (Listed in Alphabetical order) who have advanced to the final round. Winners will be announced in February 2010.

Highlighted are our friends of Seekerville: WOO HOO!!!!

Contemporary Fiction:
1. Romance on a Distant River, by Lee Carver
2. Season of Surrender, by Mary Proctor
3. Surviving Carmilita, by Susan Miura

Historical Fiction:
1. Beyond a River, by Michelle Shocklee
2. Nightshade, by Debra Marvin
3. Samurai’s Heart, by Walt Mussell

Suspense/Thriller/Mystery:
1. Another Son, by Katie Vorreiter
2. Dead Weight, by Lynda Schab
3. No turning Back, by Katie Vorreiter

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Allegory:
1. Counting Tessa, by Tina Pinson
2. Metamorphisis, by Chawna Schroeder
3. The Light Source of Perlan, by Dona Watson

Young Adult:
1. Caleuche Redemption, by Colleen Shine Phillips
2. Tale of a Man, by Deborah Anderson
3. The Wishing Sea, by Durga Walker

Women’s Fiction:
1. The Blue Lake Journals, by Cathleen Armstrong
2. Three Wishes, by Lynda Schab
3. Untitled, by Sarah Forgrave

More News....

If you missed Debbie Macomber at ACFW, check out this RT video interview.

(From GalleyCat) Richard Curtis: Book Publishing Ten Years In the Future.

What's Smashwords?

The Organized Writer: Best and Less than Best of 2009. "Facebook and Twitter: Useful tools that seemed to take over the entire lives of several writers this past year. If your word count on Twitter is passing your word count on your book, you have a problem. Turn off the social networking and go write a book people will be eager to read. The social network will still be there when the writing is done. My concern is not with the sites themselves, as much as how writers use/abuse/waste time on them."

New Year Contest Update 2010

2010-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Three Seekers sold last year thanks to contests...

Glynna Kaye, Ruth Logan Herne, and Cara Lynn James.

So what's your excuse?

In Seekerville we always do our best to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. The prize vault is open and one New Year's Day poster will receive a lovely necklace mailed to your home from Unpubbed Island, via the artisans at ETSY.COM. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Time to resolve to enter a contest this year!

Unpublished Contests:

Marlene Awards:Deadline January 15, 2010. All entries must be paid by PayPal and submitted electronically. Each entry will be read by three judges and scored using a 50 point scale. The lowest score will be dropped. The winner of each category will receive a Marlene Medallion and a detailed critique of her or his submission by a published author. Entry is synopsis and the beginning of the manuscript up to 35 pages total.

Final Judges:

Single Title Contemporary Romance
Final Editor Judge: Alicia Condon, Dorchester
Critique Author: Elise Chidley (www.elisechidley.com), 2009 Rita finalist for Single Title and Best First Book

Series Contemporary Romance (long and short)
Final Editor Judge: Patience Smith, Harlequin/Silhouette
Critique Author: Dana Marton (www.danamarton.com), 2009 Rita nominee for Best Contemporary Series--Suspense/Adventure

Historical Romance
Final Editor Judge: Jen Enderlin, St. Martin’s
Critique Author: Diane Gaston (www.dianegaston.com), 2006 Rita winner for Best Regency Romance

Paranormal/Fantasy/Futuristic Romance
Final Editor Judge: Katherine Pelz, Berkley
Critique Author: Gwyn Cready (www.cready.com), 2009 Rita winner for Best Paranormal Romance

Romantic Elements
Final Editor Judge: Latoya Smith, Grand Central
Critique Author: Lani Diane Rich (www.lanidianerich.com)

Young Adult
Final Editor Judge: Emilia Rhodes, Simon Pulse
Critique Author: Carrie Jones (www.carriejonesbooks.com)

(VINCE AND TINA ARE ENTERING THE MARLENE!!)

Yellow Rose Award for Excellence Unpublished: Deadline for all print and electronic submissions is January 23, 2010. Entries shall consist of four (4) print copies and one (1) electronic copy of the first 25 pages of the novel. A prologue and/or second chapter may be included if within total page guidelines. Yellow Rose RWA reserves the right to limit entries to the first seventy-five (75) manuscripts received in each category.

Contemporary Single Title: Theresa Stevens, Red Sage
Historical (includes Regency): Alicia Condon, Dorchester
Mainstream: Danielle Poisez, Pocket Books
Paranormal: Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Judith Ehrlich Literary
Romantic Suspense: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Series Contemporary: Victoria Curran, Harlequin
Young Adult: Melissa Frain, TOR

2010 Grand Prize (Agent Read):Scott Eagan, Grayhaus Literary Agency

Fire and Ice: Deadline February 1st. Entry consists of the first 25 pages. This is an electronic contest.

Single Title Final Judge: Emily Ohanjanians, Harlequin

Series Romance Final Judge: Scott Eagan, Greyhaus Literary Agency

Historical Romance Final Judge: Amanda Bergeron, Avon

Women's Fiction w/Romantic Elements Final Judge: Alex Logan, Grand Central Publishing

Paranormal Romance Final Judge: Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary Agency

Young Adult Final Judge: Katherine Pelz, Berkley

Merritt: Opens January first. The deadline for submission is midnight, February 14, 2010. The entry is 25 pages total, including a maximum 5-page synopsis.

Mainstream w/Romantic Elements – Latoya Smith, Grand Central
Romantic Suspense – Katherine Pelz, Berkley
Contemporary Series – Wanda Ottewell, Harlequin
Paranormal – Selena James, Kensington
Historical – Meredith Giordan, Berkley
Inspirational— Melissa Endlich, Steeple Hill

The 2102 Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense opens to entries January 15 and closes March 15. Entry consists of first 5,000 words (approx. 15 pages) and synopsis. This is an electronic contest. Note that there are category entry caps.

Category (Series) Romantic Mystery /Suspense
Patience Smith, Silhouette Intimate Moments & Michelle Grajkowski, Three
Seas Literary Agency

Historical Romantic Mystery /Suspense
Alex Logan, Grand Central Publishing & Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary
Agency

Inspirational Romantic Mystery /Suspense
Caleb Sjogren, Tyndale House Publishers & Steve Laube Agency

Paranormal (PTTF) Romantic Mystery /Suspense
Heather Osborn, Tor/Forge & Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management

Single Title Romantic Mystery /Suspense
Margaret Marbury, MIRA/HQN & Stephanie Maclean, Trident Media Group

Mainstream Mystery /Suspense
Toni Plummer, St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne & Stacia Decker, Donald Maass
Literary Agency

Published Contests:

Contests for books with a copyright date from January 2009 to December 2009.

The Colorado Award of Excellence:Deadline January 8, 2010

The Holt Medallion:Deadline is not posted yet. (Due to unforeseen circumstances, the HOLT Medallion Contest is running behind schedule this year. VRW hopes to have the rules and entry form posted on the web site as soon as possible. When the contest opens for entries, notice will be posted on the RWA loops.)

The Bookbuyer's Best:Deadline January 9, 2010

The Write Touch Reader's Award:Deadline January 9, 2010

The Golden Quill:Deadline January 10, 2010

Reader's Choice Bean Pot Award: Deadline January 11, 2010

Bookseller's Best Award: Deadline January 15, 2010

Judge a Book by Its Cover: Deadline January 15, 2010

The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence: Deadline January 15, 2010

Winter Rose Award of Excellence: Deadline January 23, 2010

Other Contests and Just For Fun:

Deadline is February 28th for the...Wow! Women on Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest.

Word Count:Maximum: 750, Minimum: 250 OPEN PROMPT! That’s right, this is your chance to shine, and get creative. You can write about anything, as long as it’s within the word count and fiction. So, dig out those stories you started way back when and tailor them to the word count.

Any style and genre. From horror to romance! So, get creative, and most of all, have fun.Entries limited to a maximum of 300 stories. Please enter early to ensure inclusion. The winner not only gets cash and goodies but an agent read! The guest agent judge is Elise Capron with the Sandra Dijkstra Agency.

Jennifer Hudson - This Is Love: Ultimate Valentine's Day Contest!

To celebrate the release of Jennifer's second single 'If This Isn't Love,' Bossip.com and JenniferHudsonOnline.com are teaming up to give one lucky couple the ultimate Valentine's Day date. Whether you've found that special someone, or are looking to impress somebody this Valentine's Day, MAKE AN IMPRESSION THIS VALENTINE'S DAY, ON US!
HOW TO ENTER:

Record a video, write a message or call 312-488-1904

Tell us why you deserve a chance to win the Ultimate Valentine's Day date. How did you fall in love? Is there someone you’re looking to impress this Valentine's day?
Tell us about it! Contest begins January 16 and ends February 98

That's it until February! Keep writing.

