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.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.

Monday: Erica Vetsch brought us a post on how pre-orders help authors out!

Wednesday: Cate Nolan brought us Part 1 of her discussion on Stephen King's classic On Writing.

Friday: We have multiple winners today! For an audio copy of Braced for Love,  Pat W, Vince, and Angeline. For an audio copy of A Man with a Past, I'm giving the same people a copy of that one and adding in Glynis and Anonymous. Thanks so much for stopping in at Seekerville.

Monday:  Mary

Wednesday:  Mindy will be talking about her new release, A Future to Fight For.

Thursday: Guest Carla Laureano shares about finding the binding element of your story.

  

Friday: Surprise!

Available Now!

All their dreams will come true…if they can work together.

Widow Paisley Wainwright’s so close to taking her Texas event-planning business to the next level by turning Renwick Castle into a wedding venue. Only one thing stands in the way: her longtime rival, Crockett Devereaux, who wants the castle to become a museum. When the building’s owners insist they collaborate to implement both plans, can Paisley and Crockett put their differences aside…and fight for their dreams together?

Read the first chapter here!

Get your copy here!

Why Writing is Like Pie by Tiffany Yates Martin at Writer UnBoxed

Template Ideas for Action-Adventure-Thriller Book Ads by LA Sartor at Book Brush Blog

3 Steps to Make Time to Write by Kris Maze at Writers In The Storm

The Danger of Info Dumps by Janice Hardy at Fiction University

Ideas for Getting More BookBub Followers by Diana Urban at BookBub Blog

How to Write a Powerful Foil Scene by Lewis Jorstad at The Novel Smithy

Find Your Writing Process by Esther Wildman at NaNoWriMo Blog

Characters are Not Part of the Story, They Are the Story! at Writers Helping Writers 

What's the Difference Between a Synopsis, a Pitch and a Blurb? by Paige Riddiford at Writer's Edit

Writing Ritual and Routine by Sue Coletta at Kill Zone Blog

Dipping The Quill Deeper "Be A Fish" by Eva Marie Everson at The Write Conversation

The Sword in the Stone: Knights of the Writing Table by Peter Leavell at Learn How To Write A Novel

Listen up!

By Mary Connealy

 Today I've scored a special extra day on Seekerville.

I've got a giveaway-palooza for you all.

I have been given multiple audio copies of my most recent series Brothers in Arms.

So today I'll be drawing names for winners.

These are NOT what you call Audible, that's the Amazon thing right?

It's something different but the instructions include how to get them. (I hope!)

I don't know much about audio books. I've listened to some of mine and it's always the same woman and she does a good job but wow, imagine having to read a whole book OUT LOUD with no mists. No hesitation. No stumbled ers, uhs, ums. 

Surely she has to stop all the time and back up a little then forge onward?

Anyway, not a skill set I possess. 

I've been listening to Father Mike Schmidts Bible in a Year podcast and it's the same thing. I wonder how long he works to get through the daily reading? He makes it sound so smooth, so easy. 

And all those Old Testament names and he just glides along.

Readers like that make it sound so easy but I suspect it's not, unless they're just naturals somehow. 

All my books (well most!) are available as paperbacks, large print hard covers, ebooks and audio books. 

I'll include here an excerpt here from the moment Falcon Hunt realizes he has no memory.

It was an aspect of this book that was really fun to write. Hard but fun.

A Man with a Past

He looked around, studied the water racing below him. Had he scratched his head somehow?

Been clobbered by a rock?

Most likely something of the sort.

He lifted his head, aware of something bothering him, more than the crease on his neck. More than drowning. More than the terrible chill and the terrible pain.

He couldn’t touch on it for some reason but it was there, it’d come to him. For now, one step at a time, he’d get himself out of this mess and track down the why of it later.

Edging back along that trunk, he reached the muddy bank and kept right on crawling until he was on dry land.

As he stood, he looked around and saw woods and mountains. That hollered ‘home’ and ‘safety’ for some reason. And he felt sure it was important for him to find safety. He just wasn’t sure why.

He staggered toward the dense woods, realized as he got close his vision was blurry and sometimes he saw two of a thing, sometimes one. He gained the trees and leaned against the first one he got close to. He walked along the edge of them, leaning when he could, staggering when he couldn’t, listening for anyone coming.

Before he could be caught out, he found a game train so thin he had to think it was made by rabbits. He turned into the woods, following it, heaving a sigh of relief to be out of view.

