Going Unplugged

I'm unplugging from social media for two weeks so I can finish my current WIP. It's been in limbo for too long. Yesterday, God used my pastor to give me me a wake up call. I've been struggling with finishing my second book. I can see the scenes. I know the ending. I've been struggling with the wordsmithing.

So during yesterday's sermon, my pastor said, "God never gives the command unless He gives the life and power to do it. He does not set us up for failure. It may not be easy, but God makes a way."

Light bulb moment--God didn't give me one book contract to fail with the second one. Any failures are my own. I need to stop my internal whining, buck up, and get the work done.

So that's what I'm doing. I'll see you on Monday, August 1. Have a great rest of July!

Say What?

I received a letter in the mail with this bit information printed on the front. I read it a couple of times to be sure I was reading what I thought. I even had my son read it too.

Can someone tell me how I'm supposed to know what the enclosed document is if I don't open it?

Your turn: Have you received or seen ambiguous signs that made you pause and go, "Hmmm?" 

After The Call

Every Wednesday, I will post about my writing journey from unpublished author to published author with Love Inspired. My posts reflect my experiences and may be different then others' experiences. You can read about my experience about receiving "the call": From Dream to Reality: The Story of My Heart 

Credit: alvaspappa

Your phone rings and it's your agent or prospective editor, giving you the news you've been waiting to hear--your book sold.

After you express your joy, you may wonder, "Now what?"

When Rachelle, my wonderful agent, called to give me the news that my novel is going to be published by Love Inspired, I freaked out on the phone. Poor woman. I tried, oh I tried so hard to pull myself together, but sweet Rachelle very kindly asked if I wanted to call her later when things had quieted down--my house was very noisy at the time.

After my day job ended and I knew I wouldn't hyperventilate on the phone, I called Rachelle back.

She explained the details of the sale, including the advance and how it would be paid, told me a few things about her conversation with Melissa, my new editor, regarding the manuscript and told me what to expect in the next few weeks with Love Inspired.

The following Monday I received a welcome letter from Melissa, welcoming me to the Love Inspired family, congratulating me on my sale and telling me how much she loved my manuscript. She attached a revision letter of items to change in the manuscript. Her suggestions were few. We set up a phone date for that week when it was convenient for both of us.

My first impression of Melissa was how encouraging she was on the phone about my manuscript. She talked about how she related to my heroine, the strengths in my story and then we talked about the things that needed to be revised. Again, I didn't have many revisions--8 in all. Five were minor things and three took more time. Believe me, my brief revisions were not the norm. Plus, they were pertinent to the publishing house guidelines. Some of those revisions would not have been asked by a different publishing house.

You can't compare your revisions to a friend's from a different house. Each publishing house has its own set of guidelines.

I needed to soften my heroine sooner. Even though she had every right to be upset, in a short contemporary novel, she needs to have a quicker attitude adjustment. I had to remove a couple of words that went against Love Inspired guidelines--scumbag being one. :) My hero had a conversation with God. I had to rewrite part of that scene. Overall, the changes strengthened the book.

Partnering with my agent and my editor to sell my novel has been an encouraging experience. They believe in my story and my writing ability. They want my novel to be as much of a success as I do. After all, we're all invested in  one way or another.

If you are considering submitting to Love Inspired, read through their guidelines to ensure you send what they're looking for. Also, read Love Inspired novels to get a feel for the quality and style.

Next week I'll talk about my experience with the Art Facts Sheet.

Your turn: What are your expectations regarding revisions? Do you enjoy the editing process?

Stepping Out in Faith

Over the winter, we had a build up of ice on the roof that caused water to leak in our back entry. This weekend Hubby and our boys spent hours in the heat stripping & repairing that section of roof. Hubby expected it to be a simple project because the area was fairly small.

Hmm, not so much.

Hubby accidentally put his foot through a portion of the roof. He stepped out in faith, expecting the section to hold him. Stripping away shingles showed ants had infested the wet wood, causing damage to the core of the roofing structure. Hubby had to replace the rotted, damaged wood with new wood. 

As Christians, we have to work hard to keep our foundations solid and protected from things that want to eat away at our structures. Reactions to our circumstances can support our faith or eat away until our cores are weak and unstable. It's so much easier to say we trust God than to actually step out in faith doing it. Stepping is an action verb. We need to do more doing than saying. And no matter what, God is beside us every step of the way.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV

Your turn: Do you struggle with stepping out in faith sometimes? What keeps you moving forward instead of taking steps back? How would you encourage someone else who may be struggling in their faith walk?

Interview With Ronie Kendig, Author of Discarded Heroes series

Note: This interview is cross-posted on MBT Ponderers

I'm thrilled to have my friend and fabulous author Ronie Kendig as a MBT Ponderers guest today. I met Ronie online through ACFW. Her sweet spirit and transparency shine in her novels that will grip your heart and not let go.

Ronie grew up an Army brat and married a veteran. Together, she and her husband have four children, a Golden Retriever, and a Maltese Menace. She has a B.S. in Psychology, speaks to various groups, volunteers with the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and mentors new writers. Rapid-Fire Fiction, her brand, is exemplified through her novels. Dead Reckoning, a spy thriller, and the military thriller series, The Discarded Heroes, which includes Nightshade (Retailer’s Choice Award finalist & IRCA Romantic Suspense finalist), Digitalis,Wolfsbane, and Firethorn (January 2012). Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com or www.discardedheroes.com

As the wife of a former Marine, I love military romances. When I learned Ronie was writing this series, I was excited to read them. I was not disappointed.

