My Writing Alter-Ego by Author Lynette Sowell

I don’t keep it a secret, but besides writing fiction, I also write about things that aren’t make-believe stories about the imaginary characters in my head. 

I write about living, breathing characters. I’m a freelance reporter for my city newspaper and I’ve been doing it for over four years now. What began as answering a simple ad in the paper looking for writers has opened a door, window, or what have you to a local world I didn’t even know about. 

Or, care much about until I knew more. 

Two years into reporting, the newspaper publishers asked if I’d write a weekly column. 

“What does it have to be about?” I asked. 

“Anything you want,” was the reply. And so, in May 2012, “My Front Porch” began. That’s when I get to give my opinion, something I can’t insert into a news story, no matter how much I’d like to sometimes.

One thing I’ve learned in being a reporter is that someone, somewhere cares about the person or event I’m writing about. In any given week, I can be reporting about the city council, the school board, interviewing an interesting local person for a feature article, showing up at an accident or crime scene, or covering a school program or a bake sale. 

Among my favorite interviews was interviewing a Pearl Harbor survivor who lives in our city, and getting his firsthand perspective on something that’s followed him since he was a 20-year-old soldier stationed in Hawaii.

Another interview special to me was listening to my mayor, who watched our central Texas community grow from a population of 300 when he graduated high school—to over 30,000 residents—more than 100 times the size he once knew.

I’ve interviewed politicians (who always like to talk), met the governor of Texas, rubbed elbows with Congressmen, crashed an Election night after-party, and I’ve interviewed not one, but two NFL players. The limelight is indeed bright and intoxicating if you stand long enough in its glow, and sometimes it’s tempting to name-drop.

My heart broke when I followed the story of a 10-year-old girl who learned she had terminal cancer. I covered her story from fundraisers, to her final arrangements and the family’s efforts to pay for her burial.  

I interviewed a woman in our city who finished a mere three minutes before the bombs exploded at the 2013 Boston 

Marathon; it brought the tragedy even closer to home. 

Another thing I’ve learned in being a reporter is no town is too small to have real news, that all of us have an important story to share. When we stop caring about stories—well, I couldn’t imagine anyone not caring about stories anymore, the real news unfolding in our communities, country and world, or the stories some of us make up because we can’t help NOT making up stories. 

So even if you live somewhere you think is quite ordinary, I hope you’ll take a moment and look around you. Get to know your city, really know it. Not just your church and your favorite restaurant and local market. You might be surprised at the treasure trove you find, and if you’re a writer, you’ll find even more characters start clamoring for your attention in your imagination. 

Lynette Sowell is the award-winning novelist of more than fifteen titles. When she’s not writing fiction, Lynette works covering local news for the Copperas Cove Leader-Press, where she also writes a weekly column called My Front Porch. She enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies and is always up for a Texas road trip. Lynette was born in Massachusetts, raised on the eastern shore of Maryland, but makes her home in Copperas Cove, Texas, with her husband, along with a spoiled Texas heeler and a pair of cats who have them all well-trained.

Keep up with Lynette Sowell via her blog (lynettesowell.blogspot.com), Facebook page (Lynette Sowell, Author) or Twitter (@LynetteSowell). 

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If At First. . .by Author Richard L. Mabry, M.D.

Outside, strobes atop the police cars spilled red and blue over the figures huddled on the lawn. 

From the front window, the lights of the Christmas tree cast multicolored reflections on the snow. 

Inside the house, red bows and green garlands adorned the mantel of the living room. That color scheme continued in the tattered green coat the man on the floor wore and the darkening red stain that spread from the knife handle protruding from his back.

Dr. Shannon Frasier stood transfixed in one corner, unable to tear her eyes away from the corpse. Her “almost-fiancé,” Dr. Mark Gilbert, was beside her, his arm resting lightly on her shoulder. 

This was no way to start the holiday season.

In case you’re wondering where you can find those lines, you can’t, unless you scan the hard drive of my computer. When I started writing my most recent novel of medical suspense, Critical Condition, I planned to set it during the Christmas season. But after writing the first chapter, I decided that wasn’t going to work. So I started over.

