When God Closes a Door

By Guest Miralee Ferrell, Publisher, Mountain Brook Ink

I wear a lot of hats, and it keeps me juggling to remember which one I should be wearing and where I laid it down, LOL! At my age, I should think of retiring, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. I love what I do too much to quit.

So what do I do? I’m a wife of over 40 years, mom to two awesome grown and married kids, grandmother, horse lover/rider, gardener, writer, publisher, and very recently, an author with a made-for-TV movie. That doesn’t sound like much, does it? 

First, my writing: I started in 2005 when the Lord dropped a word into my heart via a visiting pastor who prayed and told me he believed I should be writing and it needed to be published. The idea had never occurred to me before that, even though I was a prolific reader and enjoyed letter writing. Fiction was the furthest thing from my mind. Fast forward a few months (after praying), and I had several magazine articles written and accepted for publication, and an 80,000-word book written. That book released October of 2007 and was the first of 25 in the 11 years since then—historical romance, contemporary, and middle-grade horse novels. 

In 2013 I discovered that things were changing at David C Cook. I’d had 6 books release with them, and one more yet to release, when they made the decision to discontinue fiction. They published my final book, but that was it. I was without a home, and a bit shocked, as I loved my time there and had hoped to continue. 

But when the Lord closes a door, He often opens a window. We don’t have a lot of time here, but that closed door led to starting a publishing company for other disenfranchised authors who’d lost their home. That was my first thought, then I started realizing many houses were closing their fiction doors. There was excellent fiction being written by debut authors that might never find a home. I expanded my vision, and Mountain Brook Ink (MBI) was born. 

A close personal friend, Kimberly Rose Johnson, lost her publishing home a couple of months prior to my starting MBI, when Heartsong closed their doors. She graciously decided to take a chance with me. Now, 4 years later, she has 7 books with MBI and a new contract for three more. We have several authors who took a chance on us that first year, and they’re still with us. We’re so grateful and thankful for God’s blessings along the way.

One thing that stood me in good stead was already having my foot in the publishing door. Romantic Times knew my name from reviewing my books, so we were able to have our authors’ books reviewed. Christian Book Distributors (CBD) carried all my books, so after working with their sales rep for a couple of years, they decided to carry all of MBI’s books. We put our books into Ingram, meaning our books can be purchased at any book store that uses Ingram/Spring Arbor as their distributor, including brick-and-mortar stores and online. 

I also have a strong sales background, as that’s what I did in my ‘former’ life “BW”—before writing. I understood the need for a publicist, but I couldn’t afford to hire someone with the know-how to get the books out there. I decided I needed to put out feelers and see if I could find a young, ambitious, go-getter who wanted part-time work and was willing to be trained. The Lord sent me Nikki. I spent the first year training her to understand all things publishing—thankfully, she had already worked promoting authors via social media and building websites and blogs. That was a huge step up. I added the rest, and it’s been fantastic.

Nikki works closely with our authors, adding them to our website, rotating the new releases on our home page, sending out a large number of press releases, sending the books to Romantic Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal for possible review. She sets up Facebook release parties, blog tours, guest appearances on a number of blogs, as well as writing training articles, helping authors understand how to set up an author page on Amazon and Bookbub, and emphasizing the importance of a newsletter. We purchase ads on a variety of spots when a new book releases, help our authors build reviews, and so much more. It’s a never-ending journey to discover what works, and we do our best to put those tools in our authors’ hands.

One of our accomplishments that’s brought us a number of new authors and agents is the Lord’s work in connecting me with a Hollywood producer. That was a miracle—the producer had read three of my Love Finds You books. They were making the Love Finds You movies at the time and wanted to expand. That didn’t end up happening, but because she loved my work, she asked me to work on a made-for-TV project where I’d write the book and they’d make the movie. I was given a three-sentence synopsis and Runaway Romance grew from that. She and I brainstormed on the phone a couple of times, and I added an additional thread to the book that didn’t make it into the movie.

As we built a trust relationship over the past three years, she allowed me to pitch an occasional book. So far, they’ve optioned three of my other books (one is in development and should be filming this summer) and two by my authors, Kimberly Rose Johnson and Angela Ruth Strong. We’re praying those come to the screen, as well. 

Yes, I wear many hats—we hire a graphic designer, but I give input on covers. I work directly with our authors—training/coaching, answering questions. I do a lot of editing and proofreading, troubleshoot, go to conferences, acquire new fiction, upload books to online vendors...and so much more. It’s a lot of work, but we’re putting out exceptional fiction, which is a reward all its own.

We’ve had several of our books final or win awards, and our little company has been represented at four different west coast writer’s conferences, as well as gaining visibility with several agencies. One agent made the comment that we’re the best small press available to authors today. I honestly don’t know if that’s true, but it was a kind thing to say—I’m guessing there are other small presses that are just as good or better, and possibly this agent hasn’t come in contact with them yet. 