Then he plowed into a low hanging branch and knocked himself over backward.

Lying there, breathing hard, he had a flash of reason that told him why he was in such an all-fired hurry to find a safe haven.

He didn’t remember anything that had brought him to this moment.

Why was he in that stream? Why did he feel hunted?

And then as he chased those thoughts around a real big one hit him hard.

He realized he didn’t know his own name.

His thoughts echoed. His head empty and in agonizing pain. Who was he? How did a man go on if he had no idea who he was?

Lying there, looking up through the dappled leaves, he wondered if he knew a thing about how to go on. Touching his holster, he knew his gun was gone. In fact, just knowing he’d had one, for that matter, what a gun was, was a lot of remembering.

But he couldn’t remember his own name. Putting two hands flat on his face, he knew nothing of his own looks. He felt the scratch of a few whiskers on his cheeks. But no beard.

He looked at his hands and felt no recognition. The impact of realizing it, almost knocked him sideways and it might’ve if he weren’t already lying flat on his back. He stayed right where he was to think.

~~~~~~~~

Leave a comment and mention if you'd like to win a copy of an audio book and I'll put your name in the drawing.

And tell me if you're into audio books and if not, do you have an ereader? Or are you a print book purist?

What else have I got around here to give away? I might think of something. And right now I mean like today only or maybe still tomorrow...

The Accidental Guardian is on sale in all ebook formats for $1.99. It'd be a fun book to have around on your ereader even if you've read it before.

Click Here to Buy the Accidental Guardian

Cate's Favorite Craft Books #6 and some vacation photos

 It's the end of July, and I've spent the last three weeks in Maine, so it seems only appropriate that I choose a book written by an author from my new home state as this month's favorite craft book. 

Ask writers to list their top ten craft favorite books on writing and inevitably their lists will include Stephen King's On Writing. 

 I first read On Writing in the early 2000s, shortly after it was released. I remembered really enjoying the book. I'd never read Stephen King before - not a fan of the horror genre - but I was immediately impressed with his storytelling ability. 

As I prepared to write this post, I borrowed a copy from the library because my old copy was unavailable due to being in the middle of a move. I have to admit, although I remembered liking it a lot, I had no idea what it was about (other than the obvious - writing), so when I began to look through it for a refresher, I immediately got caught up in reading it. The book begins with an irreverent look back at King's childhood which left me somewhat aghast but also hanging on every word. As I was rereading it  I was struck by similarities to Roald Dahl's Boy: Tales of Childhood. Both books really make you see just how the experiences of their early lives fueled their imaginations and provided fodder for their stories. 

Because I'm A) in the midst of a move, and B) helping my daughter who just got out of the hospital, I didn't have time to finish rereading the book, so August's post will go more into the actual writing advice part. 

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some photos of Maine, the state that inspired much of King's writing.  It's rained almost every day of the three plus weeks I've been here, and when it wasn't raining, the fog settled it. But I love this kind of weather, so I'm happy. 

We have had some bursts of sun, and Fenway seems happy with his new home.

My daughter and I recently "hiked" up the mountain (in our car). This was the view from the top.

The harbor is gorgeous on a sunny day...

There has been so much rain, that toadstool villages have emerged! 

The webs spun by grass spiders have totally intrigued me. If I was a children's book author, I'd just have to spin a tale of tiny creatures living under the toadstools and leaving sparkling webs on the dew-laden grass.

Good thing I love the foggy days because there have been a lot of them this summer.

Somewhere at the end of the breakwater is the lighthouse. We could hear the foghorn, but the lighthouse wasn't visible, and if we turned and looked back toward shore, this was the view.

So back to writing, have you read On Writing? Does it top your list of favorites? We'll talk more about it in August, but please share your thoughts or tell me about how your summer has been going.

How Pre-orders benefit your favorite authors.

Did you know that pre-ordering a book is one of the most helpful things you can do for an author? Here are a few of the benefits, in case you wondered:

• The publisher is watching to see if there is any pre-publication buzz...and if there is, they are more likely to put even more marketing effort/dollars behind a book to build even more buzz.

• With so many books coming out all the time, hopping into your local bookstore and asking them to pre-order a book sends them a signal that something good is coming out. They often order two or three in addition to your pre-order to have it in the store on release day. 

• Pre-order sales are added into the first week sales when the book is published, and all of those pre-orders can be just what is needed to get a book on a bestseller list. That "Bestseller" cache is a big one for authors. Whether it's the NYT, USA Today, ECPA, or Publisher's Weekly, hitting a bestseller list garners attention for the book, which can generate even more sales.