When I was writing another novel, Heart Failure, I scrapped 20,000 words after I saw I was headed in the wrong direction. That one was tough to write, but I kept at it and after a number of false starts, several new beginnings, and multiple revisions, I produced a novel I thought was good.

In the past I never gave any thought to how many times an author may have started over, how many drafts and revisions were involved, until the book in my hand was born. But that was before I started writing. Now I am acutely aware of all that. As author Alton Gansky told my group of neophyte writers: “Once you begin writing, you’ll never read a book the same way again.” And I’ve found that to be true.

To the writers reading this, I would remind you that there may come a time when, despite all the work you’ve put in on it, it’s necessary to scrap what you’ve written and start over. If that happens to you, don’t worry about it. After all, the finished product is what counts. 

In writing, as in so many other things in life, the old adage is true: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice President of the

American Christian Fiction Writers, and author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel, finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award, and winner of the Selah Award.  His most recent novel, just released, is Critical Condition. You can follow Richard on his blog, on Twitter, and his Facebook fan page.

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The Research of Research by Author Elizabeth Ludwig

I never realized when I started out writing historical romance that I would need to develop an archeologist’s skill when combing the internet. On top of crafting a good story, writing anything with historical significance requires a general knowledge and level of accuracy that readers of the genre have grown to expect. 

Book 2

My latest novel, Dark Road Home, for example, definitely required more research than anything I’ve published so far. Set in and around New York City with key scenes taking place on Ellis Island, I knew early on that I would need to conduct careful study on the more than twelve million immigrants who entered the United States through Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954. It wasn’t enough to know how they came, however. I wanted to figure out why, so beginning at the Ellis Island Foundation’s website, I began looking for letters, pictures, anything I could find that would give insight into the motivation behind so many peoples’ journey. This in turn led me to other sites, like Ancestory.com and the National Park Service website, which were full of information regarding not only the history of the island, but of the people who passed through on their way to a new life in America.

Along with filling the story with facts about our nation’s history, Dark Road Home is about an Irish girl running from her past and a man with dangerous political affiliations, so on top of all of the historical facts I could dig up about New York in 1897, I had to research Ireland and everything that was occurring during the same time period there. That meant learning what I could about the conflict in Ireland—its origins and history. Once again, I tackled the internet, beginning with a simple Google search on “why Ireland is divided”. This led me to a number of sites, including ibiblio.org and encyclopedia.com. Remember those research papers your English teacher made you do in high school and college? Researching my book was a lot like that!

While it would have been easy to pack all kinds of historical facts into my novel, I had to keep in mind that this was a work of fiction, and that it needed a strong romantic thread. That meant finding a careful balance between what was true, and what was meant to entertain. Too much of one, and the reader would get board. Too little of another, and the work became less of a historical. In the end, I discovered that sorting out tidbits of information and dropping them into a fictional tale is a lot like digging treasures from the earth—it requires patience and a good deal of dedication. Hopefully, the end result is something the reader not only enjoys, but learns from as well.

BOOK BLURB: Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh.

Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.

Also, be sure to check out Book Two in the Edge of Freedom Series, Dark Road Home: 

Ana Kavanagh's only memories of home are of fire and pain. As a girl she was the only survivor of a terrible blaze, and years later she still struggles with her anger at God for letting it happen.

At a nearby parish she meets and finds a kindred spirit in Eoghan Hamilton, who is struggling with his own anger--his sister, Cara, betrayed him by falling in love with one of his enemies. Cast aside by everyone, Eoghan longs to rejoin the Fenians, a shadowy organization pushing for change back in Ireland. But gaining their trust requires doing some favors--all of which seem to lead back to Ana. Who is she and who is searching for her? As dark secrets from Ana's past begin to come to light, Eoghan must choose which road to follow--and where to finally place his trust.

