Saturday, April 30, 2011

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winners:

Patchwork Ministry - When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley

Katy (agirlslegacy(at)yahoo(dot)com) - Finally a Bride by Vickie McDonough

Winners of this week’s books, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the author. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Meg Moseley and Vickie McDonough for your generosity in providing books!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing! This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:



When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley ~ A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock. But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from her past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.

College professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.

As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?


Finally a Bride by Vickie McDonough ~ Keep your eyes wide open for romance in Lookout, Texas. Noah Jeffers enters town determined to make up for past misdeeds. Reporter Jacqueline Davis is determined to nail her story. Will she uncover Noah’s secret before he can capture her heart? With nowhere else to go, ex-con Carly Payton returns to the Lookout boardinghouse. Garrett Corbett is looking for an upstanding wife, not some jailbird. What will he do when overpowered by Carly’s unassuming appeal? Does love deserve a second look?

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 04/30/11.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

One of the questions I often ask authors I’m interviewing is “What advice do you   have for a beginning writer?” The answers vary, but one seems to pop up over and over—you have to develop a thick skin.  For some people this is more difficult than it is for others.
When I was the principal of a school, I led my faculty and staff in a year-long training program aimed at helping them to understand the personality differences of the students in their classrooms as well as those they worked with. Basically, there are four distinct personalities which fall into the following categories: (1) the nurturer who wants peace and harmony to prevail and gets his/her feelings hurt easily, (2) the organized, responsible person who values strength and stability, (3) the thinker who uses mind over emotion, and (4) the playful one who seizes the moment and makes quick decisions.
 Now the reality is that we are really a mixture of all of these types, but one of them is dominant in our lives. I’ve had occasion to encounter several writers in the last few weeks who have either gotten a rejection from an agent or an editor or they’ve received a bad review of their newly released book. It’s very evident that when faced with a disappointing situation, we react the way our personality dictates.
For instance, the nurturer feels wounded and unloved because their work wasn’t valued; the one who values strength and stability begins to evaluate how he/she can improve the story based on suggestions given; the thinker has to ponder and analyze every remark and try to come to a logical conclusion that explains the lack of understanding and insight of the agent/editor; and the playful one shrugs his shoulders, tosses the rejection aside, and yells “Let’s go have a party.”
I have to admit my basic personality is that of the nurturer. However, in my job as a principal I had to develop the organized, responsible side of myself that could make decisions knowing I couldn’t make everybody happy all the time. I didn’t know it at the time, but God was giving me a tough skin in preparation for what He had planned for me later on.
Now when I experience rejection by an editor or receive a negative review, I can face it even if it does still sting a little. As long as we are following God’s leading, He’s going to put us where we need to be. So, if you’ve encountered rejection this week, don’t be sad. Think of it as one more step in God’s plan to make you the person He wants you to be.
I’d like to know how you face rejection. Which personality type are you? How do you react when rejection comes your way?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Vickie McDonough is an award-winning author of 23 books and novellas. Her books have won the Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest, Texas Gold, the ACFW Noble Theme contest, and she has been a multi-year finalist in ACFW’s BOTY/Carol Awards. She was voted Third Favorite Author in the Heartsong Presents Annual Readers Contest in 2009. She is a wife of thirty-five years, mother of four grown sons and grandma to a feisty five-year-old girl. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, gardening, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books, visit her website: http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/.

Did you see yourself becoming a writer as a child?

No. I don’t think I ever once thought of becoming a writer. If not, what did you dream of being? I loved horses and watched all the cowboy shows of the late 60s with my dad. My dream back then was to grow up and marry a rancher. Instead, I married a computer geek who’s scared of horses. :-)

How long did you write before you sold your first book?



Three years.

Many of the people who follow our blog are aspiring writers themselves. Can you share your favorite writing tip with them?

When I first thought God was calling me to write, I decided to devote a year to it, and if I wasn’t published by then, it was because I must have misunderstood Him. I look back at that now and laugh. By the end of the first year, I’d learned so much that I knew my initial goal was totally unrealistic.

Learning to hone your craft takes a lot of time and work, learning the publishing industry and making connections also takes time. If you’re working toward publication, you need to know that it could take years before your work is publishing quality. But the really cool thing about writing is that you can learn how to do it, and you have a good chance at getting published if you persevere. There are some great books out that can teach you about writing fiction and some wonderful conferences you can attend where you will learn tons of things. Just know that it can be a long haul to get published, but it is well worth all the hard work.

Now for the readers…many times, it’s easy for them to connect with the characters in a book, but not so much the authors themselves. Share something about your day-to-day life that might help a reader to feel as though they know you a little better.

I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother. I’m primary caregiver to my partially handicapped mother and run all her errands and do her shopping, take her to her doctors’ apptmts, and do things at her home that are hard for her. I also pick-up my granddaughter after school twice a week and watch her until her mom gets home. My writing time usually starts around 10 and runs until about 2 pm. I’m also the ACFW treasurer. Needless to say, I never have to worry about being bored. :-)

Now that you are published, do you still experience rejections?

Yes, I do sometimes.

If so, how are these rejections different or similar to the ones you received before becoming published?

Rejections are always a disappointment and hard to take, but now I look at them not as much as a rejection of my work, but as not being God’s timing for that particular book. He sees the future and knows when a person will need to hear the message in my books, so I trust Him to make the sale when the time is right. That sounds a bit cavalier, but it’s taken me ten years to get to that point. At first, the rejections were heart-breaking, and I questioned if I had heard right when I felt God calling me to write, but now I can honestly say I’m thankful some of my earlier books didn’t get published.

Tell us a little about your latest release:

Finally A Bride, is the 3rd and final book in my Texas Boardinghouse Brides series. It’s mainly the story of Jacqueline Hamilton Davis aka Jack, the feisty tomboy from the first two books. She is now a reporter for the local paper with dreams of landing a big story to pad her portfolio, so that she can leave her small town move to Dallas and work for a big city newspaper. A past character or two from The Anonymous Bride and Second Chance Brides also play a part in this story. Here’s a blurb:

Noah Jeffers returns to town as the new minister, determined to make up for past misdeeds. Will reporter Jacqueline Davis uncover his secrets before Noah can capture her heart? With nowhere else to go, ex-con Carly Payton returns to the Lookout boardinghouse when she is released from prision. Garrett Corbett is looking for an upstanding wife, not some jailbird. What will he do when overpowered by Carly’s unassuming appeal? Be on the lookout for romance in Lookout, Texas.

If you could only share one line from Finally A Bride, which one would you choose and why?