• Whatever weird math makes up the Internet, when there are pre-orders and buzz about a book, the mystery algorithms pick up on that buzz and spread it farther. Online retailers pick up on those mystery algorithms and promote the book on their sites.  

• Asking your library to pre-order a book is HUGE! Authors love libraries. Libraries get authors' books into the hands of so many readers, and many true book lovers will investigate a new author via the library, and if they like the stories, will go out and purchase the author's whole backlist.  

• Pre-ordering has a couple upsides for readers, too. You often get the book before the publication date if you order a print copy. Amazon often ships before the pub date. Also, pre-ordering means you order now, pay when the book ships. And, if you pre-order, you won't miss the release!

As authors, we thank all of you who read our books, whether you pre-order, get it through the library, share books with friends, print, ebook, or audio. We're just glad you're reading our stories and enjoying the bookish life!

Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she is married to 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!

Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes in this new Regency mystery series

Newly returned from finishing school, Lady Juliette Thorndike is ready to debut in London society. Due to her years away, she hasn't spent much time with her parents, and sees them only as the flighty, dilettante couple the other nobles love. But when they're lost at sea, she discovers she never really knew them at all. They've been living double lives as government spies--and they're only the latest in a long history of espionage that is the family's legacy.

Now Lady Juliette is determined to continue their work. Mentored by her uncle, she plunges into the dangerous world of spy craft. From the glittering ballrooms of London to the fox hunts, regattas, and soirees of country high society, she must chase down hidden clues, solve the mysterious code her parents left behind, and stay out of danger. All the while, she has to keep her endeavors a secret from her best friend and her suitors--not to mention nosy, irritatingly handsome Bow Street runner Daniel Swann, who suspects her of a daring theft.

Can Lady Juliette outwit her enemies and complete her parents' last mission? Or will it lead her to a terrible end?

Best-selling author Erica Vetsch is back with a rollicking, exciting new series destined to be a hit with Regency readers who enjoy a touch of mystery in their love stories. Fans of Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd, and Anne Perry will love the wit, action, and romance.

Pre-order your copy here: https://smile.amazon.com/Debutantes-Thorndike-Swann-Regency-Mysteries/dp/0825447135

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

 The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes,
James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum, 1886-1894. [PD-US]

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. 
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 
Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there he sat down with his disciples. 
The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 
When Jesus raised his eyes
and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,
he said to Philip,
“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 
He said this to test him,
because he himself knew what he was going to do. 
Philip answered him,
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.” 
One of his disciples,
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?” 
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” 
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. 
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.” 
So they collected them,
and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments 
from the five barley loaves
that had been more than they could eat. 
When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,
“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 
Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king,
he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

John 6:1-15

 The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please join us in praying for our country!

God Bless the USA!

We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.     

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.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.

Monday: Jan talked about the stories we need to tell and gave everyone a chance to share their story with us in the form of an "elevator pitch." We have some lovely stories brewing out there! The winner of an AMISH CHRISTMAS KITCHEN is Sandy Smith!

Wednesday: Debby Giusti shared "Five Tips for Inspiration!" The winner of Debby's recent release, HIDDEN AMISH SECRETS, is Becky. Congrats, Becky! Send your snail mail address to Seekerville@@gmail.com so Debby can send the book to you.

Friday: Pam

Monday:  Erica Vetsch will be talking about how pre-orders help authors out in some surprising ways!

Wednesday:  Cate will be here with the latest entry in her favorite craft books series. Anyone want to guess this month's choice. Hint: it has to do with her new home state.

  

Friday: Mary will be giving away audio books and a Hold-In-Your-Hand copy of A Man with a Past.

