The Big Red Do-Over Button by Author Christine Lindsay

Sadly, God did not issue us with a Do Over Button, but don’t you just wish He had? A nice big one like a giant red Smartie on your desk that you could slam, and it would whip you back several years when you were deciding what to write.

In all the writing related blogs and instructive courses, we are told to study the market, see what publishers are selling, what readers are buying, etc. Good advice—advice I heartily recommend.

However, I started writing the first book in my historical series before I ever heard that advice. I was born in Great Britain, so I grew up on novels written about the flamboyant exploits of British Colonialism. Think dashing British Cavalry officers on glorious steeds and rescuing the courageous woman who went out to far flung colonies to be with the brave men they loved. Or soldiers from WW1 and WW2 in tropical uniform. Ah adventure and romance...doesn’t it just make your toes curl?

I grew up reading the blockbuster novels, Far Pavilions and Shadow of the Moon, written by the famous MM Kaye that big New York agents like Donald Maass and writers like Stephen King still drool over today. 

You can’t beat quality. I wanted to write novels like MM Kaye set in British Colonial India but from a Christian viewpoint. However, I didn’t know that the setting of India would turn some readers off even before they cracked the book open. This even surprised me after my first book Shadowed in Silk won the ACFW Genesis and continued to win awards. This lack of interest in my chosen setting continued to amaze me even after Book 2 Captured by Moonlight won a few awards.

Ah, the setting. It actually hampers sales. Did I choose the wrong setting? Do I wish I had a big red Do Over Button on my desk? 

After my first book Shadowed in Silk won the Genesis, The Grace Award, and was a finalist for Readers’ Favorite, I considered writing for the market. At that point I could have set aside my ideas on the 3-book series and started something with a more lucrative setting. But the artistic passion to finish what I started would not let go. To satisfy myself as a Christian writer, I simply had to finish that series to the best quality that I could. I had to write the kind of book I love to read.

Besides, I felt the encouragement from God to finish what I started. 

Book 3 Veiled at Midnight is releasing this Oct. 15. As this third baby from this series is about to be released I can say with all honesty I’m glad I Don’t have a Do Over Button on my desk. I’m so thrilled that I stuck to my artistic integrity in spite of what the marketing gurus say. I feel good about the quality of these three novels. 

Yes, it’s true my name isn’t as big as some of my contemporaries. YET!!! My sales numbers aren’t as high. YET!!! 

So does this mean I am unsuccessful?

I don’t feel unsuccessful. In fact, I feel a deep satisfaction in my soul. I also believe in the steady build, the slow burn. I believe in longevity. Maybe the slow burn will burn bright in the long run.

So, yes, study the market. If you are passionate about a story that is popular with the market right now—Go for it.

Write the passion on your heart. It will show on the page, and that is what will make the readers heart go pitter-patter too. 

VEILED AT MIDNIGHT-- The British empire draws to an end...

but the turmoil has only just begun.

Christine Lindsay was born in Ireland, and is proud of the fact that she was once patted on the head by Prince Philip when she was a baby. Her great grandfather, and her grandfather—yes father and son—were both riveters on the building of the Titanic. Tongue in cheek, Christine states that as a family they accept no responsibility for the sinking of that infamous ship. Londonderry Dreaming is Christine’s first contemporary romance set in N. Ireland. 

CONNECT WITH CHRISTINE:

Please drop by Christine’s website http://www.christinelindsay.com/ or follow her on Twitter and be her friend on Pinterest , and  Goodreads

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A Writer's Notion by Roseanna White

A Writer's Notions

by Roseanna M. White

I don't know about you, but I tend to make assumptions. Not just about people, but about the ways things are...and the way things were. For a historical writer, that can be dangerous, LOL.

Back in the day when writing was just fun, when it was my way of winding down and expressing pent-up emotions, I didn't always bother researching like I should. And that's okay, since it was just for me. But one of the reasons I sometimes let that slide was because I would find things that contradicted my assumptions...which changed my story...and I had no clue what to do with that.

Once I determined to write for publication, though, that laziness had to go. And when I found contradictory information, I had to learn how to integrate it into my plot. Sometimes it's a simple matter of tweaking this or that. It changes things, yes, but nothing huge. Other times, though...other times it affects the whole premise.