BIO: Elizabeth Ludwig is the award-winning author of No Safe Harbor and Dark Road Home, Books One and Two in the Edge of Freedom series. Her work has also been featured on Novel Rocket, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian Pulse. Elizabeth’s debut novel, Where the Truth Lies (coauthored with Janelle Mowery), earned her the IWA Writer of the Year Award. Her first historical novel, Love Finds You in Calico, California, was given four stars from Romantic Times. And her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoys a wide readership. Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and two grown children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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Seasons of a Self-Publishing Journey by Author Amber Stokes

College…a time of big dreams, of crushed dreams, of readjusted dreams, of surprising dreams. I finished my first inspirational historical romance manuscript my second year at Corban University – and I confess I was quite proud of it. It was a story that had been with me for years, one that took a lot of time and dedication and heart-tears in order to get to “The End.” So as soon as I was done, I thought for sure I had a winner on my hands. (Isn’t that how we all feel when we complete a story?) 

I started contacting author friends I had met through blogging, looking for some help to prepare a proper query and, of course, someone to pat me on the back for a job well done. While I was certainly blessed by encouragement, I was also introduced to a world both foreign and terrifying: the world of publishing, of what comes after “The End.” And, to be honest, I didn’t want to face it! My story was perfect just the way it was, thank you very much, and who wanted to boil it all down to a cold, unfeeling blurb that may or may not catch an agent or editor’s eye eventually? 

As I’m sure you would agree, that sort of attitude was a sign I wasn’t ready for the world after “The End.” So I set my first baby aside and went on to begin a new story…

Two years later I came to “The End” of that second story – the sequel to the first. During those two years I had grown in my thinking (courtesy of a well-rounded education), developed a platform with my blog, graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in English, and returned home (who knew that publishers don’t just beg for you to come work for them after you graduate?). And you know something? Everything was different the second time around.

From friends and connections I had made online, to witnessing self-publishing success, to having reached a point where the world after “The End” looked promising instead of insurmountable – this time, I felt ready to prepare and share my story. 

Here’s a different look at the journey, told through the titles of my stories:

Forget Me Not (the title of my 1^st book, soon-to-be-self-published prequel) ~ There’s an initial idea, a first love, that shouldn’t be forgotten. Sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to, but it’s a part of the journey all the same. We need those times of excitement, of optimism, of being thrilled with that first step without the burden of worrying about the steps to come. This is the magic of the first draft.

Bleeding Heart (the title of my 2^nd book, recently self-published) ~ No matter what publishing route you take, there’s a time of hardship. It doesn’t have to be all grim, certainly! But it does involve struggle on some level. For traditional publishing, this might be the waiting – the waiting for an agent to respond, the waiting for a publisher to accept your story, the waiting for a book to go through all the hoops before it can be truly published. There’re also the edits, which should hopefully be a part of any publishing journey. For self-publishing, the struggles are a little different. There’s the editing, yes – and finding the right editor(s) to hire. There’s the investment needed to hire a good editor, a good cover designer, and possibly a good publicist (even bartering services involves an investment, of time instead of money). There’re the formatting woes, the craziness of marketing, the research, the wading through opinions of what works and what doesn’t, the precarious balance between overload and underachieving. Your heart bleeds and your brain bleeds…and yet you love it all (when all is said and done).

Morning Glory (the tentative title of my 3^rd book, yet-to-be-written sequel) ~ Then light starts to stream through the windows of your soul… It starts out with thin rays reaching hesitant fingers through, then blooms into a full-out burst of sunshine. The little moments that add up to a big blessing: the encouraging tweets, the people who come alongside you to answer your questions, the reviewers who word their thoughts so eloquently, the celebrations, the day your first paperback arrives, the joy that comes with knowing your characters are alive for other people and their journey can be used to touch more than your own heart. 

It’s a hard but rewarding process, no matter which route you take. And the thing about seasons is…they’re cyclic in nature. The world after “The End” leads right back to the beginning again, because writers aren’t generally one-hit wonders. We’re full of stories to explore – and marketing, developing a readership, and moving forward in the industry all build off of the promise and potential of more stories. 

