More Reason to Write

I'm Switching Over

2011-07-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

THIS IS A GREAT BLOG! But I've been using two places to host it, and I'm now strictly going to use the one you'll find at:

http://www.naomimusch.com/apps/blog

You can also connect with me through my Facebook Author Page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Naomi-Musch-Author/165673476805357

Join me as I offer More Reason to Write over yonder at Write Reason!
Blessings to you~
Naomi

Use Beats Instead of Attribution to Keep Word Counts and Deep POV in Check

2011-06-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

There are myriads of ways to cut back on your word count. I know this because I had to cut 20,000 words out of The Green Veil at one point. Besides getting rid of passive voice, excessive adverbs, and so on (which, in some instances, actually cause you to add to the word count by forcing you to do more showing and less telling) there is a smaller, but very effective way to eliminate hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of words from your manuscript.

Get rid of excess attribution.

While you're at it, get rid of any unnecessary wording that points out how a character feels, or looks.

Back in the day, I learned that using he said /she said was the acceptable form of attribution to use. You never used "she squealed" or "he guffawed" when referring to speaking. Editors would say, "You can't guffaw a sentence." But now even the unassuming said is becoming out of vogue, and for good reason. Attribution eats up precious word space, while at the same time removing the reader from the immediacy of deep point of view.

Instead of a long conversation full of who said what, writers are expected to write with voice and style that keep character conversation flowing in such a way that the reader can keep track of who is speaking simply by the characters' distinct voices and the interspersing of beats which show movement, thoughts, feelings, and so on.

Take a look at this portion of a scene from my WIP and notice that I never once use words of attribution like said. Yet you can tell by the flow and beats exactly who is speaking and also sense the emotion or movement in the scene, however slight:

He glanced at her, his eyes as dark and inviting as the cocoa in their drinks.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because I like to."
She took a long sip from her mug, closing her eyes behind the steam, absorbing the sweet aroma.
"Do you ever think of going there?"
"To school?" She set down her mug and harrumphed. "Why would I?"
"Didn't you think about it when you were with that fellow?"
"With...oh, you mean Clayton." She shook her head. "It never occurred to me to go to school. I thought that once I married Clay, I'd just be..." she shrugged, "you know... his wife."
"Seems like a great way to start over."
She gazed over at the school again, wondering for the first time about what went on inside its brick-walled classrooms. When she looked back, Jamie studied her.
"You're still staring. But now you have something else going on. I can see it churning around up there in that head of yours." That dark, handsome head.
"Your mother tells me that you like to teach children."
"In Sunday school? Yes, I guess that's true. I like telling them stories and helping them learn. I like to do fun, creative things with them."
"Maybe God wants you to do more than that."
She straightened her shoulders. "What do you mean?"
"Maybe you should become a teacher."
Cori leaned forward. She didn't answer right at first. Jamie's suggestion had both startled and thrilled her at once. A teacher.
"I -- I don't think I could."
"Why not? Don't they have a Normal School there?"
"I just..."
"A friend of mine who teaches in Eau Claire tells me there are only two in the state." He nodded at the university across the street. "Here you have one of them in your back yard."
Suddenly Jamie leaned forward, too, and cupped his big hands over hers around her mug."You're smart, Cori. You want something more than waiting under your parents' wings for a husband to come along."
His touch sent a bolt charging through her, but in the next instant it dissolved. Had she started to think of him beyond what she should? It seemed that he was about to squelch those thoughts.
She frowned. "You barely know me. What makes you think I could handle Normal School, or that I'd even want to? And what's so bad about wanting to marry?" She flushed. It hadn't come out sounding like she'd hoped.
He squeezed her hands. "There's nothing bad about it." His dimples winked at her. "But I think you want something else besides."

Now, what if I had followed the compulsion to include attribution? It would have made for a lot of unnecessary telling and had the effect of pulling readers out of the scene, reminding them that they're peering in on a book instead of encouraging them to live vicariously through the characters themselves. (In the following example I also popped in some other telling words, just to give you a basis of comparison for how much better it is when they're not included. The beats are still there, though when lots of attribution is used, the tendency is to rely on telling and exclude interesting beats.) Take a look:

He glanced at her. His eyes looked as dark and inviting as the cocoa in their drinks.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cori asked.
"Because I like to."
She took a long sip from her mug, closing her eyes behind the steam, absorbing the sweet aroma.
"Do you ever think of going there?" he said suddenly, disrupting her daydream.
"To school?" She set down her mug and harrumphed. "Why would I?" she wanted to know.
"Didn't you think about it when you were with that fellow?"
"With...oh, you mean Clayton," she said. She shook her head. "It never occurred to me to go to school. I thought that once I married Clay, I'd just be..." she shrugged, "you know...his wife."
"Seems like a great way to start over," Jamie pointed out.
She gazed over at the school again, wondering for the first time about what went on inside its brick-walled classrooms. When she looked back, Jamie studied her.
"You're still staring," she said. "But now you have something else going on. I can see it churning around up there in that head of yours." ~~That dark, handsome head.~~ Cori thoughtabout how dark and handsome he looked.
"Your mother tells me that you like to teach children," said Jamie.
"In Sunday school? Yes, I guess that's true. I like telling them stories and helping them learn. I like to do fun, creative things with them," she added.
"Maybe God wants you to do more than that."
She straightened her shoulders. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Maybe you should become a teacher," he suggested.
Cori leaned forward. She didn't answer right at first. Jamie's suggestion had both startled and thrilled her at once. A teacher.
"I -- I don't think I could."
"Why not?" he asked. "Don't they have a Normal School there?"
"I just..." She didn't know what to say.
"A friend of mine who teaches in Eau Claire tells me there are only two in the state." He nodded at the university across the street. "Here you have one of them in your back yard."
Suddenly Jamie leaned forward, too, and cupped his big hands over hers around her mug."You're smart, Cori," he said."You want something more than waiting under your parents' wings for a husband to come along."
His touch sent a bolt charging through her, but in the next instant it dissolved. She wondered, had she started to think of him beyond what she should? It seemed that he was about to squelch those thoughts.
She frowned. "You barely know me. What makes you think I could handle Normal School, or that I'd even want to? And what's so bad about wanting to marry?" Cori asked. She flushed. It hadn't come out sounding like she'd hoped.
He squeezed her hands. "There's nothing bad about it," he answered. His dimples winked at her. "But I think you want something else besides."

Just look at all the unnecessary words, about 50 of them! There's not a one of them that improves the scene by being there. Beats are where it's at -- body movements, inner thoughts, character expressions, sighs. A little action is worth a load of attribution and moves us into the character's being.

Also, it's exceptionally easy to use beats when writing an action scene. A good fight, for example, with fists flying and guys stumbling in the dirt, make for some exciting beats. But I chose to use this scene as an example because the couple is merely sitting together, enjoying cocoa and conversation. It proves that even in quiet scenes like this, beats can be easily moved in for show instead of tell.

Write on!

Summer School for Writers - Session #2 Questions for Crafting a Better Hook

2011-06-08T05:28:00.001-07:00

When my dad goes fishing, he nips the barbs off his hooks to give the fish a "more sporting chance". I don't do that. Dinner is too important. Neither can I afford such a luxury when I write the opening of a novel. Can you?

The opening hook of a story has to be sharp, able to grab readers and hang on to them despite any temptation luring them to spit it out and let it go.

Maybe you've already re-written your opening a dozen times, each time defining it to make it sharper, stronger, more compelling. But if not, here's what you need to do.

Start by asking yourself questions.

The hook must first and foremost establish a connection between the reader and a character. It's fine to open with a whiz-bang thrill ride, especially if you're writing an action adventure, but if you don't establish the humanness of your introductory character right away, the action is just noise. Compare it to your real life introductions. When you meet a person for the first time, you either connect with them on a bit of a personal level or you don't. You either want to get to know them more, or they become immediately forgettable. It's the same thing when you introduce your character. Does your character have flesh and produce feeling? You might be able to crawl into this character's skin, but can your reader?
The conflict introduced in the hook must imply a future black moment worth waiting for. Does it have to be as big as a volcano about to swallow the earth in lava? No, of course not. But the conflict should be compelling either because it's universal, dramatic, desperate, or different. Is yours? Now, here's a problem. I see some writers trying to make their hook so explosive that they center too much on the physical problem, and too little on the character connection. Watch out for that! Remember point #1: readers must care about the character before they care about the problem.
Do questions yearn -- no -- do they beg to be answered... or not really? Hooks by virtue of their name must have a barb, despite my dad's fishing habits. If you want to net a reader, you have to ask, does my story's hook contain an adequate cliff-hanger? This doesn't have to be a life or death moment. It might be much more subtle than that, but it absolutely must create a question that demands an answer. Physical, mental, or emotional readers must want to ask what will happen next. Will she make it? Is he trustworthy? Who is that masked man? There's nothing wrong with creating a stirring list of worthy questions in a reader's mind. Remember though, you do know what's going to happen. Your readers don't have the luxury of that context. Look at your opening with clear, unbiased eyes. If you didn't already know what was coming, would you care?
Is the opening of your novel burdened with back-story? Back story should be non-existent in the hook, or worked in with such tiny, subtle strokes that the reader absorbs it without noticing. It's better if necessary back-story is worked naturally into the story later on. But ask first, is it really necessary?
Is your hook showing what's happening in real time? We writers have been fighting the nemesis of "telling" for a long time. "Show, Don't Tell" is a mantra pasted on our brains. But if we should happen to slip, we'd best be sure we don't do it in the opening. This is where a study of deep point-of-view comes in handy. Make your action immediate, personal, and without telling. Use dialogue that matters. Well... do that all the time. Don't describe the sunset or the weather or a dream.

Plot is woven when something bad happens, and then it gets worse. That building of suspense heightens throughout the course of the story, climaxing at the blackest moment of all. I would suggest that more than one, single stage of "worse" should happen right in the hook, as well as creating more questions. In my book The Green Veil (A COTT champion for Best Hook) it worked this way.

Something terrible has happened. Colette has been hurt. She's bruised and in pain.

To make it worse, she's obviously been thrust into a situation that has her feeling dirty and used. She abhors the way men looked at her last night.

As an earlier conversation plays through her mind, we discover she had a different past, one that seemed bright and filled with promise. Now she lives with horrible regrets about the choices that led to this place she's in.

Lastly, we discover that it's her husband who has put her in this place.

Do you see the questions arising:

Who has abused her? Why?
Why does he call call Colette "Vashti"?
Can she ever recapture the past? (What else happened in that past?)
What were the choices that brought her to this place?
What could have happened to make her marry this man?
Is the marriage going to make it?

