Catching the Brass Ring, by Amanda Cabot

When we first chatted about this blog, Yvonne mentioned that many authors did “a day in the life of” posts.  I considered that for about a nanosecond before I realized that you’d be yawning from the first word to the last.  Unless you count the time I spend staring out the window at the cottontails and jackrabbits who think my backyard is their playground, my normal days are boring.  But not every aspect of writing is boring.  A good example is the day I decided to catch the brass ring. 

I lived in New Jersey at the time and still had a day job, but we had summer hours, meaning that the office closed at noon on Fridays.  At one minute after noon, my husband and I were in the car, headed for Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania.  Nestled in the Lehigh Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, one of Pen Argyl’s claims to fame is its historic carousel.  We’d visited a number of antique carousels ever since I caught an incurable case of carousel fever in 2000, but this was the first one we’d found that had a ring machine.

Are you familiar with the phrase “go for the brass ring”?  It has its origins on a carousel.  The original carousels were designed to train knights, and as part of that training, those knights tried to throw their spears through a brass ring.  Later, when carousels became amusement park rides, the brass rings had a different function.  A machine would dispense rings as riders passed by.  Most were tin and worthless, but a few were brass.  Since anyone who caught a brass ring was given a free ride, you can bet that every rider on the outside row was leaning to the right, reaching for that brass ring.

Sadly, although many of the original carousels had ring machines, safety considerations led to their demise.  But the carousel at Pen Argyl still had one, and I – determined to learn everything I could about carousels – had to see it.

Everything was on schedule until we stopped at a red light in western New Jersey.  Bam!  Bam again!  The car shook as a Peterbilt rammed right into us, crumpling the trunk and causing more damage than I want to think about.  Fortunately, other than mild whiplash, we were both fine, and the car was still operational.  An hour later, when the police had filled out the last of their forms, we looked at each other.  Should we continue to Pen Argyl or go home?  Pen Argyl won.

When we arrived at the park, the carousel pavilion was closed, but a friendly employee opened it for us and let us wander around, taking pictures to our hearts’ delight.  The carousel itself is magnificent, featuring the realistic animals known as the Philadelphia style.  As for the ring machine, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed in it.  As you can see from the picture, it’s utilitarian rather than elegant, but it did its job, and I doubt anyone who caught a brass ring cared that it was coming from an ordinary yellow arm.

I may not have caught a brass ring that day, but it was an adventure I’ll never forget.  What about you?  I hope you’ve never had a close encounter with a Peterbilt, but I’m sure there have been times when your plans didn’t go exactly the way you’d expected yet still turned out to be enjoyable.  Will you share them with us?

A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances.  Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim; Christmas Roses was a CBA bestseller; and a number of her books have been finalists for national awards, including ACFW’s Carol award. 

www.amandacabot.com

http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot

https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, when you can enter to win a free copy of Sincerely Yours, a collection of romance novellas by Jane Kirkpatrick, Amanda Cabot, Laurie Alice Eakes, and Ann Shorey.

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Did You Know? ~ Household Uses for Ammonia during the Civil War

I found a little booklet called Civil War Household Tips, which included these uses for ammonia. I have no idea if they really worked, but I thought they were interesting.

All housekeepers should keep a bottle of liquid ammonia, as it is the most powerful and useful agent for cleaning silks, stuffs and hats, in fact cleans everything it touches. A few drops of ammonia in water will take off grease from dishes, pans, etc., and does not injure the hands as much as the use of soda and strong chemical soaps. A spoonful in a quart of warm water for cleaning paint makes it look like new, and so with everything that needs cleaning.

Spots on towels and hosiery will disappear with little trouble if a little ammonia is put into enough water to soak the articles, and they are left in it an hour or two before washing; and if a cupful is put into the water in which clothes are soaked the night before washing, the ease with which the articles can be washed, and their great whiteness and clearness when dried, will be very gratifying. Remembering the small sum paid for three quarts of ammonia of common strength, one can easily see that no bleaching preparation can be more cheaply obtained.

No articles in kitchen use are so likely to be neglected and abused as the dish-cloth and dish-towels; and in washing these, ammonia, if properly used, is a great comfort more than anywhere else. Put a teaspoonful into the water in which these cloths are, or should be, washed every day; rub soap on the towels. Put them in the water; let them stand half an hour or so; faithfully, and dry outdoors in clear air and sun, and dish-clothes and towels need never look gray and dingy—a perpetual discomfort to all housekeepers.

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The Myth of Rejection by Author Amanda Cabot

Rejection.  It’s a subject few writers want to think about much less discuss, which may be why it’s shrouded in so much secrecy and why there are so many myths about it.  As someone who’s collected enough rejection notices to paper a good-sized room, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject, and so I invite you to join me for my attempt to demystify rejection and to debunk some of the myths.  Grab a latte, a cup of tea, a piece of chocolate – whatever soothes you – and let’s go.