A Future to Fight For releases Tuesday!

All their dreams will come true…if they can work together.

Widow Paisley Wainwright’s so close to taking her Texas event-planning business to the next level by turning Renwick Castle into a wedding venue. Only one thing stands in the way: her longtime rival, Crockett Devereaux, who wants the castle to become a museum. When the building’s owners insist they collaborate to implement both plans, can Paisley and Crockett put their differences aside…and fight for their dreams together?

Read the first chapter here!

Preorder your copy here!

Twelve Story Ending Twists That Don't Work by Rayne Hall at Fiction University

How Can You Layer Deeper Emotion into Your Writing? by Beth Vogt at Learn How To Write A Novel

You Finished Your First Draft. Now What? James Scott Bell at Kill Zone Blog

I Took My Character to Coffee by Tammy Karasek at The Write Conversation

The Most Significant Choice of Your Writing Career by Jessica Conoley at Jane Friedman

Give Me Blue Plate, or Give Me Nothing at All

by Pam Hillman

The other day, I bought these off-brand BBQ potato chips. (Yes, this is writing related.) The chips were pretty tasty, and as someone who hasn’t eaten too many chips the last few years, I probably enjoyed them more than they deserved. The description on the bag stated “Zesty BBQ” and the flavor certainly lived up to that. Too much, actually. They were a bit too zesty to enjoy. Basically, I tasted bbq and not much of the potato chips.

As I consumed the last of the zesty bbq flavor, I was thinking about this blog post. (Let’s just say that I needed the chips for inspiration. Yeah, we’ll go with that.) I tend to create analogies out of thin air, or in this case, out of potato chips. But it occurred to me that just like we all have foods we like or dislike, or even really have no preference one way or another because we’ve never tried them, it’s the same way as writers and even as readers.

Before we talk about how these two things are related, I’d like to share another food-related incident. I’m not a mayonnaise snob, but I was raised on Blue Plate mayonnaise. I’ll eat a different brand if I’m at someone’s house, but I buy Blue Plate exclusively, unless it’s an absolute emergency. However, several years ago, we took a long road trip when my oldest graduated from high school. After eating fast food for almost a week, I decided that a picnic on the rim of the Grand Canyon would be a nice change of pace. We found a grocery store and stocked up on all the fixings for some sandwiches and a few bags of chips (I’m sure we bought Ruffles or Lays, not the off-brand Zesty BBQ ones!) But the mayonnaise… there was not one brand of mayo on the shelves in that store that I was familiar with, so I picked the one squeeze jar that seemed to be the best. Maybe squeeze mayo isn’t made to keep in an ice chest, but regardless, let’s just say it left a lot to be desired. I still remember that it wasn’t Blue Plate well over 10 years later. It’s also a blessing that I don’t remember the brand since I’m sure it would be somebody’s favorite. :)

So, back to reading and writing. As a kid, I was enamored with horses and books, so naturally I read a lot of books about horses, which led to Louis L’Amour westerns, then to historical romance books as I grew older. Besides reading, television/movies I enjoyed were John Wayne, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. Naturally, even my early attempts at writing consisted of westerns and prairie romance type stories. I liked my “Blue Plate” and wasn’t interested in trying another brand.

Fast forward a few years and I was asked to head up the ACFW Book Club. Part of the duties (and a perk) of the book club coordinator back then was to receive a copy of the book club pick, read it and facilitate the discussion. During my tenure, I read Women’s Fiction, Suspense, Science fiction, Lad Lit, Chick Lit, Dystopian, Biblical, Historical, Contemporary, Amish romance, and enjoyed every single book club pick in the 3-4 years that was coordinator. I specifically remember loving Kathryn Mackel’s Outriders (Fantasy/Science Fiction, Thomas Nelson, 2005), and ended up buying Trackers, read them both, then passed them on to my teenage son, who also loved the books.

Now, one more food-related story. I had the grandkids yesterday and we had some leftover fried rice from their favorite Japanese restaurant. Ella (5 yo) likes Yum Yum sauce with her fried rice, but I didn’t have any. I was throwing together a quick lunch with the rice, some chicken nuggets, and my special homemade honey mustard sauce (mayo, honey mustard, and Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ). I also whipped up a bit of white country gravy (from a packet) to put on my own rice. Ella and I taste-tested a bit of the rice with Pammy’s honey mustard sauce AND the white gravy and we decided the combo was just as good, if not better than the real store-bought Yum Yum sauce. Well, maybe that’s stretching it, but when the grand-doll declares it, it is so, yes?

I guess I’ve gone around the world to try to tie all this together, but as I munched on those zesty bbq chips that weren’t bad, but they weren’t Lays, then when my granddaughter and I figured out how to make a sauce that tasted enough like Yum Yum sauce that she ate her lunch quite happily, I realized that there are times that I try something totally new and love it even more than what I thought was my “favorite” thing.