So I’m preparing to revisit Forget Me Not, and I’m hoping to write and share Morning Glory someday. Each story has a season… (The name I gave my publisher is actually “Seasons of a Story,” so you know I love this concept!) For Bleeding Heart, that season came before Forget Me Not’s, and that story bloomed in a self-publishing environment. The world after “The End” can be bright when viewed at the right time and cultivated in the right season.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

 ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Amber Stokes has a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a passion for the written word - from blogging to writing poetry, short stories, and novels. After her brief time at college in Oregon, she is now back home among the redwoods of Northern California, living life one day at a time and pursuing her passion via freelance editing and self-publishing.

You can connect with Amber on her personal blog (Seasons of Humility), the group blog she contributes to (The Borrowed Book), Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Shelfari, and LinkedIn. 

To learn more about Bleeding Heart, visit www.bleedingheartnovel.blogspot.com. 

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Setting the Tone of Story by Author Gail Sattler

Something that writers need to figure out in every book is setting. We need to make it unique, yet familiar, and many authors struggle with whether to use real locations or make them up to suit the book

I did a little of both for the setting of my books in my Mennonite series, which for now is two books, first The Narrow Path, and the second, out now (and with a 4 ½ star rating with Romantic Times) The Path to Piney Meadows.

You might guess that the name of my town is Piney Meadows.  This town is created yet is based on a real town in the same area, which is northern Minnesota.  I don’t live there, but I know people who do, one of whom used to live in the actual town, which I have renamed.  Because I couldn’t stick 100% to the real details of the real town, I made it fictional. Yet I am still true to the details of the climate, topography, flora, and fauna. I use a number of real locations that are close by, so anyone who has been there, or will ever be there, will feel the familiarity, and that makes it “feel” real to the reader, or anyone who has been there.

Part of how this is done is that I really have been in the area, even though not to the actual small town that became “Piney Meadows, MN”, and it’s been many years. For those who think they can use the internet to fill in the blanks, that isn’t the most accurate source. Successfully using setting in a story is more than reciting facts of temperature and wind velocity. It’s how it feels to be there, and many things go into that feeling. All it takes is to be wrong with one, and a reader who has been there will know the difference.

One example, in The Narrow Path, Ted and Miranda were in the car driving north on the highway. He was adequately dressed for the climate, but she was not. I had Ted turn up the heat on full, but Miranda was still cold. Ted was too warm, so he stopped the car in the middle of the highway (it was night when there was no traffic), he got out of the car, quickly took off his coat, tossed it in the back seat, got back in the car, and kept driving. To make sure my memory served me correctly on all the details, I emailed this scene to my friend who lived there, and she emailed it to her brother, who still does live in a nearby town. He emailed me back saying the scene made him laugh, because not only was I exactly right with the scene details, he does that exact same thing himself.

I got it right.

For my current book The Path To Piney Meadows, I did a lot of research on chickens in the area – of course they can’t survive outside in cold weather, so I had to find out what to do in that kind of community. I now know a lot about raising backyard chickens in general, and what is needed to build a good and realistic chicken coop in the city. 

With the current trend in raising backyard chickens, many people don’t just keep their chickens outside. Because you can’t potty-train a chicken, you can buy chicken diapers on eBay. Check it out.

Gail Sattler lives in Vancouver BC (Canada, eh!) with her husband, three sons, two dogs, and a lizard who is quite cuddly for a reptile. When she's not writing, Gail plays piano for her church's worship team, electric bass for a local jazz band, and acoustic bass for a community orchestra. When she's not writing or making music, Gail likes to sit back with a hot coffee and read a book written by someone else.

She doesn't twitter but has a Facebook page.
Her website - www.gailsattler.com
Book site - www.mennonitefiction.com

Facebook page for the Bloomfield Series - www.facbook.com/bloomfieldclub

If you like Where's Waldo, try to Go Get Gnorman - www.gogetgnorman.com

Don't forget to stop by Friday and enter to win a free copy of Gail's latest release, The Path to Piney Meadows!

