Seekerville

Natalie Hanemann, Senior Fiction Editor at Thomas Nelson

2012-01-27T00:00:00.012-05:00

Cara here. I invited my editor, Natalie Hanemann, to join us at Seekerville today and chat about the editing process.

Natalie is a Senior Fiction Editor at Thomas Nelson Publishers in Nashville, Tennessee. Before moving to Nashville in 2004, she lived in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina where she worked at Duke University Press. She earned her degree from Appalachian State University.

Natalie is passionate about editing Christian Romances and Women’s fiction, contemporary and historical. “Evangelizing is easier when done through story and can often leave a longer impression.”

When she isn’t reading a manuscript or changing diapers, you can find Natalie watching football or Food Network, teaching religious education, cooking, or folding the never-ending mountain of clothes in her living room.

Welcome to Seekerville, Natalie!

CARA: I know you edit historical romance and Amish fiction. Do you work on any other sub-genres? Which are your favorites?

NATALIE: I personally work on Amish, historical and contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and general Christian fiction; a little bit of everything. My favorite? I enjoy the variety. Too much of the same thing gets tiresome.

CARA: What are the acquisitions editors at Thomas Nelson looking for? What are the most popular fiction genres and sub-genres right now? What do you find the least popular?

NATALIE: We’re always on the lookout for a unique and moving story, no matter the genre. But if I had to be specific, it’d be nice to see some proposals for Biblical fiction. We’re also interested in supernatural stories and young adult novels for girls that illuminate the drama and struggles of high-school life.

Our Amish titles are very popular, for example, Beth Wiseman’s The Wonder of Your Love is doing quite well. So is the Triple Threat suspense series by Lis Wiehl/April Henry.

CARA: What are the current trends and how long do trends usually last? Which ones have lasted the longest? Are there any sub-genres that are always popular?

NATALIE: I wish I had an answer for how long a trend would last. I’d be very popular. There’s really no way of knowing how long a topic will be in-demand. We’re still seeing vestiges of the Harry Potter phenomenon. And of course, the vampire/werewolf/zombie offerings. Mostly, though, trends come and go – and then come back, usually based on a popular book in that particular subgenre. For example, when Redeeming Love hit the charts, historicals came in to fashion. Readers loved that story and wanted to prolong the experience, so they gravitated to novels with a similar setting or in the same time period. After awhile, historicals fell out of fashion—probably because the market was deluged and readers wanted some variety. The same goes for all genres, be they contemporary romances or suspense.

The longest trend we’ve seen in recent years is Amish stories. It’s safe to say that it is no longer a trend, but its own subgenre. Christian fiction readers have an insatiable appetite for Amish novels. The market has piqued and what will remain in the years to come is the best of the best. The authors who have a true passion for this peaceful people and who are master storytellers.

CARA: Tell us about the different parts of the editing process? When you buy a book what happens between the contract and the finished product?

NATALIE: Every publishing house is different. Here at Thomas Nelson fiction, once the contract is signed and the manuscript is turned it, a developmental editor will read it and make suggestions to strengthen the story. We’re a collaborative house, so we work closely with authors on their stories; the plot, character arcs, theme, and overall tone and pace. After the story is intact, it gets line edited. If the developmental edit is laying the slab and framing the house, a line edit is installing the dry wall. It’s an intricate look at the scenes, tightening the language, and cleaning up the text to meet the standards of The Chicago Manual of Style. Lastly, your book is typeset and then proofread. This stage is like applying paint to your walls and putting down the carpeting. Consistency in punctuation, capitalization, usage of numbers, and a hundred other little things is what the proofreader is catching. Then the book goes to the printer! A happy day for everyone involved.

CARA: At Thomas Nelson how are e-books selling compared to print books? Will you ever switch over entirely to e-books?

NATALIE: There isn’t a time in the near future where the printed book will just go away. Readers enjoy having the option between an actual book and downloading one onto their e-readers.

It’s an exciting time to be in book publishing as consumer habits are changing and it’s affecting how books are sold. Fortunately, it doesn’t change the content. An editor’s role is unchanged: make the story the best it can be.

About 30% of Thomas Nelson Fiction titles are e-books; and this number is growing. Opportunities to modify the way we market and sell books are endless and we’re experimenting with new ideas all the time.