Please note the rules for giveaways in the right-hand column. If you have not received a December giveaway yet, it is on its way. Since we here in Seekerville do not have a death wish, we avoid post offices until after the holidays.

Madame Zelda Brings in 2010

2009-12-31T00:00:00.005-05:00

Yes, it is I, Madame Zelda, bringing in 2010.

Happy New Year.

(A walk down memory lane-who doesn't love ABBA?!)

Madame Z has a few surprises for you.

First, sit down darlings. Let's talk.
How is 2010 going to be different from 2009?
What are you going to do starting tonight at midnight
to make your dreams come true?

How are you going to be FEARLESS in the new year?

Anyone who posts today will be entered in a leetle drawing
for a lovely gift to prepare you for 2010.

Fearless by Max Lucado.

Also, if you are not in possession of a lovely limited edition,
Seekerville bookmark,
please let me know as I will be giving them away today only.

But you must actually tell me if you want a bookmark
or if you want to be entered in the
drawing for Fearless.
I tell fortunes darlinks, but I don't read minds.

I trust you all have had the opportunity to review last year's predictions?

I am a genius, no?

Zelda's Seekerville Top Ten Predictions 2010

1. Ten Seekers will be finalists in the Book of the Year Contest.

2. One Seeker will be a Golden Heart finalist.

3. One Seeker will be a RITA finalist.

4. Due circumstances beyond my control, I must extend my 2009 predication. Unpubbed Island will be empty by October 31st 2010.

5. Six friends of Seekerville will announce their first sale.

6. The Seekers will announce the sale of over TWENTY books in 2010.

7. Ruth will meet Derek Jeter.

8. The Seekers will open the Seekerville Market Place and dabble in Seeker products.

9. That friend of Seekerville from Alabama will finally announce her sale.

10. Madame Zelda will rendezvous with Captain Jack on the island in November 2010.

So, what do you think? Can you do better than the gypsy?
What are your predictions for 2010?

Look into the crystal ball and you might see who's coming to Seekerville...

Okay, so the ball is a leetle dusty. I can't write novels and keep up with the housekeeping.

Without further ado, here is a peek at Seekerville's 2010 guest list.

Best Selling author Francine Rivers

Thomas Nelson Senior Editor Vice President and Fiction Publisher Allen Arnold

Screenwriter Michael Hague

Superromance author Abby Gaines

Publicist Sabrina Sumsion

Love Inspired author Kim Watters

Author and editor David E. Fessenden

Author Robin Carroll

Steeple Hill author Cheryl St. John

Steeple Hill author Winnie Griggs

Captain Jack Sparrow

Former agent Marlena Fortune

Okay, okay, enough peeking. We like to have a few surprises.

Now, Madame Zelda leaves you with some inspiration to consider....

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, and doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, when you could trust more and fear less. Can you imagine your life without fear?

Max Lucado

Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it.

Lt. John B. Putnam Jr. (1921-1944)

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.

German Proverb

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

General George S. Patton

Because the folks in Seekerville love happy endings..

10, 9,8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Happy New Year!!!

and

Happy New Year from the Z!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

2009-12-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

The winner of a signed copy of
THE HUSBAND TREE
is
Ann
I'll email you, Ann to find how where to mail your book and, in case you're using a fake name here on Seekerville for fear of being associated with Ruthy, you can tell me how to sign your book.

And,

because it's soooooooo early and I still have LOTS of books (later I might hoard them) and because

I LOVE OUR READERS HERE AT SEEKERVILLE SO MUCH

THAT I WISH I COULD GIVE EVERY ONE OF YOU ONE.

But that'd just be stupid because you're the only folks apt to buy the book….

I'm giving away a second book to
Bookie

I've got Ann's email address but Bookie you'll need to email me at

mary @ maryconnealy.com

to claim the keys to your brand new….western romance novel.

Got excited there for a second didn't you?

THE HUSBAND TREE GIVE AWAY

2009-12-30T02:22:00.004-05:00

My new book

The Husband Tree

releases January 1st. I’ve already talked to someone who’s found it in a store (HI PEPPER!) and it’s no longer listed as a ‘pre-order’ on Amazon. So it’s out there.

A cynical cowboy has to convince the toughest cowgirl you’ll ever meet he should join her family. . .and then convince himself.

Here's the beginning of Chapter One

Belle Tanner pitched dirt right on Anthony’s handsome, worthless face.
It was spitefulness that made her enjoy doing that. But she was sorely afraid Anthony Santoni’s square jaw and curly dark hair had tricked her into agreeing to marry him.
Which made her as big an idiot as Anthony.
Now he was dead and she was left to dig the grave. Why, oh why didn’t she just skip marrying him and save herself all this shoveling?
She probably should have wrapped him in a blanket, but blankets were hard to come by in Montana. . .unlike husbands.
She labored on with her filling, not bothering to look down again at the man who had shared her cabin and her bed for the last two years. She only hoped when she finished she didn’t forget where she’d buried Anthony’s no-account hide. She regretted not marking William’s and Gerald’s graves now for fear she’d dig in the same spot and uncover their bones. As she recalled, she’d planted William on the side nearest the house, thinking it had a nice view down the hill over their property. She wasn’t so sure about Gerald, but she’d most likely picked right, because she’d dug the hole and hadn’t hit bones. Unless critters had dug Gerald up and dragged him away.
Belle had to admit she didn’t dig one inch deeper than was absolutely necessary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have my author’s copies. So I can give one away! YAY!

For a chance to win a signed copy of

The Husband Tree

and, in the spirit of the season, leave a comment telling me:

Your New Year's WRITER'S Resolution

Or, optional, tell me any resolution...OR...tell me you like yourself fine just the way you are.

Tell me you've failed at resolutions in the past and are sick of even trying.

Tell me you've pledged to lose weight every January 1st of your stinking life and you're done! It's over!

No more!

So SHUT UP!!!!!!!

(uh, that might be about me not you, ignore it)
If I've frightened you so badly you don't want to risk leaving a comment, you can just buy

The Husband Tree

on Amazon
CLICK HERE

And have a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

Mary Connealy

Yeah, big surprise. Like I had to sign this thing

for you to know who you were dealing with! :)

New Years Writing Resolutions

2009-12-29T00:01:00.006-05:00

Camy here! I wanted to talk about New Years resolutions today!

Okay, don’t hate me, but I love New Years resolutions, even though I don’t always keep them. I love resolutions because they make me feel positive about a new, fresh start; a whole year of possibilities!

I also talked to a friend today who said that resolutions work better when we don’t overload ourselves with them. For example, if we give ourselves too many resolutions, we’re less likely to keep any of them, whereas if we give ourselves just one, specific resolution, our brains are more likely to keep focus and keep the resolution.

The key, I think, is a resolution that is very specific and practical. Rather than being vague like “I’ll write a book this year” or “I’ll finish this manuscript this year,” we should instead break it down into a resolution that is even more specific and concrete, and which is also practicable for our busy everyday lives.

Let me repeat that—practicable for our busy everyday lives. Let’s try to be realistic and sensible with our goals rather than shooting for the moon.

Instead of “I’ll write a book this year,” how about we break that down even further? A book is, say, 90,000 words. We’ll write five days a week, giving ourselves weekends off for swim meets and soccer games and dance lessons (for the kids or for us. :) We’ll also take off for the week before holiday weekends.

So, say 42 weeks of writing this year (we’ll take a few weeks off for any vacations or family emergencies), 5 days a week. For a 90,000 word book, we have to write 430 words a day.

So that can be a resolution—430 words a day. Now doesn’t that sound pretty doable?

Or say you’re a plotter. How about you commit to spending brainpower and time plotting your book for 45 minutes every weeknight? You have to finish plotting by June and then write 900 words a day for the rest of the year to finish the manuscript. 45 minutes plotting each night is not too hard, right?

So what are your New Years writing resolutions? Remember, only pick ONE thing to do and make it practicable and concrete and doable.

My resolution is an hour writing prose every day. This might be hard when I’m still in the plotting phase of novels, because then I’ll have to write prose on a novel already plotted while I plot a second book, but since I work from home, I have lots of time during the day.

How about you?

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her novels Single Sashimi and Deadly Intent are out now. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels and ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for giveaways!

