Watch How Your Fingers Talk (& Poll)

The art of modern communication is an art indeed.


The tone of an email is important. Sometimes we get only one chance to communicate with certain people and need to take particular care to make sure our tone can only be interpreted as positive. Make sure there is some warmth in the words, and that you address the recipient with kindness and professionalism. If you’re having a particularly bad day, or if you're short on time, it’s better to put off correspondence altogether rather than risk shooting off emails that might cast you in a bad light.

On the other side of this thing, we have the recipient. It's not easy to receive an email in which the tone is terse, angry, or projecting some other negative emotion. It is up to us to give the benefit of the doubt. The originator might not have intended the email to sound negative at all. Indeed, they might have been busy and dashed off a reply without much thought of anything other than plowing through the next project weighing on their mind and stacked on their desk.

The lesson in all this is to be extra careful in our communications. Make sure you show your heart in your words. The use of an emoticon or acronym can go a long way to dispel the perception of coldness. If someone consistently puts out emails that you are interpreting negatively, bring the subject to the originator’s attention in a way that is both kind and helpful. They might not realize or intend for their fingers to sound as if they’re talking back.

Have you ever received an email in which you felt the originator’s tone was unpleasant? How did you handle it?

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A Story Worth Fighting For

I first saw this video on the AuthorCulture blog. It's disturbingly and hilariously accurate, and if you're a writer I strongly recommend you watch it, if only for a well-deserved laugh:



The Horrors of Stage Five

Currently I'm in Stage Five for my first completed manuscript. It's quite a leap from Stage Four to Stage Five, as many of you writers out there know!

Thankfully many of our critique partners and those kind enough to actually read through our first drafts are not nearly as cruel as the ones who left big red X's all over the pages of this poor fellow's manuscript. ;) But it can still be a scary, horrifying, and depressing thing to see just how much work our stories need in order to be presentable.

Our stories seem such lovely things, shining in the sunlight of our triumph upon completion of the first draft. And so they are! (Well, at least I like to think so, after all the work put into them!) But they can still be polished and even re-molded a little to refine them into stories that will be even more beautiful. So I'm learning that Stage Five doesn't have to be all darkness and hopelessness...

Leave the Forest For A While

When you find yourself taking that step from Stage Four to Stage Five, it's easy to get lost in the sudden shadows of the forest of edits. You can run from page to page, struck by the shortcomings you, with your limited perspective, had never noticed before. And you can feel like an utter failure.

I was recently given some great advice on how to handle that initial shock: Step away from the story. Leave the marked pages in the forest for a while. Go play in the sunshine. Those pages will still be there when you get back.

Now, I'll be completely honest with you--I haven't yet gone back to the forest. It's been several weeks since I got the very kind and helpful comments and edits from a dear friend. (Believe me--if all critique partners were like her, the editing forest would be a lot less terrifying! My "shock" was buffered by encouragement and understanding, so thank you so, so much to the person who helped me, because you know who you are!)

Yet, someday (hopefully soon!), if it's God's will, I want to go back. I want to brave that forest.

Why?

A Story Worth Fighting For

Generally when any of my writing gets critiqued, I want to either:

1. Reject the criticism.

2. Give up.

Or...

3. Make the smallest amount of change necessary.

But this time it's different. This is a story I've had on my heart for a long time. It's a manuscript I've worked on off and on for years. To me, it's a story worth fighting for, and unless God lets me know otherwise, I want to fight for it.

Yes, I want to fight!

I want to my story to be the best that it should be. I won't settle for mediocrity! (Should this be the BB's new team cheer?)

Seriously, I'm kind of scared to post this. I don't want to be a hypocrite by writing all this down and then never getting around to fixing up my manuscript. If that does happen, please forgive me.

But by writing this post today, I hope that even one person might be encouraged to battle through Stage Five and find a grand, uncharted, thrilling Stage Six someday. Even if that one person turns out to be just me. ;)

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Winners!!

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

Merry (worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com) – Behind the Badge by Susan Sleeman

Loralee– Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love

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, Susan Sleeman and Dorothy Love for your generosity in providing books!

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Weekly Drawing

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:

Behind the Badge by Susan Sleeman ~ "YOUR SISTER IS NEXT."

A killer is threatening the life of rookie cop Sydney Tucker's sister--unless Sydney turns over evidence from a drug bust. But she doesn't have the evidence. Not that the thug believes her. Now she and the sibling in her care are under the watchful eye of Logan Lake police chief Russ Morgan...but will his protection be enough? The killer is closing in, picking off the people and places that mean the most to Sydney. A list that now includes Russ. To protect her loved ones, will she pay the ultimate price--her life?


Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love ~ Unless she can trust God's love to cast out her fears, Ada may lose the heart of a good man.

Ada Wentworth, a young Bostonian, journeys to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, in the years following the Civil War. Alone and nearly penniless following a broken engagement, Ada accepts a position as a lady's companion to the elderly Lillian Willis, a pillar of the community and aunt to the local lumber mill owner, Wyatt Caldwell. Ada intends to use her millinery skills to establish a hat shop and secure her future.

Haunted by unanswered questions from her life in Boston, Ada is most drawn to two townsfolks: Wyatt, a Texan with big plans of his own, and Sophie, a mulatto girl who resides at the Hickory Ridge orphanage. Ada's friendship with Sophia attracts the attention of a group of locals seeking to displace the residents of Two Creeks, a "colored" settlement on the edge of town. As tensions rise, Ada is threatened but refuses to abandon her plan to help the girl.

When Lillian dies, Ada is left without employment or a place to call home. And since Wyatt's primary purpose for staying in Hickory Ridge was to watch over his aunt, he can now pursue his dream of owning Longhorns in his home state of Texas.

With their feelings for each other growing, Ada must decide whether she can trust God with her future and Wyatt with her heart.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 06/11/11.

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Dorothy Love Interview

I’m happy to welcome my good friend Dorothy Love to The Borrowed Book today. An accomplished author in the secular market, Dorothy makes her Christian fiction debut with Beyond All Measure. A native Tennessean, a former college professor, an avid traveler and amateur historian, she shares a home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their two golden retrievers.

Welcome, Dorothy. I'm so glad to have you with us today talking about your writing journey and your wonderful book. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

My dad began reading to me when I was a toddler and I learned to read for myself before I ever started school. I can’t remember not being able to enjoy the wonder of books. In third grade, a teacher encouraged my authorial efforts and that was it.

After you began writing, how long did it take to make that first sale?

I wrote and submitted for five years before landing my first book deal. In the interim, I wrote hundreds of magazine pieces to help pay the bills.

All your perseverance paid off in the publication of your book. What is the title?

BEYOND ALL MEASURE

I've read your book, and I loved it. Give us a short blurb about it.

Ada Wentworth may be young, but after losing her family, her fiancé and her fortune, she knows she can rely upon no one but herself. She journeys to Hickory Ridge, a small town nestled in the foothills of the Great Smokies, to take a job as a lady’s companion. She plans to stay only until she can earn enough money to establish a millinery shop back east. But then she meets Wyatt Caldwell, the handsome Texan who owns the local lumber mill. As their feelings for each other grow, Ada must decide whether she can trust God with her future, and Wyatt with her heart.

What inspirational message do you want readers to take away after reading Beyond All Measure?

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Holding onto blame and bitterness leads to isolation and pain; forgiveness and trust bring peace and fulfillment.

As I read your book, I found myself falling in love with your characters who inhabit the little town of Hickory Ridge. Which character in the book is your favorite? Why?

It’s hard to choose one favorite. I love Ada for her determination, Lillian for her wise counsel, and of course Wyatt. Who can resist a long-legged, blue- eyed, Stetson-wearin’ Texan with a killer smile who calls you “darlin’?

You are so right. Wyatt is a strong hero, but I also really liked your setting in Hickory Ridge. I could tell you understood the area and the attitudes of the people who lived there. Where one has lived often affects the settings a writer uses in his/her stories. Have you found this to be true in your writing?

Absolutely. I write Southern historical fiction because I am a southern girl. I know the geographical and cultural landscape. I believe that we are connected by an invisible thread to the place where we were born and raised, and that when we are away from it, something inside us keeps us longing for it.

I know you are dedicated to your family, friends, and your church. How do you juggle all your responsibilities and still find time to write wonderful novels?

I’ve had to learn to say no to some things I would really love to do. Last year I gave up membership in a book club and I miss those women still. I’ve had to learn that the world does not end if there are dust bunnies under the bed or if I buy a cake from the bakery instead of baking one from scratch. Everyone who loves me understands that I hope my books will be a ministry, too, and usually they are supportive, even when I must say no.

I also know you to be a fun-loving individual who likes to laugh and live life to the fullest. What would you say is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

When I was teaching at a small college in the Midwest, one of my fellow profs double-dog dared me to sing in his rock band. Who can step away from a double dog dare? So I did it, chiming in on a couple of old Elvis classics. I had a ball and didn’t get booed off the stage, so I guess it went okay.

I'm glad you didn't abandon your writing to take up a singing career. I can hardly wait for your next book. What are you working on now? Can we expect other books to release soon?