Here's a more subtle example.

In my novella, Heart Not Take we meet Sean. Right off we know he lives in a cabin on a trout stream and that he's a teacher. Someone is arriving to interrupt his play of a nice fish on his line. He thinks it's one of his three sisters. Conflict arises when the interloper tells him she's been hired by his parents to "make a few improvements" on the property. Throughout the course of the opening, several questions start to arise.

Why do a few proposed changes cause Sean to bes o rude and irritable toward this woman?

Who is Jay and why does Sean resent him?

Why does Jordyn, who is normally strong, professional, and used to dealing with all types of customers feel like crying so easily today?

How does both Sean and Jordyn's stumbling faith, damaged by personal assault, play into future possible romance between the two of them?

What other secret does Sean harbor about his past?

I hope that by asking yourself these questions and by re-examining your opening with a clear, unbiased eye, you will discover ways to sharpen your prose and set your novel's hook.

Cliff-Hanger Extraordinaire - Book Exam of "Lady in the Mist" by Laurie Alice Eakes

2011-06-07T06:27:00.000-07:00

I just found my second five-star read of the year. Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes is that good.

I really don't like rating systems, and I'm admittedly stingy with handing out five stars in my own system. But Lady in the Mist qualified. Here's why.

A five-star book has to make me want to read for hours, and keep on reading even when I know I have other things to do. It has to pull me so deeply into the story that I forget I have real-life obligations -- or that I just don't care. It has to have a plot that feels dangerous and exciting. (What could be more dangerous than a lowly midwife trying to solve the mysterious disappearances of her village's men into the mist, while being privy to the tormented secrets of its citizens? What could be more exciting than a love triangle involving a shanghaied former fiancée and a dashing indentured servant secreting his past connections to the British realm.)

I have to worry that even the good guys might not make it to the end. A five-star book absolutely has to keep me guessing on several levels. It has to have twists and turns. If it's a Christian book, it'll get five stars only if it depicts the main character wrestling with spiritual truth in a very real way, without a lot of jargon, and there can't be any easy fixes or sudden changes of heart that don't ring true to human nature.

A five-star book must have a setting I can see and smell and feel, especially if I've never been to such a place. Even if the story spins somewhere as old as the Mayflower or as offbeat as outer space, I want to feel what it's like to be there. The characters in a five-star book have to be so well-defined that I can step into their skins in just the first few pages of reading. Finally, because I'm absolutely biased when it comes to favorite genres, it's more likely I'll give five stars to something that's historical in nature. That's not absolute. But likely.

Does your book do those things? Lady in the Mist did.

Ms. Eakes presented a story that filled my hunger for a rich historical. I've never been to the sea, but I could feel the sand between my toes and hear the surf. I saw Tabitha's salt-beaten-and-sand-weathered cottage on the shore. I loved Eakes's depiction of the hero, and even of her anti-hero. Such men they were, but with foibles that made them nothing less than real, live beings. The author did a superb job of keeping me on edge. I knew I didn't dare guess how the ending would turn out.

I've always thought it to be an intriguing part of our nation's history when England used vice, bullying, and dark of night to press men from our shores into naval service -- and this after we'd already won our independence. This was a wonderful plot idea to take on in a novel.

I don't read a lot of suspense. But the suspense in Eakes's novel was carefully interwoven. She did a superb job of casting red herrings before both the reader and the characters. She set up multiple layers to dig through in plot and theme. And talk about cliff-hangers! Eakes has mastered the art of developing the page-turner.

(Writers, if you have trouble creating cliff-hanger chapter endings, you should consider this book a study guide.)

There are so many beautiful books available, and it's hard to choose which to sink your teeth into. Your decision will be satisfying if you pick Lady in the Mist. It's a perfect summer read.

Summer School for Writers - Session #1 Beat Defeat!

2011-06-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Since one of the most universal ailments writers suffer at one time or another is self-defeat, discovering ways to combat it are essential.Goals, by definition, require effort to be achieved, and sometimes their success doesn't depend solely on us. Since the act of conquering our goals always hovers on a precipice and can easily tumble into an abyss, we should do the following to prevent ourselves from succumbing to defeat:

Encircle ourselves with a team of backers. We're like quarterbacks in a football game. We have a job to do and we're going to put ourselves out there to do it. But we need defenders. We need a few people around us who will protect us from the potential onslaught heading our way. Family, critique buddies, readers, and spiritual mentors are our defensive linemen. They encourage us, pray for us, and sometimes just tell it to us straight.

Stay abreast of changes in the industry as much as time allows. Publishing, and even style preference is changing almost daily. It's a lot to keep up with. For example, a few years ago we never heard of "deep point of view". Now we must be students of it in our stories. And the bursting world of eBook publishing invites us to try something new almost weekly. But doing our best to follow the changes, whether it's just reading a few blogs each week, subscribing to a magazine like The Writer or Christian Fiction Online Magazine, or joining some publishers' group pages, will help us to not feel totally lost.

Establish clear goals that will help you keep your passion and determination alive. Michael Hyatt wrote a post about how important it was to have written goals. Having them clearly defined makes it more likely that they can and will be achieved. It gives us the mental impetus we need in order to keep pushing toward them. Make a list today. What are your goals for the next week, month, season?

Ignore harsh criticism. (I've been a homeschooler for many years, and I know something about critics, let me tell you.) There will always be those who wonder why you want to"waste" your time writing something when you don't even know if it'll ever be published. And there are also plenty of others who will call it drivel when it is, sometimes out of meanness, sometimes because they don't favor your genre, sometimes out of jealousy, and sometimes because it makes them feel good to put somebody else down. On the other hand, critics who offer helpful advice and who offer it tactfully are a Godsend. Don't be afraid to ask them questions, and take what you can use, but toss out the rest. As for the naysayers, if their advice isn't helping you, why bother listening to it?

Recognize rejection as a necessary part of success. Perseverance makes you stronger. Constant use and reuse of your writing skills is like a physical workout. You have to tear down muscle to make it stronger. If your work is rejected by an editor, ask yourself what will make it better. But also ask yourself whether or not the timing might have just been bad. Many editors and publishers will tell you that they often reject a piece simply because they already accepted something similar or that they are full up. Timing plays a huge role. But each and every time you are rejected you will have learned something about your work or the process. Nothing is lost. You are one step closer to success the next time.

Never admit defeat!

Setting Cast as Character in Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides

2011-05-22T12:42:00.001-07:00

Lengthy passages of description are not in vogue with modern readers. HOWEVER, without a doubt, setting is still character. Case in point -- Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides -- the movie I was excited to see on Friday night.

Where would Blackbeard and his mutinous crew be without the Queen Anne's Revenge on which to dangle from bewitched rigging? Or where would those heinously beautiful mermaids live out their revenge but in the eerie, mist-covered Whitecap Bay? And especially, how would we be lured into the unique appeal of Captain Jack Sparrow's quest without the backdrop of jeweled waters lapping against a sparkling white shore, craggy green cliffs being beaten by dark blue waves, or -- the setting that really got me thinking in terms of its character -- the deep, mysterious jungle gorge where we perch intrepidly, wondering if we are truly about to discover the long lost Fountain of Youth?

When the camera shoots the angle from the descent inside the cave to the adventurers standing in its wide mouth, I realize quite forcefully that the setting has become another character in the story, and I'm wondering what it might do to imperil the other characters I've come to care about.

That's the thing with setting. We need not belabor it in our story-telling, but we do need to offer a snapshot or, on occasion, a panoramic moment reminding our reader of the role it has to play.We need to include it to heighten peril, deliver romance, impend doom, or simply make readers feel sunny inside.

I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. As a sequel -- number four in the series, no less -- it suffers slightly from the "been there, done that," type of forced heroics that are typical in such a genre, especially for a series that was never intended to be more than a single, stand-alone motion picture. But it was such a frolicking, fun, escapist film, that none of that mattered.

The introduction of mermaids into the tale, and even the inclusion of real life figure Edward Teach (Black Beard) so well cast, made the story sing for me, as did a host of well-played one-liners. And the various settings made for an additional cast of intriguing characters. For a little under two hours, I was swept away on the tide.

How to Choose an Excerpt

2011-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Time is ticking away against me as I struggle to select some scene excerpts for use in promoting my upcoming historical novel on my publisher's website.

Why is it so hard? Don't I love my story? Aren't there plenty of scenes that made my fingers rattle on the keyboard as I wrote them? Absolutely! But without context, they might not mean a great deal to the reader who is casually scanning excerpts for their next read.

To aid me in my decision, I'm enlisting some advice (written for teens, actually) from the nanowrimo.org site. They have a nice little worksheet for selecting an excerpt, but I'll just consider each of their reminders telling what I should be looking for.

To choose the best excerpt I'll give regard to:

Character - I need to find a scene that gives the audience a good clear picture of my main character. To me this means that I want to be able to draw a reader into a deep POV with that character in just a short section of the story. I want an excerpt that'll make my reader already feel invested -- at least a little.

Action -- Whether it's done in a big way or only subtly, a scene infused with action pulls the reader along. This also means that it should show conflict (because a scene without conflict is dead). I think the scene should reveal that something is definitely at stake.

Language -- I hadn't given a lot of thought to this, but you know, it's right. I can usually decide within the first few pages of a book whether I want to hang around, because the language is compelling. It might be lyrical, simple, or outrageous. It uses imagery and metaphors that help me visualize the scene without an overabundance of telling description.

Dialogue --This one wasn't part of the nanowritmo site, but I feel it needs to be included. At the least, there should be some internal dialogue. I've read some good excerpts that don't include dialogue, but I feel that if a reader is only getting a glimpse into a story, a little bit of dialogue sprinkled into the excerpt will help attach them to the characters and get a better feel for the conflict.

Length -- There are different lengths to consider depending on what the excerpt is being used for. If I was giving a reading before a room full of people, I could choose a longer excerpt, maybe as long as 5000 words (about ten pages). But for publisher's web site, it needs to be something much shorter. I personally don't like reading more than about 500 words in a clip when I'm looking at excerpts of this nature. That should be enough to makea reader long for more. You can always put a longer clip or sample chapter on your personal web site and direct curious readers there for more if they're interested.

Stand Alone -- Yes, this is a biggy. A scene is really a mini story in itself. It's got a beginning, a middle, and an end. It needs to provide a bit of its own context or readers won't really care about it. You may know what's going to happen and why the scene is important, but if readers can't get at least a taste of that, they won't buy.