Publishing hasn’t experienced so much change since the invention of the Gutenberg printing press. While where you purchase your book may be different – and what you’re holding may feel different – I’m thankful that the art of storytelling will stay the same.

Thanks for being with us today, Natalie!

If anyone has any questions for Natalie, please ask away.

She’ll be giving away an advanced copy of Beth Wiseman’s upcoming contemporary women’s fiction novel, Need You Now.

My First Conference

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

My First Conference

When I went through my list of writing firsts—first rejection, first contest, first sale etc.—I decided to choose one of my most important and memorable firsts to talk about. Before any setbacks or kudos came my way, I attended my first conference. It stands out in my mind because it’s an experience I really enjoyed and now I enjoy remembering it. Some writing milestones are learning experiences (rejections, critiques, contests) but not necessarily pleasant to recall. In fact, some are downright painful! But the Silken Sands Conference was just the opposite.

I joined the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA in November 2002, a month or so after I decided to pursue writing seriously. Really, all I wanted to do was get past the first few pages of a story. My goal was modest, to say the least. At the first meeting I learned GCC was going to hold a writers’ conference in April in Gulf Shores, Alabama right on the Gulf of Mexico. As the greenest of green newbies, I didn’t realize writing groups held conferences. I’d never even heard of RWA or their local chapters until October 2002, the month before I joined!

Beth, one of the members who writes inspirations told me Jennifer Peterson (daughter of Tracie and Jim) a Barbour editor, was coming to the conference. Beth said I could pitch to Jennifer if I had a manuscript ready. Sounded good to me, but what was a pitch? Being new, insecure and shy, I shuddered at the idea of telling someone all about my wip in seven minutes or less, especially since I only had a vague idea of the story.

But Beth thought I could finish—or at least come very close to finishing—in the 3 ½ months left before conference. Huh? I’d only written a few pages. But her encouragement spurred me on. I had a lot of first pages of several different stories, but not even one completed chapter. Although I was totally overwhelmed, Beth convinced me to try. I hated to pass up an opportunity because I wasn’t sure I’d ever have the chance to attend another conference. Little did I know conferences would become part of my writing life!

So I wrote and wrote and wrote, but I didn’t complete my wip before the big weekend. However, I had an appointment to pitch to Jennifer and I wasn’t about to give that up. It was such an enormous accomplishment to get to the point where my manuscript was approaching completion. My self-confidence soared. I could actually envision finishing not just a chapter, but an entire book as long as it was short. I wasn’t there yet, but I did have an ending and an idea of how to get there.

I volunteered to pick up Jennifer at the Pensacola Airport. She was coming in a day early so I decided to stay an extra day in Gulf Shores and help out the conference chairman. Jennifer and I chatted during the entire forty-five minute drive to the hotel. I learned so much about publishing, Heartsong Presents, and the inspirational market. That night we went to dinner with another member. My knowledge shot upward. I learned more from Jennifer in one day than I would’ve learned in months on my own.

The following night I won a critique from her. Instead of reading just the first chapter, she went way above and beyond and asked to see the rest of the pages I brought along. Her critique helped me so much! I made every newbie mistake imaginable, but she pointed out my strengths as well as the weaknesses in a really kind way. (I could be easily crushed back then.)

I pitched to her the next day which wasn’t difficult since I now knew her. She requested a full manuscript and I was beyond thrilled. Since I wasn’t quite finished I went home and worked hard, polished it and prayed it wasn’t too awful. I sent it to Jennifer who answered me quickly and said I’d know soon if HP was interested.

It was rejected, but I wasn’t too disappointed because it wasn’t ready for prime time and neither was I. The point was: an editor treated me as a serious writer with enough talent to continue on. I knew I had a lot to learn and a lot of practicing to do. But that was fine. I didn’t need a sale. I needed someone to encourage me. And that person was Jennifer. So I’ll always be grateful to her.

I turned the contemporary story I submitted to her into a historical and years later sold it to Thomas Nelson as the second book in the Ladies of Summerhill series, Love on Assignment. Even old manuscripts don’t always have to be wasted. It can be really difficult, but even first attempts can often be re-worked.

Jennifer is now a freelance edit and manuscript technician, a.k.a. Ms. Manuscript, (www.msmanuscript.com).