If she wasn't dead in the morning, she could just imagine the headlines in tomorrow's newspaper: Marshal's Daughter Attempts to Fly.

I chose this particular line because it shows my heroine’s penchant for getting in trouble (Don’t you wonder what is she doing that could cause her to possibly be dead the next day?) and it shows her spunky attitude. And, I hope it will intrigue your readers.

Writers often put things in their books that are very personal—like a funny story that happened to them, a spiritual truth they learned through difficulty, or even just a character trait that is uniquely theirs. Is there something in Finally A Bride that only people close to you know is about you or someone you know?

Jack is quite a bit like me when I was young. I hated dresses—still do for that matter. I was a red-headed tomboy who quite often challenged my mom, and I preferred playing with toy horses to dolls. I guess if you knew me back then, you might see a resemblance, but my mom, who’s read the book twice, has never commented about it, so maybe not.

Readers often talk a lot about the hero and heroine of a story, but today I’d like to know something about your villain. Does he or she have a redeeming quality? Why or why not?

I won’t name my villian, for those who haven’t read the book yet, but I’d say his redeeming quality is that he really cares for the heroine—at least he does in his own, selfish way.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

Since this was the third book in the series, I didn’t have to do a whole lot of research. Mostly what I did do was research the clothing of the time period, train schedules, current events, etc.

Can you share some articles or website links you found particularly helpful?

One of the most helpful links for Texas research is http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online. And here’s one of their links with lots of other links: http://www.tshaonline.org/lone-star-history-links/1054.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

I’m working on something different and exciting right now. The original idea was my agent’s. I’m writing a 6-book series called Texas Trails: A Morgan Family Series with two other authors, Susan Page Davis and Darlene Franklin. Each author is writing two books in the saga, which spans 50 years and several generations of the Morgan family, from the 1840s to 1890s, and incorporates tidbits of Texas history. The first three books release this fall, with the second three coming next spring. I’m writing books 3 & 6 and the titles are Long Trail Home and End of the Trail.

Here’s a blurb of Long Trail Home:

A weary soldier returns from the War Between the States to discover his parents dead, his
family farm in shambles, and his fiancée married. Riley Morgan takes a job at the Wilcox School for Blind Children and tries to put his past behind him and figure out what to do with his life. When a pretty, blind woman who cares for the children reaches through his scarred walls and touches his heart, he begins to find renewed faith and hope for the future. But when he discovers Annie feigned her blindness just to have a home, will his anger and hurt drive him away and ruin all chances for a future filled with love, faith, and family?

Long Trail Home releases October 1st and is available for preorder online.

The most common thing I hear when people learned I’ve published a book is, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Faced with this statement, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in this business?

Be careful what you wish for. A friend and fellow author, Beth Goddard, posted on Facebook today: “It seems life is passing by too quickly. I used to measure my life in holidays, now I measure it in book deadlines.”

Being published and having close deadlines to meet can be difficult. You need to know that you may have to sacrifice time with family and friends to meet your deadline. Be sure that’s something you can and are willing to do. Writing has many rewards, but it is a lot of hard work.

What is the one question you were afraid I would ask…and how would you answer?

Uhh…I’m just going to skip this question. With my quirky sense of humor, I can get myself in trouble if I’m not careful. But my answer would be “a blue and green plaid platypus with a clown nose and a cowboy hat.”

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**BB TIP - Finally A Bride is on sale now for over 40% off at Amazon and CBD. Also, be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for a chance to win a FREE copy!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Today we bid a fond adieu to Jamie Chavez. Shout out your questions if you want Jamie's opinion on anything writing related. Check out her site http://www.jamiechavez.com/ for information and prices on the editorial services she offers. She's tops!

Tell us about yourself?

Is this like that meme that was going around a few years ago—25 Random Things About Yourself? Hmm. I learned to read when I was three and to write soon thereafter, and I’ve been doing both voraciously ever since. I started asking for—and collecting—books when I was a kid, and still have most of them. I grew up and went to school in California, married early, had a son. I’ve been a single mom for twenty years, although I should probably stop saying that since the Boy is twenty-seven now. :) Besides the Boy and reading, I love travel, gardening, live music, cooking, my cats Laddie and Bean, and the lovely Irishman to whom I’m engaged to be married. Someday. I’m becoming an expert in immigration law. Ha.

Why did you choose to go freelance?

Um, I was forced to. :) Got caught up in a corporate downsize. I assure you, I am not a risk taker and would never have gotten up that morning and thought, Hmmm, I think today I’ll quit my job and go home and phone all my friends and ask them to send me work. But that’s what happened. I continued to look for a corporate gig for months but then I realized God was standing there with a big ol’ door standing wide open, beckoning me through with, you know, those flashlights like the guys use on the aircraft carriers. Duh. I’m paying better attention now.

What is the difference between a developmental editor and the editor you encounter at a publishing house?

An in-house editor must wear many hats. She has to acquire projects (seek out and pursue authors/books), she has to negotiate contracts, she has to oversee creation of cover and writing of marketing copy (one hopes she doesn’t do it herself) for the book, she has to ride herd on several projects in various stages of completion, she has to pay attention to the sales figures for her various authors, she has to track trends in the publishing industry … and on and on. She’s lucky if she can also carve out time for developmental editing on any one project. In any one quarter.

And of course, that’s the fun part of the job. So lucky me, no? I only wear the one hat.

I guess what I meant was … what does a developmental editor do?

Note first that different publishers have different terms for this job: substantive, developmental, macro, big-picture. I’ve even seen some freelance editors market themselves as “book doctors.” But what it means is … I’m a critic. I was/am the bossy older sister, so this role comes naturally to me. :) In fiction, a dev editor is looking at story, style, voice, structure, setting/milieu, characterization and dialogue, and the writing itself. All the things that make a novel a novel, those are the things a dev editor is paying attention to. With love and respect, one hopes. That’s certainly how I’m trying to do it.

Sure, I’m a paid critic; the publisher trusts me to know what needs work, what readers will think, and what it will take to make the book the very best it can be. On occasion I have to be the bearer of (ahem) unpleasant tidings. But I try to do that from the perspective of cheerleader, best friend, colleague—not parent, boss, or annoyed lab partner.

Sometimes it’s a fine line. :)

I love this work. Each manuscript is like a puzzle, and I get to solve it. (Yes, I adore jigsaw puzzles.) Not without help, of course. I love the collaborative aspect of editing, the give and take. I love brainstorming. I love those e-mails out of the blue that begin, “I’ve been working on a new story. What would you think if …”

What process do you go through when you get a manuscript?

