 |
| Hearts Entwined |
CHANGE
I recently had a very successful young businessman give me a truly inspiring talk about CHANGE.
I recently had a very successful young businessman give me a truly inspiring talk about CHANGE.
It was so encouraging I've decided to choose it for my ONE WORD for 2018.
The businessman said change was the true secret to great success. We shouldn’t just accept
change, maybe begrudgingly, maybe with fear, we should SEEK IT OUT.
Because when
we change…our jobs…our goals...our routines...we grow.
We make ourselves more knowledgeable.
More VALUABLE.
We know more. We build our own confidence. We inspire other people
to have confidence in us because they see us taking a chance, striving, daring
to stretch and learn.
And
we inspire other people to make their own changes. To take their own chances.
I'm struck by how similar the words CHANGE and CHANCE are. We have to take a chance if we're going to change. And taking a chance feels reckless, risky.
But we have to change to learn, risk and broaden our knowledge of the whole.
I'm struck by how similar the words CHANGE and CHANCE are. We have to take a chance if we're going to change. And taking a chance feels reckless, risky.
But we have to change to learn, risk and broaden our knowledge of the whole.
He
works as a businessman as I said, in a huge company. A company where he started
at the ground floor. And I’ve watched him get almost every promotion that has
come his way. I’ve also seen him leave a job he was very comfortable in, trade
jobs even, with a person in another department, not for a raise or because his boss told him too, but so he could learn about that
section of the company.
He’s
dared me to try and change. Or maybe more fair to say, I've talked about being afraid of change and he's encouraged me.
Oh, I’m going to keep writing Romantic Comedy with
Cowboys. I just love it too much and there seems to be a MARKET for it!!! :)
But I might just stretch myself within that genre. I've got a really fun idea for the next series that I think will be a little tricky, a lot of fun and I hope I can pull it off.
 |
| In Bookstores Now-Or Order Online |
Do you ever have a conflict in your book that's so HUGE so REAL that you don't want to choose it because you don't know how you'll ever get the couple together?
That's the kind of thing I've got in mind...sort of.
But that's only a little bit of a change, the big change is, I’ve got some
finished books on my computer that are (brace yourself!!!) NOT historical
western romantic comedy. They’re contemporary romantic suspense…with Texas
Lawmen and some sass…so the change isn’t wildly radical. Just fun and
different.
I’ve
been polishing these books. Books I had written before my first contract. Back
then I had twenty unpublished, finished books on my computer. I’ve now sold all but five.
 |
| Coming in April-Preorder Now! |
And I've edited and revised and reworked them to make them up-to-date--I had to give everyone a cell phone, that kind of thing.
And now, with no excuses to be seen, I am scared to release them, I suppose indy pubbed right? But it’s a big change and I’m going to do it right, make sure not to trample on my other books coming out.
And now, with no excuses to be seen, I am scared to release them, I suppose indy pubbed right? But it’s a big change and I’m going to do it right, make sure not to trample on my other books coming out.
I’ve
got one that released in January, then April and May…then October…so I’m not sure when to do it.
How fast to do it. How much to charge. How to get a nice cover. How to be sure
the books are well edited….OH THE PAIN AND TERROR OF CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Except
wait! Didn’t I just say I should embrace it, even SEEK IT!!!!??? I did say that
didn’t I?
So,
yeah, my very nice, wise, successful businessman son-in-law says to embrace change. I’m
gonna do it!
Sometime!!!
Probably!!!
Let’s talk about CHANGE! Do you need to seek out
change in your writing life? Or what have you changed that worked out right?
 |
| Coming in May-Preorder Now |
What do you think about the changes in
Seekerville?
Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a signed copy of my newest release, a novella collection with Karen Witemeyer, Melissa Jagears, Regina Jennings and ME!!! It’s called Hearts Entwined. The covers I've added are what's coming up for me.
Hearts Entwined releasing now! Today!
The Accidental Guardian releasing in April.
All for Love contains the novella pre-quell to my Cimarron Legacy Series.