Myth #1: It won’t happen to me.  I used to believe this one too.  Even though I knew the statistics, I was certain they wouldn’t apply to me.  Of course the first editor who read my manuscript would buy it.  Wrong.  Instead of the joyful “I want to buy your manuscript” call I’d expected, I received a form rejection in the mail.  And, like all form rejections, it was singularly unhelpful.  I had no way of knowing whether the editor thought my manuscript was the worst prose in the English language or whether she’d bought something similar the previous day.  To say that I was devastated is an understatement.  While that was the only rejection for that particular manuscript, it was the first of many rejections I’ve received.  Rejection is an unfortunate part of most writers’ lives.

Myth #2: It doesn’t hurt.  We’ve all heard the adage, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  If that were true, rejection wouldn’t hurt, but it does.  Why?  There are a couple reasons why rejection hurts so much.  The first is that we’ve sent something of value to that editor or agent, something that’s a part of us.  Rejecting it is like rejecting us.  Another reason is that as writers we’re empathetic.  We understand and feel others’ emotions.  That’s wonderful when it comes to writing stories that touch readers’ hearts, but the same empathy means that we tend to be thin-skinned where our own emotions are concerned.  There’s no sugar-coating it.  Rejection hurts.

Myth #3: It’s not personal.  That’s true, from the editor’s view.  For an editor or agent, reading manuscripts is a job.  So is rejecting those that don’t fit the publisher’s current needs.  Remember that editors want to buy manuscripts, but their job is to select those stories that have the greatest chance of succeeding in the publisher’s chosen market.  That doesn’t mean that a rejected manuscript is unpublishable; it simply means that it doesn’t meet that publisher’s needs at the current time.  It’s a business decision, not a personal one.  But for us, the writers, it is indeed personal, because our books are part of us.  (I know I said that before, but it bears repeating.)

Myth #4: It only happens to unpublished authors.  Oh, how I wish this were true!  After I sold my first book to the second editor who read it, I thought I was on Easy Street.  Reality was that the market changed and the line that featured my first book was discontinued.  It took me several years and many, many rejections to sell another book.  I’d love to tell you that that will never happen to you, but there are no guarantees.  The market continues to change.  Some publishers are being acquired by others.  Lines are discontinued or are contracting, while others are expanding.  The only guarantee is that change will continue.

Myth #5: The only rejections come from editors and agents.  When we talk about rejection, we often focus on the traditional definition, namely rejection of a manuscript by an editor or agent, but there are other types of rejection that hurt almost as much as the traditional one.  I consider bad reviews, scathing emails from readers and unsuccessful book signings to be a form of rejection, and yes, they’ve all happened to me.

Myth #6: It gets easier.  The good news about this myth is that it’s true if you add a qualifying clause.  Dealing with rejection does become easier if you develop some coping techniques.  And that leads me to the next part of this discussion.

How do you cope with rejection besides eating a lot of chocolate?  A few techniques that have worked for me are:

Venting: Do not – I repeat, DO NOT – vent by calling the agent or editor to say that there’s been a huge mistake, that anyone with half a brain would recognize your genius.  Instead, call a friend or, even better, pull out a piece of paper and release your anger by writing all the things you want to say to the editor.  Then shred it.  

Exercise:  This is one of my favorite coping techniques, simply because it works so quickly.  I’m not going to quote the research about the therapeutic effect of the endorphins that exercise releases; all I’m going to say is DO IT.  Whether you take a brisk walk, go to the gym or simply clean house, exercise helps to calm you.  It also helps burn some of the calories from all the consolation chocolate you’ve been eating.  Two benefits from one technique.  You can’t ask for better than that.

Reading: Pull out your favorite authors and indulge yourself.  Yes, this is escapism, but there’s nothing wrong with that.  You can always justify it by saying that you’re doing market research.

Plan B: Even before you send out the first query, you should have a prioritized list of the editors or agents you want to query.  If one rejects you, send the query to the next one on the list.  And, if you’ve gone the multiple submission route and have sent the manuscript to everyone on your list, do some research to see whether there are agents or editors you haven’t considered.  Only when you’ve exhausted every possible home for your manuscript should you abandon it. 

Writing: I’ve found this to be an excellent remedy for the inevitable blues that accompany rejection.  Get back to work on the next project.  (You were already working on it while you waited for news about the first one, weren’t you?)  One of the benefits of being engrossed in a second book while you wait for the decision on the first is that it’s an expanded version of Plan B.  If the first manuscript doesn’t sell, you haven’t put all your eggs in one proverbial basket.  