So, I’d love to know—have you ever wanted to write a novel? Are you writing one now? Do you have one finished—or maybe two or three, and don’t know what to do with them? Do you have a plan worked out, or are you hoping something will ‘just happen?’ Trust me, that’s not likely. 

The best advice I can give you is educate yourself. Go to writer’s conferences. Get involved in a strong critique group. Don’t simply hope. Work. Study. Show yourself a workman who need not be ashamed. Hone your craft. Find ways to make it shine. Purchase a Christian Writer’s Market Guide if you’re writing for the Christian market, and study it. Start small. Submit to magazines or online publications first and grow your resume. Get a social media presence going, especially a newsletter, as that’s critical to landing a contract. And most of all, write a good story—one that makes your heart sing, and one you know the Lord has given you to write, and you won’t go wrong. 

Miralee is offering a signed print copy of Runaway Romance to one winner today! Please let us know in the comments if you'd like to be entered (U.S. entrants only for this giveaway).

Author Bio: Miralee Ferrell is a best-selling, award-winning author of Christian fiction with 21 books in both historical and contemporary in print. She’s a certified lay counselor as well as the publisher at Mountain Brook Ink. She loves country living in the Pacific NW with her husband Allen, her two dogs, two cats, and eleven chickens. 

You can find out more about Miralee at www.miraleeferrell.com

Join her Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/82316202888/

Follow her on Bookbub (this really helps authors!) https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miralee-ferrell

Follow her on Amazon:  https://amzn.to/2HDSDfu

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Weekend Edition

  

If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Note our new email address and please send your emails to Seekerville2@gmail.com

Monday: Sharee Stover was our guest and the winner of her debut novel Secret Past is Caryl Kane. 

Tuesday: Georgiana Daniels visited and took on Seeker Erica Vetsch in a head-to-head interview. Besides being the CLEAR winner, Georgiana is gifting a copy of her latest release, Shadows of Hope, to one commentor, and that person is: Dorcas Annette Walker! Congrats Dorcas! Email us with your mailing deets, and we'll get your book to you ASAP!

Wednesday: Melanie Dickerson continued her series Conflict and Tension Part 3, When to Resolve Conflict. Jessica Fortenberry is the winner of a copy of your choice of The Beautiful Pretender or The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest.

Friday: Pam Hillman and friends Patricia Bradley, Stephenia McGee, and Janet Ferguson shared tips from their recent Brainstorming Retreat. Winner of an ARC of Pam's June 2018 release, The Road to Magnolia Glen is Nicki Chapelway.

Monday:  Help us welcome guest Miralee Ferrell, author as well as Publisher of Mountain Brook Ink! Miralee will be giving away a signed print copy of Runaway Romance, her book that is also a made-for-TV movie! Be sure to drop by to hear how Miralee has experienced God closing a door but opening a window.

Tuesday: Tracey Lyons will be our guest.

Wednesday:  Mindy Obenhaus will be talking setting and how it can impact your story.

  

Friday: Do you love foreign settings? Our guest today, Donna Wichelman, is one of the best at weaving setting into her delectable novels. Donna's debut book, and the rest of the Waldensian series, is set in Europe. Can you only imagine? Donna will be discussing Find The Story Within The Story with us today. 

Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, snow is melting, and the smell of flowers in the air!

Look at the last column - right smack in the middle - and what do you see? Audra Harders's Second Chance Ranch is one of the books featured in the special spring promotion by CelebrateLit! 

What's more fun than to welcome spring in with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card or 25+ books?! Don't miss you chance to win! Enter here: https://promosimple.com/ps/cc16/spring-multi-author-giveaway

Pam Hillman is excited to announce that RT Magazine gave

The Road to Magnolia Glen 4 1/2 Stars & Top Pick!

We're celebrating the reissue of our very own Ruthy, Ruth Logan Herne's The First Gift with a new cover. Join the Takeover or the Bookstagram Review Tours with JustRead Publicity Tours! No blog needed! Click on the image for more info.

Where Does Your Novel's Conflict Come From? by Janice Hardy at Fiction University.

Guideposts Writers Workshop Contest 

HOW TO ENTER: Submit an original, unpublished true first-person story of 2,000 words or fewer, typewritten and double-spaced, about an experience that changed your life. Show us how faith made a difference. Or you can ghostwrite for someone else. It’s required that you also include a cover letter that tells us about yourself and your life experience. Send your entry and cover letter by June 10, 2018, to Guideposts Writers Workshop, 110 William Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038 or submit the story and cover letter via e-mail it to wwcontest@guideposts.org. Winners will be notified by mid-August 2018. Please note: We acknowledge winning entries only. Writers who have attended previous Guideposts workshops are not eligible. (Via Guideposts website)

As noted, deadline is June 10th, 2018. (Entrants should visit the link and watch the brief video clip).