I ran into this in the early days of Ring of Secrets. When I got the first niggle of an idea to base a book around the historical Culper Ring, America's first spy ring and the most trusted intelligencers of George Washington during the Revolution, I had these ideas. And honestly, my first scratches of research bore it out. That they were low-tech action heroes. James Bond with earlier gadgets. Jason Bourne during the Revolution. I rubbed my hands together and though "Oo, this is going to be fun!"

Then I got down to the serious research. As in, reading books instead of 200-word articles online. And as this portion of research is for me, it frankly involved some disappointment. Because I read actual documentation of the Culper Ring, you know what I found? That these weren't super spies. They weren't even trained. They had no history with espionage, their codes were flawed, they had nothing to do with the biggest event of the Revolution--Benedict Arnold's capture--even though those websites had led me to believe they had, and all the things they did help with were fairly small to my way of thinking, and spread out over a year. That doesn't exactly qualify as high-action for a romantic suspense.

So as I read my primary research book, Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose, my mind had to churn through my whole premise again. Did I want to write this book in a new way? Did I want to let go of my assumptions? Could I write the book under the banner of the facts, or should I forget the historical basis and make up my own spy ring?

There was some waffling in my mind. Because at first, I really didn't like reality, LOL. But I have this deal I make with myself when writing historicals: facts are sacred, motivations are up for grabs. I never, ever let myself change actual history, the events recorded by observers. (Okay, so I might fudge the phase of the moon now and then, but I beg forgiveness for that, LOL.) But I do let myself alter why people did the things they did, figuring that historians are only guessing about the reasons anyway. Even when people record their motivations, are they always honest? Who knows. So I can do with those what I will. But here? Could I work within those parameters here?

I kept reading, and the more I read, the more I got a grasp on what would become my absolute favorite part of Ring of Secrets. The very thing that made me moan and groan became my new, better premise. Because I realized that I didn't need super-spies in my book. I needed people. Normal, everyday people who were doing something extraordinary. And that is what the Culper Ring turned out to be. They were sickly farmers, they were nervous shopkeepers, they were over-confident sailors and soldiers with absolutely no grasp on how to accomplish this task assigned to them. They were creative and inventive and determined...and terrified. 

And that, with this book as with many other I've written, turned out to be the most amazing thing. Because my assumptions tend to simplify things. My vision starts out so narrow. But when I embrace the facts and let go of my notions, I discover what God's vision had been at the time. And needless to say, His is so much richer. So much fuller. So much better than my imaginings. 

It's my prayer that Ring of Secrets can show readers just a portion of what the real, original Culper Ring accomplished during the Revolution. That they were people just like us who stepped up, who fell to their knees, who put aside their fears...and who changed history forever.

~*~

Roseanna M. White pens her novels under the Betsy Ross flag hanging above her desk, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When she isn’t writing fiction, she’s editing it for WhiteFire Publishing or reviewing it for the Christian Review of Books, both of which she co-founded with her husband. 

www.roseannawhite.com | www.facebook.com/roseanna.white | www.twitter.com/roseannamwhite

Order from Amazon | Order from B&N | Order from ChristianBook

Come back on Friday when Roseanna teams up with The Borrowed Book to give away a copy of her latest release!

Writing Comedic Characters by Authors of Cedar Creek Seasons

We four authors—Eileen Key, Becky Melby, Rachael Phillips, and Cynthia Ruchti—worked together on a previous release—A Door County Christmas novella collection (Barbour)—in 2010 and were thrilled to join forces again on novellas that highlight another Wisconsin location—Cedarburg, the scene of all four seasons of life and love in Cedar Creek Seasons, which released in September (Barbour).

When we were invited to participate in The Borrowed Book blog, one of the first thoughts that piqued our own curiosity was how each of us might answer this question: 

How do you write comedic characters without their becoming caricatures instead? 

BECKY MELBY (author of “A Contest of Wills”): The most effective (and fun) tool I've found for creating realistic comedic characters is eavesdropping. My husband routinely has to wait for the glazed-over look to leave my eyes while we're having dinner in a crowded restaurant. It's so hard to concentrate on the conversation at my own table when there is raucous laughter at the one behind us! I love tuning in to everyday banter and picking up bits of wit and the rhythm of timing that make people laugh. While it's okay to populate a story with a few over-the-top quirky secondary characters, if you give your main characters too many extreme eccentricities or put them in too many banana-peel-slip situations, they can come across as cartoon characters rather than real people. It's the subtle little sarcastic observations of your hero or the way your heroine looks at the world through chartreuse-colored glasses that make readers smile. In Contest of Wills, much of the humor comes simply from the contrast in the way Willow and Wilson approach life. Combining a cautious introvert with a live-out-loud extrovert created the perfect set-up for comedic conflict.

www.beckymelby.com, http://www.facebook.com/becky.f.melby, Twitter: @BeckyMelby. I’m also a contributor on www.novelPASTimesand www.thebarndoor.net.