This is what I do; I’m not sure what other editors do. When an author has written her zillion drafts and finally thinks her manuscript is pretty darn good, her publisher sends it to me and I begin my reading process. (I’ve read it twice before I send the notes; and I’ll read it more before we’re done).

I read it really carefully, making a lot of notes. (Probably a lot more carefully than most casual readers!) I also leave margin notes. I ask questions as I read (like: Why did he react that way? How did she know that?). I keep track of every character and make notes about their descriptions and their relationships. I keep a timeline (in some books this is really important, in others less so). I like to sleep on it. I like to just … think about it. I note places where I might find myself falling asleep as I read. :) At page 100 I make a list of what I know and where I think the book is going. When I’m done, I try to “diagram” the novel: what was the inciting incident, the story-worthy problem, the climax, and so on. I try to list what the themes are, so I can make sure they’re supported throughout.

I always use track changes, of course. This is a really important trust issue.

Honestly, I’m not sure if this list really covers it. (You’ll note that none of what I’ve listed has to do with correcting your grammar. That’s up to the copyeditor.) There’s a lot of alchemy involved, I think. It’s sort of … voodoo. :)

Where do you think publishing will be in ten years?

Oh, heavens, there are smarter people than me trying to figure that out. I can tell you I’m paying close attention, though, because it affects my livelihood (it is already affecting my livelihood). But the bottom line is it will be very different than it is now. Authors will have more autonomy (see: self-publishing) but readers will have to learn how to become more discerning. Right now a lot of people who are self-publishing are people who have never been published and don’t understand the editorial process. Even if they know they need an editor, they’re not sure how to find one. Even if they find one, they may be unwilling to pay what it costs to hire one. So they don’t. That’s really a problem for potential readers!

I have written three blogs on what’s happening in the publishing biz. They’re too long to repeat in this forum, but you can find them here:

http://www.jamiechavez.com/blog/permalink/2011/01/it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-worst-of-times/

http://www.jamiechavez.com/blog/permalink/2011/01/a-novelist-needs-an-editor-for-real/

http://www.jamiechavez.com/blog/permalink/2010/06/a-nation-of-content-creators/

But back to those smart people … who have some interesting ideas and are blogging about them. Two of these I read regularly:
Mike Hyatt and Mike Shatzkin . I can’t recommend them highly enough. There are others, of course, but these are two I read and trust.


What advice would you give to an aspiring writer (unpublished but actively seeking publication)?

Read. Write. Read. Write. Read. Sleep on occasion.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Meg Moseley is still a Californian at heart although she’s lived more than half her life in other states. She formerly wrote human-interest columns for a suburban section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and home schooled for over twenty years. Meg enjoys books, travel, gardening, her three grown children, and motorcycle rides with her husband Jon. They make their home in northern Georgia.

Welcome, Meg! Did you see yourself becoming a writer as a child? If not, what did you dream of being?

I knew I wanted to be a writer. My grandmother had helped her family survive the Great Depression by selling articles, short stories, and poetry to magazines. Although I never knew her, my parents held her up as a good role model.

How long did you write before you sold your first book?

Um…how old am I? About that long. Seriously, I was always writing something: poems, short stories, articles. I didn’t try to write a novel until my kids were old enough to let me disappear into a fictional world for hours at a time.

Many of the people who follow our blog are aspiring writers themselves. Can you share your favorite writing tip with them?

Read, read, read. You’ll learn by osmosis, so it pays to read high quality books.

Now for the readers…many times, it’s easy for them to connect with the characters in a book, but not so much the authors themselves. Share something about your day-to-day life that might help a reader to feel as though they know you a little better.

My day-to-day life always starts with coffee and with getting a cat or two off my computer chair so I can check email. Then I get down to the business of writing. My husband and I have almost reached the empty-nest years, so I usually have lots of peace and quiet. When I need a break, sometimes we hop on the motorcycle and head for the mountains.

Now that you are published, do you still experience rejections? If so, how are these rejections different or similar to the ones you received before becoming published?

Yes, my editor rejected two of my recent ideas, but they hardly seemed like rejections because we moved right into brainstorming new and better ideas. That took the sting right out of it.

Tell us a little about your latest release:

When Sparrows Fall is the story of Miranda Hanford, an isolated homeschooling widow who needs to break her ties to a cultic group. Jack Hanford, her estranged brother-in-law, is an outspoken professor who helps in her hour of need but challenges her choices at every turn. Miranda wants safety and security for her children; Jack values freedom above security but doesn’t understand that breaking free may cause Miranda to lose everything, including her children.

If you could only share one line from When Sparrows Fall, which one would you choose and why?

At one point, Jack says the villain of the story doesn’t deserve mercy. Miranda answers: “Neither do we. That’s why it’s called mercy.” I hope her comment reinforces the definition of God’s grace as His unmerited favor. It’s a gift, not wages paid in return for anything we can do.

Writers often put things in their books that are very personal—like a funny story that happened to them, a spiritual truth they learned through difficulty, or even just a character trait that is uniquely theirs. Is there something in When Sparrows Fall that only people close to you know is about you or someone you know?

I’m sure my kids will recognize a few details gleaned from our own years of homeschooling, including the “exhaustive nature guide from 1905” and the other books that Miranda’s children read. Our experiences were very different from her family’s, though. Instead of limiting my children’s access to fiction, I encouraged it every chance I got.

Readers often talk a lot about the hero and heroine of a story, but today I’d like to know something about your villain. Does he or she have a redeeming quality? Why or why not?

If Miranda’s manipulative, self-serving pastor has a redeeming quality, he hides it well. I hated to make a villain out of a pastor, but I had to do it to show the dangers of blindly following a leader. In order to balance the picture, I also wove in a few mentions of good, compassionate clergymen who would rather serve than be served, like the pastors I know in real life.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book? Can you share some articles or website links you found particularly helpful?

Although I knew the pros and cons of homeschooling from over twenty years of experience, I needed to learn more about spiritual abuse, the “Quiverfull” movement, and patriarchy. I found an abundance of good information on Hillary McFarland’s website (http://www.quiveringdaughters.com/), veteran homeschooler Karen Campbell’s blog (http://www.thatmom.com/), and Cynthia Kunsman’s site (http://www.undermuchgrace.blogspot.com/). Kathryn Joyce’s nonfiction book, Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, was another eye-opening resource.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

I’m revising a novel about a young woman who lost her father to a deep mountain lake when she was a teenager, but his body was never found. Now it seems he faked his drowning and ran to the wilderness. As she and her longtime friends search for answers, they uncover memories of a mysterious event in their childhood that might explain everything—and might break their hearts.

And the project after that is still so vague that I can’t properly describe it.