Declaration of Indie-Dependence by James Scott Bell 

Comparisonitis Or “Everyone Else Is Better Than Me” by Joanna Penn

Keeping Your Focus by CJ Myerly from Learn How To Write A Novel

Planning a Successful Brainstorming Retreat

by Pam Hillman

A couple of weeks ago, I got together with a group of other authors for my first ever brainstorming retreat.

Best.Time.Ever!

Janet W. Ferguson, Patricia Bradley, Stephenia H. McGee, and I all live in Mississippi, and we were scheduled to go to a book signing at a library, so I reached out to them to see if they’d be interested in scheduling a retreat at the same time. To my delight, all three were ready to brainstorm a new project, so it was perfect timing for all of us.

Now, before I get to the nuts and bolts of what worked for us, let me say I had the most fun at this retreat than anything I’ve ever done in the writing world. If you get the chance to go to a brainstorming retreat, do. If there’s not one in your area, or you can’t travel a long distance to one, then reach out to your circle of friends and organize one yourself.

So, how do you go about that…

Hostess - Someone needs to be “in charge” of your retreat. In this case, since it was my idea, I took the reins. We figured out when and how long all of us could meet, and I built our schedule around that. I booked the venue, prepared the schedule, and then … uh … tore it all up at the last minute. But for a really good reason. (Read on to find out…)

Central Location - While a retreat at some far-flung location that requires two days of air-travel might be on all of our bucket lists, scheduling, cost, time, and exhaustion factors in for some of us. Or at least it does for me.

Everyone in our group lives in Mississippi. While Pat had to travel the farthest, she was going to be in the area for the book signing, so didn’t travel “extra” for our retreat. So, search for a central location to minimize everyone’s travel time and expense. 

Keep it Simple - Originally, I looked at booking a cabin at a local park. But since the cabins at that location require you to bring your own bedding, we opted for a hotel instead. Since there were only four of us, it worked out beautifully. (And their continental breakfast was exceptional!)

Be Flexible - Remember how I said I planned the retreat, booked the venue, and created the schedule? Well, 24 hours before the retreat, I had to cancel. Why? My 2^nd granddaughter decided to make an appearance on the exact day of the retreat. But all was not lost. Since there was no airfare involved, and our small group was flexible, we shifted from the day before the book signing to two days after. The hotel rebooked us, and that was that. Su-weet!

Piggybacking Another Event - If you’re thinking of planning a retreat before or after another event as we did, consider carefully which one is the most exhausting. For instance, as stated above, our retreat was originally scheduled for the day before and morning of our book signing. I used so much brain power during our brainstorming that if I’d gone from there to the book signing, then had a two hour drive home, I would have been comatose. 

Four and no more - Okay, maybe you can have a few more than four, but be careful of having so many people that the ideas are coming at you faster than you can think. Also, if there are 7-8 (or more), it’s going to be hard to get through that many sessions without everyone becoming exhausted, so either you’ll need to allow extra day(s) or break into two or more groups. Bottom line, four worked perfectly for us.

Schedule - The hostess should create a tentative schedule and run it by the group. Our group could only meet from 2 pm until 10 am the next day. I originally scheduled 1 1/2 hours for each session, but we quickly realized that our natural rhythm leaned toward 2-3 hours for each story idea.

We got through four ideas in 20 hours, only breaking 2 hours for dinner, 7 for sleep, and 1 hour for breakfast. I don’t advise that tight of a schedule! Ha! I don’t know about the others, but I was exhausted. Ideally, two full days with two sessions on each day, some time to relax over lunch and dinner, and time to get a good night’s sleep for the next day is critical.

Share Ideas Ahead of Time - The sessions will go smoother if you share everything you know about your story with the other brainstorming partners ahead of time. Don’t worry if what you have is vague or even if it’s open to change. Just give everyone something to hang their hats on. We shared genre, time period, location, and as much of the characters and plot as we’d figured out. Plus some. :)

Internet Access - One of the things you might not think is important to a brainstorming session is internet access. I certainly didn’t think we’d use it at all. But Janet was a whiz at researching historical and relative people/places/events that took our story ideas to a new level.

Friends and Partners - Read your partners’ existing work, or at the very least have a working knowledge of what they write. Historical romance? Romantic suspense? Women’s fiction? Light and fluffy, or dark and sinister? The more you know about their style, the better you’ll be at brainstorming their stories. And vice versa.

Mix of Genres - And in that vein, we brainstormed two historical and two contemporaries. While it’s not a hard and fast rule to mix genres when brainstorming, flipping from one to the other kept our creative juices flowing.

What Else? - Load up on snacks, drinks, coffee, and comfortable seating. And a few blankets or throws for those who are easily chilled. (Not mentioning any names, but her initials are SHM!) Pat brought an artist’s sketch pad and markers. When we got stuck on my hero’s GMC, she pulled out the paper, and we were off and running again.