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What's On a Writer's Mind After 9/11 by Author Tina Pinson

Tina Pinson here, and I thought we'd take a look at my writer's mind and give you a look at where some of my stories come from and the processes my mind goes through to put them on the page. Seems like a daunting subject at best, but, hopefully, we can navigate together.

I started writing in elementary school. Did some poetry, songs, shorts stories and a little story called Cross of the Sultan, which is still going through metamorphosis even now. In my twenties, I started a book called When Shadows Fall that takes the characters from the shadows of the Civil War on the trail to Oregon. I got the desire to write it after reading a story where the author spent all of two chapters, if that, on the trail. I wanted to take the whole journey.

As the story began to unfold in my mind and dreams, I began to write. Some 900 pages later, I deposited my characters in Oregon and set out to find a publisher.

Seems the story was too long for a house to accept from a newbie. So I set in to finish the other three stories I had started to write. Yep three; In the Manor of the Ghost, To Carry her Cross, and Winds Across the Rockies. I will not try to explain the process my mind goes through while bouncing between three stories. Doubt I could. I do know that when I work on a story, that story takes precedence and my mind and emotions are invested. If my mind and emotions move to another story, I follow and write there for a time.

Eventually those three stories were done, but there were still no publishers pounding down my door. Go Figure. Didn't they know I was the next great author?

So I started more stories, just because my mind was already writing them out and they were taking over my dreams as well. Touched by Mercy, Trail of the Sandpiper, and From Hell to Eternity.

About that time the World Trade Center was attacked and my thoughts and emotions took another side tour. Questions abounded in my mind. I knew where I was when the attack happened, but where was I spiritually? Where was the nation? Why did it happen? Where was God? Why didn't he stop it? Would it happen again? What would I do if it happened to someone I loved? To me? What if I was one of the survivors, while others had died? We're praying now, looking for God, what were we doing before the tragedy? Do we only seek God in the hard times?

Sorting through the questions and fears floating around in my head, a story began to take shape. It was so vivid I had to get it down. Then There Was Grace was born. At first I called it Losing Grace, but that seemed rather hopeless, and I wanted people to see the Grace waiting for them even when life seemed dark. 

Then There Was Grace is story of Adam Christenson, whose wife, Grace, is caught a tragic 9/11 style event.. He was about to leave Grace for someone else and when Grace dies he is left to care for his twin daughters, Hope and Faith. This forces Adam to take a closer look at himself. Filled with guilt, and growing remorse, Adam begins to uncover the story of the wife he was going to leave and realizes the truth of her love for him. It's the story of his return to Grace.

But the story doesn't end there. I felt God wanted me to address something even deeper. Then There Was Grace is also the story of mankind and in a way to perhaps answer the questions that people have after such an event. It is my attempt to remind people that even in such awful circumstances, God doesn't leave us. Even when we walk away from God, he is still there waiting to love us and pour his Grace out.

So there is a look into my writer's mind. I will get back to my other stories, but let me Thank you for spending time with me.

Please leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Then There Was Grace. If you can, answer the question… Where were you (emotionally, physically, spiritually) on September 11, when the World Trade Center was attacked?

Tina Pinson resides in Mesa, Arizona with her husband of thirty plus years, Danny. They are blessed to have three sons, and seven grandchildren. Look for Christmas in Shades of Gray an offbeat contemporary Dickens type Christmas tale in December. This Shadowed Land (Shadow Series Book 4) the continuing story of Matthew and Rebekah on the Oregon Trail releases early 2014

Tina's Blog 

Twitter:@Tina_Pinson

Facebook-- https://www.facebook.com/TinaEPinsonAuthor

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/tinapinson/

Purchase my books at:

Desert Breeze Bookstore.

When Shadows Fall 

Touched By Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

Shadowed Dreams

To Catch A Shadow 

To Carry Her Cross 

Amazon: 

Touched By Mercy 

In the Manor of the Ghost 

When Shadows Fall

Shadowed Dreams

To Catch A Shadow

To Carry Her Cross 

Barnes & Noble:

Touched By Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost 

When Shadows Fall

Shadowed Dreams

To Catch A Shadow

To Carry Her Cross

Christian Books.com:

Touched By Mercy 

In the Manor of the Ghost 

When Shadows Fall

Shadowed Dreams 

To Carry Her Cross

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Writing a Series by Yvonne Anderson

Readers love a good series. A story world they can lose themselves in. A Middle Earth they can center on again and again.