The most common thing I hear when people learned I’ve published a book is, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Faced with this statement, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in this business?

First, find out what you’re getting yourself into. You can’t imagine how much time you’ll need to devote not just to the writing itself but also to office work and promotion. If you love writing so much that you don’t care how long and hard you’ll have to work, then go for it.

What is the one question you were afraid I would ask…and how would you answer?

Um…I honestly don’t have a question I’m afraid of. Not yet, anyway.

Thanks for stopping by, Meg!



To connect with this author, visit her at www.megmoseley.com. Also, Meg is giving away a copy of her book, When Sparrows Fall. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!

In the meantime, grab a sneak peek at the first two chapters of When Sparrows Fall: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2011/01/14/sneak-peek-when-sparrows-fall-by-meg-moseley/

Sunday, April 24, 2011

With two dachshunds in the house, there is very little chance that a stranger will come upon my door without warning. In fact, these two little dogs send up such a cacophony of barking, it’s almost impossible to hear myself think. The problem is, they aren’t always barking at strangers. Squirrels, in their opinion, warrant the same kind of zealous warning as the UPS man.

I was in the living room watching television one day, when Max let out a warning yip. Taking up the alarm, Lainey let go a full-fledged bark. Before I knew it, they had both begun running and barking up a storm, neither one stopping even after I yelled repeatedly for them to quit. Finally, I got up to see what they were barking at.

It was late, and I didn’t see any headlights, so I figured they were simply feeding off of each other and I went back into the living room and sat down. Max kept barking, and because Max was, so did Lainey.

“Quit it, guys!” I yelled.

They kept barking.

“Max, knock it off,” I insisted.

Max looked at me, then at Lainey, and they both took off, barking. Just as I was about to reach for the newspaper to give them a swat, I heard a knock at the front door. Surprised, I went to look.

Our new neighbors were moving in, and one of them stood on our porch. After we introduced ourselves, the man pointed to the dogs and said, “Well, I guess you never have to worry about someone showing up without warning.”

I thought about his words after he left. Max and Lainey were faithful to sound the alarm, even after I made it clear that I wanted them to stop. While that may not be a good trait for dogs, it is every bit the way we should behave as Christians. In fact, God has charged us with the task of warning others of His coming. I hope that when He does return, He finds me as faithful as two bright, determined young dachshunds.

Ezekiel 33:1-11 (King James Version)

1Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

6But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. 7So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

9Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

10Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 11Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Saturday, April 23, 2011

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winner:

Loretta Boyett - Abigail's New Hope by Mary Ellis

Loretta, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the author. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Mary Ellis for your generosity in providing a book!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing!

This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:

Abigail's New Hope by Mary Ellis ~ As an Amish midwife, Abigail Graber loves bringing babies into the world. But when a difficult delivery takes a devastating turn, Abigail is faced with some hard choices. Despite her best efforts, the young mother dies—but the baby is saved.

When a heartless judge confines Abigail to the county jail for her mistakes, her sister Catherine comes to care for her children while Daniel works his fields. Catherine meets Daniel’s reclusive cousin, Isaiah, who’s deaf and thought to be simple minded by his community. She endeavors to teach him to communicate and discovers he possesses unexpected gifts and talents.

While Abigail searches for forgiveness, Catherine changes lives and, in return, finds love, something long elusive in her life. And Isaiah discovers God, who cares nothing about our handicaps or limitations in His sustaining love.

An inspirational tale of overcoming grief, maintaining faith, and finding hope in an ever-changing world.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 04/23/11.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

I’ve been hard at work this week putting the finishing touches on a manuscript that is due to the editor next week. Like all authors I want to do my best and send a story that will be well-received by readers. All writers feel that way. If the truth was known, I suspect we all wish for more. We dream that our efforts will someday be recognized by having our names alongside those elite who have made THE list—The New York Times Bestseller List.

As an avid reader, I scan the list sometimes and wonder how certain books were included in the group. Then I ponder what it takes to make a bestseller. I haven’t discovered the answer, but I haven’t given up either.

Such thoughts prompted me to seach the internet for an answer to this question—What is the world’s bestselling book of all time? Of course I knew the answer and wasn’t surprised when it appeared. With over 6 billion copies sold, the Bible holds a record that appears no book will ever be able to equal. Its stories and teachings offer Christians a guide for their lives and provide comfort and peace in times of trouble.

Last Sunday Christians observed Palm Sunday as it ushered in Holy Week which will culminate in the celebration of Easter on this Sunday. Christians all over the world will celebrate this special day, and churches will be packed for worship services. Then the bestselling book of all time will be opened and the story of the death, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be read.

If you haven’t read this best seller, I recommend it whole heartedly. A five star review of a book is great, but for this one—there aren’t enough stars in the sky to measure its worth. Believe me when I say, it can change your life.

Read an excerpt from this book that is on sale wherever fine books are sold.

Mark 15:16-24

16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.
17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,
18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.
24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.

Has God’s word gotten you through a rough time? Has it changed your life? Leave a comment and tell what God’s done for you. Happy Easter!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Mary Ellis grew up close to the eastern Ohio Amish community, Geauga County, where her parents often took her to farmer’s markets and woodworking fairs. She loved their peaceful, agrarian lifestyle, their respect for the land, and their strong sense of Christian community. She met her husband in college and they married six days after graduation.

She, her husband, dog and cat now live in Medina County, close to the largest population of Amish in the country—a four-county area in central Ohio. They often take weekend trips to purchase produce, research for her best-selling books, and enjoy a simpler way of life.

Mary enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, bicycling and swimming. Before “retiring” to write full-time, Mary taught Middle School in Sheffield Lake, Ohio and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate for twenty years—a job with amazingly sweet fringe benefits. All three of her Miller Family series, A Widow’s Hope, Never Far from Home, and The Way to a Man’s Heart have made the CBA and CBD bestseller lists. A Widow’s Hope was a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards for 2010 in the long contemporary category, and a runner-up in the 2010 Holt Medallion Awards.

To learn more about Mary, visit her at http://www.maryeellis.wordpress.com/

Did you see yourself becoming a writer as a child? If not, what did you dream of being?

No, as a child I saw myself as a schoolteacher. I went to college and landed a job teaching Middle School math and algebra. I worked at teaching for ten years, before I burned out. I didn’t decide I wanted to write books until after I turned 40. And I’m so glad I found something I love to do!

How long did you write before you sold your first book?

I believe it was around five or six years. But the “number” doesn’t matter, as long as you keep trying until you succeed.

Many of the people who follow our blog are aspiring writers themselves. Can you share your favorite writing tip with them?