RACHAEL PHILLIPS (author of “In Tune with You”): Romance offers the perfect opportunity to use a classic duo set-up: a normal character versus a comedic character who thumbs his nose at the rules. In my story In Tune with You, Chesca, the quintessential classical church choir director, clashes with Seth, a football coach and the pastor’s choice for church drama director. Seth sings “Jingle Bells” in February. Off-key, which amounts to mortal sin in Chesca’s eyes—er, ears.  

One method I use to avoid caricaturizing characters is to model them after real people. Seth shares several traits with my father, the world’s quirkiest pastor. Like Seth, Dad adores eating at truck stops and singing Christmas carols at unexpected times (he often led our congregation in “O Come O Ye Faithful” in August). Seth, like Dad, infuriates traditionalists like Chesca, yet harbors a passion for God and deep concern for unchurched friends, both adults and children. 

Layering spiritual strengths between flaws and weirdness usually creates a likable, believable, yet complex character—one who could show up at your church, singing “Jingle Bells” in February!       

Website: www.rachaelwrites.com, Facebook/Twitter.com/rachaelmphillips

EILEEN KEY (author of “Silvery Summer”): In the seventh grade I was voted Wittiest Classmate. It’s a title I’ve worked hard to maintain for many years. I believe life without a great sense of humor would be. . .unimaginable! So it is with the characters in my story. Claire finds herself in situations where she has to come up with an answer on the fly. She can’t let Eli know he’s “getting” to her. Eli doesn’t realize he’s keeping her off balance by his very presence in Cedarburg. The conflict begins. How do you develop this kind of character? Look around. I try to write real life types who experience real life situations and have them deal with the outcomes in an unusual manner. God’s gifted each of us with special personalities and quirks, so springboard your writing from the knowledge you have within. Add a little twist and voila you’ll have your reader laughing.

www.Eileenkey.com

CYNTHIA RUCHTI (author of “Maybe Us”): Snicker. Chuckle. Laugh. Guffaw. Smile. In a world that doesn’t seem to get enough laughter to counteract its stressors, it’s a joy to tell stories that not only warm hearts but tickle funny bones, too. In writers’ workshops, I’m sometimes asked how to write humor. I cringe, because if humor doesn’t come naturally, it will either lie flat on the page or jump out obnoxiously like a pop-up clown. Life is full of funny moments. Not everyone can write about them in a humorous way. What results from a trying-too-hard attempt is a caricature—a character with every feature of face and personality exaggerated. But as the others have said, when real life reactions take an interesting twist, or a quirk or curiosity shows up at an inopportune time, comedy is more natural. In Maybe Us, Derek’s long, lean frame is accompanied by bowling ball klutziness. Play-by-the-rules Beth has hair the color of a toasted marshmallow. So does Derek’s dog. Those little curiosities set the stage for scenes that evoke a smile. In life, our family adopted the philosophy, “If we think we’ll probably laugh about this calamity later, why don’t we go ahead and laugh about it now?”

www.cynthiaruchti.com, www.hopethatglowsinthedark.com (I write stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark), www.facebook.com/cynthiaruchtireaderpage, or www.twitter.com/cynthiaruchti. 

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Write it Right: The Importance of Research by Sandra Robbins

One of things that appeals to me most about writing is the research that goes into my books. If the setting is fictional, then I have the opportunity to dream up any kind of community I want, but that’s not the case if I’m writing about a city or town people know well. It then becomes very important to have your facts right. 

The internet age has put writers at an advantage that our predecessors didn’t have. I often wonder how many hours an author had to spend in a library years ago as they searched for information about a place they wanted to include in their book but had no way of traveling there. Today a writer can sit in the comfort of his/ her bedroom and visit sites around the world. Technology has made the lives of writers better, but there is still no substitute for going on the road and visiting the places you want to write about.