It's available now as an ebook, but it will be in print...in a book...for the first time in May. I've had so many people ask me if that novella would ever come out in a physical book and now the answer is YES. SOON!
A little bit about the current release
Hearts Entwined
Four top historical romance novelists team up in this new collection to offer stories of love and romance with a twist of humor. In Karen Witemeyer's "The Love Knot," Claire Nevin gets the surprise of her life awaiting her sister's arrival by train. Mary Connealy's "The Tangled Ties That Bind" offers the story of two former best friends who are reunited while escaping a cranky mama buffalo. Regina Jennings offers "Bound and Determined," where a most unusual trip across barren Oklahoma plains is filled with adventure, romance, and . . . camels? And Melissa Jagears' "Tied and True" entertains with a tale of two hearts from different social classes who become entwined at a cotton thread factory.
Each tale is a fun blend of history and romance that will delight readers.
Each tale is a fun blend of history and romance that will delight readers.
Well, we've certainly learned to embrace change around here... and I'm going to say that I think the people who manage to stick in this business... who are in for the long haul... learn to adapt. To change. To adjust their sails into the wind.
ReplyDeleteAnd you get bossed around a lot, so there's that aspect!!! :)
But it's still my most favorite, number one, can't-believe-it's-mine job in the whole world, so I'm in for the long haul!
We embrace change when we get married. (I blame hormones)
We embrace change when we have babies. (I blame hormones and commercials, babies are so cute!)
We embrace change with every step our children take...
We embrace change with maturity... (Back to hormones again)
So why not in jobs? Why not with careers? I love that we have the freedom and ability to run our own small businesses successfully!
I love being self-reliant.
Mary, I agree. Embrace change. Take those chances. On a changing horizon, in the flux of a changing industry, taking chances can make all the difference.
Why not us?
Why not now?
2 am feedings for babies. Now there's a change that we make whether we want to or not! :)
DeleteLOL, so basically, most of the changes that happen in our lives are because..
Deletehormones? LOL!
That explains a lot! :)
Happy Monday, Ruthy!
Erica about 90% probably!!!
DeleteCOFFEE IS HERE, MY FRIENDS!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd tea! Earl Grey, hot!
DeletePour me a cuppa!
DeleteI'm having Oolong and in the evening, Mighty Leaf Chamomile Citrus...a newly discovered DELICIOUS tea!
DeleteOoo, that sounds delish! I'll have to scare some of that up. I love a good citrus flavored tea.
DeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! 2017 was a big year of change for us. When you grow up you usually leave your parents behind for adult life. It's expected. Growing to the empty-nest and having God call you to leave your parents, siblings, kids and grandkids...that was tough. It sounds like you're embracing your changes. A couple of things I learned was if God calls you, then you better go. Indy publishing for you? I'm glad you said yes. Now, here's the hard part. Once you say yes, the process can still be hard. BUT being obedient to God is the most important thing.
You're going to do great things allowing God to lead the way for your stories! I'm proud of you!
Jackie, I like this about obedient to God. I don't think I've spent enough time really praying about this...mostly I've been editing! :) But that's exactly right. I need to really...how to say this....relax into God's will here.
DeleteOoo, relax into God's will is such a great way to put it!
DeleteTakes some of the stress off!
LOL it's worth a try. I usually cure stress by eating, so this would be a nice change.
DeleteRelax into God's will is a beautiful way of putting this.
DeleteI'm so sorry I didn't address the changes at Seekerville. I appreciate all the founding ladies did for me, and I also appreciate you second generationers. Thanks so much for helping us continue our journey!
ReplyDeleteHey Ruthy, pass the coffee please! Thanks!
All the changes are helping me be brave, Jackie!!!
DeleteMary! Wonderful post on change. I don't like change, but sometimes change is good, when it brings about results you are looking for. Excited to read your new contemporary romantic suspense stories! If you need a beta reader I would love to! And I'd write a review. Happy changes and praying for many chances for changes!
ReplyDeleteSally I feel this way, too. I don't like it. I'm working on that, trying to not just tolerate it as it comes, but SEEK IT OUT!!! But that is so counter-intuitive.