Prayer: I’ve saved the best for last in this list, but as Christian writers we know it should be our first step.  Take the time to thank God for the many gifts He’s given you, including the ability to write.  And then listen, really listen, to His response. 

The bottom line is that rejection hurts.  It always will, but you can and will survive it.

A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances.  Her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim; Christmas Roses was a CBA bestseller; and a number of her books have been finalists for national awards, including ACFW’s Carol award.  

www.amandacabot.com

http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot

https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot

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Writers on Tour

Michelle Griep

The fantabulous Lynne Gentry invited me join a Writer’s Blog Tour. So, I thought it would be fun to showcase another historical suspense author, a writer friend and critique partner whose work I can only aspire to, Michelle Griep! Michelle is one sweet, talented lady. I can’t wait for you to meet her and find out about her most recent release, A Heart Deceived. 

So here’s how the blog roll works. Both Michelle and I will take turns answering the blog questions and then we thought it would be fun to do a book give-away (see entry details at the end). 

Here we go … 

1. What am I working on? 

MICHELLE: Currently I'm off the fiction leash and roaming the neighborhood of non-fiction. I'm compiling a writing book based off of the posts on my blog, Writer Off the Leash. Once that's pulled together, though, I'll be back in Regency England with an officer of the Bow Street Runners, hot on the trail of suspected traitor to the crown. . . and the pretty innkeeper's daughter. 

 ELIZABETH: Michelle, your courage to try new things never fails to amaze me! I just know your non-fiction is going to be a huge success (mostly because I got a sneak peek and I know you’re going to inject it with your sharp as a razor wit!). :-) 

I’m one of those people who always say they need to cut back on the number of projects they have going and never does! I mean, I do cut back, but then immediately fill the slot with something else. LOL! Right now, I’m marketing my newest historical suspense from Bethany House Publishers called Tide and Tempest. I’m also polishing up the revisions for a Christmas story coming out in September from Barbour Publishing called, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine and plotting a series of mysteries for Guideposts called Sugarcreek Secrets. It’s a lot of work juggling so many different projects, but the simple truth is, if I’m not busy, I don’t feel productive. It’s a vicious cycle… :-) 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

 MICHELLE: My writing is a shade darker and snarkier than most. Think Dickens crossed with Sherlock Holmes and Charlotte Bronte. Yeah, I've got balls and dinners and gorgeous dresses, but I also deal with some of the tougher issues of the day such as extreme poverty, addiction issues, and mental health. 

ELIZABETH: Dark and snarky…why yes, that about sums it up! LOL! My stories always have a splash of mystery or a splattering of suspense. Seriously. I tried to write a straight historical romance once, and a third of the way through, I killed off one of the main characters. It’s like I have to put action on every page or it feels like there’s just not enough happening. Which, when I think about it, makes sense given that I live my life at 100mph and only slow down when I’m forced to go to sleep (see answer above). LOL! 

3. Why do I write what I do? 

MICHELLE: I adore history. Yes, even when I was in junior high. I'm also an Anglophile at heart, so British history it is, folks. And I write for adults because I'd scare the bejeebers out of little kids, so children's books are a definite no-no. 

ELIZABETH: LOL! Please, stick to writing for adults. As a proud new grandmother, I surely do not want to explain to my granddaughter why Jack and Jill ran up a hill. . .to escape an ax murderer. 

My reasons for writing have changed over the years. At first, it was simply to satisfy a dream. That quickly morphed into something I never expected—a desire to give people hope. Writing inspirational fiction allows me to spread the gospel in a way that speaks to Christians and non-Christians alike, because people who might not sit through a sermon have no problem sitting through a good book. Plus, it enables me to prove what I’ve claimed all along—that fiction doesn’t have to be foul to find an audience. I was tired of the books I’d been reading before I came to Christ. I wanted something uplifting, romantic, exciting, but wholesome, too! That’s what I hope I offer to readers. 

4. How does my writing process work? 

MICHELLE: When I sit down to write a scene, I first fill out this little formula... POV: Whose perspective will we see this scene from? SCENE: Where is this taking place? What will happen? PURPOSE: What is important to reveal to the reader in this scene to move the plot forward and deepen character development? CLIFFHANGER: What will make the reader turn the page instead of putting down the book? 

 ELIZABETH: See…now that may be why your writing is always so much tighter than mine on the first draft. You actually have a plan! My writing usually starts out like this: 

 Hello. My name is Elizabeth Ludwig, and I am a daydreamer. I will usually daydream about the characters in my books for weeks before I ever write the first chapter. That’s because I need to be able to see them in my head, hear how they talk and learn how they act before I can begin to write their story. Then, once I have a clear picture of the characters, I start plotting out the story. That means charting out a detailed timeline from start to finish. I also search for photos, locate maps, make drawings of certain settings, and collect samples of historical details that I can incorporate. Only when all of that is finished do feel equipped enough to begin writing. It makes for a lengthier process, but I’m always satisfied when I finish that I did my best to make the story accurate and exciting. 