'Tis the Season

2009-12-28T01:00:00.002-05:00

One thing leads to another, and yesterday, one of the Seekers mentioned Christmas stories, and I got to thinking, which can be dangerous, by-the-way.

Do most books come out in the month/season in which they are set?

I checked my shelves, and the only ones I can really tell about is the Love Inspired books because they have the month and year they were published. Most trade-size CBA published books just have the year, not the month they were published, so it makes it a little difficult to pinpoint exactly which month they were published without more time for research.

A quick spot check of Seeker books reveals that Ruth Logan Herne’s Winter’s End comes out in March 2010, and Glynna Kaye’s Dreaming of Home was set in the fall and also published during the fall of the year.

So far so good.

But further investigation reveals that isn’t always the case. Glancing at my shelves, I discovered a book published in August a few years ago that starts out in the spring. And I found another one published in April where the prologue is in September, but the first chapter starts in spring.

Ruthy says, “I've read lots of books in winter with warm weather settings, from all kinds of publishers. Not so much the other way, though. It seems winter books do better released in fall/winter, but nice weather books can hit the stands any time.”

That seems to sum it up nicely, don’t you think?

But it does make me wonder if publishers get too many stories with warm weather settings, too many Christmas books, not enough set around other holidays?

Do holiday-themed books sell as well as non-holiday themed ones? And if non-holiday books sell as well when released in November/December as they would at other times of the year?

And, finally, my question to you is, do you care?

Do you care one whit if the book you just bought in December is set in the sweltering heat of the desert, or on a beach in July, or the Appalachian Mountains in September?

Maybe if you’re like Mary with head-high snow drifts, you’re craving a book set in the desert!

Would you buy a Christmas themed book even if you don’t have time to read it? If you acquire such a book mid-year, would you hold on to it until closer to Christmas before delving into it? Would you be more inclined to purchase a holiday-themed book at Christmas than a non-holiday themed one?

The Last Weekend Edition of 2009

2009-12-26T00:43:00.002-05:00

Wow, another year is closing and 2010 is upon us. Are you ready for this trip?

We Have Winners!

Monday: Winner of Missy Tippens latest release, A Forever Christmas, from her Monday post, Checking Your List and Checking It Twice, is

Kerri C at CK Farm. Please email your address to Missy at missytippens at aol dot com.

Tuesday: Meet Margaret Brownley was our post and we have two winners of A Lady Like Sarah:Carrie Turansky and Melissa Jagears.

Congratulations!!

Next Week In Seekerville:

Monday: Seeker Pam Hillman leads Seekerville today.

Tuesday: Steeple Hill Suspense and Zondervan author Camy Tang shares today.

Wednesday: Barbour author Mary Connealy is posting. Stop by for The Husband Tree giveaway and New Year's Resolutions for Writers.

Thursday: Let's get this party started! Madame Zelda's Rockin' New Year's Eve Party.

We'll look at last year's predictions, what's coming up in 2010, and share some of our new year guest list. You can count on give a few giveaways announced at midnight. All you have to do is show up!

Friday: January 2010 Contest Update with a little something from the prize vault too!

Random News:

(How did I miss this?) Glee: Last Christmas

Natalie Portman to star in, produce 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'; movie of best-selling book (NY Daily News)

Ursula K Le Guin Resigns From Author's Guild

French Court Decision Against Google

From GalleyCat: Seattle Named America's Most Literate City in 2009

E-Book Piracy: The Publishing Industry's Next Epic Saga? (PC World)

It's not too late to enter these unpublished contests:Great Expectations. Deadline December 30, 2009. Mailed entry fees will be deposited January 15, 2010. Entry consists of a single page query letter and 25 manuscript pages. Marlene Awards:Deadline January 15, 2010. Entry is synopsis and the beginning of the manuscript up to 35 pages total.

It may only be December 26, but January 1 is exactly 5 days and a few measly hours away. What's your plan for 2010?

(Fail to plan. Plan to fail.)

Here's an inspiring first look at New Year's Resolutions:

A Full New Year's Resolution This New Year's by Danielle Bullen

The Hero's Inner Journey

2009-12-24T00:38:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to my Seeker sisters and all our Seeker friends! I hope you have a happy and blessed holiday, visit with family and friends, eat lots of goodies but not gain an ounce and anticipate a successful writing year ahead.

Before I finish the last of the gift wrapping and bake a batch of cookies, I’d like to share some really great information from a set of DVD’s I’ve just listened to. They’re called The Hero’s Two Journeys by Michael Hauge, author of Writing Screenplays that Sell and Chris Vogler, author of The Writer’s Journey. Even though the workshop is designed more for screenwriters and playwrights, novelists can benefit, as well. I sure did, and no, they’re not paying me to say that!

The two journeys are the hero’s outer journey and his inner journey. The outer one is the plot, the journey of achievement. It’s the visible story. The inner journey is the internal growth, the story of fulfillment.

Hauge talks about how during the course of the story the hero progresses from fear to courage, from being defined by others to being defined by himself. That’s what hero’s do—they grow inside and become better, stronger, wiser etc. More heroic, obviously. The obstacles to this growth come from within the hero.

When the writer begins to develop her character, she needs to give him a longing—a deeply felt desire. But the character is only paying lip service because he’s really too frightened to go after it. They lack the courage to go after it. An example that may hit too close to home—a writer who wants to be published more than anything in the world, but lacks the courage to submit his manuscript because he can’t handle the possibility of rejection.

The character has already suffered a wound and hasn’t gotten over it. She suffers this unhealed source of continuing pain throughout the story. This suffering may be from an event or an on-going situation.

Out of that wound comes a fear that the character tries to protect herself against. He can’t get too close to another character. Out of that fear comes the character’s identity. She says in effect, “This is who I am,” but she’s really not presenting her true self—her true essence. She’s putting on a persona, a false front, a mask, the armor that keeps us from experiencing the pain of who we are and being wounded again.

Her armor protects her, but it doesn’t allow her to be who she really is. So the growth occurs when the character gives up her armor. Her inner journey is from identity to essence, from death to life. It’s a process, not a moment in time. And this is a tug of war between protection and risk.
All this intertwines with the hero’s outer journey.

Hauge identifies four character types: the hero, reflection (mentor, sidekick, best friend), nemesis and romantic interest.

The romantic character is the object of the hero’s pursuit and the reward from moving from identity to essence. The hero and heroine both see beneath each other’s identity and understand their true essence and beauty. It’s the other’s essence that they find so attractive.

He sees the character going through six different stages in his inner journey.

Stage 1—He’s living in his protective identity.
Stage 2—He gets a glimpse of his true essence and what life could be like if he lived in his essence.
Stage 3—He moves toward his essence without losing his identity. He’s not fully committed.
Stage 4—He’s now into essence, fully committed, but in fear.
Stage 5—He and the heroine now separate and all is lost. The outside world has intruded. He tries to retreat to his identity, but it doesn’t work any longer. He realizes he must have his romantic partner.
Stage 6—He’s living in essence. His journey/destiny is complete. His identity is dead, but his essence lives. He now defines himself. And he gets the girl. The End.

Merry Christmas!

Looking Back . . . Moving Forward

2009-12-23T02:30:00.003-05:00

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

A year ago--December 2008--I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that by January 23, 2009, I’d have received the long-awaited “Call.” That by August I’d be holding a copy of my very first published book in my hands. Never would have imagined I’d have received my first glowing reader letters shortly thereafter.

Now here on the brink of 2010 as I near completion of my second Steeple Hill Love Inspired, I marvel at how, in the twinkling of an eye, dreams can come true.

To be quite honest, 2009 has been a rollercoaster blur. The Call. Art Fact Sheet. Dear Reader Letter. Bio. Revisions. Line edits. Seeing the sweet book cover for the very first time. Final proofing of the author copy sent out the door at April’s end.

Then came a professional photo and website design. Brainstorming and getting approval on another book proposal. Seekers & Seekerville friends at American Christian Fiction Writers in Denver. First book signing. And throughout the past five months heartwarming letters from readers telling me how much they loved my first book!

Whoever would have thought a year ago that all this could happen?

Right now you might be thinking “what could she possibly have to look forward to next year?” Well, besides entering a few published contests, I hope to soon have my second book contracted and a be off and running on a third.

Most of all, however, I’m looking forward to becoming a writer who can meet the expectations of a growing readership! If you really and truly love to write, that’s the beautiful thing about our profession. You never learn it ALL, so things stay interesting, challenging, no matter where you are along the journey: unpublished, newly published, multi-published, old-hand-at-it published. In each phase there is always room to learn, room to improve. New techniques to employ, new aspects of the writing craft to master.