DeleteThank you, Mary. Change is hard as one gets older, but it's even more necessary. Loss of parents is huge, also the prospect of downsizing, going into assisted living, or at best staying in your home but accepting more help. And then there's the physical aging. Even Tom Brady can't go on forever, although it does seem that way sometimes. We are so fortunate to be writers, not just for the reasons Ruthy mentioned, but because we can go on as long as our minds are sharp.
ReplyDeleteMary is right too, it is so exciting to expand as writers and there's no reason why we can't. Ruthy is proving that with her cozy mysteries. Why not?
I don't have a word yet and it's February, so maybe I won't have one this year.
Was sick over the weekend, even missed church, but am on the mend. It wasn't THAT flu, but it was enough for me. My WIP needs 1,700 words cut to qualify for a Love Inspired, so I've got my work cut out for me. My work of cutting out, I mean.
Back later,
Kathy Bailey
I would love to win the novella collection!
Ack, Kathy, sorry you've been sick. Man there's a lot of illness around, yes, some so dreadful and long lasting...but other lesser, and yet still icky, sicknesses, too! Glad you're healing
DeleteKathy, cut your book (mentally) into chapters, say...ten or fifteen, I don't know how many. Divide that number by 1,700 then cut that many words per chapter. Ive got Myra Johnson's book, Hill Country Reunion here on my end table. It's 13 chapters long. If your book is 13 chapters, divide that into 1700 and get 130 words per chapter. Go through and cut that...it is easy to find 130 words usually. That makes a big task simple, at least for me.
DeleteExcellent tip on how to cut words from an entire manuscript! One of the easiest ways for me to cut is to look for what I call the "Prepositional phrase of descriptive overkill." I am always tacking on a prepositional phrase that the sentence could do without! :)
DeleteI'm not as smart as Erica....a simple truth. Add to all her years as a teacher...so I'm trying to help myself and perhaps others.
Deleteprep·o-si·tion·al phrase
noun
noun: prepositional phrase; plural noun: prepositional phrases
a modifying phrase consisting of a preposition and its object.
A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a preposition, its object, and any words that modify the object. Most of the time, a prepositional phrase modifies a verb or a noun. These two kinds of prepositional phrases are called adverbial phrases and adjectival phrases, respectively.
At a minimum, a prepositional phrase consists of one preposition and the object it governs. The object can be a noun, a gerund (a verb form ending in “-ing” that acts as a noun), or a clause.
He arrived in time.
Is she really going out with that guy?
To these two basic elements, modifiers can be freely added.
He arrived in the nick of time.
Is she really going out with that tall, gorgeous guy?
Some of the most common prepositions that begin prepositional phrases are to, of, about, at, before, after, by, behind, during, for, from, in, over, under, and with.
How to Avoid Excessive Prepositional Phrases
DeleteIt is tempting to overuse prepositions and prepositional phrases. If you see more than one preposition for every ten or fifteen words in your writing, you should edit some of them out. You may be surprised at how much more elegant and economical your writing is when you make the effort to do this.
It is best to behave with caution when running with a sword in the presence of Magneto.
There is nothing grammatically incorrect about this sentence, but it has two “with” phrases, an “of” phrase, and an “in” phrase, which is a sure sign that it could be written more efficiently.
In Magneto’s presence, run cautiously with swords.
Here, it was possible to replace one of the prepositional phrases, with caution with the correlating adverb cautiously. Of Magneto was simply a possessive that can be easily converted into Magneto’s. Four prepositional phrases have been reduced to two.
Did any of that make sense? I am still hopped up on cold medication.
ReplyDeleteKB
LOL, Kathy! It made sense to me, so it wasn't just the meds talking!
DeleteAnd the changes...it sounds like we're close to the same stages in life. But you said it - this is a job we can keep doing as long as our minds stay sharp! I take comfort from the fact that there are writers who are much older than I am still writing and selling their stories!
And have fun cutting those words...1700 isn't too bad. You'll do it with no problem!
Highly medicated villagers are always the most fun, Kathy!