Yes, “to thine own self be true.” Too many critique groups want to change other people’s writing to fit their own tastes. A writer must discover his/her own voice, then work to polish and refine. But don’t change who you are or what you want to write.

Now for the readers…many times, it’s easy for them to connect with the characters in a book, but not so much the authors themselves. Share something about your day-to-day life that might help a reader to feel as though they know you a little better.

I am a failed multi-tasker. I start many different projects at once (ie. A new chapter in my book, giving the dog a bath, and making dinner) in hopes of accomplishing everything on my to-do list. Your readers can guess the results…My dog runs off to the woods after a squirrel still sudsy, dinner is overcooked, and my characters take on names they never had before. I need to focus on one thing at a time, but in this day and age that is very difficult.

Now that you are published, do you still experience rejections? If so, how are these rejections different or similar to the ones you received before becoming published?

Everyone experiences “rejection” in life, including published authors. I recently had a children’s book proposal rejected because, I believe, the themes were similar to ones already out there. I must say, it doesn’t hurt as much once you’re already published, but just for a moment, I was again the last player picked in the gym class softball game.

Tell us a little about your latest release:

In Abigail’s New Hope, an Amish midwife, loves bringing babies into the world. But when a difficult delivery takes a devastating turn, Abigail is faced with some hard choices. Despite her best efforts, the young mother dies-but the baby is saved. When the heartless judge confines Abigail to county jail for her mistakes, her sister, Catherine, comes to care for her children while Daniel works his fields. Catherine meets Daniel’s reclusive cousin, Isaiah, who’s deaf and thought to be simple-minded by his community. She endeavors to teach him to communicate and discovers he possesses unexpected gifts and talents. While Abigail searches for forgiveness, Catherine changes lives and in return, finds love, something long elusive in her life. And Isaiah discovers God, who cares nothing about our handicaps or limitations in His sustaining love. An inspirational tale of overcoming grief, maintaining faith, and finding hope in an ever-changing world

If you could only share one line from Abigail’s New Hope, which one would you choose and why?

The night was alive with hoots, cackles, croaks, howls and whispers. Isaiah was at home in the shadowy darkness, with the only the moon and stars to point the way, so Catherine relaxed in the saddle and gave herself up to the unexpected. At no point was she ever afraid. And if she lived to be one hundred and ten, she doubted she would ever again enjoy herself so much.

Writers often put things in their books that are very personal—like a funny story that happened to them, a spiritual truth they learned through difficulty, or even just a character trait that is uniquely theirs. Is there something in Abigail’s New Hope that only people close to you know is about you or someone you know?

Writers put something of themselves into almost all their characters, even the villians. My friends say they “see” me in many of my characters, but usually don’t elaborate on how. That’s probably a good thing. By the time I finish a book, the character’s I’ve created become very real to me, so the lines blur as to what’s real and what’s purely made up.

Readers often talk a lot about the hero and heroine of a story, but today I’d like to know something about your villain. Does he or she have a redeeming quality? Why or why not?

In my Amish romance, my “villian” is the justice system in the English (non-Amish) world. Although justice might be blind, it doesn’t always take into consideration the extenuating circumstances that cause people to behave in a certain way. In this case, a humanitarian effort to save a life was still breaking the law.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book? Can you share some articles or website links you found particularly helpful?

I read several non-fiction accounts written by Amish midwives; I interviewed midwives; and I visited the New Bedford Care Center in New Bedford, Ohio. (This is an Amish and Mennonite owned and operated non-profit birthing center. Sorry, they don’t have a website.) For my subplots, I took research from my personal grief-therapy sessions and from dealing with auditory/speech handicapped friends I’ve known and still have.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

Right now, I’m working on book two of the Wayne County series. My heroine is a former mischief-maker who now finds herself the schoolteacher of a room full of mini-me’s. She learns much about herself, and what she wants in life as she struggles to learn how to teach. It’s titled A Marriage for Meghan and will be released in September.

The most common thing I hear when people learned I’ve published a book is, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Faced with this statement, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in this business?

First, sit down and write the book. Get the story churning in your head down on paper (or into your laptop!) You can’t fix something that doesn’t exist. Then start investigating correct formatting, and publishing, and agents, and everything that’s connected to the business. But you must start with writing your story—even if this particular one never gets published.

What is the one question you were afraid I would ask…and how would you answer?

Ahhh, Elizabeth. I’m afraid of many things in this world….running out of money in retirement, all the dead trees in my yard falling on my house, eating myself out of my entire wardrobe, not to mention global warming, loss of wildlife habitats, and how many people on earth have never heard about the Lord, but I can’t think of one question I’d be afraid to answer. I’ve lived through too much to fear letting people know me. Thanks so much for interviewing me on your blog. And blessing on you and your readers!

Mary is giving away a cop of her book Abigail's New Hope. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011


Okay, okay. I admit it. I had to look up "denouement." You laugh because you already know the definition. Then what does it mean? Without looking! Ah, see, you had to look too.


Denouement: the outcome of a complex sequence of events.


If you’re reading this you must be familiar with books. The tricky part of writing a book is the writing part. No, I’m serious. You’ve got to get it done. You wouldn’t believe how many writers write and write and write and never finish the manuscript. But that’s not the trickiest part, no, that honor goes to the editing of that first draft. The critiquing of your words by other people who are familiar with writing, the rules, and know what to look for. I’m not talking about line edits--where someone slaps your palms with a ruler for misspelling a word or a participle that dangles, or sentences that end with a preposition. At this point you need someone able to read your entire manuscript--yes, you read that correctly--and offer a denouement.


In my case, the denouement means Jamie is summarizing major and minor plot points to make sure that she is understanding how (and if!) they relate, and to also make sure that what she is comprehending is lining up with the ideas I had for the plot/characters/pacing.


What this bit of work generates between Jamie and I is a dialogue that will identify and strengthen weak points in the plot, characterization and pacing problems, plot clarification and probably a few other elements that aren’t coming to mind at present. With the denouement revealed, I have a playmate who is as interested in helping me make my book the best it can be.


The other sections of the editorial letter were instruments in need of individual tuning. The denouement is the conductor trying to work on bringing all those instruments together to create a sound that is pleasing to the ear and properly paced.

Monday, April 18, 2011

OK, the picture attracted you, right? I mean, who wants to find gold nuggets when you can have chocolate nuggets?!