Moving forward into 2010, I’d encourage all of you to look back over this past year. Count your blessings. Thank those who’ve helped you along the way. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Then look prayerfully, hopefully, faithfully, and courageously to what the new year may bring. Remember, a year ago I had NO idea I’d be a published writer in 2009. Maybe that will be YOUR story to share with us a year from now!

Wishing you the many blessings of this season!

Glynna

_____

An ACFW "Genesis" and RWA Faith, Hope & Love "Touched by Love" award winner, GLYNNA KAYE'S first published book Dreaming of Home (Steeple Hill Love Inspired) is now available! http://www.glynnakaye.com/

Meet Margaret Brownley

2009-12-22T01:00:00.001-05:00

Sandra here with a special guest. We are very privileged to have author Margaret Brownley with us today.

Margaret Brownley has published more than 20 books writing for Harlequin, St.Martin’s Press and Penguin. Her books have been published in 15 languages. She also co-wrote a storyline for a daytime soap. She’s currently writing “love and laughter” in the old west for Thomas Nelson. A LADY LIKE SARAH will be in bookstores 12/29.

Please join me in welcoming this renowned author to Seekerville.

And yes, this evening, we will have drawings for copies of Margaret's latest release, A LADY LIKE SARAH. Margaret will be giving away a copy and our Tina, who is one of Margaret's biggest fans will also give away a copy.

So Margaret, We have some questions for you.

1. I read you got started writing fiction because of your Grisholm
style newsletters. Can you give us more details

You mean you want to hear about vanishing picnic baskets, stone cold cuts and killer ants?

Seriously, I’ve written fiction all my life. It was kind of a secret vice. I wrote my first book in fifth grade (a mystery which I didn’t know how to end) and entered every short story contest I could find during my teens. My angst-driven stories didn’t even garner an honorable mention. That and the fact that I failed eighth grade English didn’t do a whole lot for my self-esteem. Diagram a sentence? Are you kidding me? I can fix any sentence but don’t ask me how I do it. I’m like the musician who can’t read music. I probably would still be a closet writer had my pastor not suggested that maybe God was calling me to write fiction. Hey, who am I to argue with the Big Man?

2. Tell us about your journey to get published.

It was a long and difficult journey. I wrote four books before I published my first one including the world’s worse romance novel. Trust me, sometimes it’s a good thing that our early attempts don’t get published. After selling my first book, things got even more difficult. It seemed like every time I sold a book, the publisher or line went belly-up. I probably own the record for having the most sold books that never got printed. Things got so bad that when I finally landed a contract with Harlequin, my writer friends begged me not to sign it for fear I would close its doors, too.

3. Your December release A LADY LIKE SARAH sounds fun. Can you tell
us about how you came up with the idea?

Each book in my Rocky Creek series is based on historical events. A Lady Like Sarah was inspired by the escapades of Pearl Hart. Desperate to help her seriously-ill mother, she stopped a stage and, with the help of a loaded pistol, convinced its passengers to help pay her poor mama’s medical bills. (Bet you didn’t know that health care was highway robbery even back in the Old West.) The question that kept running though my mind was, how desperate would a person have to be to rob a stage? Suddenly a character named Sarah popped up on the page and demanded in no uncertain terms that I tell her story.

I got the idea for the next book in the series, A Suitor for Jenny (September 2010) after seeing a meeting notice in an old Kansas newspaper for an organization called The Society for the Protection and Preservation of Male Independence. What fun the heroine has breaking through that society!

4. I notice you have Internet presence through your website, Youtube, Facebook, etc. How helpful/necessary do you think this is for the modern author?

To be honest, I don’t really know. I’m not sure anyone has the answer to that question. I‘ve heard that publishers expect even unpublished writers to have a web presence these days, but I do think you have to be careful. I see writers posting rejections, bad reviews and personal information, and I don’t think that’s the kind of web presence publishers are looking for. If you were going on a job interview, would you want a prospective employer to know that you’d been turned down by x number of companies? I don’t think so.

It also takes an enormous amount of time and effort to create a web presence which might be better spent writing the book. Some writers blog every day and I don’t know how they do it.

5. What advice would you give all of us on our unpubbed islands?

Go and see the movie Julia and Julie and pretend it’s about writers instead of cooks. Julia Child enjoyed the process of cooking, even the failures. Julie didn’t enjoy the process, which led to constant meltdowns and relationship problems. The lesson here is that you have to love the process. If you’re just getting started, stay focused on learning the craft and discovering your inner writer. Don’t worry about the publishing end. That’s down the road. Celebrate every little success. Enjoy the ride. And write, write, write. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the 10,000 hour rule to success. Before I was published I put in my 10,000 hours by writing four books. At least two of them (okay, three) were pretty crappy but I learned.

Finally, show up—or at least make sure your manuscript does. Woody Allen said that 80% of success is just showing up and this is SO true. I heard a disturbing statistic at a recent writing conference: only 10% of the writers asked to submit chapters or proposal to an agent or editor actually bother to do so. Write and submit. Write and submit. Babe Ruth said it best, “You can’t beat persistence.”

Thank you so much Margaret.

So chime in folks and take advantage of the wisdom this author has to offer. She will be here to join us during the day.

If you're interested in a copy of A LADY LIKE SARAH, be sure and leave your email addie. We will announce the winners in the weekend edition.

In case you're hungry, we a sideboard loaded with coffee, creamers, teas and hot chocolate. Then you can move on to the table loaded with Danish pastries, Krispy Creme donuts, cinnamon crumb coffee cake and a platter with pears, grapes and bananas.

Checking Your List and Checking it Twice!

2009-12-21T03:00:00.001-05:00

Missy here. While Santa’s checking his list, I want us to check our lists, too. And as much as I love the excitement of Christmas gifts, I’m not talking about your wish list. I’m talking about our writing.

A couple of years ago, I saw a list of points that a bestselling author had made regarding her stories. This author had listed 10 points that are most important in her work, that she always makes sure to include.

I loved the idea. And in April of 2008, I made my own list of key elements using what I’d learned during and after the publication of my first book and also taking reader feedback into account. I wanted to be sure to include all these things in my stories so that readers would see my name on a book and know what they were buying. I wanted to create a reliable product time after time. (I know it’s hard to think of our babies as a product, but they are!)

Since the new year will be here before we know it (OMGosh, where did 2009 go??!!), I decided to pull that list out and review it. To see if it needs updating. But before doing so, I thought I’d share it with you. And of course, challenge you to create your own!

So first, here’s my list:

Missy Tippens’ 10 points:

Clever opening hook that gives great character description.

Snappy dialogue without bickering. Subtle humor within dialogue, but balanced with emotional reactions.
Internal growth as hero and heroine face their worst fears, yet risk reaching for their greatest desires.

Emotional plot points. Yank reader heartstrings.

Unique characters who are opposites in some way. Contrast them with quirks and physical attributes/socioeconomic class/personalities/job type.

Deep POV.

Lots of dialogue and white space.

Emotional ending that comes full circle to reflect the opening.

Family/small town stories (plenty of secondary characters).

Faith element.

Looking back at this, I can’t think of anything I would change right now, although I think I’ll update the faith element point to make it more specific. I hope I’m doing a good job incorporating each and every point into each and every story. I think I need to print this and put it in my notebook for each wip so I can actually check items off as I’m reviewing the complete manuscript.

So now… YOUR TURN! I hope you’ll work on this privately, even if you don’t share with us here in Seekerville. What do you have that’s unique to you that you bring to your stories? What voice/style are you known for? If you’re not sure about this, think about contest feedback and critiques you’ve had. What strengths are mentioned most? Do you make readers laugh? Do you scare them? Do you make them cry or sigh or think or grow? I’m sure the 10 points will be different for different genres—as well as different for each author. But I think it’s a good idea to think these through so you can focus on your strengths and what will make your work stand out.

Though I’m making you work today, at least I’m offering a reward! For those brave souls willing to share (and who leave me contact info), I’ll enter you in a drawing for a copy of my most recent release, A Forever Christmas, as well as a copy of another Steeple Hill Love Inspired book of your choice. (LI, LIH or LIS. I’ll order it and have it shipped to you. The book you choose must be available at the time I order.) And so that I don’t make you work too much, I’m only asking that you post 5 of your 10 points because I know it’s not easy to come up with this list! It may take a while to figure out all 10.

For those not entering the drawing, I’d still love to hear any of your points you’re willing to share! We can all learn from each other.