And Last - Don’t stress. Pack light. Fly/drive “ugly” as my friend Robin is fond of saying. Wear sweatpants and flip-flops. Pull your hair up in a ponytail and forego the makeup if you like. But bring on the story and your thinking caps!

So, there you go. That’s how we did it. Now it’s your turn. Have you been part of a brainstorming retreat? Please share your tips, techniques, and any advice on things to avoid.

Leave a comment for a chance to win an ARC of

The Road to Magnolia Glen,

Book #2 in my Natchez Trace Novel series.

Click Here to Pre-Order

Conflict and Tension Part 3, When to Resolve Conflict

Melanie Dickerson here. Have you ever started a story thinking you had this amazing conflict that would keep your readers enthralled until the end of the story, only to realize early on that it’s not feasible to keep this conflict going for the whole story? You don't want the story to get boring. 

I used to panic when this would happen, but I realized something. Rather than dragging out a problem beyond believability, why not just let that conflict be resolved—and add a new conflict?

Crestock.com

I try to let my conflicts resolve themselves in a believable amount of time. I don't want the story to drag, and it will if there isn't enough believable conflict. The trick is to make sure there are other conflicts that will take prominence as soon as that other conflict, or problem, is resolved.

For example, in one of my favorite movies, Penelope, starring Christina Ricci and James McAvoy, Penelope’s parents hide their daughter from the public, since she has the nose and ears of a pig, as they search for a society blue-blood to marry her and break the curse. This tension of hiding keeps the viewer wondering what will happen if and when people see Penelope's "disfigured" face. But this is resolved partway through the movie when Penelope runs away from home and her photograph is plastered all over the media. She immediately becomes a media darling, beloved by the public. 

crestock.com

But there is another conflict that takes that one’s place—the bad guy begins dating her and she gets engaged to him. We knows he’s only doing it as a publicity stunt to repair his reputation--and the hero, who's really in love with her, knows that too. This is a huge point of angst for our hero and heroine, both of whom we have grown to love. There are also other conflicts that were started in the beginning that carry over. So even though one of the main sources of conflict is resolved, there are still plenty of unanswered questions and unresolved conflict keeping us engaged in the story.

In my book, The Beautiful Pretender, which is a Princess and the Pea /slash/ Beauty and the Beast mash-up, the heroine is an imposter. She’s not the daughter of an earl, as the hero supposes, but is actually just a maidservant. In my mind the climax would come when [spoiler alert] the hero chooses the heroine from all the other marriageable daughters of dukes and earls and other nobles—and immediately discovers she has been using a false identity. All manner of sparks will fly.

crestock.com

The problem was that about halfway through the story, I realized the plot would soon start to grow boring if I tried to drag out that "climax/black moment" scene until the end. There were only so many scenes I could write about the hero “testing” the young ladies to see who was the most noble, building up to the moment when he would choose a wife. So I did a bit more brainstorming, even getting my editor on the phone to brainstorm with me. I realized I still had a lot of loose ends that would need to be tied up, not to mention more time for the hero and heroine to fall in love and resolve the conflict caused by her deceiving him.

I went ahead and had the big scene almost two-thirds of the way through the story—too early to be a true “climax/black moment” scene, which the reader was already expecting anyway. However, the reader would not expect me to let that scene come with a third of the story left. This is tricky. On the one hand, I surprised my reader. But on the other hand, I couldn't let that last third of the book be boring because all their questions had been answered. So I created lots of danger, which had already been building and was foreshadowed earlier. Also, my hero and heroine had not declared their love for each other, and the obstacles keeping them from marrying were as great as ever.

crestock.com

I allowed my villains to wreak havoc, making the conflict stronger than ever. The heroine was stranded in the woods where wolves were lurking and the hero had to save her. The villain took over the hero’s castle, and he and the heroine spent several hours hiding from him. This led to lots of lovely scenes of danger and angst and longing. It worked well, I think, because that book has the highest ratings of any of my other books on sites like Amazon and Goodreads. I was able to resolve that major conflict—revealing the heroine’s true identity to the hero and everyone else in the story—because there was plenty of other conflicts to deal with, including the fall-out from the revelation.

I seem to have a lot of stories with characters who are using false identities. In The Noble Servant, both the hero and the heroine are hiding their identities, for different reasons. I was not quite sure when I wanted this to be revealed. The question keeping the reader reading was: When will the hero and heroine discover the true identity of the other? I decided to answer that question fairly early, since I didn’t want to drag it on so long that it lost its tension. But there were lots of other questions to take its place. Will the villain discover that the hero is still alive? Will he see him and kill him? Will the hero and heroine find proof of the hero’s identity so he can resume his rightful place? Why does the villain think the heroine has something valuable enough to kill over? And what is that thing? And there are lots of other questions, hopefully not least of which is, Will the hero overcome his fears about falling in love, fall in love with the heroine, and marry her? (Of course, we know he will, since this is a romance, but hopefully the reader desperately WANTS them to fall in love, and wants to see HOW this lovely event will come about.)