Let's pretend that story inspirations are chocolate nuggets, because we really, really want them! (I know, I know, but we're writers--we have big imaginations!) So, where can we start digging for story inspirations? Where do we start looking for the next book idea? Here are 5 tips to help you start your hunt:

1. Read voraciously. I'm sure many of you already do this, but the more you read, the more you learn. If you read a lot of fiction, then you'll be surrounded by more creativity and perhaps be able to better recognize a story idea when you find one. And my roommate reminded me last night of the usefulness of history books for finding story ideas. There's so much literary "land" available for mining!

2. Study hard. As a college student, I'm taking so many interesting classes, especially the literature classes. For example, I've taken Irish Literature, 19th Century American Literature, Minority Authors, and Literature of Love; and I'm currently taking 19th-20th Century English Literature and Literature of the American West. Definitely a lot of story ideas within the backgrounds and inspiration to be found in such classes as these!

But even if you're not in high school or college at the moment, you can always take a couple of classes at the community college or just take some workshops at conferences, etc. In today's "information age," there are plenty of opportunities for learning!

3. Go fishing. Or something like that. Just go on vacation or a little day trip, and you'll be surprised by how much a change of scenery/pace will cause you to see different perspectives and perhaps think more creatively. And if you go to a place that could serve as a good setting for a book, so much the better! Just be sure to bring a little pocket notebook along in your purse or bag so that you can jot down ideas on the go.

4. Talk to people. There are so many amazing stories out there! And if you're in a place where you're doing research for your book, you can get so many ideas from the people who live there or work there. It's often the little tidbits/facts that make for an intriguing and unique story.

5. Be open to inspiration. I realize this is vague, but let me give you an example. I recently had to do an assignment for my Nature & Structure of the English Language class--a word study of 10 different words, including place names, phrases, etc. One of the place names I chose turned up some interesting information that has inspired me in my brainstorming of my second manuscript. (I don't really want to share specifics at this point, but you get the idea: even a homework assignment can yield some "treasure!")

So what are you waiting for? Pick up your shovels and start looking for those "chocolate nuggets"--they're not as rare as you might think! ;) Happy hunting!

(Picture is of a yummy candy shop in Nevada, near Carson City, I believe. Love the honeycomb chocolate!)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Max is a good friend. He’s steadfast and loyal, traits common to most dachshunds, but he’s also protective and loving. He shows unabashed joy when we come home and sulks like a child when we leave. It’s because of that last trait that my husband and I decided to get Max a friend. Lainey is also a miniature dachshund, but unlike Max, she is sweet and compliant. Where Max is fierce and protective, Lainey is cuddly and soft. Where Max is tireless and playful, Lainey enjoys a good nap. Despite their differences, however, she is the perfect mate for Max. They eat from the same bowl, they play together, and at times, they communicate with one another with just a subtle look. I’ve grown to enjoy watching them together. Their closeness reminds me that we all need someone to love, who loves and understands us. Even Paul, as dedicated as he was to the Lord, longed for the comfort and companionship of his good friend, Timothy. I think that’s why the Lord gives us godly friends…because He knows, better than we do, that there will come a day when having such a friend will mean the difference between continuing in the faith and falling away. 2 Timothy 1 (King James Version 1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: 11Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 13Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. 15This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 16The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: 17But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. 18The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winners:

Lisa Nelson - Give the Lady a Ride by Linda Yezak

Pam (pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net) - An Eye for Glory by Karl A. Bacon

SuperMom @ What You Reading Now - People of the Book by Kathi Macias

Winners of this week's books, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the authors. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Linda Yezak, Karl A. Bacon, and Kathi Macias for your generosity in providing books!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing! This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:

Give the Lady a Ride by Linda Yezak ~ Patricia Talbert is a high-class social coordinator from New York. Talon Carlson is a rugged bull rider from Texas. He thinks she’s too polished. She thinks he’s insane. Opposites aren’t quick to attract when the lady who enters the cowboy’s world is on a mission to sell the ranch. But a box of letters changes her mission–letters of unshakable faith and a love deeper than anything she’s ever experienced. Soon, she finds his integrity appealing. Her spunk draws him in. He has the faith she craves; she may be the love he longs for. But faith and love aren’t achieved in a single weekend. To buy time to explore the possibilities between them, she issues a challenge: “Teach me to ride bulls.” From here on, they’re in for the ride of their lives.

An Eye for Glory by Karl A. Bacon ~ Michael palmer is a good man, a family man. But honor and duty push him to leave his comfortable life and answer the call from Abraham Lincoln to fight for his country. This 'citizen soldier' learns quickly that war is more than the battle on the field. Long marches under extreme conditions, illness, and disillusionment challenge at every turn. Faith seems lost in a blur of smoke and blood ... and death. Michael's only desire is to kill as many Confederate soldiers as he can so he can go home. He coldly counts off the rebels that fall to his bullets. Until he is brought up short by a dying man holding up his Bible. It's in the heat of battle at Gettysburg and the solemn aftermath that Michael begins to understand the grave cost of the war upon his soul. Here the journey really begins as he searches for the man he was and the faith he once held so dearly. With the help of his beloved wife, Jesse Ann, he takes the final steps towards redemption and reconciliation. Using first-hand accounts of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, Karl Bacon has crafted a detailed, genuine and compelling novel on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Intensely personal and accurate to the times, culture, and tragedy of the Civil War, An Eye for Glory may change you in ways you could have never imagined as well.

People of the Book by Kathi Macias ~ Will God protect and keep them safe in the midst of persecution?

Farah lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with her family, and wants nothing more than to develop a deeper devotion to her Muslim faith. She sees the month of Ramadan as her chance to draw nearer to Allah, and pursues that goal. All goes well until the prophet Isa—Jesus—appears to her in a dream and calls her to Himself. Her brother, Kareem, who has never liked her, seeks to discredit her.

Farah’s cousin, an only child, frequents an online chat. She discovers former Muslims discussing their new belief that Isa is much more than a Muslim prophet—He is actually the Son of God. She becomes acquainted with an American girl of Muslim ancestry—now a devout Christian—Sara. Sara has problems of her own due to her brother Emir’s suspicious behavior.

Each finds their faith put to the test. Will they be true to their beliefs? Will God protect them, or will they pay the ultimate price for their faith?


Winners w
ill be announced on Saturday, 04/16/11.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time buzzing around in their new ride: Al’s 2005 sunburst orange Corvette. Her current release is titled People of the Book, published by New Hope Publishers.