If you’ve had any memorable experiences at a conference, please tell us about them!

I’m giving away a copy of The Writer’s Book of Matches: 1,00l Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction.

Guest Author Allie Pleiter: The Kiss That Isn't

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Way back at the beginning of my career, I read a romance novel with the most surprisingly romantic scene I’ve ever known: a man literally seducing his beloved by the way he set the table. She was a lover of fine manners, and he won her heart by setting a perfect table in the middle of a pioneer wilderness. I’ve never forgotten the effectiveness and creativity of that scene.
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While I don’t write seduction scenes, I try with each book to emulate the brilliance of that scene. The truth is the seduction wasn’t the pull there, it was the romance. That magic moment where a mind is won along with a heart. Where souls meet their mates. For me, to make that moment their first kiss is cheating. I strive for what I call “the kiss that isn’t.”
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Think of it as the polar opposite of “the issue that’s not the issue”--you know, when you argue with your spouse about the dishwasher but you’re really arguing about how you feel unappreciated? The craft of well-wielded subtext can make for a memorable book, and make us fall head-over-heels for the characters. We fall because we know why he loves what she did, or why he needs what she gave. It goes so much deeper than a wet smooch.
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I still get letters about the Kung Fu chai tea ceremony scene in my 2007 novel The Perfect Blend. Will woos Maggie by his attention to what she holds dear. A man paying rapt attention is downright knee-buckling, don’t you think? Sure, there’s sexual tension in the scene, but it goes several layers deeper.
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There’s a tender scene in my 2008 novel Bluegrass Hero where Emily tells Gil to close his eyes while she tries to get him to smell the difference in the many soaps she makes. It is intimate and romantic--not because of who’s hands are where (they never even touch), but because of what’s being shared.
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My current book, Falling for the Fireman, has two such scenes. One involves lighting a match while the other involves lighting a paper lantern. Both involve flame because fire has become the enemy to Chad and Jeannie in ways that go far deeper than a burning building. Both are “first kisses” that aren’t really kisses.
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How do you write such scenes? What makes them work? Here are a few tips:
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- Find a metaphor for the hero and heroine’s deepest needs. The tea ceremony’s attention to detail met Maggie’s thirst for validation. Lighting a match is a metaphor for Jeannie’s fight against the darkness of her recent trauma. What need does your hero or heroine have that can be expressed in an object or process?

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- Focus on non-touch sensory responses to detail. Sight, taste, smell...all of these can be wildly romantic and intimate. Think of touch as “cheating” and see how many of the other senses you can highlight.
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- Imbue an ordinary object with special meaning. Something as simple as a birthday candle or a red scarf can become a love note between the hero and heroine. This allows it to resurface over and over in the story and build the relationship.
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Scenes like these can give your readers those memorable moments where they sigh and smile. And the books that do that always end up on the keeper shelf.
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So share with us today what object or gesture would win your heart! If you're a writer, what “a kiss that isn't” scenes have you incorported into your own manuscripts?

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If you’d like to be entered in a drawing for a copy of my February release “Falling for the Fireman,” please mention it in the comments section -- then watch the Weekend Edition for the winner!
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Falling for the Fireman
Harlequin Love Inspired February 2012
ISBN #978-0-373-87725-6
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There's something achingly familiar about the look in fire marshal Chad Owens's eyes. Widowed mom Jeannie Nelworth knows firsthand what it is: loss, hurt and yes—bitterness. Ever since the fire that changed their lives, Jeannie's young son has borne that same look, pushing everyone away. So she's grateful when Chad tries to get through to the boy with the help of his trusty fire station dog.
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But the man who's all about safety and prevention keeps himself protected—from loving and losing again. Seems as if Jeannie will have to add his kind, guarded heart to her rebuilding efforts.
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An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the Midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at http://www.alliepleiter.com/ or her knitting blog at http://www.destiknitions.blogspot.com/

The First Time I Met an Author

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Do you remember the first time you met an author? Its really a memory I would love to forget because it was rather embarrassing. But then it is what led me to becoming an author myself.