So, it’s time to dish about your own stories, or about the stories you’ve been reading. Are you making sure you’re not dragging your conflicts out too long, afraid of resolving them too soon? Are you making sure you have enough different conflicts so that resolving one of them (perhaps unexpectedly and thus delighting your readers) doesn’t defuse too much of your lovely conflict and tension? And as a reader, do you ever get delighted by a conflict that gets resolved sooner than you thought, only to be replaced by more lovely conflict? Do tell. One lucky commenter will win a copy of your choice of The Beautiful Pretender or The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest.

And I can't help getting excited about The Orphan's Wish, releasing on June 26. Aladdin and Kirstyn . . . sigh. Available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD, and all the others. 

I nearly forgot to mention, The Noble Servant is $1.99 today! Get it while you can! 

One on One with Georgiana Daniels

Hey, Seeker-villagers! Erica Vetsch here. I am thrilled to host my good friend, Georgiana Daniels, on the blog today. Georgiana has a brand new book out called Shadows of Hope, and as someone who has been privileged to read it, I can say, you will not walk away from this story without taking a hard look at your faith and asking some hard questions about what you would do if you were in her characters’ shoes.

Here’s what I had to say about the book: “Georgiana Daniels is a courageous writer. She emotionally takes you to places other authors rarely dare, making you care about her characters while eagerly turning pages. Just when you think you can’t bear the tension and heartache a moment longer, she shows you the true beauty of God’s love. Because she braves taking her characters to the very brink of emotional destruction, the redemption story shines even brighter. Shadows of Hope embroils its characters in an impossible situation that only God could unravel and heal, and only Georgiana Daniels could deliver such a story so fearlessly.”

(As a former critique partner of Georgiana's, I can say that I read her work through my fingers, wincing and laughing and thinking "Oh, no, she wouldn't!" just before she did!)

Georgiana and me at an ACFW Conference Gala

Georgiana and I have been on this writing road for more than a decade together. We met on the blog circuit, noticing that we read and commented on the same blogs, and struck up a friendship. We joined a critique group together, and we laughed and cried and cringed and celebrated our friendship and our writing, even after we no longer critiqued each other’s work.

Georgiana and me in Sedona, AZ. 

We’ve had some good times, and I am so happy Georgiana’s here today to share about her new book and about herself. I thought, rather than the same-old, same-old interview questions, I would borrow an idea from another blogger….my bloggy friend Charity, who did one of the most hilarious interviews I have ever participated in on her blog ATransparentMom. You can read our encounter on her blog here: https://atransparentmom.com/2015/08/25/face-off-with-erica-vetsch/

I thought it might be fun to interview Georgiana in the same vein, and then answer the questions myself and then let you score us with best answer in the comments! (Winner gets virtual chocolate that is delicious and calorie free!...also we’ll throw some virtual confetti and give you a virtual tiara….obviously all prizes worth striving for!)

From Flickr Creative Commons
No changes have been made.
https://bit.ly/2qU76cQ 

Georgiana: First, I want to say how much I appreciate getting to hang out with you lovely ladies today! Much has changed since the last time I was here, but the warmth and friendship are the same. You’re all the best!


1. What is the one thing you remember about when we roomed together at the ACFW Conference?
G: It all depends on which time. The first time we roomed together, the thing I will always remember is when we both realized we felt the same way about something but we’d each been too chicken to speak up. Then we roared until big tears—oh, the tears—were rolling down our faces! That’s when I knew I had a friend for life. I do hope we can room together again one day! There’s much more trouble to be had.

E: I remember rooming in Dallas together and getting absolutely NO sleep! We talked and talked and talked and then it was suddenly 3 am! Then we’d be up and at ‘em by 7 the next morning, and do it all over again the next night. And the last night was the night of the ‘sick out’ by American Airlines pilots, and we were on the phone at 5 am trying to get you a flight home! I think we maybe got 12 hrs of sleep the entire weekend!

2. What song is most likely to get stuck in your head on continuous loop?

G: Whichever song is featured in our youngest daughter’s latest play. Currently “I Like to Move It” is on my mental loop, and now I’m convinced that I do, in fact, like to move it. On a sad note, it’s not such a good song for when I’m reading historical novels…it doesn’t match. Do you ever get ear-worms that don’t match what you’re reading? Pure torture!

On no…there it goes again! What have you done to me?

E: LOL! You’re welcome! For me, it will be a song I only hear part of in a store or in the car on the radio, and I have to go to Youtube and listen to the whole thing before it will get out of my head!!!! At the moment, it's Ed Sheeran's Perfect. Sometimes it's Passenger's Let Her Go. Obviously coffee shop music features largely in my life.