Kathi is giving away a copy of her book, People of the Book. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!
For the past three years I’ve had the privilege of working as the coordinator of the romantic suspense category of ACFW’s Genesis contest for unpublished authors. This year there were 556 entries in the nine categories. The romantic suspense category had 52 entries.
There were so many good entries. It made me glad I wasn’t a judge. It was just my job to pass the entries to the judges, record the returned scores, and answer any questions the writers might have. Semi-finalists were announced last Friday, and I had the pleasure of calling those whose manuscripts would go on to the next round. I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed anything more than to hear the surprise and joy in the voices of women I’d never met but felt an instant kinship with.
For a complete list of semi-finalists, you can go to the ACFW website. Here are the ones I had the privilege of contacting.
Emily Ann Benedict
Loretta Boyett
K. Victoria Chase
Sue Harrison
Kelli Hughett
Michelle Lim
Erynn Newman
Rajdeep Paulus
Renee Ann Smith
Pat Trainum
Katie Vorreiter
Jan Warren

Talking with them brought back memories of how excited I was when I received the call that my first book was going to be published. I could empathize with their excitement over wanting to tell friends and family right away.

As much as I enjoyed that part, though, there is a part of the contest that is very difficult. That comes afterwards when entries are returned to non-finalists. There are questions about why a certain judge marked one area low while another marked another high. I don’t have the answers to those questions just as I don’t understand why one reviewer can give a book a high rating and another can mark it low.

When that happens to one of my books, I remind myself that you can’t please everyone, but as long as I’m doing what God wants I’m okay. Then I get to work again and try to make the next book the best it can be.

Writing is a very lonely job, and it hurts when your work isn't appreciated. When I find myself wondering if my story is going in the direction it should or whether or not I can craft a story anyone will even want to read, I look for encouragement in other places. Of course prayer can bring us peace about where God wants to lead us, but He also provides us with other means to encourage us. 

One of my favorite ways to cope is to read quotes by writers. In fact I keep some of them handy to remind myself that there are others like me who toil each day with the written word. Some of my favorites are:
The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea."
Thomas Mann

"You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning. Like any other artist you must learn your craft—then you can add all the genius you like."
Phyllis A. Whitney

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
Mark Twain

To imagine yourself inside another person...is what a story writer does in every piece of work; it is his first step, and his last too, I suppose."
Eudora Welty

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
Robert Frost

"Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."
Barbara Kingsolver

"No, it's not a very good story—its author was too busy listening to other voices to listen as closely as he should have to the one coming from inside."
Stephen King
What about you? What inspires you to keep writing even when rejection comes?

Wednesday, April 13, 2011


Karl Bacon grew up in the small picturesque town of Woodbury, Connecticut. After graduating from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he returned to Connecticut and found employment in manufacturing. "Just a job" turned into a professional career, much of which was spent working for a Swiss machine tool company. In 2000 he started his own business to provide services to manufacturing clients across the USA. This change also allowed time to develop his writing craft.

From youth Karl has been a serious student of the Civil War. The draft of An Eye for Glory took ten years from conception to completion. Thousands of hours were spent researching every detail, through copious reading, internet research and personal visits to each of the battlefields, so the novel might be as historically accurate and believable as possible. He lives in Naugatuck, Connecticut with his wife of thirty-three years, Jackie.

Did you see yourself becoming a writer as a child? If not, what did you dream of being?

No, I never thought of becoming a writer. In fact, I disliked writing until I started to write the first of several instructional manuals for the aforementioned Swiss firm. It seemed I had a talent for explaining things well. As a logical and analytical sort of guy I also wasn't much of a dreamer. However, I regularly questioned what God wished me to do with my life. I trusted that, if he wanted me to work at something else, he would make it clear to me.

How long did you write before you sold your first book?

It took ten years to write the first draft, from spring 1998 to June 2008. Research rabbit trails often took days or weeks to resolve. I read extensively about the history of the Connecticut regiment Michael Palmer would enlist in and detailed accounts of every battle he would have been a part of. While visiting the battlefields I visualized how the battle played out over the land. I tried to find the exact spot where Michael would have been. What would he have seen and heard and done? Sometimes I just sat still, soaking up the atmosphere of the place, so I might better bring that atmosphere to life on the page. Sometimes, after writing an intensely emotional scene, I felt drained and couldn’t write another word for weeks or even months. In time the Lord revived me, inspired me, and drove me back to the writing—he would not let me let it go.

Many of the people who follow our blog are aspiring writers themselves. Can you share your favorite writing tip with them?

I read somewhere the importance of approaching my writing from three perspectives—as writer, as character, as reader—one at a time, of course. First, as a writer I must create a compelling story and tell it in a forceful manner, using all the gifts I have been graced with to make my writing attractive to the reader. Next, I review my story as the character. Am I conveying the proper aspect of this character’s growth or decline that is needed at this point in the story? Is this person’s vocabulary fitting to his character? Are the emotions genuine and believable? Finally, I try to analyze what I have written as if I were reading it for the first time. I either read it aloud, or copy the text into my text-to-speech reader, and listen to the words. This might seem like a purely mechanical exercise, but it has certainly helped me to find errors, avoid repetition, hear the sound and flow of the words themselves, and generally improve the quality of my writing.

Now for the readers…many times, it’s easy for them to connect with the characters in a book, but not so much the authors themselves. Share something about your day-to-day life that might help a reader to feel as though they know you a little better.

Shortly after graduating from college over three decades ago, I married my lovely sweetheart Jackie. She was employed for years as a public school Kindergarten teacher, then moved to school administration. She is now principal of a primary school (grades Pre-K to 2) in East Haven, CT. I borrowed some of Jackie's many fine qualities when I developed the character of Michael's wife, Jessie Anne.

Several years ago I gave the unfinished manuscript of An Eye for Glory to Jackie to read. "Just tell me what you think," I said. Days stretched into weeks without a response. Finally I asked her about it.

"I got about a third of the way through. It's just not my cup
of tea."

Admittedly, I was a little miffed, but when a measure of objectivity returned, I realized that she was probably right. I still had much to learn and work to do. Last summer, after I completed the last of the substantive edits, I gave her the manuscript again. This time she flew through it. "You know," she said, "this book could change people's lives." That was the best thing this new writer could have ever heard.


Now that you are published, do you still experience rejections? If so, how are these rejections different or similar to the ones you received before becoming published?

I'm an oddity, a debut author whose work was never rejected. In the ten years it took to write it, I never seriously thought about getting it published. So in June, 2008 I put the two binders holding the manuscript in the bookcase in my office and offered a short prayer, "Lord, if that's not where you want it to stay, please show me what to do with it."

I recalled reading that perhaps the best thing any author hoping to get published can do is attend a writers' conference. Within a few days I was a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Within a week or two I had enrolled and made reservations for attending the ACFW annual conference during September in Minneapolis. As part of the total conference experience, I signed up for an interview with Sue Brower, Senior Acquisitions Editor for Zondervan.