Sandra here with a lovely table chock full of goodies. I'm in Palm Springs and visited Brown Date Garden

With all the Palm trees we have delightful dates on a crystal platter, a large crystal bowl of sliced oranges, walnuts and dates and of course yummy date nut bread with cream cheese spreads to add. And I suppose those of you suffering winter wouldn't be interested, but the date milkshakes are to die for.

So grab a cup of chocolate velvet coffee, hot chocolate or tea and lets kick back and chat.

When did you meet your first author?

Were you writing at the time?

Was it a famous author?

The first author I met is a famous best selling author now, but she was just starting out when I met her. It was in the early eighties and I was teaching at the time. In conjunction with a project for Arizona State University the teachers at my school were instructed to write during our summer break. They were concerned about the low writing skills children exhibited and wanted to work with teachers in our city to help improve writing skills. They said "To teach writing you need to write." Of course we asked, "Write what?" Their answer, "Write what you love to read."

I was reading ROMANCES of course. I used to read a book a day. I would read the mainstreams on the weekend and Harlequins on school nights because I could finish before bedtime. (Trust me, when you're dealing with thirty kindergartners you don't want to stay up late and read).

One of my favorite authors was Janet Dailey who was traveling in her Silverstream trailer across the United States and writing a romance set in each state. Since I was out in our RV for the summer, I thought to myself, "I can do this. I can write a romance." And not only would I write a romance, but I would write a Harlequin Romance.

Oh the naivete of those of us in the "Land Without A Clue" as Audra named it so well yesterday in Pammers post.

Well I wrote the romance and fell in love with writing. I traveled so much as a kid and as an adult, I used to make up stories of all the people in the towns we passed through so I guess the story writing bug was in me all along.

By the end of summer I finished the romance and of course thought is was perfect. But now what should I do with it? Mind you it was hand written as no laptops or even pc's in those days.

That fall when I returned home, I sat at my electric typewriter and typed out the whole thing. Wow, over four hundred pages. So then what? I went to the library and found out about the Writers Market. In it, they listed all the publishers who published romances and their submission guidelines.

Wow, there were several romance publishers. And here is where I experienced another embarrassing moment from "The Land Without a Clue". (I so love that , Audra)

The guidelines said to submit a sample chapter and not to send multiple submissions. Well I thought multiple submissions meant not to send the publisher more than one manuscript. So I blithly sent each publisher a sample chapter. Now mind you this was in the eighties when you had to type each manuscript so I typed up one manuscript and sent one publisher chapter one, another publisher chapter two, etc. Doesn't that make sense?

And because these were my BC days (before Christ in my life), I submitted to Harlequin chapter seven-the best chapter -because it was the one with the sex scene. Oh my is that funny or what? I can just imagine what those editors thought of that. LOL

My mother was an avid reader so I shared my accomplishment with her. And that spring she called me all excited. She'd seen an article in the newspaper about two Harlequin authors from Tucson who were going to be in town autographing their books.

Vickie Lewis Thompson and Tate McKenna

Oh My. I was sooooooooo excited. And this is the embarrassing part. I hurried to the used book store I frequented because they had a HUGE selection of romances and bought every book I could find by these two authors. Mind you I was a teacher so no money to buy new books.

I was thrilled to see these two really young ladies signing books at the table and they were so friendly and smiling and talking to the customers who had lined up to get their autographed copies of books. They were real people. Yay.

Oooooh I'm so cringing right now as I think of how innocently I handed them my stack of used books and asked them to sign them. I thought they would be thrilled that I had copies of all their books.

Well they were stunned.

Vicki politely asked if I wanted a copy of the book they were selling. Well why would I when I had all these others, so I said "No."

(Are you laughing right now????)

She was so polite (and she has teased me about this ever since). But she gripped her pen and calmly told me that the purpose of an autograph signing was to sell their NEW books. "Authors don't get royalties from the sale of used books," she explained.

I guess I looked crushed (actually I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me).

Tate smiled and asked if I knew about RWA? She wrote down on a piece of paper the information I would need and suggested I get in touch with the group in town.

I was terribly embarrassed, but also I was amazed. There were actually groups of romance writers here in town? They met and talked about writing? How wonderful was that?

BTW the two authors did sign my used books. Is that sweet or what?

So I tucked my tail between my legs (metaphorically speaking) and headed home. I did find the local RWA group and then had another embarrassing FIRST moment from the "Land Without a Clue".