As a reader, I would probably have never tried Science Fiction/Fantasy if I hadn’t been the ACFW Book Club coordinator. But I’m glad I was willing to branch out. I’ve enjoyed many genres since then. Do I still have my favorites? Yes. But I know that there is more out there than just one genre.

And as a writer, even though all of my published fiction to date has been historical in nature, I’ve worked on some contemporary romances and some romantic suspense. I suppose I might try my hand at any number of genres, but it would be a stretch for me to attempt to write a sci-fi, and I’m pretty sure that I’d draw the line at reading or writing horror. (The fact that my sister-in-law and I were both huddled in the floorboard of my brother’s car at the drive-in trying to NOT watch a slasher flick over forty years ago scarred me for life!)

Other than that, who knows what the future may hold writing and reading-wise. 

But I’ll stick to Blue Plate, thank you very much.

CBA Bestselling author PAM HILLMAN was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn't afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn't mind raking. Raking hay doesn't take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that's the kind of life every girl should dream of. www.pamhillman.com

Five Tips for Inspiration

By Debby Giusti  

If you’re like me, you’re never at a loss for story ideas. They seem as plentiful as the stars in the sky. The tough job is to focus on the glimmer of light worth following. Discerning the direction my work will take requires a knowledge of the various parts of a story that fit together into a completed manuscript, such as character, conflict, suspense, motivation, faith, romance.

Pulling all those pieces together, like a giant jig-saw puzzle, can be a challenge. When I’m tired or have worked too long, my vision for the story blurs. Sometimes the framework may be in place, but the middle remains a giant void unable to be filled. At other times, I’ve pulled in so much information that I’m unable to fit the parts into a unified whole.

Some may call that writer’s block. I think of it as being stalled, like a car that sputters and dies. When the driver repeatedly turns the key in the ignition, the engine floods and refuses to start.

“Let the motor rest,” my husband would caution, which applies to the overworked writer as well.

Whether you feel blocked or stalled, try one of the following five tips for inspiration. The ideas aren’t new. We’ve all used them from time to time, but they’re worth reviewing once again.

ENHANCE YOUR ENVIRONMENT. Do something nice for your writing space, whether it’s a private office, a cubbyhole in the corner of your bedroom, or an area in the kitchen you’ve claimed as your own. Engage your senses. A scented candle, soft music playing in the background, a favorite photo that recalls a special place or a relaxing trip, a plush throw covering your legs, a bouquet of flowers or a candy dish filled with chocolate can change the ordinary into something special that opens you to new possibilities.

EMBRACE NATURE. Most of us sit for hours each day at our computers. We need to give ourselves permission to spend time outdoors. A walk in the woods, a stop at a local pond to feed the ducks, a short break to build a snowman with the kids can be welcome diversions. Pausing to enjoy the beauty and bounty of God’s creation provides a breath of fresh air for our bodies and our minds.

EXERCISE. Turn that stroll through nature into a power walk, and you’ll free the endorphins, lower your blood pressure and come back refreshed and renewed. Thirty minutes at the gym, a Zumba class, or a bike ride -- even if it’s stationary -- sweeps away the cobwebs and restores energy and enthusiasm.

MAKE A DATE WITH YOURSELF. Remember the old saying, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy? It also applies to Jill. Reserve a few hours in your weekly schedule for something you enjoy. Go shopping at the mall, have lunch with a friend or visit a local museum. You’ll come home eager to get back to work.

SET ASIDE TIME FOR PRAYER. I doubt Seekervillagers need to be reminded of the importance of making time for God, no matter how busy our days may be. Praising the Lord and focusing on the Divine elevates our thoughts, brings peace and nourishes our spirits and our souls. Often the answer to a story question pops into my mind when I’m in prayer as if the Lord is thanking me for spending time with Him. Focusing on something bigger than ourselves allows us to think beyond the finite and open ourselves to the possibilities that only God can reveal.

What tips can you offer to boost inspiration? Leave a comment, and let me know if you want to be entered in a drawing for a copy of HIDDEN AMISH SECRETS. The photos included in this blog are from our recent family beach vacation. In my opinion, there’s nothing like surf and sand to enhance creativity. What’s your Happy Place and how does it help to ease your stress and heighten your productivity?

Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

 

Her temporary Amish homecoming

could get her killed.

Julianne Graber left her Amish life behind after a family tragedy, but now she’s back to sell the family home— and someone’s dead set on getting rid of her. With her neighbor William Lavy by her side, Julianne must uncover dangerous secrets to make sense of the past and present. Can she find justice for her family—and a future with Will—before the killer hits his target?

 Order on Amazon!