So now I'm ready to hunt for an outstanding excerpt representing my novel The Red Fury. It releases from Desert Breeze Publishing in October as Book 2 in the Empire in Pine series. I hope you'll drop by later and read my little scene -- see if I chose well.

Write on!

Please Pass the Niche (Does Your Writing Ministry Have One?)

2011-05-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

For good or for questionable, we live out our World View. What we enjoy doing, how we live our lives, raise our children, treat our spouse, and attend our jobs, ventures, or dreams all point to what we believe and hold to as our center.

For those of us who are Christian writers seeking to walk with God and asking Him, "What do You want me to do today", it means that we, like Christian plumbers, Christian musicians, or Christian businessmen view our work as both an occupation and a ministry.

So what's yours about?

Last week, the editor, publisher, and publisher's assistant of Living Stones News, a Midwestern Christian newspaper, made the trek to Chicago for the Evangelical Press Association's annual convention. MaryBeth Frost, LSN's publisher's assistant said, "We thought we were going to be the mutts at the dog show." But, contrary to her and the rest of the staff's modest opinion of their upstart paper, LSN took home some pretty prestigious awards (listed at the end of the post).

I'm honored to serve as a staff writer for this entirely volunteer-run paper. LSN is published out of Duluth Minnesota, reaching Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and worldwide on the web. http://www.livingstonesnews.com

Not only have I been privileged to minister through writing for the paper, but God has blessed me by stretching my journalistic skills in about a gazillion directions. And somehow, in the process of me trying to write to minister to readers, He turns it around to minister to me!

According to Rick Lubbers, senior editor for LSN, bumping shoulders with other media professionals at the convention impressed him with just how wide a range of ministry is represented by writing.

It is eye-opening to think about. Writers find ministry in a host of styles and venues:

Broadcasting
Journalism
Devotional
Fiction
Non-fiction
Bible Study
How-To
Sunday School Curriculum
Speaking material
Poetry
Movies & Screenplays
Niches in many of the above categories that further reach specific audiences including pastors, teachers, women's groups, parents, homeschoolers, business groups, men's groups, outdoor enthusiasts, support groups, children, teens, young adults, married, unmarried, and the list goes on.

The LSN staff were able to have a look at many other well-published Christian newspapers from around the country, but in our board meeting following the event, we were happy to realize that we'd stuck true to our own niche -- telling the life-changing stories of everyday people who'd come to know Jesus Christ, and are now living to demonstrate His presence in their lives.

Congratulations, Living Stones News! Job well-done.

Let's continue to raise the bar.

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:14

LIVING STONES NEWS AWARDS AND HONORS:

Overall Excellence: Living Stones News (Second Place[tie])
Best General Article (long) “Faithlessons learned while captive in a closet” - Corinne Scott, December 2010 (First Place )
Best Personality Feature: “’Blank Check’ yields Heavenly returns” - Kent Wigg, March 2010 (First Place)
General Article (short):“Make a joyful noise - Rick Lubbers (Third Place )
Best Column: Holy Goose Bumps - Corinne Scott (First Place [tie])
Best Candid Photo: Pirate Jack Sparrow impersonator visits young boy with leukemia in hospital - Paul Walsh (First Place)

All the above are available for reading & viewing online at Living Stones News (dot) com.

Tips for Saving Your Cyber-Sanity

2011-05-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

I occasionally become cyber-flooded. You can probably relate. Maybe you've had to get off the internet all together for a few days just to gather your wits and complete a project. But even if that's not the case, it's easy to drown in information overload.

Especially with blogs.

I love the blogosphere. There is virtually an expert out there in just about everything, who is willing to share their knowledge. However, if you follow even a few blogs, it can be hard to keep up with them.

So here are some tips for sand-bagging in cyberspace.

1. Use a reader that will pool all your follows or subscriptions into one place like Google Reader or Networked Blogs to be able to quickly sort through the mass of material coming in.

2. As much as you love certain blogs, don't feel like you have to comment on all of them. As a blogger myself, I thrive on comments. (Please, leave me one if you aren't too inundated.) But I can't take the time to comment on everything I read. I comment in certain instances. These are:

When I believe the writer needs encouragement, and my interest was truly piqued

I want to thank the author for providing timely, sought-after information

I want to help bring attention to this particular blog, piece, or writer

To enter a contest

3. Don't follow blogs unless you've really looked them over and are sure that they frequently contain content that will interest you. I follow one blog right now that I'm considering deleting because since my initial follow, very little has come along in way of content I find enriching.

4. Take a few minutes each day to whip through your reader, marking as "read" or "delete" the posts that you don't have time or inclination for, and giving a quick read to those you do. If you get too far behind, it'll feel like the waters have crested and deluged you. You can't keep up. If that does happen, unless you plan to spend 5 or 6 hours in a waiting room anytime soon, I'd just hit "delete" or "read" and start fresh. It's really just like keeping up with email. Sort - toss - sort - toss.

5. If a blog piece looks interesting, scan. In my opinion, the most worthy blog pieces are brief and concise. But if a long one comes along with a title that's a real grabber, scan it before you decide to devote a long read time to it.

Like any file in your cabinet or on your computer, your blog file needs occasional clean-up. I hope these little tips help keep your cyber-sanity on high and dry ground.

Finish the WIP, Edit the WIP, then Dance

2011-05-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen that You Tube video going around which takes a comic look at the emotional stages of writing a novel? It's called Writing a Novel, posted by author James Andrew Wilson.

I just revisited it for another laugh. It's a creative, hilarious, yet painfully realistic insight into the glorious as well as the overwhelming moments involved in finishing a manuscript.

I'm deep in the ending stages. I just finished the pre-submission edit of The Red Fury, Book 2 of my Wisconsin historical series Empire in Pine. In essence, I've re-typed "The End". After some extraneous paperwork, it'll be ready to zip to my editor.

Not to mention -- drum roll -- I'm ahead of deadline!

REJOICE! Lalalalala!

I used to be like that guy in the video who got a little ahead of himself. H eprevailed against the odds and climbed to the top of the mountain, experiencing stage four -- Triumph! -- only to discover his joy short lived as he smacked up against the dark forest of editing. VINK! VINK! VINK!

Now, while I do relish the pleasure of a completed WIP, I revel less in the finished first draft, and save most of my exultant revelry for the part after editing, the part I accomplished tonight. Because experience tells me that editing is coming, no matter what.

So tonight is a brilliant setting sun and ice cream. It's dancing and a little blog hopping. It's the right time for those things.

Alas, I know there'll be more edits to come. Once my book is gone over with a fine tooth comb by the lovely staff at Desert Breeze Publishing, there'll be further things to address, I'm sure. Something I missed, though I've done my best to make my story error-free and sparkling, and I've sunk deep into character and plot to keep my readers turning pages into the night. I think they'll find The Red Fury gripping and possibly my best work yet.

But until then, I'll have to give it another round. Like Mr. Wilson says in his author video blog (also on You Tube) "Much of a writer's life is spent editing. It's a sad truth. We'd like to say that it's spent writing, but that would be a lie."

Speaking with Spirit (Thoughts on an Excellent Book, and a Heavenly Prodding)

2011-05-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a whole lot of public speaking, but neither have I shied away from occasions to stand in front of a group and discuss topics I'm passionate about. I admit to thinking I would enjoy more opportunities for public speaking, even though I'm not an unflinchingly brave extrovert. I quiver with as much self-consciousness in the limelight as the next gal who'd just as soon be sitting before a computer screen letting her characters do all the talking.

But neither am I shy.

I bring this up because I feel God compelling me to learn more about effective public speaking. And I don't take His still, small nudge lightly. It may be I'll never have to do more than speak in front of a local community group. It may be only for my personal growth. But the last time God started leading me to "investigate an idea" it changed my life. I ended up homeschooling four children from kindergarten through high school graduation. (The fifth and final will graduate in 2012.)

With His prompting in mind, the most delightful book I've read on the subject thus far has been Speaking with Spirit - A Guide for Christian Public Speakers by Dr. Wanda Vassallo. I discovered it through American Christian Writers, a small but very worthy national organization devoted to the development of Christian writers in both fiction and non-fiction. I won't go into all the details, but Ms. Vassallo has a list of speech writing and speaking credentials a mile long, and she's one of the only writers out there to have written an entire book on this subject from a Christian world view. The opening of the book not only draws on Jesus' example as we consider audience, anecdotes, and personalization, but Ms. Vassallo addresses the issue of impact, and what it really means to speak before an audience as a Christian.

Topically, she addressed everything -- stage fright, vocal warm-ups, stage presence, mechanics, audience connection, humor, Q&A sessions, visual aids, technique, speech-writing, 16 types of speeches, length, meetings, evaluations, television, organization, and speaking the Scriptures -- not to mention a myriad of sub-categories within each of these.

As a writer, I was especially drawn to her material because of the way she stressed the importance of developing our connection to our audience. In that, there's no real difference between the written and the spoken word, and yet it's done at an entirely different level.

Do you feel as if God might be calling you to speak? Do you teach Sunday school? Preach? Lead meetings? Host Bible studies? Act as a club member or leader? Work as any kind of liaison, in your job or otherwise?

There are hordes of ways we are called to speak or teach, even if it is not our primary calling or ambition. I recommend Dr. Vassallo's book whole-heartedly.

Today's special guests: Sojourners from the Third Crusade in K.M. Weiland's "Behold the Dawn"

2009-11-13T04:24:00.000-08:00

Every now and then a story comes along that will not let us go. Characters create such a strong persona and presence that we can't forget them. Behold the Dawn, by author K.M. Weiland, is such a story.

I freely admit that I am particularly drawn to historical novels of epic proportions. That said, Behold the Dawn is my favorite read of 2009 so far. Therefore, I'm thrilled to have had the chance to step a little further into the lives of the characters of Ms. Weiland's book and to get to know them a little better here today.

I invite you to join me in greeting the knight Annan, the Lady Mairead, and another guest who shall remain nameless as a little surprise to the others. But first, here's a synopsis of their story:

Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade.

Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescues an English noblewoman from an infidel prison camp and flees to Constantinople. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn’t even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago.

The sins of a bishop.
The vengeance of a monk.
The secrets of a knight.

Hello, and welcome, Master Knight. Thank you for your willingness to talk to readers today about your story.

You held many secrets for years and years. Once situations arose to force you to face them, did it then become easier to consider telling your story to all of us? What was that like? (or) what convinced you to bare your soul and tell your story to Ms. Weiland?

I don’t know that it will ever be easy. I’m not proud of my past. I still don’t enjoy talking about it. But it was a story that needed to be told.