I’ve just turned in the manuscript for the second Hickory Ridge novel, BEAUTY FOR ASHES, due out in February of 2012, and now I’m busy writing the third which is to be called EVERY PERFECT GIFT. And working on a proposal for a new series.

For the aspiring writers who may be reading this, what advice would you give them?

Read at least a dozen books for every one you try to write. Take all the classes you possibly can. Seek honest feedback from someone qualified to give it. Know when to give up on a submission that is not selling and move on to something else. A dear friend of mine spent seven years on one manuscript, revising it every time she received feedback from an editor who rejected it. That’s seven years in which she could have been reading more, writing more, learning more, and submitting more.

I post regular tips on writing and the writing life on my website, www.DorothyLoveBooks.com. Click on Writers’ Caffeine.

I would advise writers to read Writers’ Caffeine. I have certainly learned a lot from reading your posts. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us that I haven’t asked?

I love history and I love encouraging others to seek out the untold stories of their own families’ pasts. I find the 19th century endlessly fascinating. Each week, I write about various historical topics on my Blog page at www.DorothyLoveBooks.com. If you love history, love finding out about your own ancestors, come visit. If you’d like to have one of your ancestors featured in a future novel, check out my contest there on the site. It’s easy to enter and I’d love to hear from you.

Thank you for dropping by today, Dorothy. It’s been a pleasure to have you as a guest.

Dorothy is also giving away a copy of Beyond All Measure on Friday. If you’d like to be entered in the drawing, leave a comment. You may be the lucky person who gets to read about a “long-legged, blue- eyed, Stetson-wearin’ Texan with a killer smile.”

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Author Interview ~ K. Dawn Byrd

K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance and romantic suspense. Mistaken Identity, her first young adult romance released on June 15, 2011 from Desert Breeze Publishing. Queen of Hearts, a WWII romantic suspense released in April 2010 and was the bestselling book for her publisher during its debut month. Killing Time, a contemporary romantic suspense, released August 1, 2010, also with Desert Breeze Publishing.

K. Dawn Byrd is an avid blogger and gives away several books per week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, most of which are signed by the authors. She's also the moderator of the popular facebook Christian Fiction Gathering group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444.

When not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

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

I wanted to be a veterinarian because I've always been an animal lover. When I discovered that I'd have to "doctor" injured dogs who'd been through trauma like car injuries, I decided it wasn't for me.

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

I studied seriously every book I could find on the craft and then began writing. I'd been writing for about a year when I signed my first contract.

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

My favorite tip was given to me by an agent. She said, "Write something every day."

Good advice! 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've been married for sixteen years to a husband I love very much. I have a beautiful stepdaughter who is the light of my life. I live with my husband, an African Gray parrot and two spoiled rotten Chinese Cresteds and let's not forget that I love fish and have six aquariums.

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 recently experienced rejection from a publisher who requested proposals at a conference. I don't let that get to me because whatever is God's will for my life will happen.

That's a good attitude to have. Tell us a little about your latest release:

Eden Morgan makes a list of six goals to accomplish in order to have the best summer ever. Getting a boyfriend, which is perhaps the most important goal, becomes complicated when she and her best friend, Lexi, fall for the same guy. Since Lexi is popular, gorgeous, and always gets her guy, Eden thinks she doesn't have a chance.

Channing Johnson is everything Eden's ever dreamed of and she can't believe he just moved in next door. When he starts showing interest in her, she's overjoyed...until she sees him out on a date with Lexi. He says Lexi talked him into it to repay her for tutoring him. Lexi says they're in love.

Eden doesn't know who to believe and is forced to choose between her best friend and the guy of her dreams. Nothing is as it seems and no matter who she chooses, someone will get hurt.

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 Mistaken Identity that only people close to you know is about you or someone you know?

My heroine wants a blue Mustang for her sixteenth birthday. That's what I wanted and what ended up being my first car.

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?

Lexi, my heroine's best friend, is my villain. She's gorgeous, spoiled, and vicious if she doesn't get what she wants. Her redeeming quality is that she takes care of her alcoholic mother.

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 really didn't do any research because it's a contemporary young adult romance. I did ask my step-daughter some questions about modern day high school "life" since it's been a long time since I was a student.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

I just signed a contract for a young adult mystery series. My main character is a lot like Nancy Drew, but she's more mature and there will be more romance in my series than in Nancy Drew books.

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?

Study, study, and then study some more. It's hard out there.

Watch the trailer...



Connect with this author at www.kdawnbyrd.com.

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Poll: What Games Do You Like to Play?

Borrowed Book wants to know what games you like to play in your spare time.

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