3. What is your guilty pleasure tv show?

G: Ancient Aliens! I once asked on Facebook if it could be used as homeschool history with the caveat I was asking for a friend. I get the feeling people knew it was for me. So yeah, the truth is out there. I was asking for me. Because Mondays.

E: My guilty pleasure tv show used to be Survivor, but now, thanks to another writing friend, it’s The Amazing Race. We watch it at the same time and text each other our impressions. What is it about that show? I usually wait a couple weeks to get to know the players, then pick my team. And I also pick the team I like the LEAST…who inevitably seem to win. Obviously, I need to watch several more seasons so I can perfect my technique!

4. What is your favorite memory of fourth grade?

G: It certainly wasn’t my bell bottom pants! The sad thing is, I’m having a really hard time remembering 4th grade. How embarrassing is that? Let’s see…I had just had a baby sister, just changed schools, and had ginormous cheeks. I’m going with baby sister.

E: A baby sister is a cool thing to get in 4th grade. My favorite memory of 4th grade was when Mrs. Cunningham stood in front of the class and asked who had ‘accordion-pleated’ the filmstrip? And she unrolled a beautifully zigzagged roll of plastic. Someone had sat in the back of the classroom (where we were allowed to watch filmstrips…with the accompanying red plastic square record as long as we had our work done and wore the headphones) and frame by frame folded the filmstrip into a little stack. …There went our filmstrip privileges for the rest of the year. FYI, it wasn’t me! 

5. What fashion trend do you wish would return?

G: The 80’s, the 80’s, anything from the 80’s! Except those Richard Simmons shorts. Those were a bad idea. But what I really miss is having giant hair! Did you have the big bangs that curled over your forehead like a tsunami? Man, I sure did. I was really tall in the 80’s.

E: YES! Bring back the giant hair! I rocked those bangs, and the big curls, and the side-ponytail. And the banana clip. If we could only bring back the banana clip…I still have big hair, even without the hairspray and hot rollers of the 80s. As my son likes to say, “Mom, sometimes your hair OWNS you!” He's such a brat. lol!

6. Salty or sweet snacks?

G: Salty—just like me.

E: Ha! Ha! Salty? You? No!!

Is it wrong of me to say both? I love mixing my snacks…M&Ms with potato chips, Raisins with peanuts. That’s probably why I like Kettle Corn so much! Anybody else like mixing their snacks?

7. Favorite thing about church?

G: Aside from the obvious—GOD!—I love being with His people. Is there anything more wonderful than fellowship? We can see how much He loves us by the people He gives us to journey with.

E: YES! Me too! The people! My little church has the most hilarious, generous, fun people who love Jesus and want to be more like Him. Also, at least one hysterically funny thing happens every week at church, which has us rolling and keeps things lively. What more could you ask?

8. What is your secret talent?

G: I’m supposed to have a talent? Now you tell me! Evidently it’s a well-kept secret, even from me.

But here’s something few people know: I was 2nd runner up in the 1990 Miss Arctic Circle Pageant. For the talent competition I played the piano. I want to say it was a Chopin piece, but I’m certain that if it was I didn’t do it justice! I was never that good and only played for fun.

I was always better at clarinet, and when my kids are getting salty they call me Squidward.

E: Cheeky girls! LOL! I had no idea about any of that! Miss Arctic Circle? Piano? Clarinet? Where have you been hiding these facts??? I want a picture of you in a pageant with tsunami hair!

My hidden talent…hmmm…is it possible that I’ve asked a question that I have no answer to? Okay, I’ll fess up to being able to play the piano. I took lessons for 10 years, and I learned to play Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, etc. But I never learned to play hymns. I’m scared someone will ask me to play in church sometime!

9. What unpublished story do you have in your stash that you really hope sees the light of day someday?

G: Ooooo, I love this question, but it’s tough to answer because there are just so many—unpublished stories, that is. Plus I’ve tried All The Genres. You’ve read most of the stories, I think—chick lit, suspense, romance.

I’m going to go with Honey Do, Inc. because I like how the heroine didn’t figure out which man she was truly in love with until the end. Or maybe Shadows of Alaska where no one (including me!) knew who the villain was until the end. Wait….I’m sensing a theme.

E: Um, yes, that used to drive me crazy…I kept thinking “How can she be so adept at keeping readers in the dark about who the bad guy is, or who the heroine will chose?” And all the time it was because you didn’t know yourself!!! FYI, Honey Do, Inc. is my favorite!

For me, my unclaimed treasure is Drums of the North Star, a story set in Minnesota during the Dakota War of 1862. The hero is a missionary to the Dakota, and the heroine is his fiancée, and when she’s kidnapped by the people he’s come to serve, he has to decide if he’s out for revenge or repentance.

10. What one piece of writing advice to you have for those seeking publication?
G: Run for your life! Mostly kidding….but be ready for all the hard parts. When it came to being prepared for the hard parts, I was clueless.