During those agonizing years, what sort of things did you often think about but not say out loud?

Mostly everything. I’ve never been given to small talk. I say what needs to be said and not much more. My actions have always done more of my talking than my mouth.

Tell us more about how you met Marek. What of your past did he know when the story began?

I found Marek about to be thrown into prison for stealing bread. He was a grubby, gringing youth who had never had a guiding hand or a chance to make an honest man of himself. I’ve no doubt someone could have done a better job of that last than me, but I was the only one at hand, so I bought off his debt and took him as indentured servant. Marek knew of me only what he could see. I never talked about the past with him. But he always was a quick lad, with a sharp mind and rabid sense of curiosity, so ‘twouldn’t surprise me if he pieced together more of my story than I ever thought he could know.

You indicate many profound regrets. Is there one that stands out that you are willing to tell us here, (or should readers wait to read the story to find out what that is)?

I regret many things, although, by the grace of God, I’ve surrendered my mistakes to Him and put them behind me. They are no longer the haunting weight I can’t escape. But I suppose if I had to pick only one regret, it would be my disagreement with my elder brother. I suppose I always held anger in my heart against him because he was my father’s favorite and, as is usually the case with the eldest son, his sole heir. We continued to be at odds throughout our youth, until finally our friction culminated in a brawl. His wife, Lucinda, attempted to intervene and was struck down. Both she and the twins with whom she was pregnant were killed. If any one event can be claimed as the catalyst for the mistakes that followed, including the tragedy of St. Dunstan’s Abbey and my eventual descent into the tourney fields, it was that my sister-in-law’s death.

Tell us about Gethin - what he was like before his course was changed and he became known as the Baptist.

It’s strange how pain changes a man. Gethin was always impassioned, always on fire for righteousness and reform—and there was no place that needed both so badly as St. Dunstan’s, where I went to serve penance after my sister-in-law’s death. But before the day when the abbot, Roderic of Devonshire, had him beaten like a dog and thrown out to die in the roadside, Gethin had not yet been touched by the ravaging fire of vengeance. During my stay at the Abbey, he was the one who comforted me in my grief and my guilt. He was the one who led me to search for answers, reading the Holy Texts in the scriptorium. He was the one who introduced me to a personal God. The irony of what he became will always be a wound in my soul. He was my friend; indeed, he was the brother of my heart.

You saw Marek become a man during the Crusade. He seems to have gotten under your skin. Have you heard anything of him lately?

I owe Marek more than he knows. I picked him out of the streets to save his life, but he saved mine more than once—and in more ways than one. He and Dolly live not far over the hills from Mairead and me. Their first little one is on the way, and Marek’s fit to be tied. Much as he’s grown, I’ve sometimes my doubts about the laddie being ready to be a father.

How did you become a tourneyer? Is there anything that would ever call you back to such a life, or to battle?

Battle has always been the fire in my blood, for as long as I can recall. You have to remember that this society of ours is a society of warriors. An educated man is one who can fight and ride. The battlefield was the school of my youth, and I learned its lessons well. I thrived upon them. Indeed, violence has always been my siren. When I left St. Dunstan’s in despair, the tourneys were the obvious choice. Many second sons, void of any fortune, sought to make their living in the melee battles. I disappeared into the gaudy, gory world of the tourneys, hoping deep in my heart, I suppose, that I would find the end of my sorrows in inevitable death. But, thank God, such was not to be.

I admit, even still, the battles call to me. I miss the weight of my mail shirt upon my back, the clench of my fist around a sword, the swell of my destrier’s galloping muscles beneath me. But, nay, I’ll never go back. I have found a better life. I’ve put my violent skills to better use, opening a school to train young men to defend themselves. I live in quietude now. I live in peace.

Thank you, Sir. I congratulate you on your new path.

(Turning to Mairead)
Mairead, I'm honored that you would join us here to discuss your story. First, I have to admit that I'm not certain I'm pronouncing your name correctly. Can you help us with that?

Of course. It’s pronounced MARE-ade—with a little roll of the “r.” It’s a Gaelic name that means “pearl.”

Thank you. When readers first meet you, you are the wife of Lord William, Earl of Keaton. It was a traumatic event that brought that marriage into being. What brought you and Lord William to the Holy Land?

I met William when I visited the royal court (what little of it was left in London with the king in residence in Normandy). I knew from the beginning that he was a fine man—a man in a million. But not until my trouble did I discover how deep his honor went. I was… Let’s put it this way: I was pursued against my will by Lord Hugh, Earl of Guerrant, and compromised beyond recall. William married me both to save me from shame and to protect me from Lord Hugh’s further advances.

I know that it is a tender subject, but perhaps you can tell us how you met Lord Hugh, and how long it was that he had been pursuing you.

I think the first time I saw him was when he and a party of other lords came to hunt with my father at our home in Glen Taet. He showed me marked interest, but not until I met him again in London did his advances become intolerable.

You and Annan found yourselves in a very unexpected circumstance when you were placed in his protection. Did you, in your wildest imagination, ever think that you might desire to remain in that protection indefinitely?

No. All I wanted was to escape to the convent in Orleans. William had already prepared a place for me there, against such a tragic occurrence as his death. He wanted me to be protected, if he were no longer able to do it himself.

Tell us about your feelings when Lord William first placed you in that protection of Annan's.

William trusted Annan to protect me, and I trusted William. But all I knew of Annan at that time was that he was a condemned tourneyer, a man with the blood of countless upon his hands. He was so big and so brusque and so… lethal. For all I knew he was another Hugh de Guerrant. I wanted only to keep him at arm’s length for the entirety of our journey.

What was it about the Baptist's teachings that made you and Lord William such ardent followers of him for so long?

The Baptist was zealous; he was inflamed with a passion for reform in the Church. He saw the corruption. Indeed, he had witnessed it firsthand. And when he spoke of the need for reformation, his words burned with truth. His charisma was inescapable. William had known him long before I did, and he seemed to trust him implicitly, even when he didn’t always agree with some of his more violent ideas.

You have been able to come terms with the secrets of your past. But, are there times when they ever haunt you still? Do moments remain when you and Annan still have to bear eachother up?

Absolutely. The nightmares still come—for both of us. But the past is the past. We’ve both put it behind us. What’s done is done. It’s over now, and we want only to look forward to each new day, with thankfulness in our hearts that the Lord God has allowed us to spend them together.

What was it like telling your story to Ms. Weiland? How did you meet her? Are the two of you anything alike?

I don’t know that I really told her my story. She just discovered it. She met me first in the prison camp in Tyre—though at time she envisioned it rather more like a dank English dungeon than a ragged collection of tents. We’re not really very much alike, I don’t think. She’s more cynical than I am. More like Annan than me, really!

Thank you, Lady, for sharing your story, again, here today.

And now I'd like to bring out another guest.

(Marek enters. Annan stands and they clasp arms in greeting.)

Surprise, Annan! You didn't know that we'd invited Marek here today.

(Marek sits, smiling.)

I have a simple question for you, first, Marek. Please tell us all about Maid Dolly, starting with how you met her.

Oh, Dolly! My bonny Dolly. ‘Twas her face that kept me alive during the long, hard years of indentureship. (It’s not easy being responsible for a troll, you know. Wasn’t for me, Annan would be roaming around without a decent meal or a shod horse. He doesn’t even ken how lucky he was to find me three years ago. Who knows where he’d be without me to keep him from getting killed.) Anyway, Dolly—I met my lovely maid in Glasgow when I was yet a pup. She never exactly promised that she’d marry me. But we set that all to rights soon as I got back from that blinking Crusade.

In the course of the story, we see you grow from boy to man. Was there any specific point in which you felt that change happening in yourself?

Oh, when everyone else is running amuck all around you, losing their heads, and getting themselves deep into trouble, somebody’s got to keep his wits about him. I knew going to the Holy Land was a good idea for Annan (had to get him absolved somehow!), but I guess I didn’t expect to grow so much meself. When the day came that Annan trusted me with the only thing in this world that was precious to him—and I failed… I guess that was when I realized that I was facing the greatest challenge of my life.

How are you now? Do you have scars or are you quite recovered from your injuries?

Oh, I’m all right now, mum. My shoulder’s good as new, and it’d take more’n a bang on the head to dent me.

What do you think of Annan, now; after all you've been through together?

Don’t tell him I’m saying this—‘cuz it’d only go to head, you know—but Annan’s the best thing ever happened in me life. I was just a street urchin before. Only bread in my mouth was what I stole from the pockets of someone else. That’s how Annan found me. Some whinging old shopkeeper nabbed me and had every intention of chucking me into the dungeon. But Annan obviously realized that I’d make him a top-rate companion and bodyguard, so he snatched me up. And he changed my life. Taught me to fight, to ride, to live honorably. Aye, in spite of everything—it was Marcus Annan who taught me about honor.

(Addressing the group)

Has anyone heard from Lady Eloise recently? If so, how is she faring? Has she ever gotten used to Annan and who he is to Mairead?

(Annan leaning forward)

We stopped to see Eloise before leaving the Holy Land. Brother Warin is still with her, as well as her faithful servant Ducard. They’re slowly rebuilding the castle—as well as their lives. I think she’s reconciled to Mairead being my wife… though she made a grumbling remark or two to Mairead before we left.

The three of you are an unlikely troupe when you find yourselves together on the Mohammeden desert. In what ways did you each find yourselves adjusting?

(Mairead smiles and glances at the others)

Diverse as the three of us are, we eventually fell into an easy companionship. I think the hardest thing for me was learning to interpret Annan. I didn’t realize at first that his silence and his gruffness were just a mask for the compassionate man within. Thank the saints for Marek! He was the buffer between us until we got ourselves sorted out.

Well, you all have an amazing story, and I'm happy that you have found that peace that your were striving for. Thank you again, for being guests today on THE SECRET LIVES OF CHARACTERS.

K.M. Weiland (http://www.kmweiland.com/) writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She is the author of A Man Called Outlaw (http://www.amazon.com/Man-Called-Outlaw-K-Weiland/dp/0978924606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253051593&sr=8-1) and the recently released Behold the Dawn (http://www.amazon.com/Behold-Dawn-K-M-Weiland/dp/0978924614/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254172766&sr=8-2). She blogs at Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors (http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/) and AuthorCulture (http://authorculture.blogspot.com/).