Many writers like to create a series, too. In the first book, you establish the setting and breathe life into the characters. Maybe your research unearths too much good stuff to squeeze into one novel. Or, a facet of a character’s backstory opens up a whole new story line you just have to pursue. Writing a sequel, or maybe a prequel, is the natural next step.

That’s what happened in my situation. I wrote a book called The Story in the Stars. I created the planet Gannah for the story’s setting. And I spent so much time there that I found way more cool things about the place than I could use. So, while I polished up Stars and pitched it for sale, I started another book about Gannah to showcase some of the planet’s most interesting facets.

After a couple years of casting out that Stars hook, I finally got a bite. A small press I’d queried was interested—but asked a surprising question: “What is your vision for the series?”

I hadn’t been thinking of it in those terms; mostly, I was just having fun. But once I shifted my mental gears to accommodate the idea, I realized a series was eminently doable. Apparently, Risen Books agreed, because in June of 2011, we unleashed the “Gateway to Gannah” series upon the reading world.

Words in the Wind, released on August 1, 2012, continues the adventure. The third in the series is complete and in the publishing pipeline, and I’m currently drafting the fourth and final Gannah book. Each can be a stand-alone novel; you won’t get lost if you don’t read them in order. However, one does build upon the other, and the four will unite to tell a story that over-arches and encompasses the whole.

Writing a series is fun, but it can present some unique difficulties. For instance, how much explanation is needed in each subsequent book to bring a first-time reader up to speed? Too much backstory weighs things down, but too little leaves people feeling confused.  

There’s also the issue of consistency. When we carry details over from one book to the next, those details must be the same. Is a character dark-haired or blond? What’s his favorite pizza topping? Names should be spelled the same from one book to the next. Better get those things right, or one of your readers will catch your mistake. It’s amazing how many details there are to keep straight.

This can be done a number of ways. You can create a style sheet, keep notes in spiral notebooks, jot reminders on note cards or sticky notes, or use writing software, like Scrivener. Or, if you’re so inclined, a combination of the above. 

Being the low-tech type, I have a spiral notebook in which I keep a map of Gannah, along with lists of character names and assorted other details. When an invented word (I write sci-fi, remember) recurs frequently but I have trouble remembering the spelling, I write it on a sticky note and tack it to the bulletin board above my desk so I can see it in a quick glance. 

For the past five years, a chart on that same bulletin board has helped me keep straight the subtle ear movements that express a Karkar’s emotions: displeasure = backward tilt; amusement = lift; sadness = tilt outward; etc. (If you’re not familiar with what a Karkar is, read one of my books!) 

When I’m not sure of a detail I’ve forgotten to make note of, I’ll sometimes open a previous book’s file on my computer and do a search for what I need to know. (What color was Adam’s hair in Book 2? Search that manuscript for “hair” and find a place where it refers to Adam’s.)

For final quality control, nothing can beat good crit partners. They’ve caught my inconsistencies more than once, saving me much embarrassment. 

If you’re writing a series, or think your WIP could turn into one, my advice is threefold: (1) Keep track of every detail that might possibly be pertinent, using whatever method(s) you find most efficient and comfortable; (2) don’t become so lost in the story that you forget to check your facts; (3) and, get yourself some good critique partners. We writers need all the help we can get!



Yvonne Anderson writes fiction that takes you 

out of this world. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband of 37 years and two of her four grown kids. (One’s getting married in October. Woo hoo!) She also has three grandchildren and two more on the way.

Her first novel, The Story in the Stars (Book 1 in the Gateway to Gannah series), is a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist (Speculative Fiction category).

Yvonne shares a few wise words on her personal site, Y’sWords. You may also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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