Missy

P.S. If you want to enter the drawing but already have a copy of my books, I’ll send you two LI’s of your choice instead.

Weekend Edition-Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-19T00:00:00.011-05:00

Merry Christmas from Seekerville,
(including Unpubbed Island) to all of you.
We hope your holidays are wonderful.

We Have Winners!

Monday's winner of The Substitute Bride (a February Steeple Hill Historical release), from Janet Dean's post Giving: The Secret to Success is KARIN!!

Tuesday we were thrilled to have editor Jeff Gerke stop by Cheryl Wyatt's post, Seek and Destroy Sneaky Telling, and give away a copy of his book, The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. The winner is Walt Mussell.

Wednesday, Debby Giusti and Margaret Daley hosted, Two for the Price of One: Christmas Peril. The winner of Christmas Peril is Karen K.

Next Week In Seekerville:

Monday: Our very own Steeple Hill Love Inspired author, Missy Tippens is our hostess. She'll be giving away a copy of A Forever Christmas.

Tuesday: Thomas Nelson author, Margaret Brownley will interviewed in Seekerville, and there will be copies of A Lady Like Sarah to give away!

Wednesday: Steeple Hill Love Inspired author Glynna Kaye will be sharing today.

Thursday: Thomas Nelson debut author, Cara James posts in Seekerville today.

Friday: Merry Christmas! Seekerville is Closed Today!

Save The Date:

December 31, Madame Zelda's New Year's Eve Rockin' Party and join us for her 2010 Seekerville Predictions.

Madame Z will also share a peek at our 2010 Guest List.

Seeker Sightings:

Join Missy Tippens this week as she shares the first chapter of A Forever Christmas on Vicki Hinze's new site, Chapter 1 Zone.

Ruth Logan Herne will be at Faith and Fiction on Fire, December 21. She's the featured guest on Pepper Basham's blog series on conversion scenes in writing; that dawning moment of realization many protagonists face. Drop by, comment and win a chance for Ruthy's debut novel Winter's End.

Cheryl Wyatt has a continuing Friday series at Seriously Write blog on Staying Grounded as Your Career Soars. Check out this Friday's post (December 26) called- Giving. You can also catch up on the last few Friday's posts which are: Friendship, Humility, Mentoring and Growing.

Debby Giusti will be blogging at the CRAFTIE Ladies of Suspense on Wednesday, December 23rd.

Random News:

The Great Expectations Contest e-deadline is December 30th. BTW it's a query letter and first 25 pages contest! More information here.

From Reuters: Amazon's Kindle reader breaks monthly sales record.

And...Just for Christmas, free expedited shipping from Kindle. Check it out here.

Putnam Books for Young Readers president and publisher Nancy Paulsen is launching an eponymous imprint, Nancy Paulsen Books, with the first titles landing in 2011. Paulsen, who has led the division for 15 years, plans to publish 12 to 15 picture books, middle grade and young adult novels annually. Read the story online at PW here.

From Grammar Girl and Digital Marketer: The 7 Twitter Mistakes You Shouldn't Make

What can we learn from a guy who has 350 thousand people following him on Twitter? Gary Vaynerchuk Teaches Basic Social Media Principles to CNN.

From PW: Good Morning America will feature these authors on Christmas Day: Pastor Max Lucado, football player turned pastor Miles McPherson, novelist Francine Rivers, and Catholic priest Edward Beck.

What do you think? Is this CRINGE-WORTHY? or is it a GREAT IDEA? Romance novel video games. Check it out here.

A sneak peek at what's coming in 2010
that will appeal to the romantic (or the joker) in you.

Leap Year

When In Rome

Letters To Juliet

Remember Me

Date Night

The Nativity: Good Romance Transcends the Test of Time

2009-12-18T04:26:00.007-05:00

Seriously.

And you SO know I mean this:

That whole Christmas story? The Nativity? O Holy Night???? Step out of the gentility of Luke and examine this story with its constant stream of tension, conflict, anger, disillusionment, angels, babies tracked by evil men of power, oh Mylanta!!!!!

(I LOVE a well-placed angel in a story!!!! Clarence, “It’s a Wonderful Life”???? Too cute!)

All the elements we LOVE in a great romance. I mean my goodness gracious sakes to Betsy, if you remove the element of Godliness for just a moment (Now don’t get your knickers in a bunch, for heaven’s sake, I’m just doing it for a minute… Consider it a classroom exercise.)

… And examine the story as told…

Nora Roberts and Debbie Macomber together couldn’t have done it better.

Oh, that God!!!! He’s a smart one, isn’t he??????

Let’s break it down: SECRET BABY!!!

Whoa. Tighten the reins, brother. Hold onto your hats, sister!

Right there they’ve got you because whenever you hear the term ‘secret baby’ you immediately want to know WHY is it a secret baby?
Was the father out of the picture? A scoundrel? Kept in the dark purposely for either the mother’s ulterior motive or her totally unselfish motives?

A HERO IN LOVE WITH A WOMAN CARRYING SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILD…

Whoa again. Pause. Take a breath.

What kind of hunka, hunka burnin’ love does that? Falls in love with a woman carrying someone else’s child, especially if they were romantically involved before. In this case they weren’t only involved, they were engaged. Betrothed. Slated to be wed. Instantly we perceive the hero (Joseph) as caring, empathetic, forgiving, patient and kind. The great beard just adds to his aura, especially if he had a hint of gray at the temples…

Think Gibbs, NCIS. Or Sean Connery. No, just think Gibbs. Those knowing looks, the tiny crinkle to the eye, the slight tilt of his head. Knowing. Caring. Trying his best ,although tortured.

A VIRGIN…

Oh my stars, now that’s a Nora Roberts specialty, but she totally stole the idea from God.

A virgin shall conceive a child who will be of God’s design…

So beautiful in its simplicity and virtuosity.

Now let’s make the virgin a sweet, young woman, pure of heart and soul.
By this point you’ve bonded with the young woman in empathy and sympathy, you’ve all fallen in love with Joseph for his obvious distress that gave way to his overwhelming desire to do the right thing, be the guy that rises to the occasion despite circumstances and the opinions of others.

AND A BABY…

Guys and gals, every editor worth his or her salt will tell you babies are wonderful assets to romance. Stellar. Marvelous. Total win/win because babies draw people in, they sucker punch with those big, round eyes, their helplessness, their very innocence of being. Oh yeah, adding a baby to your romance??? Never a bad thing. In this case, we not only have a baby, we have Jesus. God. Wonderful, Counselor, the Prince of Peace.

A baby who needs protection from the elements, the animals, a child of the poor sought by men in power, a target of Herod’s anger and pride, a baby whose life would be saved by heavenly intervention, a night messenger who conveys the danger to Mary and Joseph, pushing them to flee to Egypt while so many others lost their baby boys to Herod’s killing swords.

Think of “Willow” … Elora Danan, the baby girl Daikini destined by birth to be queen and hunted by the evil Bavmorda, very Herod-like
.
Picture Froto, the very unlikely but chosen hero of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Harry Potter, put upon, abused, having no fine demeanor, no great bearing.

Those are a few simplistic examples of how often our fiction parallels the basics of that Holy Night, that Night of Nights, a night of angels, cherubim and seraphim, praising God, heralding shepherds with that first “Noel”, the star shining bright, announcing the birth of a king to those smart enough to read the signs.
We love to cheer the underdog. We cherish a great conflict made right when the elements seem strongly ingrained against success. We laugh, we cry, we run the full gamut of emotions because it matters. The story touches our heart or embraces our souls. In the case of the Nativity, it does both with simple characters who go the distance each and every time despite their misgivings.

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…

Mary’s prayer recorded in Luke’s gospel declares her faith, her strength, her willingness to her cousin Elisabeth. Despite the odds, she believes, hangs on, hangs in, takes one for the team. Being Catholic I was raised with the Magnificat (Mary’s canticle of praise when she greets Elisabeth) as her announcement of doing what God asked of her despite the consequences. Such a glorious prayer, so much of it incorporated into hymns we sing today.

You go, girl!!!

We love that in a story. We seek that in our lives, but it’s an elusive goal. We want good to conquer evil, we root for right over might, David over Goliath, and we absolutely, positively need Darth Vader to sacrifice himself to save Luke Skywalker’s life because we know the tiny thread of remaining good within him thwarts the largest evil, the lust for power.

We love romance. We love writing it, reading it, disseminating it, living it. Regardless of denominational ties, we seek the peace and beauty of this story for its true meaning, a God-child offered for the good of all, God made man, God among us, Emmanuel.