Join me for further review of Behold the Dawn, and an investigation into what makes an epic at WRITE REASON: www.naomimusch.com/apps/blog

Introducing Patti Lacy's Cast from "What the Bayou Saw"

2009-10-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! You don't want to miss this line-up! Today my guests have come a long ways to visit with me here in the tip-top of northern Wisconsin. I'm talking about coming from the deep south (and for me that means Illinois. Ha!) But really, most of my guests hale from as far away as Louisiana. I've invited the characters of Patti Lacy's What the Bayou Saw to stop in and talk about their lives. This is one fun and opinionated bunch of folks, and I can hardly wait to get started. Despite their harrowing story, God has really done some amazing things in their lives. Welcome with me Sally, Ella, Shamika, and Willie.

Hello Sally. Let's start with you.

Hi, Naomi! Just LOVE your name! Kinda Swiss, isn’t it?

(Chuckling). Well, not swiss exactly, but thank you. I feel especially privileged to have you and your friends here with us today. We met you before, in Patti's other book, The Irishwoman's Tale, but had no idea of the tragedies and secrets in your past. You spent most of your life burying the past and all its ugly memories. When the tragedy occurred with your student Shamika, did it occur to you that you might be forced to dredge up your own past by becoming involved with her?

Heavens to Betsy, no! It all started with that spark on the first day of school—well, I’d better back up. Have you taught, Naomi? Been a student? You know how that gray matter just swells in some students until it oozes outta their brains? That’s the way it was with Shamika. I just saw the possibilities! And then when that awful thing happened to her, well, I just HAD to go visit her at the hospital, and then when her aunt was so sassy, well I don’t know what happened! I just opened my mouth, and things started spillin’ out!

That day as a little girl on your way to school when you encountered Rufus and then the black boy, you seemed to come the conclusion that the adult world couldn't be trusted, isn't that so?

Well, I was soooo confused. I mean, I trusted my parents and my Sunday school teachers, but then Rufus and the mean new teacher just messed with my mind. I really didn’t know WHAT to think!

Is that what made it easy to lie about what happened, rather than to tell someone?

Well…yes! You know, I just couldn’t keep QUIET! That just wouldn’t be ME! So…I kinda fibbed. I mean, I did tell about losing my lunch money and being late, can’t you see? A kinda sorta lie!

Oh, dear. This is what Sam and I have been working on with the counselor.

Can you tell us about the progression of lying in your life, how it took hold, or what you learned from it?

Well, see, it’s kinda hard to explain to a regular person. I lied about Rufus and didn’t have to go the wholly nasty thing again—I mean that incident on the way to school. Then when the President got killed and I got—well, the bayou thing happened, well, I could just NEVER tell anyone about that! It’s just so personal. And it just got easier to avoid personal things and tell little white lies.

Sometimes people really do like it when you giggle and steer away from problems.
I hope that helps you understand, Naomi. I really want us to be friends.

Sure I do. That's sometimes part of human nature. On the other side of things, you love to teach. Where do you think that came from?

Well, Momma and Daddy, of course!

It took so much courage (that you didn't seem to know you had) to finally tell everyone the truth -- your family, your old friends, Shamika and her aunt -- what made you decide to tell the story to Patti so that she could share it with the world?

Oh, Naomi, my son adopted my habit of lying. I just couldn’t let it continue. Kinda like if you sneaked food all the time and then realized your daughter started having issues with food. Uh, well, you know what I mean, don’t you? I mean, that’s just an example. I mean, I don’t have problems with food.

Telling the story to Patti is something I’d rather not talk about. She didn’t get my permission, and I’m really not that happy about it.

I'm sorry to hear that. Can you also tell us how you two met?

Well, we both taught at Heartland, and we met in the Teachers’ Lounge. Then I saw her one day in the coffee bar at Barnes & Noble, and she’s just so—well, you know, kinda pushy and kept bugging me about things, and I was going through counseling and was being encouraged to open up around people, and it all kinda blurted out. Kinda like Mary’s story did with me. But I asked Mary if I could write her story, and Patti didn’t do any such thing!

Hey, Naomi, you’re not gonna mention this to Patti, are you? Hold on. I’ve gotta go get something to eat.

Okay. I’m back. Uh, Naomi, I really need to be getting home. Are you about done? I mean, I want to be helpful and all…

What things do you and Patti have in common; and how are you different from one another?

Well, we both teach and from what I saw in the teachers’ lounge, that woman sure likes to eat. I heard she’s from the South, but she sure doesn’t have much of her accent left. As far as I can tell, that’s about it.

When you and Ella met again in the unsegregated high school, despite your deep friendship, and the horrible secret you shared, you pulled away from her. Now that time, truth, and years have changed you, can you tell us why you think it happened that way at the time?

Naomi, can you BELIEVE that the counselor asked me that VERY QUESTION? I just wanted to fit in. You know, I’d finally gotten to be a part of something, and believe you me, the Bengal Belles were a VERY BIG DEAL down in Monroe, Louisiana, and since I wasn’t old friends with all those gals, I just figured they’d drop me like a hot yeast roll if I made friends with a colored—with a black girl.

At the end of the story, your own daughter Suzi presents you with quite a shock. How are you handling that now?

Oh, Naomi, haven’t you HEARD? Suzi and Joseph are EXPECTING! They are both in grad school and just doing sooo well. Joseph just couldn’t be any better of a hubbie to Suzi Q.

Me and Sam and Ed are flyin’ in Mama, and we’re gonna spend Christmas at their little rent house! And Joseph’s family is SOOO nice, you just wouldn’t believe it! We’ll probably get together and play Apples to Apples. They are that down to earth!

Well that’s wonderful to hear. Thanks so much for dropping by Sally. It’s been wonderful to talk to you.

Bye-bye, Naomi! Now don’t be tellin’ this to Patti, okay?

I’ll try and keep mum.

***

Hello Ella. Thanks for coming from such a long way to talk to us.

Hello, Naomi.

Ella, you are an incredibly brave woman; and you were an incredibly brave little girl. Thank you for being my guest as well. How did you manage to hold your secrets inside for so many years, especially while your brother was in prison?

I had made not only a promise but a blood oath. In the Ward family, a promise is not to be broken. Plus no one would’a believed my word against a white woman’s.

What was there about the new white girl living on the other side of the fence that drew you to want to become friends when you knew how both your families would feel about that? Were there times you ever tried to forget her?

Lawd, you neva seen such a cute face! All freckly and pale. And she had these blue eyes that jus’ danced! At that time books was her best friends—just like me. Course now you might say we’s best friends, the way everything’s worked out. Last year I helped Sally with the decorations for Suzi’s and Joseph’s wedding. (That Sally, you know, she can barely tie a bow.)

The day that changed you and Sally's lives forever -- is there anything about what the two of you did that day or about how you handled it after, that you regret?

Shoot, girl, don’t YOU have regrets? I know I sho’ do. Should’a tole Momma and Daddy, that’s fo sho’. But I don’t know that anything would’a been any different. You know, folks jes’ didn’t listen to blacks back then. Sometimes they don’t listen now.

Can you tell us, personally, about the role that the Holy Spirit has played in your life through that time, and in the years since?

That Spirit always blowin’ fresh wind, fresh fire into my soul ever since I be a little girl. Now sometimes I’ve ignored Him, that’s fo’ sho’, but He always been there helpin’ me along. He counseled me through Willie’s troubles, counseled me through college and nursin’ school. Counselin’ me now on how to be a doctor’s wife and a nurse at the same time!

What an encouraging reminder. Thanks, Ella.

***

Welcome to Secret Lives of Characters, Shamika. Thank you for coming as well.

Well, I got a hair appointment in ten minutes, so you better make ’em quick.

You didn't trust Sally for a long time. What finally made you realize that she genuinely wanted to help you and be your friend?

After what dem cops did to Daddy, there’s always a part of me that don’t trust no whites. But Sally, she kinda prove herself, you know? That woman, she shore is crazy, but she tryin’ to get there. Ain’t that what we all doin’?

How difficult is it, to come here today, or how hard was it for you to tell your part of the story to Patti?

Tell you the truth, I only came ’cause Ruby say I have to. Say it’ll be good practice for my student teaching.

What was it like, working with Patti?

That woman be one royal pain. She just won’t let up. Aunt Ruby say kinda like me.

Things happened to you that set your life on course; things you had no control over. If another tragedy came your way, how might the things you've gone through make you respond differently now?

Me and lyin’ have parted ways. It jes’ ain’t no good for me. Detective Price done convinced me of that.

Are you and Sally still friends? Have you had the chance to become acquainted her family?

Well, prob’ly not friends, but she like my great-aunt or something. She even invite me to her daughter’s weddin’. Boy, you should’a seen them folks try and dance. Look like chickens out there flappin’ around on the dance floor!

Sally was your teacher, but do you think she might have learned anything from you?

Oh, I think prob’ly everyone learns something from me.

You're probably right about that. Thank you, again Shamika. I hope you're not late for your appointment.

***

Willie, I'm sure you, as much as anyone, would like to leave the past behind you. You spent many years in prison, an innocent man; you laid down your life, in essence for those you cared about and loved. What kept you from becoming bitter, or did you struggle with that?

Naomi, you been on crack? Yep, that’s what I thought. Since that Spirit conked me in de head, I ain’t struggled with no bitterness, I just so grateful to be free. And I ain’t talkin’ those cell bars. I’m talking about mind and body and soul free. No dope. No nuttin’! Ain’t nuttin’ like it!

What were your dreams and hopes as a young man before events took hold and changed the course of your life?

Ain’t never wanna do nothin’ but toot that silly horn.

What kinds of things did you often think about during those turbulent days, but not say?

How unfair it was that they think I’d mess with those girls just cause my skin be darker than theirs. How dey hated me though they didn’t know the first thing ’bout me.

If you could have one wish or one prayer answered right now, what would it be?

That I find a nice woman who love the Lord.

(Smiling) Well, I'll be praying for you on that score then. I have a couple of more questions that anyone can feel free to answer.

Well, Sally and Shamika have skipped outta here, jes’ leavin’ me and Willie. I guess we’ll take turns.

I'd like to ask either of you, what do you (or did you at that time in the past) believe in so strongly, that it might (or did) affect your actions?

Ella here. Lovin’ someone through their pain. I jes’ never give up on my Willie.

What are your dreams today?

Willie on board. Pretty much that nice godly woman.

Do any of you think that you'll work with Patti again sometime, or do you know anyone who might be willing to share their stories with her?

Uh, I think I can speak for my brother and me. She ’bout wore the both of us out. Always pushin’ and pryin’. But I hear she found some woman down in N’Awlins and she’s done written a book about her! Some woman named Sheba. Can you believe that? And Sally tole me she’s plannin’ to go to all the way to China to get some woman’s story. Now don’t that jes’ beat all?