Thank you for visiting The Borrowed Book, Michelle! I love your quirky sense of humor, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to our readers. 

You can learn more about Michelle and check out all her books at her website. To follow the blog tour and learn the gritty details of more behind-the-scenes writer-lives, visit Kellie Coates Gilbert’s post on Southern Belle View. Michelle Griep will also host an author of her choice next week Writer off the Leash. And if you’d like to check out my blog tour stop last week, visit Lynne Gentry’s blog! 

David C. Cook, 2013

Writer Girls Blog Tour Giveaway! 

In celebration of the blog tour, we’re giving away one copy of TIDE AND TEMPEST and one copy of A HEART DECEIVED, two stories that will capture your heart. To enter, leave a comment answering the question of the day. I’ll announce a winner back here in the comments on Tuesday morning at eight o’clock am! 

Question of the day: Michelle and I both write historical suspense. Tell us – what do you like about suspense, and do you prefer it to other genres?

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Winners!!

Good morning, BB fans! Thanks to everyone who participated in our "puzzling" Friday giveaway! Keep all those facebook and Twitter notifications, coming!

This week's winner is: 
 
Cindy W (countrybear52 AT yahoo DOT com) - Four Weddings & a Kiss by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Lee Hatcher.
 
Congratulations, Cindy! Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book.

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Sunday Devotional: Psalm 38

Prayer in Time of Chastening ... A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.

This time, the notation on the Psalm makes me pause, first. Times of chastening are inevitable for a believer, the very proof that we belong to God. “...if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers [it happens to everyone!], then you are illegitimate and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:7, NKJV)

Did David intend the tag, “to bring to remembrance,” to be a reminder of that, or something else? Maybe of how painful the consequences of our sin, are?

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
² For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

There is no misery like being under the heavy hand of God when we’ve done something we shouldn’t have. If the Holy Spirit is, as the old poem says, the Hound of Heaven, not only does He guide and guard us on our journey, as a faithful hound would, but He relentlessly hunts us down when we stray from the path.

³ There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
⁵ My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

⁶ I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
⁷ For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
⁸ I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Some in our modern culture try to say there’s no such thing as sin, that we create needless guilt for ourselves in believing there is, but the fact remains ... our own wrongdoing is the poison that will kill us if not taken to the Lord and drawn out.

⁹ Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
¹⁰ My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

¹¹ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
¹² Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

As if it weren’t enough that we’re struggling with sin, it can seem like the whole world just stands back and watches us suffer. It’s true—it can be hard to be involved from the periphery. Either we feel inadequate to help someone else go through an issue, if we’ve never had to deal with it ourselves, or maybe we’re just so weary of the drama.

And then there are those who actively add to the suffering. As if it weren’t enough that we’re under conviction by the Holy Spirit, the enemy adds his voice to the mix ... you’re worthless, you’ll never pull out of this, this wrong can never be healed or even forgiven.

Regardless of the reason, this kind of isolation just underscores the fact that really, each of us is alone before God. Alone with our sin. Alone with our heartache.

¹³ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
¹⁴ Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

¹⁵ For in You, O Lord, I hope;
You will hear, O Lord my God.
¹⁶ For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

¹⁷ For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity;
I will be in anguish over my sin.
¹⁹ But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
²⁰ Those also who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

²¹ Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, be not far from me!
²² Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation! (Psalm 38)

And so, once again we’re left with the only thing that can possibly help:  throwing ourselves on the Lord’s mercy. Without that—without Him—our own sin will defeat us. Our enemies are too strong for us.

It’s a huge paradox that only by submitting ourselves to the Lord’s discipline can we walk in freedom—because we are His.

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Weekly Drawing

It's Fun Friday at The Borrowed Book! This week's prize is available to residents inside the continental US only.

To enter:

Leave the time it took you to complete the puzzles in the comments section as well as your email address for notifying you if you've won. Winners will be drawn from ALL of the times, so the person with the fastest time may not be the actual winner, but by leaving your time, you double your chances.

Want another entry? Tweet your puzzle time and mention The Borrowed Book, get another entry. RETWEET our Tweet, get two entries!

Post your puzzle time on BB's Facebook wall and...you guessed it...get another entry!

Post it on your OWN Facebook wall and you could get as many as FIVE entries.

It's all a way to spread the word about the great giveaways on BB. So c'mon! Help us spread the word, and have a little fun at the same time. Enter all weekend long! Winners will be announced Sunday night at midnight.

This week's puzzle feature is brought to you by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Lee Hatcher and their newest release, Four Weddings & a Kiss.

 

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