DeleteGood Morning, Mary and Seekers! CHANGE evokes so many emotions. Personally, I'm going through a lot of change. Lord, make my mess into a masterpiece!
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in the drawing.
Embrace it, Caryl....and yet I feel the need to worry about it for you and feel sorry for you!!! That is the OLD...AFRAID OF CHANGE MARY!!!
DeleteApparently I haven't shed her completely yet.
DeleteMake my mess into a masterpiece! Love it! I'm pretty sure I live in the center of that sentiment.
DeleteGreat thoughts on change, Mary. Change is oh-so-very difficult for me. I just said to my husband that in my many years of working I've only made the decision to change jobs once: when I graduated college and went from a retail mall job into a job that used my degree. Since then I've always been somewhere until I was forced to make a change. I do not seek it out. But I think God may have some different ideas about that at this stage of my life. My first child is leaving the nest, so change is about to happen, whether I'm ready for it or not! Thanks for giving me some things to ponder today.
ReplyDeleteGlynis, boy is that right. Change does come whether we want it or not. But have you been in the same job contentedly all this time? Have they been good to you? At what point is staying about mutual happiness and loyalty, those aren't bad things.
DeleteGood for you, Mary. Since you live the life, you have so much experience and memories to draw on that it seems only fair that you would share them with us. Yes, you share them on social media, but I'd love to read about them in a romance. Other than your romance with Cowboy, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest fear to non-traditional publishing is the editing. I know there are a lot of good freelance editors, but it's difficult to justify the cost when you haven't a shelf of books already and there's no guarantee of a profit from the venture.
Anita Mae, I've had people edit my books that I trust, but I so dislike when I see mistakes in my books. After it's too late to change them. But to spend possibly more on editing than I will make on the book? That's just wrong. The editor is making more than the author. And yet a well done edit is HARD WORK! They need to make money, too, or why do it???
DeleteConundrum
This is where I am at the moment, with no experience self-publishing, totting up the expenses of editing, formatting, cover art, etc. and trying to juxtapose that with possible income? Sigh. I'm not really embracing that change yet...
DeleteOh yes, the editors deserve their pay and they'll get it if they edit MY stories, but it's the paying out that my Scottish head is quibbling with. It's the main reason I've stuck with traditional publishing so far.
DeleteGood morning, Mary!
ReplyDeleteI used to hate change... Wait - I still hate change. At least, change that's on the horizon. Out there, when I don't have any idea how the other side of it is going to look.
One big series of changes that I've dealt with during my married life is moving. Too many times. In some ways it's exciting - living in new places, meeting new people - but most of the time it's just plain uncomfortable and scary.
And then one day, after our fifth move (?) or sixth (?) my husband made the comment that our family wouldn't be the same if we had never made all those moves. We were forced to rely on each other, we grew in our faith, and we gradually saw that God had orchestrated every one of those moves for our good...and His glory.
But if we don't change, we die. Think of a chick in an egg...If that chick said, "I don't think I'll like it out there, it's too scary, I'm going to stay where I am," then all we'd end up with is a rotten egg.
So - even though change is still scary - I've learned to embrace it. My favorite quote, although I really don't remember who said it, is "Well then, we'll just see what God is going to do now!"
Love the quote, Jan. So you're saying I need to start chipping away at my safe little shell....to see what's out in that big wide world?
DeleteLOL! If the shoe fits.... ;-)
DeleteWhat an inspiring post, Mary. Honestly, I'd read most anything that had your name on it. That in itself is the only brand I need. Best wishes for your new venture and for Hearts Entwined. Great list of authors on that one.
ReplyDeleteSo Cindy.......what if you read something from me that was so UN-fun, that you never read any of my traditional Romantic Comedy with Cowboys books again? That's my real fear, that I will mess up what's an absolutely delight.
DeleteI can't imagine that happening. Even if I didn't care so much for something new, your Comedy and Cowboys is proven. I'd go back to it in a heartbeat. I also believe authors deserve a chance to try new things. Some might work, maybe others not so much, but why allow ourselves to be branded with a particular thing and then feel stuck there? I'm all for venturing out and I can't wait to read whatever you come up with. The hidden talents of Mary Connealy are about to be revealed!