Do either of you have anything else you'd like to share or comment upon?

Naomi, you ’bout wore us out as well.

Thank you all for coming. Thank you, Patti, for taking down their stories so wonderfully.

Patti Lacy's novels explore the secrets women keep and why they keep them. Her first novel, An Irishwoman's Tale, visits the captivating cliffs of Ireland, where God helps a woman pick up the broken pieces of her past to find healing and the power to forgive in the present.

She's just completed book #3, My Name is Sheba, and is currently at work on a 4th project titled Reclaiming Lily.

Visit Patti and watch the trailers for her books at www.pattilacy.com

For further review & a writers' exam of What the Bayou Saw visit: http://www.naomimusch.com/apps/blog/show/1122866-book-exam-what-the-bayou-saw-by-patti-lacy

Introducing Special Guests: Characters from Deborah Kinnard's "Angel With a Back Hoe"

2009-09-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, friends! I'm very excited to bring to you an interview with the characters of Deborah Kinnard's new book Angel With a Back Hoe, which is releasing tomorrow, 10/1/09 from Desert Breeze Publishing. If you enjoyed Deb's Angel With a Ray Gun, then you know you can expect a great read. So, allow me to introduce to you the two main characters of this modern day romance, Diane Marshall, and Paul Cameron.

Hi, Diane. It's great to meet you in person. I'm so glad you decided to share your story with Deborah. Before your story starts, you are trying to overcome a broken heart. Would you say that that was the most important event in your life up to that time? Why or why not?

It sure was traumatic. It even shook my faith to some extent. See, I figured God had answered prayer. I just didn't know He was saying "no". Maybe I was too stubborn or set on my own way, to see that at the time.

What did your parents think about you choosing the line of work you are in? Was going against convention this way difficult for your family to accept?

Mom was all for it, probably because she had a conventional "woman's" job her entire working life. By now she's bored by it and can't wait to retire. My dad left when I was small, and as far as my brother Connor--I never cared what he thought one way or another. Connor's a jerk.

My first impression after reading your story, is that you struggle with a fair amount of insecurity. Would you agree; and, how did you, with that disposition, ever decide to become a lady building contractor?

In high school I was good at math and the science courses that dealt with physical things. Sometimes I was better than the guys! They'd tease me and call me a wonk and suggest I get glasses so I'd look the part. I suppose I learned to develop a thick skin early. I also learned to hide how it hurt, sometimes, and get secure in myself in a different way than some other girls do. Prayer helped a lot! In college, the counselors looked at my grades and test scores, and asked if I'd ever considered engineering. I said, "I sure have!" and the rest, I guess, is history.

Prior to coming to DeBrett and facing up to your insecurities and the chance for a new life, is there anyplace you habitually felt uneasy, or least at home?

I can't think of anywhere--except anywhere Connor is. Did I mention he's a jerk?

Many of us would like to know how you were first introduced to Deborah Kinnard? Was it a fast friendship right away?

Not at first. I met her at church. She's a little older than me and has a big laugh and a bit of a loud mouth. We shared a table at a Christmas event the year before Paul and I met, and I got a chance to talk with her. She's a kind lady though most people don't realize that at first.

What made you decide to share your story with her?

I didn't, not consciously. But she talked about how a woman can feel powerless, and can become resentful of God, whose timing is always exactly right. She told me she'd had a similar experience to mine with Nick, and it really deepened our friendship. Once Paul and I were engaged, I confessed the whole thing .

Are the two of you very much alike? If so, in what way? How are your personalities different?

She thinks we're similar, but we're not. She's spent her entire career in a mundane sort of job. She wanted to be a doctor but was held back and held herself back, I think. I saw what I could be good at, and went for it.

Might you ever work with her again in the future? (Maybe give us a sequel?)

It's possible--you never know! Maybe she'll settle right here in DeBrett once she retires!

Did you ever keep a journal while your were enamoured of Nick? And if you did, what sort of things would Paul find if he looked in it?

I did keep one for a short while. When Nick linked up with Lauren, I got very upset one night and I burned it. So that's one thing I don't have to worry about Paul reading!

What's going on with you these days, if you can tell us without spoiling the story?

Paul and I are hoping to start a family. That hasn't happened yet. He's fine with that so far, but I'm feeling a little anxious about it. Meantime, I'm establishing RCS-South, and we've already got several renovation jobs lined up for next season. I work from home, and I love it.

How are all the folks in DeBrett? Anything exciting going on there since the story?

Actually, yes. Joe Texidor and...well, he told me not to tell anybody. Trouble is, in this small a community, everyone I'm not supposed to tell has already heard!

Is there anything about Paul that you would change if you could?

He's too careless sometimes. I'd change that, maybe...although this impulsive nature is part of what I love most. He's in love with life, and it shows. This is how God made him to live, and the reckless ways are all part of that. I try to get his back and keep him as safe as a wife can.

Have Nick and Paul ever met?

No, and I hope they don't. I'm not sure what Paul would say to him. See reckless nature above.

What's the most romantic date you've been on lately?

We drove up to Oakwood to see Pam, Mom and his parents. Paul took me back to my favorite Polynesian restaurant, the one we went to the night he proposed. That place will always have great memories. Plus, they serve very tasty fish!

Thanks, Diane.

Well, Paul. You've been listening patiently while Diane has told us a few things about the two of you. What about you? How do you feel about sharing your story with thousands of people? Can you tell us anything about the process of sharing your story with Deborah?

It was all my wife's idea. Kind of a woman thing. I don't see why women are always making fairy tales out of everything, but Diane wanted to do it, so... I'm a bit more private than my wife is. I'm the one who made Mrs. Kinnard change our names and the name of our town, though. I don't want a fan club!

I can tell you're a ladies' man. Have you ever known to write love letters? To whom? Diane, or your former wife? Anybody else?

I stick to e-mail. And I don't get soppy. If I like you, I'll tell you to your face.

Were you as much of a romantic before you became a believer?

I barely remember the time before I became a believer...nah, that's not quite true. I don't really like to dwell on the past much. Before I believed, I guess I got around quite a bit with women. I like women. But I didn't treat them like people, maybe. I had fun dating, and I'm, like, a normal guy. Do we HAVE to talk about this?

Well, how about one more question on that. Does Diane ever get jealous?

I don't know yet. I don't pay much attention to other ladies, if that's what you mean. If a guy gets married, he oughta pay attention to the lady he's got. If he wants to run around, he should stay single.

How about you?

Well, there was this guy who hurt her pretty bad, before me. If I ever run into him, I'm going to take him apart and put him back together inside out. But no, I'm not jealous of a git like that.

Have you and Diane disagreed about anything recently? Are you willing to tell us what about, if so?

All our disagreements are based on her doing stuff she shouldn't do. Mostly on the job sites. She's not very big. I tell her when she's overdoing it, and she knows I'm usually right. So she stops doing that stuff. I think.

If you can tell us, would you be willing to share what some of your current hopes are for the future, now that so much has changed in your life?

Like, do I want kids and stuff? Sure. Most of that stuff is private, though. I want Diane's business to grow and all that, so she has a bunch of trusty employees by the time God sees fit to give us kids. My own gig is doing all right just like it is. And I think I'd like to go on missions trips in Central America, if the Lord allows. I haven't talked about that with her, so don't mention it, okay?

Well, I can see that you guys know how to keep things hopping in your relationship. I bet readers will want to know all about it from the beginning. I believe they can check your lives out further by visiting Deb's site: http://www.debkinnard.com/ or by hopping over to Desert Breeze Publishing and downloading the Angel With a Back Hoe for their Kindle. http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/
Deborah Kinnard likes writing "Sassy Fiction for Today's Christian Woman". She is the author of Angel With a Ray Gun which has recieved a Coffee Time Romance award, and she is slated to release Seasons in the Mist, a medievel time-travel romance with Sheaf House in the spring of 2010.

You can read a book exam/review of Angel With a Back Hoe over at the Write Reason Blog http://www.naomimusch.com/apps/blog/show/1846280-book-exam-angel-with-a-back-hoe-by-deborah-kinnard

Introducing Special Guests: Characters from Cindy Woodsmall's "The Hope of Refuge"

2009-09-11T05:13:00.000-07:00

Today I’m pleased to introduce to readers a few of the residents of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, the community created in Cindy Woodsmall newest novel “The Hope of Refuge”, published by Waterbrook Press. Cindy will be sitting in on the interview as well. Here’s the jacket synopsis:

Raised in foster care and now a widowed single parent, New Yorker Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and her daughter, Lori, away from the city toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers to mysteries from her past and a fresh start. She quickly discovers that Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, is no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God —“Be me to her”—even though doing so threatens his way of life.
Fearful of the strange Englischer woman causing turmoil for her family, Ephraim’s sister Deborah tries to focus on the marriage and home she longs to begin with Mahlon Stolzfus. Her dreams are threatened when her fiancé begins behaving oddly, withdrawing, causing concern for both Deborah and Mahlon’s mother, Ada. Will Ada’s vision for transforming a run-down house unite them all in a common purpose—or push Mahlon away forever?
Torn between the requirements of his community and trying to do what he believes is right, Ephraim risks losing everything, including a developing friendship with the guarded single mother. And only he knows that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake—secrets with the power to tear apart the home Cara is desperately trying to create.

I’m going to start with Cara, who’s shown a remarkable amount of bravery, though not by choice, I’m sure. Cara, you’ve struggled with a lot of fear and mistrust in your life. What made you willing to share your story with Cindy? And what was it like working with her?

“It was difficult at first to open up to anyone, but through my friendships with Ephraim, Ada, and Deborah I’m starting to understand that some people are trustworthy. Since people I’ve learned to trust told Cindy about me before we met, I found it easier to talk to her than I would have otherwise. She seems to put a lot of effort into truly hearing the story behind the simplicity of the words I share, and rather than judge me, she’s awed at what I’ve lived through—although it’s clear that she can’t truly know what it’s like to be jaded and streetwise from an early age.”

How were you and Cindy introduced to each other?

“A couple of times a year, Cindy visits Dry Lake—or rather she visits the place her book refers to as Dry Lake—and mutual friends shared my story with her.”

To Cindy:

Some people have strong memories of their childhood years. Why do you think Cara has so few and fleeting?

“I read that when children are traumatized, their bodies’ first response is to become overwhelmingly sleepy. A child’s emotions are on overload during and after a trauma and they, by design, escape through falling asleep. Many times memories have a similar response to trauma.