God with us, forever and ever.

Silent night, Holy night… All is calm, all is bright.

Amen.

Conflict In Every Line

2009-12-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

Camy here! I wanted to talk about conflict today, because we all could use more conflict in our lives, right? Especially now that it’s December and Christmas is around the corner?

(Breathe ... breathe ... I’m just kidding! I mean, I’m kidding about us needing more conflict in our lives, not about Christmas being around the corner. And if you’ve still got your head stuck in the sand of denial about Christmas—you have only nine days left, sugar. Get cracking.)

Anyway, one of the best things I picked up from a Donald Maass seminar was his injunction to add tension to every sentence on the page.

Yes, you read that right. Every sentence.

Okay, real world application: I typically can’t add tension in every single sentence, but I definitely try to add tension in every paragraph. And I aim for tension in every sentence as much as I possibly can.

Why do we need more tension and conflict? Because the reality is that conflict is what keeps a reader reading. If things are all hunky dory and perfect, the book—and the writing—is boring.

Conflict and emotion engage a reader’s attention. While we don’t like conflict in real life, in fiction, we thrive on it. Yes, we’re just a little sick and twisted that way.

Consider this before and after example. I’m going to use part of a “lost scene” from Deadly Intent. It’s a date scene I cut out entirely because it reduced the tension (LOL) of the pacing, plus if a woman has just seen a dead body, would she really go out to lunch with the dead woman’s ex-husband and be all ga-ga over him? Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking. Neither did my critique partners, who told me to nix the scene. Here’s a before and after shot.

Before tension is added to every paragraph:

Wow, she was having lunch with Dr. Devon Knightley. How cool!

“Are you sure this restaurant is okay with you?” Devon peered at her over the top of his menu.

“Yes, of course.”

“You seem … nervous.” Devon crowned her with a smile dreamier than McDreamy. “I hope it’s not because of me.”

“Of course not.” Maybe he’d ask her for her number this time. Last time they’d met, he hadn’t, but now that he was spending some time with her, maybe he’d become more interested. She couldn’t believe he was taking her out instead of her more beautiful sisters. “When Rachel and Aunt Becca both said they couldn’t go to lunch, it was really nice of you to insist on taking just me.”

He winked at Naomi. “How could I disappoint Becca when she’d worked so hard?”

Well, Aunt Becca had been rather obvious in trying to play matchmaker. Embarrassment heated her neck and she looked at her menu.

Okay, I admit, I—ahem—doctored it a little to show even less tension. But you get the picture, right?

Here’s the scene after tension is added to every paragraph (and several extra sentences are added, too). I put the tension in each paragraph in red font. You can see that some of the original version already did have some tension, and I ended up adding tension to almost every sentence:

Lunch had so not been a good idea.

Aside from the fact Naomi couldn’t scrub Jessica’s waxen face from the backs of her eyelids, Aunt Becca had embarrassed her worse than when she’d crashed Naomi’s eight-grade sleepover.

“Are you sure this restaurant is okay with you?” Devon peered at her over the top of his menu with wary eyes.

“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You’ve picked the stitched seam out of your menu.”

Naomi looked down. A gold-colored thread hung bedraggled from the edge of the leather menu, where the folded-over edge cracked open. “I did that?”

“You seem … nervous.” Devon crowned her with a smile dreamier than McDreamy. “I hope it’s not because of me.”

“Of course not,” she snapped. This was just like the last time they’d met. He’d be charming and fun, and in the end, it wouldn’t mean a thing. Or maybe he’d ask her for Rachel’s number—most of the men who cosied up to her were doing so because they lacked the backbone to approach Rachel themselves. Something about being so drop-dead-gorgeous made men lose their nerve. Stop griping. You can’t expect anything more when you’re the plain sister. “You know, when Rachel and Aunt Becca both said they couldn’t go, you didn’t have to insist on taking me to lunch.”

He winked—winked!—at Naomi. “How could I disappoint Becca when she’d worked so hard?”

He’d seen through Aunt Becca’s excuses. She’d been hoping they weren’t really as flimsy as they sounded to her ears. Ugh, this had gone from horrible to a-step-above-death. Naomi snapped her menu up to hide her face.

Now, the type of tension you add to your sentences will probably be different, depending on your writing style and genre. I tend to add more humorous tension by default—it’s just my personality—and I have to work hard to make my tension and conflict more suspenseful for my romantic suspense novels for Steeple Hill.

But do try to add more tension and conflict to every sentence, if you can, and at the very least, every paragraph. It really adds to reader interest.

Anybody want to try with some before and after shots of their own writing? Feel free to post it in the comments!

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Her novels Single Sashimi and Deadly Intent are out now. She runs the Story Sensei critique service, is a staff worker for her church youth group, and leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every week and ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly giveaways!

Two for the price of one--Christmas Peril

2009-12-16T00:04:00.002-05:00

Margaret Daley

and

Debby Giusti

It’s my pleasure and honor to bring award-winning author Margaret Daley to Seekerville today. Many of you know her through ACFW where she served as volunteer coordinator this year. A mentor at heart, Margaret is always ready to answer questions or give encouragement or advice. When I published, Margaret opened her arms and welcomed me into the Steeple Hill family of authors. Now I'm thrilled to welcome her to this blog.

Until she recently retired, Margaret taught special education full time and wrote each evening when she came home from school. Despite her busy schedule, she has 66 books in print. Many of her stories have won awards, including the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year, the Holt Medallion, Golden Quill, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice, Winter Rose, and the Barclay Gold.

Last year, Steeple Hill inquired if I wanted to do a two-in-one Love Inspired Suspense with Margaret. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. CHRISTMAS PERIL is in stores now, featuring Margaret’s exciting novella, Merry Mayhem, and my story, Yule Die. Today we’re doing a joint interview, asking each other five writing questions. We’ll be online to talk about writing so leave a comment. Include your email address to be placed in a drawing for a copy of CHRISTMAS PERIL.

Now, let’s learn more about Margaret...

Debby asked : Margaret, you write for both the Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense lines and publish many books each year. How do you keep up the pace? What’s your writing schedule, and do you set a daily page count in order to meet your many deadlines?

Margaret: I usually write every day and I do have a weekly word count that I need to reach. I don’t like to set a daily count because I would get stressed when something came up and I couldn’t make it. Over a week’s time I usually can make my word count. One day I might not write much, but the next one I’ll make it up by writing more.

Debby: Did you find writing Merry Mayhem challenging and, if so, why? What about the word count? Did you change the story because of the shorter length?

Margaret: I had to strip the story down because the word count was half of what a normal Love Inspired Suspense story is. I found it harder to write because you have to weave in romance, suspense and faith. That can be hard in a normal Love Inspired Suspense, let alone try to do it in a LIS novella.

Debby: The end of the year is often a time of reflection. What did you learn in 2009 that helped improve your craft? Have you set writing goals for 2010 that you could share with the Seekers?

Margaret: I have two books that are due in the first part of 2010. After that, who knows? I’ll be coming up with some proposals and see what happens. The life of a writer is precarious. You never know when and where your next book will come from. I leave it in the Lord’s hands. He’s so much more capable of running my writing life than me.

Debby: How much time do you spend on marketing and what do you find most beneficial in terms of getting your name and book in front of readers? What marketing advice would you give newly published authors?

Margaret: The most important thing is having a web site. I also think being on some of the social networks can help. But I think you need to be careful and not spread yourself too thin or take too much time away from writing your book. I have bookmarks that list my next year’s books coming out, and I always send them out to my mailing list at Christmas. I also have a newsletter I send out four times a year through a yahoo group. Anyone interested can go to my web site (http://www.margaretdaley.com/) and sign up for it. I have a blog where I feature Christian writers each week. I also write about various things during the week on my blog. In addition to my personal blog, I belong to several group ones.

Debby: Tell us about when you got The Call. How long had you been writing? Did you ever get discouraged? What advice would you give writers seeking publication?

Margaret: All I can remember is the shock and thrill when I received the call from my agent. This was back in 1981 so I have been writing a long time. I had an eight-year dry spell after selling twenty books. I didn’t give up. I kept writing (although I tried to quit and couldn’t). Then I sold a book to Kensington and that started my “return.” Since then I’ve sold forty-six books, but the best part is that I discovered the inspirational romance market. It’s a perfect fit for me.

Now it’s Debby’s turn to answer Margaret’s questions…

Margaret asked: Why do you like to write romantic suspense?