DeleteCindy that's so encouraging!!! Way to go!!!
DeletePep-Talk-Cindy!!!
Great post, Mary! I'm excited that you'll be publishing your contemporaries - looking forward to them! I've also been working on both contemporary and historicals - and I'd also written (one of) them long ago (about 15 years ago when I was still writing primarily non-fiction). Fortunately for me it was a historical I'd written all those years ago, so at least I didn't have to go back and give everybody cell phones, LOL. I did have to update the writing though (POV changes mostly). I'm torn between the two genres, because I genuinely like writing both. I've been told that editors/agents want you to pick one and stick with it until you're established. That readers are unlikely to follow a "newbie" across genres. Since I'm not even published, let alone established, at some point I'll have to choose. In the meantime, I still have much to learn and do, and just about the time I think I've figured something out (current trends, marketing, social media, etc.) it goes and changes on me. Or perhaps I never understood it at all. But I'm not giving up. I'm prayerfully embracing the change, working hard, and waiting to see where God leads me. Thanks again for such an inspiring post! Wishing you all the best with your new books!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura. I used to write Heartsong Presents, short book for Barbour, besides my long historical westerns, and I wrote three cozy mysteries for Barbour.
DeleteI really felt like it helped. Switching back and forth was creative and the differences made all genres fresher. That's what i'm trying to tell myself. Do the trad stuff and release these five books, then maybe start jumping back and forth?
I have no doubt it will work for you, Mary - I suspect your readers will follow you across any genre.
DeleteMary! Love this post. When I read the first line, I wondered if the businessman was your son-in-law. :)
ReplyDeleteChange...I try to roll with changes, even embrace them...the hardest thing for me is to wait for change. If I know change is coming, I want to just get it over with and not have too much time to think and brood and worry beforehand. My imagination can sometimes take me to some weird places of anticipation when I have to wait for a change to happen.
I know, you're stunned...my imagination taking me weird places. :D
This is called denial, Erica. It's how I survive public speaking events!!!
DeleteCall me Cleopatra...I am the Queen of De-Nile! :)
DeleteLOL love you, Erica. Come to Omaha!!!!
DeleteMary, what a great post! Change. Sounds like a scary One Word. But I can only imagine all God is going to do this year as you learn more about what this looks like for you. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this post was the thought that your SIL sought out change. Whoa Nellie. I have never been one to seek it out. But, I love his motivations for doing so. I'm definitely thinking through your words today!
Isn't that a great way to look at the world, Jeanne? To seek out change? To see the big picture and understand that to advance he needs deep and wide experience? To be able to analyze what is necessary and DO IT!!!
DeleteBest wishes Mary! Change can be exciting! Trust is my word this year. And I have to trust God with any changes too! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteCarrie, TRUST! I love that. Yes, it's a definite necessity along with any change.
DeleteTrust! That is a great one, Carrie!
DeleteHi Mary, Thanks for another great post and perhaps a challenge on this first Monday in February. To answer your 2nd question, I am still a huge fan of Seekerville. I miss the author's who've moved on but I am thrilled for the CHANCE to know the new crew. As a personr, my life seems to be a series of CHANGE. I am older, I am hopefully wiser and because of unforseen circumstances I am once again very involved in guiding a child to msturity. I am no longer a librarian who promotes books and reafing but I will always be a reader who promotes books and reading! CHANGE-- CHANCE-- CHOICE. If we embrace life we will encounter these words many time. And yes, Carrie, TRuST is also a key!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to whatever genre (genres) you choose to write.
Blessings!!
Ah, Connie, bless you as you steer another young one through life! I used to be a librarian, and I miss the unfettered access to All. The. Books!
DeleteIt's a definite challenge for me! If I drag you into your own change..........good luck, Connie!!!
DeleteThank you for this inspiring post, Mary. I was never one who embraced change, but six years ago, God gave me a wake up call that rocked my world. I learned then that any change in my life was being orchestrated by Him and I needed to accept it and go along for the ride. Since, it's been all good! This is one of my favorite quotes on change: “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn
ReplyDeleteWow, Jill!!! There's an actually SAYING!!!