“Children only remember snapshots of life from when they were young, and memories have a way of hiding if they only bring confusion and pain to the person involved. Sometimes after a serious trauma takes place, a child will gradually forget more and more of their life before the trauma took place. Parents and siblings and photos often help a child recall events by adding word triggers (“Remember when…?”). But if the child doesn’t have anyone who remembers any part of his or her past, those memories can fade into nothingness.”

Back to Cara:

Do you ever worry about Mike showing up in Dry Lake or Hope Crossing someday?

“You know, there’s not much chance of him finding me. He has no way of knowing which direction I headed when I disappeared. I don’t have the sort of job where he could track me. I don’t use my social security number, don’t own a phone, don’t use credit cards or even rent a house in my name. Still, the fear of Mike seeps into my dreams from time to time and it makes me wonder if I’ve left some clue I’m unaware of. I guess only time will tell.”

Have you thought about continuing the journal that your mother left for you?

“It’s full.” (She smiles.) “I will always treasure my journal and the connection to the past and the pathway to my future that it opened for me. But looking at it from a different perspective, I have a chance to live my own life now, and I have to do that rather than dwelling in a past that can’t be changed.”

To Ephraim:

You seem to be quite a ladies’ man, if you don’t mind my saying. What was it about all those girls you courted in the past that made you know that they weren’t the ones for you? And was it a little weird dating Anna Mary after you’d already dated her sister?

(Ephraim chuckles.) “A ladies’ man? Can’t say I ever saw myself that way, and I’m pretty sure an Amish man couldn’t be a “ladies’ man” in the way Englischers use the term. Most of the girls I’ve courted were great people, just not who I wanted to build a life with. There was an emptiness inside me that no one ever came close to filling until … well, you know. And you’re right, it was very uncomfortable courting Susanna and then her younger sister Anna Mary. I never wanted it to work out that way, and I avoided Anna Mary for a long time because of that. But then I realized that Susanna was married and happy, so why should she care? And I couldn’t ignore someone who might be the right one simply because I’d courted her sister years earlier.”

What sort of things did Cara find when she organized the closet in the bedroom of your house?

“Junk mostly. You know, old screwdrivers, door handles, strips of leather from when I had to rework a harness, suspenders with no elasticity left in them. Old clothes I never threw out but are too worn to actually wear” (He smiles.) “And then Cara discovered a box of stuff I hadn’t looked at in years—photos from my rumschpringe days both in Dry Lake and among the Englischers. Stuffed inside that box were letters my mother had written to friends of hers. Some of her friends gave them to me after she passed.”

Being Amish, how comfortable were you sharing your story, especially with an Englischer like Cindy?

“My Daed is the one who started telling her the story, so at first I was uncomfortable. As you know, Daed tends to say things he probably shouldn’t. So after Cindy sat in my hiddy and talked with me for a while, I went from just answering her questions to telling her my side of the story.”

How does Deborah seem to be doing these days, if I may ask?

“Just about the time I think she’s doing pretty good, she takes another dip into heartache. There’s something inside her that can’t seem to let go of what’s happened. But I don’t think I can be the one to help her—maybe Cara or Lena, but not me.”

To Deborah, Anna Mary, Lena, Rachel, Linda, Nancy, Lydia, Frieda, and Esther:

Do any of you wish that Cara had not told her story? If so, can you tell us why? Feel free to share any of your thoughts about Cara doing this . . . or about Ephraim telling his side of the story.

“I’m Rachel, and it’s a little hard to be completely open about that with Cara in the room with us at Ada’s House.”

(Cara straightens her shoulders.) “You think you can say something about me and how tough this has been for all of you that I don’t already know?”

(Rachel offers a lopsided smile.) “I guess you’re right.” (She draws a deep breath.) “We all talked about it one night, and Cara telling the story was the least of our frustrations. The hard part was when she showed up in Dry Lake. Her presence shifted and altered all of our lives as well as the lives of people we love. Most of us are still not sure how we feel about her, but she’s here now. Some of us dread how the next few years might play out.” (She glances to Anna Mary.)” And some of us believe we have already seen the worst that will happen.”

Are any of you considering sharing your own stories with Cindy?

“My name is Lena. A lot of readers will remember me as the one with a birthmark on her cheek. None of the other girls want to speak up, so I will. I think it’s time for my life to change. I’m twenty-three years old and I’ve never been asked out. Until now I haven’t minded. I chose to believe what my mother promised me before she died—that I’d find the right man, and when I did he’d see beyond my mark and into my heart. I know I can’t choose for it to be my time, but I’m sure ready to step forward and see what . . . and who . . . is out there for me.”

Have you played any hilarious pranks on one another lately?

(Cara looks to Deborah and shrugs.) “We played one on Lena, but she doesn’t know it yet. Not sure how that will end up going.”

(Lena laughs.) “On me? When? Where?”

“Last week,” Deborah says. “In your own home.”

(Lena’s brows furrow.) “Great. Now I’m afraid to go home.”

(They all giggle.)

Would anyone like to share the most important event that happened in your life before the story starts?

(Ada tilts her head.) “The most important events that have happened to me were marrying Mahlon’s father and giving birth to Mahlon. Those things changed who I was, but as it’s turned out, those events faded like chimney smoke on a winter’s day, and all I can do now is hope that contentment isn’t found in what was, but in what will be.”

To all the characters:

Do any of you have any final words or thoughts you’d like to share about what you’ve been through, your lives right now, your hopes for the future, and so on?

Deborah says, “I feel lost. Still, I know I’m blessed to have so many people who love me and want to help. I just hope I can get my feet under me one day so I can be there for them when the need arises.”

(Cara puts her arm around Deborah and squeezes, whispering something in her ear before turning to the rest of the group.) “As a girl who wasn’t raised Amish, my desire is to survive a culture that is so different from anything I’ve ever known. If I’d grown up believing in God, maybe the adjustment would be easier, but seeing Deborah’s family and friends rally around her gives me glimpses into the good parts of living Amish.”

Thank you for coming, everyone. We can hardly wait to hear the rest of your stories in the Ada’s House series. Perhaps as they’re told, you can all stop by The Secret Lives of Characters again, and share with us.

Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband or more than thirty years.

Visit her and read excerpts of her books at http://www.cindywoodsmall.com

Next Up

2009-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday 9/11/09 I'll have special guests from Cindy Woodsmall's Pennsylvania Amish community in her book The Hope of Refuge. If you've wondered how Cara and Ephraim felt about sharing their stories with Cindy or what they're doing now, then stop on by. And remember some of the other characters who live in Dry Lake or Hope Crossing, like Lena and Deborah? Well, they'll be there too, to share a little bit about what's going on in their lives, and some of their secret thoughts may be revealed.

Stop on by tomorrow, for an enlightening visit from my next guests!

Special Guests: Characters from the new novel "Rocky Mountain Oasis"

2009-09-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountain Oasis
By
Lynnette Bonner

http://www.lynnettebonner.com/

(Leave a comment after the post, and you will be entered to win a free e-copy of the book!)

Today, I’m fortunate to have as guests on the blog, several characters from the novel Rocky Mountain Oasis, author Lynnette Bonner’s debut release from OakTara Publishing. First, here’s a hint at what the story is all about:

Brooke Marie Baker, eighteen, has been sent west as a mail-order bride. As the stage nears Greer's Ferry, where she is to meet the man she's pledged to marry, she tries to swallow the lump of nervousness in her throat. Can it be any worse than living with Uncle Jackson...or Hank? She wonders. All men are the same, aren't they? But with her parents and sister dead, she has no choice.
Sky Jordan, a rancher, holds a single yellow daisy in his hand as he watches the ferry cross the river. Ever since he'd found out his surly cousin, Jason, had sent for a mail-order bride, his mind and heart had been ill at ease. No woman deserves to be left with the likes of Jason. But now he questions his own plans to claim the bride for himself. Why am I drawn to this woman I don't even know?

Brooke, Sky, Jason, and the rest of you; welcome to The Secret Lives of Characters. If you gents don’t mind, I’ll begin with the lady first.

Hello, Brooke; and welcome. Your story sounds amazing; fraught with peril, adventure and romance.

We are first introduced to you in the story as you are traveling to Idaho Territory (and about to make a dangerous river crossing on the stage). Up until the moment you found yourself heading west as a mail-order bride, what was your most profound regret?

The loss of my daughter. There were other regrets, but I’d have to say that was the biggest one.

Why did you feel compelled to go west as a mail order bride? I mean, even though your Uncle Jackson sent you away, didn’t you ever consider just running off and making a life for yourself on your own?

Yes, I thought of that often, just never followed through on it. I guess I was so used to being told what to do that it was just easier to stay with the wagon train. Now, I’m ever so glad I did. I’d never have met Sky if I had left to settle somewhere else.

Based on your experience with your father, Uncle Jackson, and Hank, you said, “all men are the same”, yet you cared about your first impression on the man who'd be waiting for you at the end of the stage line, and you seemed resigned to your fate. Why is that?

Well, I wouldn’t say before I met him that I cared what he would be like other than to wonder what kind of abuse I would have to put up with. And I was nervous to meet him. I suppose I was resigned to my fate because I didn’t know what else to do. There really aren’t a lot of safe options for a single woman out west.

What made you decide to tell your story? Is there anything you hope to accomplish by telling it?

I hope that other women will discover the hope that I discovered. A relationship with Jesus changed my life and I know it can change other’s lives too.

May we ask how you and Lynnette are alike or how you are different?

Lynnette and I are not much alike. Lynnette has never experienced abuse in her life. But she knew what the answer for women like me was, and she wanted to point us all in that direction.

Now it’s your turn, Sky. First, I like to note that you and your cousin Jason seem about as different as two cousins could be. Can you tell us a little about your background – how each of you grew up? (I see you’ve been in the area about 5 years. Where were you before that?)

Jason and I are a lot more alike than it would first appear. Jason’s parents both died when he was young. He was the one who found his mother’s body when he was just 8 years old. Our grandmother Jordan raised him and his sister after that. We both grew up in a little town called Shiloh, Oregon. But when Jason moved back to Idaho, I knew he needed some family near him to remind him what his roots were, so I followed.

I have kind of a three part question. Part one: have you always been so impetuous? I mean, jumping in to try and rescue—and marry!--a woman you don’t even know from your surly cousin. That’s pretty extreme.

No, I’m not generally an impetuous guy. But it was the thought of my childhood girl, Victoria, marrying someone like Jason was at the time, that put me into action. That and a rather large nudge from my friend Jed. At first, I didn’t intend on marrying her, but Jed was the one who made me see there were no other good options for her.