In light of that, my real piece of advice is to write because you love to write, not only because you’re seeking publication. Also, pursue other areas of interest that will grant you immediate success. It’s good to have something that will give you a quick win on days where writing isn’t going as planned. For me it’s knitting. I can make things—pretty things, all the things—even when my writing life gives me a swift kick.

E: Excellent advice! I would add, build your community of support. Without my writing friends (like YOU, Georgiana!) I don’t know if I would’ve had the fortitude to keep on in this business when things got hard, or gotten the information I needed to make some choices, or been able to celebrate successes with people who really know what the writing journey is all about.

11. BONUS QUESTION: What are some words or phrases that you have USED TO DEATH in a manuscript, that your critique partner had to cull for you over and over???

G: Apparently I have chosen to block it out! For some reason I can remember other people’s really well: leather (cough, cough), peered (cough, cough).

Oh, wait! In Shadows of Hope I seemed to have a penchant for the word “peeled.” Everyone was peeling things, like Tristan peeling the glasses off his face and such. Thankfully it was caught and changed. Mostly.

E: LOL, Leather! Yep, that was me. Everything was leather…leather buggy seats, leather blotter, leather wing-back chairs…Okay, peered was mine, too…Everyone was peering into, over, and around everything! LOL I seem to choose a different pet word or phrase for each story I write. It’s so funny later, but when I get edits back, I am smacking my forehead and wincing! 

Thanks for visiting with us at Seekerville today, and for letting me put you through this ridiculous interview! :) Such a good sport!

Georgiana: Thank you so much for inviting me to Seekerville! I have long admired you lovely ladies. And this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time!

So, there you have it, the silliest, most fun interview format ever. Now it's your turn!

• Give us your thoughts, answer one or more of the interview questions yourself
• Score us on who you think answered the questions better
• Let us know your thoughts of Georgiana’s new book, Shadows of Hope! (Blurb below)
• Leave us a comment and you’ll win all the virtual prizes, PLUS you'll be entered to win a copy of Shadows of Hope for yourself! 

About the author: Georgiana Daniels resides in the beautiful mountains of Arizona with her super-generous husband and three talented daughters. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in public relations and now has the privilege of homeschooling by day and wrestling with the keyboard by night. She enjoys sharing God's love through fiction and is exceedingly thankful for her own happily ever after.

About the Book: A story of hope in the aftermath of inconceivable betrayal and broken dreams

What if. . .
. . .you struggled with infertility but unknowingly befriended your husband’s pregnant mistress?

What if. . .
. . .the woman you were seeing behind your wife’s back gets pregnant, threatening your job and marriage?

What if. . .
. . .your boyfriend never told you he was married and you discover you’re pregnant?

Crisis pregnancy worker Marissa Moreau suspects her husband is cheating, but little does she know how close to home her husband’s infidelity hits. College student Kaitlyn Farrows is floundering after a relationship with her professor leaves her pregnant. Soon she lands a job and a support system at the local pregnancy resource center and things seem to be turning around. But when Marissa and Kaitlyn become friends, neither one knows they share a connection—Colin, Marissa’s husband and Kaitlyn’s former professor. When their private lives collide, the two women must face the ultimate test of their faith and choose how to move forward as they live in the shadows of hope.
If you absolutely can't wait to get your hands on a copy, you can purchase your copy by clicking HERE. 

Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she married her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!

Where's Your Cherry Tree?

Hello Seekerville! Sharee Stover here, and I’m super excited to be with you all today. A lot has happened since last year when I visited as a Contest Diva. To be specific, in July I received THE CALL. You know the one…Author sends book, editor calls author offering a contract? Yep, that one! And it’s been a whirlwind ever since. As fabulous as it is living the dream, I haven’t stopped dreaming because over a hot cup of coffee or tea (no judgments here, whichever is your favorite is fine with me), I plan. I should mention plan is my middle name. Prior to July, I had a plan and it went something like this:

Write book
Get agent
Get book contract
Repeat
Yes, in that order. Instead my plan went more like this:
Write book
Respond to editor request for blurbs
Get book contract

See the missing component? That missing thing became my cherry tree. Please allow me to explain through a story. 

One spring afternoon my son and I chatted in the garage while he worked on his car, and a robin flew in through one of the open garage doors. The poor bird got flustered and kept trying to get out through the closed side window. I opened the other garage door to help Mr. Robin with his exit options. It didn’t work.

Even though we had two huge wide-open doors, he was determined to fly out through a closed window instead. Now, in all fairness, there was a cherry tree on the other side of the window. Perhaps Mr. Robin entered the garage with the cherry tree in his sights to begin with? I’m not sure, and he didn’t offer an explanation. 