Debby: As an Army brat and Army wife, I traveled to many foreign countries and have met wonderful people from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds. Now that hubby’s retired from the military, I satisfy my wanderlust and need for adventure through my writing. With each book, I become totally enmeshed in my characters’ struggles and see myself actually battling the bad guys--all from the safety and security of my home, of course. Creating characters and helping them solve their problems – both internal and external – allows me to become that medical researcher or undercover cop. I’m confronting evil and winning, which makes for a good day in my way of thinking.

Margaret: What is the most difficult thing about writing romantic suspense?

Debby: My stories usually take place in a short time frame, often no more than a few days. Having a romantic relationship develop quickly is a challenge. The hero and heroine need to be attracted to each other almost immediately, and those feelings have to deepen into something long lasting throughout the course of the story. The pronouncement of love and commitment occurs at the very end of the story, and often I’ll add an epilogue to show them living happily ever after.

Margaret: What advice would you give another writer who is interested in writing romantic suspense stories?

Debby: Read extensively in the line you’re targeting, but also read best-selling suspense authors. Don’t shortchange the category or trade readers who want the same action-packed stories as the big name writers deliver in their single title hardbacks. Strive to be the best suspense writer you can possibly be and keep learning new ways to improve your work.

Margaret: What is the easiest thing for you to write in your story – romance, faith or the suspense element and why?

Debby: I started writing straight suspense and find that part comes naturally. Developing a satisfying love story takes more effort, and I’ll often expand the romantic elements later during the rewrites. The faith thread is woven lightly throughout the story and doesn’t demand as much effort, perhaps because I try to understand my characters before I begin to write. Since I have a deep love for the Lord, that Christian worldview transfers easily to the written page.

Margaret: What do you do to promote your books?

Debby: I love meeting readers so I do a number of events each year that bring me face-to-face with the public, whether at writers conferences, book signings, readers luncheons or community events. I have a big signing in my hometown to launch each book and always donate the proceeds to charity. The newspaper publishes information about the event, which increases interest in my local area. I have a group of faithful readers—many from my church community—who send books to family and friends across the country, which spreads the word about my work. That word of mouth means so much. I also take out an ad in Romance Writers Report for each new book. The magazine goes to 20,000 writers who are also readers. Maintaining an online presence is equally important. I’m blessed to be a member of the Seekers and have gotten to know so many wonderful people who stop by the blog. The Craftie Ladies of Suspense is another site where I can interact with readers and writers alike. I hope to start my own blog in the not-too-distant future. The focus will be on books, writing and the power of prayer. God keeps nudging me to move forward on that blog, and I hope to have it up and running in the early part of the New Year.

Margaret and I want to hear from you today. Ask questions, mention your writing goals for 2010 or tell us what you like about books in general.

Wishing you a joyous Christmas and much love in the New Year,
Debby Giusti and Margaret Daley
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.margaretdaley.com/

Need a stocking stuffer for friends and family? CHRISTMAS PERIL is on sale now, featuring two great suspense stories:

Merry Mayhem

by Margaret Daley
When single mom Annie Coleman unexpectedly arrives in Christmas, Oklahoma, police chief Caleb Jackson suspects she's hiding secrets. He'll be watching her closely. And his protection is just what Annie and her daughter need, as danger has followed them to their new home.

Yule Die

by Debby Giusti
It's hardly a happy holiday for medical researcher Callie Evans…until she discovers her ailing patient is her long-lost brother. And he's being watched by undercover police officer Joe Petrecelli. When the trio is abducted by a cadre of bad guys, Joe and Callie will have to fight to keep her brother—and themselves—alive.

Seek and Destroy Sneaky Telling & GIVEAWAY!

2009-12-15T09:01:00.010-05:00

Cheryl Wyatt here. I have editor Jeff Gerke to thank for the enlightenment of today's post. In addition to being an outstanding author, Jeff is publisher of Marcher Lord Press. He taught me what "sneaky telling" was at last year's American Christian Fiction Writers www.acfw.com conference and it has absolutely revolutionized my writing.

I was going over an old manuscript that won awards in unpubbed contests to see if I wanted to try to market it. I've grown a lot in craft since writing it almost seven years ago, so I thought there couldn't be much wrong with it since it won first place in ACFW's Genesis Contest in the Mystery, Suspense, Thriller category.

But Jeff found TEN (count them...TEN) instances of sneaky telling...all on the first page or two! LOL.

So apparently I do this sneaky telling thing quite a bit.

I know what regular telling is, like when you totally narrate the story rather than let it play out as in a movie. Also, telling can mean using telling words such as "felt," "saw," "watched," "wondered" and a slew of other sensory words when just simply stating what the character felt, saw, wondered would suffice.

Sneaky telling is a bit more tricky.

In Stealth Surrender, the story Jeff went over I have an F-22 pilot in a cockpit being chased by three foreign aircraft. The pilot is communicating with a commander via the plane's communication system. The pilot states: “Looks like three prehistoric Migs and an F5.” The word prehistoric is what Jeff calls sneaky telling. Reason being that a seasoned fighter pilot and his (or her...grin) commander would know that a mig is an older model plane, so this character wouldn't use that wordage. Basically what I did in this instance and all the others was try to spoon feed the reader vital information. Jeff taught me to be mindful of not violating character for the sake of exposition.

Another example of sneaky telling was when the commander told another serviceman later to, "Meet me in my office here at Bagram immediately." Well, duh. What part of that was sneaky telling?

"at Bagram." Why? Because both characters already know where the commander's office is. I was trying to let the reader know, yet in doing so I violated character. The other reason that was sneaky telling was because both servicemembers were already at Bagram. LOL! So it's obvious I'm sneaking info to the reader and not being very good at it. To stay in deep POV, keep the characters knowing what the characters know. Is this making sense yet?

Let's see if you can spot the "sneaky telling" in some of my other lines:

“Audio warnings shot down the commander’s suggestion, and confirmed the seasoned fighter pilot’s foreboding suspicion.”

Can you find it? Answer: the seasoned fighter pilot. Why:

In Jeff's words: "Think of show vs. tell in this way: if the camera can see it, it’s not telling. So, can the camera see that he is a seasoned fighter pilot? No, not in that moment. You just told us that. The trick is to convert invisible telling to visible showing. Let’s say all you had to work with were a movie camera and a microphone—how would you get across that he was a seasoned fighter pilot? Probably by showing him do things that no rookie could do. Maybe even a “It’ll be just like Iraq” or some comments like that too."--Jeff

Okay, here's another line. See if you can spot the sneaky telling:

“R.J. had gained unwavering confidence in the sophisticated Raptor to know it could…”

Answer: The word "confidence" is the sneaky telling there. Ask yourself this: Can the camera see what confidence he’d gained? No. But I could show him exhibiting confidence in the plane.

Here's another. Spot the "sneaky telling": “One of the raven-haired puppies his team had adopted after rescuing them from a live mine where they’d scrounged for food, sprawled across Micah’s cot stretched, lifted her head, opened one eye and yawned.”

The trick is to ask yourself: What portion of this can the camera see? We see a dog yawn. That’s it. The rest—the history of where the dogs came from—is invisible to the camera. It’s sneaky telling.

There were a TON more examples that I'll maybe share another day, but go through your manuscripts on one of your final proofreads to seek and destroy any sneaky telling on your part. It's easily fixable.

Jeff has some great writing tips here:

He is also publisher for Marcher Lord Press, an innovative Christian Speculative Fiction company. See www.marcherlordpress.com for more details. There are some GREAT speculative fiction books out now and previously from MLP that would make excellent Christmas presents for the readers in your life who love something that's both wholesome and different. Hope you will check them out.

Now go seek and destroy the "sneaky telling" in your own work. Then come back and share it as well as what you did to fix it.

Happy sniping!

Cheryl Wyatt

THIS JUST IN: Jeff stopped by and is offering a FREE copy of his new craft book: The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction, by Jeff Gerke. Guys, he is an outstanding editor, so this is a fabulous book. Everyone who comments will be entered so please leave your e-mail address in the comment section so we can contact you should you win. Deadline for entry will be Midnight CST Thursday, Dec 17.

***Entries limited to the Continental U.S. only please***

Review of Jeff's book:

I just read the most wonderful book, The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction, by Jeff Gerke. It had been on my shelf for a while, because I'd been busy with deadlines and such, but while recovering from surgery this past week I finally read it. And now, I'm kicking myself for not reading it months ago, because it is absolutely packed with excellent advice. Reading it was like sitting down with the author and receiving an in-depth workshop in my own home.