If you've followed my romantic suspense Ocracoke Island Series, you know that Dangerous Reunion released in July 2011 and Shattered Identity released in February of this year. The third book Fatal Disclosure released the first of May. These three books came about because of a trip I took to Ocracoke Island, a barrier island twenty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina. The island served as the headquarters for Blackbeard the Pirate in the 18^th century, and he met his death offshore there in 1718. The cover for Fatal Disclosure is a view of Teach’s Hole, the body of water where Blackbeard died. 

The ferry ride to this thirteen-mile strip of land is two and a half hours, but it has become a favorite vacation spot for thousands of people. With its pristine beaches, its historic lighthouse that still operates, and a British cemetery that serves as the last resting place for British sailors whose ship was torpedoed by a German submarine off its shores during World War II, it became the perfect setting for my three books. 

As I wrote the three books, I felt like I was back on the island. I remembered the sea gulls hanging around the marina as they waited for a scrap from the day’s fishing trips, I visualized families riding bicycles through the two lane street that winds through the only village on the island, and I felt the salt air breezes that made the sea oats wave on top of the sand dunes. 

Now that the series is complete, my journey has come to an end. I’ve said goodbye to the fictional Michaels family who made the island their home, and I can only hope I’ve given enjoyment to readers who have followed the adventures I dreamed up while visiting a place that will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Sandra Robbins is a multi-published author who lives with her husband in the small Tennessee college town where she grew up. At present she has eleven books published and six more contracted. Her books have been finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Contest for excellence in mystery writing, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for romance, the Holt Medallion, and the ACFW Carol Award.

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Of Great Importance in an Author's Life. . . By Lena Nelson Dooley

One of the most important things in this author’s life is my readers. I love all of you. Hearing from you is a high point of my day. Even if you didn’t like some aspect of my book, I like to hear from you. I want to connect with you in every way I can. And you can find me on a lot of online venues—Facebook, Twitter, Shoutlife, Pinterest, Goodreads, my blog, and my web site.

I’m really interested in book clubs and reading groups. I enjoy connecting with you through the electronic technology of telephone calls or Skype video. I’m happy to answer questions about the stories, why I wrote them, and any other question you may have.

My newest series McKenna’s Daughters. The heroines were born on one of the last wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. Their mother died giving birth, and because of the circumstances, they were separated. It’s not until they are about eighteen years old that they learn they have two sisters. And the desire to find their sisters is strong in each of them. 

Books one and two are stand alone novels, which can be read in any order. But you’ll probably want to read book one and two before book three releases in January 2012.

Maggie’s Journey released in October 2011. I’ve heard from a lot of readers. Many of they have been adoptees. They were interested in that aspect of the book, which was set in1885 in Washington Territory. Maggie journey took her to Little Rock, Arkansas, by train. 

Maggie had grown up the spoiled daughter in a wealthy family. She had no idea she was adopted. Most people were intrigued by the way she found out. One Christian reviewer put Maggie’s Journey on her Top Books of 2011 list.

Mary’s Blessing is releasing May 15, 2012. Mary has always known she was adopted, but because her mother died when she was eleven years old, no one told her the circumstances. That information really affected her when she found out. Her mother had called her God’s Blessing, but she didn’t feel like anyone’s blessing. Her spiritual and romantic journey intertwine in an interesting and surprising way.

If you didn’t get a chance to read book one, we’ll give away a copy to one lucky (or I should say blessed) reader.

Have you ever let an author know when something in a book bothered you?

Have you ever contacted an author and let that person know how much their book meant to you?

In either case, what happened?

Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 690,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers http://www.acfw.com/ and the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s a member of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.

Lena has an active web presence on Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Linkedin and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books. 

Website: www.lenanelsondooley.com 

Blog: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lenandooley/ 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lena.nelson.dooley  

Official Fan Page: www.facebook.com/pages/Lena-Nelson-Dooley/42960748768?ref=ts 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/333031.Lena_Nelson_Dooley

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Burning Questions Accepted Here!

We all have them, those burning questions we'd like to ask but find we're just too afraid to open our mouths. We'd like to offer you the opportunity to post those questions and allow the collective talents here at BB a chance to give you an answer. Whether you seek explanation about the meaning of such acronyms as RUE and POV in a crit, or would like some suggestions on the best how-to on query-writing, Sandra R., Lisa, Amber, and myself will work to give you an answer.

Shoot those questions to us by emailing them using the tab at right. Or, if you're brave, leave the question in comments on Tuesdays.

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