Turns out the writers critique each others work. So I bring my handwritten chapters and because we're meeting in a pizza house with low lights, they inform me that I need to double space and type my chapters so they can read them.

So there. My firsts as a writer. So humiliating.

And in spite of those embarrassing moments, I continued to write and learn the hard way, but it was worth it all.

So take heart all of you out there. As we have been saying all along, perserverance, persistance and determintation will help you accomplish your goals in spite of those firsts along the way.

Please share some of your firsts.

Share the time you met your first author. Hopefully it wasn't as embarrassing as my first time.

Those who share will be entered for a copy of PRICE OF VICTORY-my first novel since returning to writing after I retired from teaching.

Have a great day. And please pass me another piece of date nut bread.

My First Query Comes Full Circle

2012-01-23T00:01:00.004-05:00

I might as well just jump into this story, so I’ll start at the beginning.

Sort of.

I always wanted to write, but was scared of failure. I loved to read romance, especially westerns, and I enjoyed the Christian fiction I could get my hands on.

Finally, I decided I’d better put up or shut up. I went to the library and found one book on the shelves about writing fiction that sounded like it might be helpful. It was by Kathryn Falk. I think it was called How to Write a Romance. I devoured it. By this time I had started my great American novel. I didn’t know anyone who was published or even dreamed of becoming an author, so I was working in a dark hole with Kathryn Falk’s book as my map.

According to Miss Falk’s book, it would take several months for an editor to get back to me, so by my calculations, I needed to query somebody since I was about 100 pages into my story. Then something BIG happened.

In August of 1995, I was listening to public radio on the way to work. I heard a senior editor of a well-known Christian publishing house talking about the growing popularity of inspirational fiction. I pulled over on the side of the road and wrote down everything she said, including the fact that she said if anyone had a story to tell, she'd be willing to look at it.

My hand was literally shaking, and I queried her immediately.

Such a God thing, right? Here I was right on target. I had just enough time to finish the manuscript before she asked to see it. Things were going good, really good!

Between that query and her response three months later, I hooked up with a local writers' group, and had my work bled all over, in good way of course. Somewhere about this time, I realized I had a long way to go to be a published author.

So, what was the editor’s response? She asked me to send what I’d written. GULP!

This was bad, very bad! The story was horrible, no real beginning, middle, or end, and I'd learned just enough from my new writer friends to know that I was in real trouble.

The only thing that saved me was that the editor left the publishing house before I could get anything in the mail and I was off the hook.

I slinked back into my hole and got serious about learning the craft of writing.

Fast forward 15 years.

With a fairly large portfolio of contest wins, rejection letters, and near misses at a smattering of publishing houses, Tyndale House Publishers released my debut novel, Stealing Jake, in July 2011.

And who was the mystery editor I heard on the radio way back in 1995?

Tyndale House, Senior Editor, Karen Ball.

And lest we think God doesn’t have a sense of humor, Karen is now an agent with the Steve Laube Agency, and I’m blessed to be represented by Steve.

Now how’s that for coming full circle?

Weekend Edition

2012-01-21T00:00:00.055-05:00

Start clearing your calendar for our March Book-In-A-Month,
Speedbo (writing a book speedily).

Don't forget to check out Seekerville the town for short reads,
our schedule and other fun stuff!

This is too hilarious and cliche not to share. RomanceNovelYourself.com (RT)

Romance Book Buyer Stats (RWA)

Instapaper. A simple tool to save web pages for reading later (RT)

Time for a Writer's Block T-Shirt? (Signals)

Was Jane Austen Poisoned? (Discovery News)

Congratulations to the 2012 Edgar Nominees!

Deadlines and Taxes (The Steve Laube Agency Blog)

We leave you with this photo of super heroines, Mary Connealy and Cara Lynn James who recently met for lunch on the Gulf Coast.

They're two of my favorite super heroines.

Who are yours?

The First Re-launch of Loveswept Romance, that was then, this is now!

2012-01-20T00:01:00.030-05:00

Ruthy here, and good morning, Seekerville!

I invited Sue Grimshaw to come tell us more about their digital initiative at Random House. As you know, Waterbrook and Multnomah are part of Random House and as authors, it's important for us to stay informed on industry standards and changes. Note of warning: Loveswept Romance may contain adult material.