I've been an influencer for Ronie's Discarded Heroes series. Each novel is action-packed with flawed characters who showcase God's redeeming grace. I've loved each one of them, but I have to admit Wolfsbane, the third book in the series, is my favorite so far. I finished it way past my bedtime, but the lack of sleep was so worth it.

 In Wolfsbane, Dani and Canyon burrowed their way in my heart. Ronie uses them to show people--yes, even Christians--make mistakes and poor choices. But those choices have lasting consequences. I appreciated the edginess in this novel and the way Ronie handled it with sensitivity and grace.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Ronie and her novels a little better.

What inspired the Discarded Heroes series?

Real life. Watching the marriage of a Navy SEAL fall apart because of his anger and inability to manage it. Nothing like watching a beautiful family crumble despite prayers and efforts to save it. Seeing that, watching the news of suicides, my heart broke…then engaged in an effort to simply be a voice for those who often don’t speak up for themselves to get help.

In your eyes, what defines a hero? 

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary person, but he is braver five minutes longer.” To me, that’s a hero—someone who doesn’t give up, despite the pressure or fears.

How have your life experiences influenced your writing?

Greatly! I am who I am because of those experiences and those seep into my writing in an organic way. Chuck Holton (author, editor, adventure reporter) told me once that he learns about an author by reading their books. It sounds common sense, but it goes deep—your values, your histories layer thickly into your writing. I can’t imagine it not.

You wrote while homeschooling your children, earning your psychology degree, and moving a couple of times. How did you manage to juggle all of your obligations and still write?

I just pressed on. Oh man, did I feel like quitting—a LOT, but as my husband kept saying to me,” What’s there to quit to?” He’d make me angry when he said that, but only because he was right! :-D Giving up accomplishes nothing. I don’t want to go backward, so I am pushing onward.

Writing and marketing go hand in hand these days. What marketing techniques have worked for you? What would you suggest for newly published authors to get their books out there?

Many years ago in counseling, I was a basket case and felt like a complete failure. It’s then that my pastor explained I had unrealistic expectations of myself. I demanded perfection (Ha! Haven’t’ gotten close to that by a mile).

I think that many new writers—myself included—fall into that trap, or are shoved into it by the industry. We want to succeed, we want to see our books hit bestsellers lists, final and win contests, but what happens when all that doesn’t happen. I had a writing break down shortly after my first book released. I’d *killed* myself trying to market it, and the efforts seemed like a failure. *I* felt like a failure. Again, I had unrealistic expectations.

It took me a while to realize that success is out of my control. I can only do the best that I can do, write the best story I can write, but the rest is completely up to God.

One tidbit of advice: the best thing for any writer to do is establish an online/social media presence. And I don’t mean throw into everyone’s face every review, every status point. Be real. Be YOU! Readers want to connect with the AUTHOR. It’s fine to post a great review, but not every review. Show people you are real, share how you burned the chocolate chip cookies or how the new puppy makes you feel really old (LOL Ahem, speaking from experience here…).

What other page-turning fiction can readers expect to enjoy soon?

Firethorn, Discarded Heroes #4, will release January 2012—and THEN!! I am so excited for August, because the first in my military war dog series, TRINITY, will release. I think that’s going to be a fantastic series (if I do say so myself). Loads of fun and lots of barks, er, action.

Ronie, thanks again for being our guest! I am looking forward to reading Firethorn and Trinity. Ronie is hosting a contest on her blog to kick off the launch of Wolfsbane. Visit her blog for more details.

Your turn: Have you read one of Ronie's books? If so, who is your favorite character? Why? If you haven't, run to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy. You won't be disappointed! 

It Sings Because It Has a Song

Our house, built in 1926, could be described as quirky. In my opinion, it's full of charm and character. We bought the house as an estate. When we took the walk-through, we closed our eyes to the boring beige walls, 70s decor complete with orange ceilings, two-toned kitchen cupboards, and ugly carpeting--even in the kitchen. We had a vision of what the house could look like. While we waited to hear if the sellers accepted our offer, we dreamed about changes we could make.

Fast forward fifteen years later. Some of those dreams are still captured in our heads as our budgets didn't match what we'd still like to do. While we made immediate changes with blue paint, new window treatments and tearing up carpeting to reveal gorgeous wooden floors, some of the other higher-end projects needed to wait.

One of my least favorite rooms is the kitchen. It lacks counter space, cabinet space, and the dark wood closed in the room. Paint is my best friend. I've been spending the last couple of months working on my kitchen by repainting cabinets, walls, trim, and the window. I've been reading thrifty decor blogs to do room makeovers on a budget. The blue walls with white trim and green and yellow accents have really brightened my kitchen with it's updated shabby chic decor. I'm not finished yet, but it's finally coming together. 

Yesterday my very talented friend Kathy painted a gorgeous mural on my wall. While visiting the thrifty decor blogs, I continued to come across birds sitting on branches used in many ways--baby shower invitations, headboards, greeting cards. Since my kitchen has a few butterfly and bird accents, I wanted a bird on a branch on my wall, but with personality.

Kathy captured exactly what I had envisioned.

The quote under the tree limb reads, "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." The quote has been attributed to both Lou Holtz and Maya Angelou. In the heart, I "carved" Pat + Lisa 4 ever. We have two sons. DS1 talks a lot and DS2 ignores a lot, so Kathy captured their essence unexpectedly when she made the little birds. Here are some close ups:

Your turn: How do you add personality to your home? What's your style?