DeleteThank you for this inspiring post, Mary. I was never one who embraced change, but six years ago, God gave me a wake up call that rocked my world. I learned then that any change in my life was being orchestrated by Him and I needed to accept it and go along for the ride. Since, it's been all good! This is one of my favorite quotes on change: “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn
ReplyDeleteChange is orchestrated by Him. Wise words, Jill. Thank you!!!
DeleteYay, Mary!!! I'm so excited for you!!!
ReplyDeleteI like change, except when it involves cleaning. And yet, I'm hoping to, VERY SOON, sell my house and buy a new one. Yikes! That's scary. I've been in this one 19 1/2 years, but I really just want to start over. But to do that, I'm going to have to clean it, REALLY clean it. And I've been dreading that so much. UGH. But, change is good, right?
And this is the year of change for me in other ways too, Mary. ;-)
I am planning to indie pub an old book of mine this year too, Mary. We will dive into the Scary Unknown together!
And this is definitely outside my usual genre too. It's still an adventure/romance/historical, but it's set in 1880 in Alabama. But shh. I haven't exactly announced it yet. But I'm excited about it. I just have to fulfill my last contract first, then I can work on getting it ready for publication, and decide if I can dash off the sequel quickly while I plan for my next couple of fairy tale Medievals.
Change is fun. Change is good. Change shows we are not boring and stagnant, that we're not too old to learn new tricks. We can do this!!!
And I have written outside my genre before, when I did the Regencies. That worked out WELL, if I do say so myself. :-)
DeleteAnd TRUST! That is so important, Carrie! Definitely have to trust more when change is afoot.
DeleteMelanie I don't know what exactly you're going to write but I can so see you writing southern fiction. I think you need to do that...along with all the other stuff you're doing. :)
DeleteI have enjoyed reading your book for years now. Looking forward to the new one:) Thank You for sharing your Wisdom with US!!!
ReplyDeleteSylvia, well, I sure enough love giving advice!!! :)
DeleteInteresting post, Mary, and your new series sounds like fun! I write a lot of different things, I think I've yet to settle into one area that I write only for (though I do lean very heavily toward YA fantasy)
ReplyDeleteNicki, that's a great way to find your voice, try everything. Good for you.
DeleteLove the cover for The Accidental Guardian. Is that the first indie release in this current batch? It looks fantastic, Mary!!!
ReplyDeleteI've had a few shifts in my writing career. The first one was when I started my Military Investigations series. Book #1, The Officer's Secret was a fun challenge as I worked to get the CID aspect established. The next switch was The Agent's Secret Past, when I added an Amish thread. That change eventually moved me into Amish suspense. The first book in my Amish Protectors series made me stretch and grow as well. So, as you mentioned, change has been good for me.
That being said, I hate when the local groceries change where they place the products I buy. Also when clothing stores rearrange their stores. GRRR! And I don't like changes to technology that make me learn a new system. :(
Some change is good. Some is not. Right?
Nope, Accidental Guardian is my next Romantic Comedy with Cowboys!!!
DeleteI haven't done the covers of the indy stuff yet. That would make it all to REAL
Debby, LOL. I don't even like to go into strange grocery stores.
DeleteHi Mary, change is unavoidable no matter how much it scares us. I'm glad for your motivating S-I-L who got you thinking. We all need someone in our life to help us see change as a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are writing contemporary RS? I can't wait to read it, but in the meantime I want to read that novella collection! Would you please throw my name in the hat? Thanks!
Oh, and Happy Change Day!!!
I forgot to say, I clicked on the All For Love Novella collection, will that be available for Kindle?
DeleteTracey it will not, as of now, be available as an ebook BECAUSE all three of these books are FREE separately as ebooks. Bethany House just printed them up together because they've had a lot of requests for a print version. So if you want the as ebooks, go grab all three of them RIGHT NOW FOR FREE!!!