I'd recommend it whether you're an aspiring author, or have dozens of books under your belt. I've sold twenty-eight books or so now, and in addition to the great nuts-and bolts information (which I loved) he gave me so many new insights on the art of writing Christian fiction. I would recommend this book to any Christian writer, at whatever place they might be along the spectrum from beginner to advanced.

I'm going to order another copy to give to a critique friend, who is hoping to break into the Christian market. What a perfect Christmas present!

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered! Everyone who commented prior to me posting this GIVEAWAY addendum will be automatically entered.

Merry Sniping!

Cheryl

Giving--the Secret to Success

2009-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Only ten days until Christmas Eve! Giving is such a big part of the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Some would say too big. You may agree, especially if you’re like me and don’t have your shopping finished. LOL But Christmas began with a gift. The Gift. God gave His only Son. So it’s only natural that we show our love with gifts, both the wrapped kind and less tangible variety involving our talent and time.

The best part—giving isn’t just appropriate at Christmas. In fact I believe giving may be the secret to success.

As writers, we have our individual goals. How will we achieve them? What sacrifices will we make? What efforts to grow and learn will we take? What agonies will we overcome? Every single one!

Why?

We have something to give. The goal isn’t just getting. Getting that manuscript published, getting money and recognition, getting on the New York Bestseller list. Though we might be working our butts off to get there, let’s face it, we can’t control whether we get our goals.

But we can control giving. I'd like to suggest the following ways we can give that will make this world a better place and just might bring us success.

Giving ourselves to God. Putting Him first. Building a relationship with Him. Using our time and talent for Him.

Giving our undivided attention to others. Not pretending to listen while we plot or write, but living in the moment, sharing ourselves. Glynna talked about Living Intentionally in her November 25 Seekerville post. It's well worth a second read.

Giving to ourselves. Holing up to write is essential. After all books don't write themselves. But we need exercise, healthy food, rest, spiritual food, fun. Make time for you. If you don't re-charge your batteries, you won't have anything left to give.

Giving to others. Using our time and talent to help others along the way. We can help other writers by mentoring, judging contests, critiquing or something as simple as a word of encouragement.

Giving our innermost selves to our craft. Pouring our hearts onto the page is hard, but when we do, we will give our readers a story that lifts, heals, strengthens and entertains. A lofty goal, it’s worth every ounce of our blood, sweat and tears. Let’s not be stingy by holding back.

Giving ourselves a chance to succeed. Dream big. Set goals. And work hard to achieve them. Don't waste the talent God gave.

I believe Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Sounds like give is spelled L-O-V-E

In keeping with the theme, I’m giving away a copy of my February release The Substit ute Bride.
Fleeing an arranged marriage, debutante Elizabeth Manning exchanges places with a mail-order bride bound for New Harmony, Iowa. Life on the frontier can’t be worse than forced wedlock to pay her father’s gambling debts. But Ted Logan’s rustic lifestyle and rambunctious children prove to be more of a challenge than Elizabeth expects. She doesn’t know how to be a mother or a wife. She doesn’t even know how to tell Ted the truth about her past—especially as her feelings for him grow. Little does she know, Ted’s hiding secrets of his own, and when their pasts collide, there’s more than one heart at stake.

Leave a comment to enter the drawing. Perhaps you’d like to share how someone has helped you or some strategies prioritizing your life so you have time to give.

And speaking of giving, I can’t tell you what it means to me to come to Seekerville and find familiar faces, our dear friends and followers. Thank you for taking the time to come and to share your thoughts and yes, even your cyber goodies. You bless the Seekers each and every day!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Janet

Weekend Holiday Spirit Edition

2009-12-12T00:18:00.004-05:00

What exactly is the holiday spirit?

I believe it's about giving.

The kind of giving that doesn't look for reciprocity. The kind of giving that comes from knowing what a privilege it is to give from the heart.

Like buying a hot chocolate for that Salvation Army bell ringer who's standing out in the cold.

Or donating to Soldier's Angels, which supports our troops.

An anonymous gift to someone who needs assistance this season?

Maybe leaving your comfort zone to give what's precious to you..perhaps something as simple as your time.

I'm sure many of you have even more creative giving suggestions to share with us this weekend in Seekerville.

We Have Winners!

Wednesday, our guest blogger, Candace Calvert, shared with Writer 9-1-1: Help, My Character's Fallen and Can't Get Up. The winner of Critical Care is Sandra Heska King.

Thursday, Ruth Logan Herne's giveaway winner from her post, Permission to Breathe Granted is Susan Mason.

Friday, Tamera Alexander was our guest with Editor: Friend? Or Foe? The winner of Beyond This Moment, is Kerri C at CK Farms.

Next Week In Seekerville:

Monday: Love Inspired Historical author Janet Dean is our hostess today and she's giving away a copy of her February release, The Substitute Bride.

Tuesday: Love Inspired author Cheryl Wyatt shares: Seek and Destroy that Sneaky Telling.

Wednesday: Our guest is multi-published Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense author, Margaret Daley.

Thursday: Love Inspired Suspense Suspense and Zondervan author, Camy Tang leads the fun.

Friday: Love Inspired debut author, Ruth Logan Herne is your blogging and baking hostess.

Save The Date:

December 16, Our guest is multi-published Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense author, Margaret Daley.

December 22, We are thrilled that Thomas Nelson author, Margaret Brownley will interviewed in Seekerville, and there will be copies of A Lady Like Sarah to give away!

December 31, Madame Zelda's New Year's Eve Rockin' Party and join us for her 2010 Seekerville Predictions.

Seeker Sightings:

Congratulations to Cheryl Wyatt who is a 2009 Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Nominee in the Series Inspirational Category with Ready-Made-Family.

Cheryl has a continuing Friday series at Seriously Write blog on Staying Grounded as Your Career Soars. Check out this Friday's post called- Growing. You can also catch up on the last few Friday's posts which are: Friendship, Humility, and Mentoring.

Don't miss her post at the CRAFTIE Ladies of Romance, December 17:The 12 Frays of Christmas--Cheryl Wyatt Style.

Ruthy Travels to The Big City: an In-Depth Report from the Steeple Hill Debut Author-

Back from a whirlwind visit to Steeple Hill in New York City, Ruthy reports that YES!!!! The Woolworth Building that houses Harlequin is amazing from both an historic and aesthetic point of view. Absolutely gorgeous!

She got to schmooze, she means MEET Melissa Endlich and Joan Marlow Golan, hug them, have lunch with Melissa, talk about writing, see the offices, talk about Seekers and Seekerville, laugh, eat, oh, and did she mention, TALK ABOUT WRITING???? One of Ruthy's favorite subjects, LOL!

She loved the feel of the editorial offices, the hustle and bustle, the huge turnout of people to see the windows and lights of midtown Manhattan on a fifty-degree Friday night in December and...

The crazy ambience that IS New York City.

Regretfully she reports no Jeter sightings, but she was witness to some random scraps of ticker tape paper leftover in the gutter from the ticker-tape parade hosted by the Big Apple in honor of the New York Yankees Championship win over the Philadelphia Phillies, so she SAW paper thrown in Jeter's honor.

A moment of respectful silence, please. :)

Yes, it's true.

Ruthy LOVES New York.

Mary Connealy will be at Faith and Fiction on Fire, December 14.
The topic is, Who's Got Character.

Missy Tippens is the featured author on Faith and Fiction on Fire, discussing Who's Got Character on December 16.

Myra Johnson will be at Faith and Fiction on Fire, find out Who's Got Character on December 18.

Random News:

Take A Vow Contest! Deadline December 31st. (Remember, I'm just the messenger.)Drama, passion, humor, emotional poignancy and a happy ending are the hallmarks of the best romances ever told. Now it’s your turn to tell us a true love story that will tug at the heartstrings of lucky romance readers everywhere! Your name will be featured in conjunction with a novelized version of your story, and sold in major bookstores nationally. Grand-Prize winner will receive $500.00 for the publishing rights to their story, their names to appear in conjunction with a book that is penned by a bestselling romance novelist, 15 copies to share with friends and family, and a one-year subscription to Romantic Times magazine.

EXTRAORDINARY: Following Seekerville's philosophy to never give up....

Kirkus Reviews Gone & Goodreads Grows (from GalleyCat)

Announcing the 2010 Breakthrough Novel Award: Amazon.com, in partnership with Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace, is pleased to announce the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the international competition seeking the next popular novel. For the first time, the competition will award two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. The 2010 competition will also now be open to novels that have previously been self-published. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.

Check out this Writer's Digest Blog post: Every Author Needs Professional Headshots