Truthfully, I can’t blame the bird. The tree looked appealing and he was taking the shortest route. Mr. Robin’s focus on that tree had him undeterred, and no matter what we did to convince him the garage doors were a far better option, he remained target-locked on the tree on the other side of the window. Mr. Robin thunked against the glass a couple of times, and I knew he was going to break his neck if we didn’t intervene with more than pep talk. My son gently moved toward the bird so as not to scare the creature more. And the strangest thing happened. Up to that point, I’m not sure the bird realized we were there. He had a goal after all. It wasn’t until my son got closer that Mr. Robin acknowledged my son’s presence and refocused his attention. In an effort to get away from my son, Mr. Robin turned and what do you know? He spotted the open garage doors where his freedom beckoned on the other side.

Mr. Robin needed some help. He was headed toward the right thing, the tree was good for him, but he needed to change direction to get there. Once Mr. Robin got a new view, he saw the open door, and made his way out of the garage safely. Something about that day has stuck with me because I too have a cherry tree. The thing I’m target-locked on. Maybe you have it too? An agent? A book contract? Financial freedom from debt? A promotion? A baby? I think many of us have cherry trees and they can look very different, but the goal is the same, obtain the THING. 

I’ve been called a control freak, and it used to bother me. I’ve come to realize it’s rather accurate. I prefer to be in control because I hate being out of control or being under someone else’s control. So, if I’m in control, I’m not taken by surprise, hurt, disappointed, or anything else unpleasant. But control is an illusion, a state of mind that keeps us hidden behind the real problem…fear.

Are we afraid that we won’t get that thing? The agent? The book contract? The promotion? The baby? So, we face our fear with a take-control-pre-planning attitude, forgetting a huge part of the creative equation…God.

Problem is, it doesn’t take much faith when you’re controlling everything. Like Mr. Robin, I have my cherry tree, the thing I’m so focused on getting, and I forget that God might have another plan. He sees the whole picture, not just the tree on the other side of the window glass.

When I forget God is in this with me and my attention is supposed to be on Him, I get distracted and keep bonking my head against the window trying to get to my cherry tree. The more frustrated I get, the harder I try to control, and I end up exhausted, angry, on the edge of bitterness with a headache, and flat ready to give up.

Aren’t we all like that at times? We’re told to keep our eyes on the prize, go for goal, no pain no gain…so we keep pushing and aiming and going…and still we don’t attain the prize regardless of the best laid plans. Are we in the waiting room or going about it the wrong way?

Please know I’m all for giving your dreams one hundred percent of your effort. If you’re writing, don’t hold back. Dive in. Dig deep into the story. Absolutely, we need to be doing all those things, but a beautiful aspect of being human is that we have God’s help, if we want it. If we accept it. Just like my son was near Mr. Robin watching him wear his little feathers out, God is standing right there beside us, watching us wear ourselves out, and all the while waiting for us to say, we need Him. As soon as I refocus and remember He’s with me in the mission, He shows me the better way. The wide-open garage door I totally missed, because I was trying to do it my way.

I wish I could tell you that I don’t have those control issues anymore, but that’d be a lie. Especially when those things I’m trying to control are near and dear to my heart or involve the most vulnerable parts of my life. I’m learning after a lot of headaches from beating my head against the glass, that when I’m most frustrated, it’s probably because I need to refocus and listen for God’s instruction for the way He’s leading me.

Which brings me to my book, Secret Past, and my heroine, Katie Tribani. Katie has control issues when she learns the “truths” she’s believed her entire life are lies. Her world is torn apart by the loss of her mother, a handsome stranger, and the truths many people are telling her. She must decipher the truth from the lies before someone kills her. And like Katie, we’re too have a real enemy determined to destroy us, but we also have God’s truth leading us into freedom.

What about you? What’s your cherry tree? Have you struggled with trying to get to it? Or have you found a way to strive hard and achieve your goals? What would you say to someone you saw beating their head against the window?

Leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for a copy of Secret Past!

 (Print copy for US only, Ebook for international).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Colorado native Sharee Stover lives in Nebraska with her real-life-hero husband, three too-good-to-be-true children, and two ridiculously spoiled dogs. A self-proclaimed word nerd, she loves the power of the written word to ignite, transform, and restore. Her Christian romantic suspense stories combine heart-racing, nail-biting suspense and the delight of falling in love all in one.  

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Nebraska Writer’s Guild. Sharee is a two-time Daphne du Maurier finalist and the winner of the 2017 Wisconsin Fabulous Five Silver Quill Award.

When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, crocheting and long walks with her obnoxiously lovable German Shepherd.

Visit her at www.shareestover.com

 

She’s not who she thinks she is

With gunmen at her doorstep, Katie Tribani learns her true identity. She’s been in witness protection since childhood, and now her crime-lord father has found her.  As bullets fly, US marshal Daniel Knight whisks her to safety—but not for long. Captured and held prisoner, only Katie can unearth her secret past…if she can survive long enough.