DeleteGreat post Mary and congrats on embracing a new direction. I find change is easier when I have a plan! I LOVE planning and usually have back-up B and C ideas all recorded in notebooks. When I can’t locate those notes I make new ones! My sweetie used to get overwhelmed when I shared all my thoughts! We finally came up with a solution that allowed him to have a sense of peace during discussions. It I was planing to change something right away, I called it short range. He’d then try to help figure out how to help me accomplish what I wanted. If my idea was still a dream I called it long range and then he was free to dream with me because he knew it didn’t require immediate action.
ReplyDeleteWould love to win the novella collection! Happy Monday to all!
Kathryn, wow he brainstorms with you?
DeleteMy Cowboy reads my books after they come out, but at that point any comments about things he has a problem with are TOO LATE!!!
Hi Mary and Seekerville Friends!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mary - - although I'll admit I've struggled with change over the years. I'm sure I've said this before...but having an empty nest---oh my---I'm STILL not adjusted to that, sniff sniff...But the Lord is SO good, and He's given me my grandbaby (though I wish we lived closer!), my writing career, and cats! (Lots of cats, LOL).
I'm excited for you and honestly feel that no matter what path you would ever choose, you would be successful! :)
Thanks for sharing this today---now I'm going to make a sign and place above my computer that reads: Mary Connealy says change is good! :)
Hugs, Patti Jo
p.s. Love the cover of The Accidental Guardian!
Patti Jo, I'd better put up my own sign!!!
DeleteGreat post! Thank you, Mary!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you revealed who the wise businessman was :) I was getting so curious!
Very wise observation on change/chance.
Please do enter me in the drawing. I'm 100% sure I'll love the book :)
May God bless you and all of Seekerville!
You're in the drawing, Phyllis. My son-in-law is a really great guy. I'm delighted to have him in the family. He and my daughter were high school sweethearts so all told he's been in the family for about fifteen years--and they're both still pretty young! We really love him.
DeleteRushing from one job to another today so not much time but want to check in. I am often reluctant for change, but usually the change turns out to be for the better. I am accepting the change in Seekerville. I miss many of the former Seekers but glad to welcome the new ones.
ReplyDeletePlease put my name in the drawing!
Sandy this is how I feel too. I'm dragged along kicking and screaming into some change and then after I'm through it I'll say, You Know, that was good That was for the best.
DeleteAnd then along comes another change and here's Mary kicking and screaming again!
So excited for you! Change is scary but can be good! I'm not sure what changes I want to make in my writing life. I do want to make sure I'm writing with the Lord and enjoying that process with Him, which is one of the things discussed in a class at the ACFW Conference last fall. That idea hit home with me :)
ReplyDeleteJanet isn't it interesting how some things are just said in the RIGHT WAY and they really....like you said....hit home.
DeleteThat's how my son-in-law's talk about change struck me.
It looks like my comment never showed up. I give up on commenting from my phone. It drives me crazy. (It's not in spam, either, although I did release some comments from there).
ReplyDeleteI'll do a quick recap of my longer previous post...
Mary, I'm like you, afraid of change. But I'm trying to be brave and try some new things. One thing is to re-publish my novellas from the Seeker boxed sets. I need to be brave and figure out Amazon publishing! :)
Ruthy & I have been working on re-packaging some of her novellas. Feel free to pick our brains if you need to! :)
DeleteI also want to say I'm sorry for being so absent again lately. My family member has been back in the hospital and just got released again. Prayers appreciated.
ReplyDeletePraying
DeleteGod bless you, Missy. You have a servant's heart and right now, it's really a good thing!!!
DeleteGreat post, Mary. Change is always going to with us! I miss having Seekerville around on Tues. and Thurs. but I know people are busy! I like the new additions but I miss the authors who have left us! Thanks for your wonderful words, Mary
ReplyDeletePut me in the drawing, Mary! I have been wanting to read that book!
I think we have some of those dates filled this month, Valri. Make sure and check in!!!
DeleteConnealy goes Indie! I love it!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I thoroughly enjoy your writing, Mary. It's fun & sassy, with a dash of snark.