I see. Well, it’ll be interesting to find out more about Jed’s nudging and your own past in the story. Part two of this question is this: can you tell us about any other times in your life that you might have done anything even half so impetuous and heroic? And part 3 of this question: what about you makes you act this way?

Ahh, well, working in law enforcement, there were a few times when I had to do some quick thinking to resolve a situation without too many people getting hurt.

I honestly have no idea why I acted the way I did, other than I just didn’t want to see any woman stepping into a relationship with Jason at that time. Of course things are different now.

Brooke has had her trust broken a lot. Do you think she can overcome that stigma?

Yeah, I think she can. But once trust has been broken, it’s a hard thing to restore. But I thank God for bringing her into my life. I can’t imagine it without her.

What do you consider to be the most important event in your life leading up to the day you heard Jason talking about getting a mail-order sweetheart?

I guess I’d have to say the day that Jason and I sat together at Gram’s table and gave our hearts to the Lord.

We have several other guest characters here, enjoying Sky’s and Brooke’s interview. Have any of you considered sharing more of your own stories with Lynnette?

(A man on the side raises a finger.)

Jason here, I guess I can take that one. Lynnette and I just finished up writing a little more of my life. You’ll be able to read my story in early 2010.

LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE E-COPY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN OASIS!

Order your copy of Rocky Mountain Oasis at your favorite bookstore or online!
http://www.christianbook.com/

http://www.amazon.com/
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Read an excerpt from the story at http://www.lynnettebonner.com

Tomorrow's First Guests

2009-09-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Secret Lives of Characters, where we'll delve deeper into what's behind the lying eyes, the daring dreams, and the promising romances of characters as they live both in great fiction and in the minds of their authors.

It's time to get this new adventure up and running! I hope you'll stop in tomorrow, September 3rd, to help me welcome some special guests from Lynette Bonner's new historical romance: Rocky Mountain Oasis. Three of the characters from Lynette's book have agreed to stop by and tell us a little more about themselves and what made them tell their stories. If you've ever enjoyed an interview with actors on the Tonight Show, then you'll enjoy meeting characters from some of the newest books being released in Christian fiction.

I hope you'll stop back tomorrow, and listen to a few things that these characters have to say which you won't hear them say directly in the book.

Writing Isn't An All or Nothing Deal

2009-03-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Scott Hamilton's new book, The Great Eight, and was inspired in several ways. While the book is mainly about how we make or break finding happiness (or better said, contentment) it wasn't the eight ways that inspired me so much as one individual story. Hamilton was discussing his desire to make a return to skating after hitting age fifty. In the telling, he described how he learned to accept the fact that everything doesn't always turn out precisely as you want it to, even if you're doing everything right, and even if you feel God's nudging you to continue on. What may be your picture of success, might not exactly be what God pictures.

He told about a friend, a successful song writer, who was writing a book and felt a bit insecure about it. So,the friend gave what he'd poured his heart and soul into to a well respected friend in the literary world for feedback. But he didn't get the feedback he'd expected. He was basically told that it could be edited back from 250 pages to about 50! At first, his heart was broken.
But then he thought about it more and realized that his joy had come in the process of writing! He decided, why should he let anyone take that away, just because they might be looking at it from a different point of view? Hamilton's friend would keep writing because he enjoyed it. Whether someone else wanted to read it or publish it, fine. But if not, that was going to be okay with him, too.

What a great reminder. We don't have to always live up to other people's expectations of what we should be writing about, or how we should be going about it. And, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PUBLISHING!

Writing is simply not an all or nothing deal.

It's about following through on our God-given promptings. Enjoying the process. Baring our souls.

So press on, my writing friends. Don't fear for their faces! Don't cringe at critique! Love the words. Express your hearts, your stories, your dreams, your rantings. Continue to commit to the process. And let all your hard work and effort leave you happy and fulfilled in what it is, and not in what it is not.

Which Comes First: the Conflict or the Character?

2009-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

This posting regards a comment made on the previous post, which asked the question: when I write, which do I determine first, the conflict or the character?

Writers might all answer that question differently, and it may even vary from one project to another, as it has for me. I'll show you what I mean.

In my story The Casket Girl, the title came first. Wait, that wasn't one of the choices, was it? I was researching the French and Indian Wars when I accidentally discovered the history of the casket girls who came from France to New Orleans and parts of Canada to help settle ?New France?. I was so intrigued by the reference that a story began to grow in my brain. From there I would have to say it was the conflict which came first. What if one of these girls came to marry a certain man and he was dead when she arrived, and she was inadvertantly indentured to someone, and then ran away and was kidnapped by a courier-du-bois, and then a frontiersman rescued her, and then the Indian wars began and...? You get the picture. Conflict galore.

The same could be said of The Green Veil and its sequel The Red Fury, my current work in progress. In book 1, wanted to write about the logging era of my home state. I also wanted to write about a girl who lost a childhood love and wound up marrying an older man, only to have her childhood love return to find her when it was too late. In book 2, I wanted to continue the story of those I call the Lumber Kings, while investigating the devastating effects of America's worst fire: The Peshtigo Fire. In each of these books I've thought of the history, the conflict, and then set characters in the situation and watched them grow. One of my biggest hurdles as a writer is to allow my characters to flesh out and grow before I pop them in the story which is spriraling along like an old film in my mind.

However, all that said, I don't always start with the history/conflict model.
Book 3 of the same series, which I hope to begin yet this year and title The Black Rose, is growing almost totally from the dispositions of two characters I have in mind. Beyond them the setting and conflict will arise. My short story Not For Love fits that same bill.

In the final analysis, I'd say that most of my stories arise from their historical settings before anything else. I love to investigate the events and places of history that all our personal stories arise from. I am Naomi Musch, that tomboy turned writer/farmer/homeschooling mom because of where and how I grew up and live today. My personal story will be vastly different from the ladies I'll be rooming with at the ACFW conference, for instance, whose lives are rooted in different regions than mine.

And that's another cool thing about telling stories. Maybe they've all been told. Maybe their themes and plots have similar threads. But they're all written on the hearts of individuals as different as God's own snowflakes. For that reason alone, we'll never run out of characters, conflict, or setting to write about.

Praise Him!

Speak, Write, Now, (or) Speak Right Now

2009-01-10T08:37:00.001-08:00

In the quest for writing excellence, we constantly train. We never "finish our degree" because we always seek to improve. We pore over self-editing books. We practice staying glued to our chairs. We participate in workshops on plot development. On the bookshelf within arm's reach, our Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Guide is dog-earred and filled with post-its. Our favorite novels are strewn with passages that are high-lighted, noted, and dissected in notebooks. And we speak.
What was that? Wait a minute. Did I say, speak? As in, publicly? Or more like talking out loud to the characters in our heads?
I meant publicly.
I mention this with trepidation, because I have few qualifications as a public speaker. I have little background. My resume of past speaking engagements is extremely minor. I have no calendar of bookings. But, yet, speaking is part of what I do, or rather, what I am learningto do by practicing in any small way I can.
To distance ourselves from speaking is to shortchange our publication and marketing efforts. We can blog all day, but we must also be willing to get out there with our voices and talk, not only about our books and articles, but about all the issues which with they are connected.
Speaking is all about inspiration and promotion. So I encourage you to get over your shyness, and put yourself out there.
This doesn't mean you have to start signing up for conferences. Who are you anyway? Especially if your like me, without much of a background to go on. But you have an audience. You have family and friends, and your church body. You have your child's school organizations. You can lead a Bible study, or teach a Sunday school class. You can develop a book club or guide a critique group. You can read at a nursing home. You can speak on behalf of others.
I once found myself working as a volunteer at a conference. My only job was to introduce a guest speaker. That doesn't sound very difficult, until you find yourself standing in front of 400 people with about 30 seconds to spit out some basic information in a clear, concise way (and, okay, with a little wit hopefully). It's a bit nerve-wracking.
But even that little opportunity helped me to develop my speaking skills.
I encourage you, as a writer, to speak whenever, wherever you can. Act in a play; take part in a reading; don't back down from opportunities to share your work with anyone who asks.
I would also like to recommend a great book. Speaking with Spirit: A Guide for Christian Public Speakers by Dr. Wanda Vassallo should go on every writer's (speaker's, pastor's, etc.) bookshelf. Using Jesus as her primary example, Dr. Vassallo engagingly helps us discover how to build self-confidence, how to engage the audience, how to stay on track, how to WRITE a speech as well as deliver it, and how to speak spontaneously. Get this book and start speaking out!

Real People (Two Types)

2008-11-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

As an apropriate "first posting", I want to just spend a few minutes talking about REAL PEOPLE. You know the type. When we claim someone as a good friend, part of the reason they are dear to us, we say, is because they are "real". They are approachable. They are honest.

I'm going to talk about two types of "real people". One type are Christian authors.

One of the blessings of going to a writers' conference—and I'm referring to a Christian writers' conference because that is my sole frame of reference—is the opportunity to learn from, meet, and talk with popular writers. Did you know that most of them are real people?

New writers can feel pretty intimidated meeting these big-time professionals. But it's amazing to discover that famous Christian authors often feel just as insecure as anybody, and they are candidly honest about it. Yet, they are almost always willing to meet with and encourage beginners. I believe that a large part of that is because they have the right perspective. They have retained the humble realization that their gifts and opportunities have come from God. It keeps them grounded.

I have also found that among Christian writers, there is a distinct lack of cut-throat competitiveness in an industry where you have to get yourself noticed. Still, even while one writers' manuscript might shine brighter than another's, we frequently find people rejoicing with others who make sales, whether or not they make sales as well.

And, Christian writers, at least the ones I've met, are honest and open about their work, including their struggles. I don't think that writers who produce memorable work can do it if they aren't willing to be real.

The other "real people" I want to mention aren't really real in a living sense at all. You've got it. I'm talking about characters. (The ones in our books - not family members. Ha. Ha.)

Real characters are characters that are honest. They aren't one dimensional, with perfect solutions to stereotypical problems. They suffer and they trip up a lot when they try to do the right thing. They give us glimpses into their realities in ways that we real people can relate to. They inspire us by being somebodies who go through the same emotional upheavals and stumbling blocks of sin that we do. And they point us in the direction we need to find hope. They don't come to it too easily, with everything wrapped up in a package. But they make their way there in all the twisty turny ways that we real people do as well.

Hopefully, as we go forward with our stories, we will BE REAL in our writing, and we will CREATE REAL people who will encourage others.