Sue loved the storyline and asked for a proposal. I prepared the first proposal I had ever done and sent it in the first week of October, not expecting to receive any response until after the New Year 2009. A little over two weeks after sending the proposal, Sue emailed me. She was very interested and wanted the entire manuscript. She presented it to her publication board in November and emailed me on Veteran's Day with some very good news.

Most people would call it luck, getting the right story in front of the right person at the right time, but I know that only the providential hand of Almighty God could have so correctly directed my steps. Throughout the entire process from completion of the manuscript through publication, I believed that God would make his will known, and that I would be able to rest peacefully in whatever his perfect plan held for An Eye for Glory and for me.

Tell us a little about your latest release:

An Eye for Glory: The Civil War Chronicles of a Citizen Soldier is historical fiction. It is a large story, encompassing almost two years of the war, but as the story is told in the first person, the scope of the novel is limited to what Michael Gabriel Palmer actually saw and heard and did. The story is set in the historical record of the 14th CT Volunteer Infantry and their service with the Army of the Potomac. This regiment served from August, 1862 until May, 1865 and fought in all of the eastern battles from Antietam through Appomattox.

Michael and his best friend John Robinson, both in their mid-thirties, are quite idealistic when they enlist. Both men endure great personal sacrifice because they believe God had called them to rid the nation of slavery and save the Union. For Michael, it isn’t long before this idealism is displaced by the horror and tragedy of the war. Fear and doubt and disillusionment possess him and begin to have profound effects on his character.

Eventually Michael comes to hate the enemy and sees killing as the only solution to ending the war so he can go home. At Gettysburg, during the climax of Pickett’s charge, his hatred boils over and he coldly kills one Rebel after another until the charge is broken. Then Michael jumps over the rock wall, bayonet at the ready to finish off any Confederates he can find, until he is brought up short by a man lying at his feet, a man he remembered shooting earlier. The man was dying. He held up a small Bible. He pleaded with Michael to read for him as he died. In that moment, Michael realizes he has killed a brother in Christ, and this realization haunts Michael for a long time to come.

While it is Michael Palmer’s story, it is all the story of his wife, Jessie Anne. Michael has included several of the letters which passed between husband and wife, and we learn much about how the war has affected not only Michael, but Jessie Anne as well. And as the reader will learn, it is Jessie Anne who finally sets the stage for Michael’s recovery and restoration after the war is done.

If you could only share one line from An Eye for Glory, which one would you choose and why?

The first sentence of the first chapter is "General Reno’s corpse was the first I saw during the war." Not bad for a first line. It plunges the reader into the Civil War and reveals one of the protagonist's core conflicts: death. The astute Civil War buff will know that Gen. Reno was killed at South Mountain on September 14, 1862—time and place, although I reveal this directly shortly after. I believe it also conveys the tenor of the story to follow. If you were looking for a sweet Civil War romance loaded with victor's laurels and gallant chivalry, you will probably be disappointed, because An Eye for Glory is a true to history, realistic, and unflinching portrayal of one man's experiences. Still, I wrestled long and hard with that first line, not so much with the wording of it, but with the decision to use such an obvious hook line to start a literary novel. It seemed to go against the first-person matter-of-fact style of Michael Palmer's storytelling, but everything I had read and heard begged for a powerful first sentence. I conceded the point and I think I made the right decision—and I haven't lost any sleep over it.

Writers often put things in their books that are very personal—like a funny story that happened to them, a spiritual truth they learned through difficulty, or even just a character trait that is uniquely theirs. Is there something in An Eye for Glory that only people close to you know is about you or someone you know?

I grew up playing baseball, and the position I played most often was catcher. In the snowball fight scene (Chapter 16), the throwing motion I described is the method I learned for throwing the ball accurately from home plate to second base. And come autumn, when unpicked apples fell from the trees, I would often see how many tree trunks I could hit with them.

Readers often talk a lot about the hero and heroine of a story, but today I’d like to know something about your villain. Does he or she have a redeeming quality? Why or why not?

Have you ever thought or said, "I'm my own worst enemy?" There is no human villain in An Eye for Glory, no person you can point to as the antagonist. While the elemental conflict of man against man is present on the battlefield, it is not the most pressing conflict for Michael Palmer. Many times during the story, Michael gives vivid details about what he has seen, and often these descriptions are terribly graphic. The horror takes up residence within his soul to the extent that, as lowering clouds obscure the warm, life-giving sun, so Michael’s ordeals hide God’s tender mercies from him. As the story develops, Michael comes to see God as more enemy than friend, let alone as his Heavenly Father. Michael is lost in his temporary afflictions, and loses all sight of the eternal glory that can be his, both in this life and the next.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book? Can you share some articles or website links you found particularly helpful?

I didn’t keep a log, but thousands of hours were spent on research, with reading occupying most of that time. My Civil War library grew from half a shelf to an entire bookcase. I found a few key volumes at my local and state libraries. The Internet proved invaluable as well, especially the Library of Congress digital collection of historical maps. The address is: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html. I also visited all of the battlefields depicted in the story (www.nps.gov), some two or three times, in an effort to walk where the men of the Fourteenth Connecticut walked and fought. A complete bibliography can be found on my website at www.kbacon.com. I have also posted a few links to get you started if you are interested in attending one of the many events planned in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

I have started another Civil War novel titled Until Shiloh Comes. It is completely different in terms of scope, a more localized and personal story, rather than a saga like An Eye for Glory. My second novel will deal with the changes that take place in a southern Tennessee family in the aftermath of the battle of Shiloh.

The most common thing I hear when people learned I’ve published a book is, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Faced with this statement, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in this business?

First, be brutally honest and question yourself. “Is this what God would have of me at this point in my life? Is it His calling or my desire?” Both would be best. “If I pursue writing, will other and perhaps more necessary duties to family or employer or church go undone?” Second, when you write, do it only for the glory of God and honor Him with the gift you have been given. Third, no matter what stage your writing career’s at, attend a writers’ conference, preferably a Christian one. Opportunities for learning about writing and the publishing business abound, friendships develop, fellowship with others of like precious faith and gifts enriches you, and you have the opportunity to rub elbows with other writers, published authors, agents, and editors from many Christian publishing houses.

What is the one question you were afraid I would ask…and how would you answer?

Did the institution of slavery cause the Civil War?

Yes, in my opinion. In spite of all that has been said and written about states having the right of self-determination within their borders, and the right to dissolve their federal bonds, it was only the slavery issue that so totally divided and polarized this nation into two opposing camps that were willing to shed rivers of blood to resolve it.
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Karl is giving away a copy of his book An Eye for Glory. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!

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