Change can be scary and downright painful sometimes, but I have often noticed the most growth coming out of the things that I fought to keep 'as is'. So, I *try* to embrace change, but I don't always do it gracefully! ;)
Before there were the cowboys, Beth, I always thought of myself as a romantic comedy writer.
DeleteYou would be so good at that, Mary!
DeleteSorry I am chiming in so late. I had a doctors appointment. I now have new medications and learned I have crossed the line from being pre diabetic to diabetic. Controlling by diet is no longer an action. I am in for changes medically whether or not I want to.
ReplyDeleteAs far as changes with my writing. The first novel I ever attempted to write as part of Speedbo in 2014, I wasn't satisfied with so set aside after I finished writing. It took me 19 months and 117,000 words. It was difficult to write because I wrote it in journal form. Plus I tackled difficult subjects such as rape and abuse. I had given my mom the first 3 chapters to read. She was upset at first with the rape scene. But then a year later she found the pages I had written and reread them and this time said she really loved them and that I should work on it, My mother was a writer so I valued her opinion. Little did I know that would be the last of anything I would write that she would read.
I've decided to change it from journal form and first person to normal and 3rd person. I am still in the process of rewriting the book which also has a name change from the original. At first I tried to make it into a romance but the more I have worked on it I believe it is more Woman's Fiction.
I am planning to enter it in the Genesis contest. I submitted the first 2 chapters in a critique group and the first two people who critiqued it were so critical and nothing positive to say, but since Saturday I have had 3 more critiques that have told me this is a powerful story. I just need to work on the writing techniques such as show don't tell. While I may not be quite at the stage in my writing to win contests, I do hope that by entering I will gain more input and help with my writing.
I also think that by writing the story first in Journal form helped me in really developing the characters in my mind especially the main character so all that writing was not a waste of time.
I have a copy of your new release and am reading it now. If I should win a copy I would give it to a friend.
Change can be frightening but it can also bring hope and confidence in the Lord.
Thank you to all the Seekers for your help and encouragement.
Wilani, I’m glad you’ve had some encouragement. I think writing in first person is never a waste. It definitely helps with deep POV.
DeleteThanks for the prayers. I’m he praying for you as you treat the diabetes.
Tough subject to write about Wilani!!! The best writing is re-writing Wilani. Keep working on it!!! Good luck!
DeleteUgh, I don't like change. It makes me feel like I have no control over my life! And yet change is what makes us grow, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI enjoy seeing new authors publishing their stories. I also wish some of the "old" ones would continue writing.
Thanks for the chance to win some great story telling.
Arletta, I miss some old favorite authors, too. Even if they’ve only slowed done I get impatient for them!!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the changes in Seekerville. I miss those who have moved on, but I enjoy the new faces too.
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in the drawing.
Becky B
Oh, here I am, late to the party. Blame in on that beautiful baby granddaughter that paid me a surprise visit.
ReplyDeleteSeeking out change, huh? Not sure how I feel about that, other than things like clothes. Change can be exciting, but it can also be scary. That whole fear of the unknown thing. Me, I've learned to roll with the changes. After all, the only other choice is to sit and whine about it. Well, okay, so I do that, too. Sometimes. But without change, life would be boring. Right?
I welcome the changes to Seekerville. While I’m sad to see some authors go, I see new authors to become my new friends. I’ll still keep the old friends! Thanks for the great reviews. Mary, I’ll always read your books, no matter how they are published. Thanks for sharing about Change! I’ve wanted to read this book for a while!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interesting thoughts on the CHANGE, Mary! I think our lives are changing constantly...I'm trying to keep up :) Always consult with my Creator through prayers before changing anything myself! I think change for Seekerville is good, it gives an opportunity for the readers to experience new authors.
ReplyDeleteChange is hard for me. I do like the changes here on Seekerville though.
ReplyDeletehi mary
ReplyDeletetaking a break from packing for a move... talk about change. Please put me in the draw for the book. I haven't been around enough to have an educated opinion on the changes at Seekerville, but so far, they've been really neat!!!!