We have bounded into the age of digital books, e-readers, digital firsts (like Tyndale did with Pam's Stealing Jake this past summer) and new opportunities are upon us. For aspiring authors and avid readers, these are important changes in pricing and availability. Sue came by today to introduce what they're doing at Random this year, the re-launch of a successful and popular romance line via e-books, a topic we've all discussed. But along with that, Random is offering opportunities to first-time authors, a chance to show their stuff via the e-market as debut authors in an established romance line.

Kindle Fire

Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. We've got two lovely prizes today. For writers, a fifteen page critique of the opening chapter(s) of your novel and we're also offering a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card.

Barnes & Noble Nook Color

Coffee's inside, I've got the Friday buffet ready to roll and plenty of creamers and flavor shots at the espresso bar. Come on in and welcome Sue Grimshaw to Seekerville!

The Re-Launch of Loveswept Romance from Sue Grimshaw, Category Specialist & Editor at Large, BBD-Loveswept

Time flies when you're launching an imprint! I've firsthand knowledge of that as it just seems like yesterday, and now here we are, eleven LS Classics released in 2011; over 60 LS Classics releasing in 2012; plus, more than 10 ORIGINAL LS on the books, 4 of which are pub ready - WHEW!

And . . . there is so much more to come.

We've had great fun reminiscing through all of the old LS Classics, deciding what to publish and when, deciding on all of the new covers, working with these great iconic authors in developing promotional plans on our new website Romance At Random (www.romanceatrandom.com).

The last year has been a whirl, and can you believe I've not even had my one year anniversary at Random House yet!

It has been so exciting, we've accomplished sooooooooooo much, but, there is so much more to do -- and I cannot wait!

Our first Original Loveswept was written by Jessica Scott, BECAUSE OF YOU - the first in her Coming Home Series - From the war-torn streets of Baghdad to the bittersweet comforts of the home front, two wounded hearts navigate the battlefield of coming home from war in this explosive eBook original from newcomer Jessica Scott.

Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.

Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire.

The support from readers & authors has been big & Jess is enjoying the fulfillment as readers everywhere thank her not only for her service to our country, but for a wonderful story that warmed all of our hearts.

And how about this?

In this fun eBook original romance by Ruthie Knox, a cross-country bike adventure takes a detour as readers will discover, Ride with Me is a journey in more ways than one.

When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the TransAmerica Trail with. These days it is not safe for a girl to travel by herself, plus she did not want her family to worry about her. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger — a loner whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she’s spent years planning. Fortunately, after miles of bickering a friendship develops with a promise for a very exciting future, after all, they both love to travel & ride bikes!

Summer 2012 is DEEP AUTUMN HEAT by Elisabeth Barrett, her first book in the Star Harbor series: Star Harbor, Massachusetts – a small, picturesque Cape Cod town steeped in history, romance … and danger. Sleepy little fishing village turned artist colony, Star Harbor has made a revival as a real place of interest in recent years. But families and tourists aren’t the only ones attracted to the town; a criminal element has also taken up residence. Star Harbor’s colorful locals – and some dedicated newcomers – join together to combat these threats and preserve the town’s coastal charm.

THE GRAYSON MEN

The Grayson Men – Dangerous. Sexy. Trouble. Val, Cole, Seb and Theo have always toed the line. But while those in Star Harbor would like to think that the four brothers have morphed from hell-raising boys to stand-up men, for the women in their lives, it isn’t exactly clear. Have these leopards changed their spots or are they the same bad boys they’ve always been?

And now, scheduled later this Fall is our FIRST historical - ORIGINAL - Loveswept - more to come on that!

Lot's of FIRSTS for us at BBD-Loveswept this year - what do you think, can one of our books be a first for you? Love to hear your thoughts -

Don't forget to check us out on FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/RomanceAtRandom; Romance At Random http://www.romanceatrandom.com/; and Twitter too!

GUEST BLOGGER PAT SIMMONS (and Giveaway!!!)

2012-01-19T00:01:00.003-05:00

Julie, here, and I met today's wonderful guest through a mutual friend, Cheryl Wyatt, because it turned out that Pat and I are Christian authors who both live in St. Louis, and Cheryl thought we should connect. Well, Cheryl was right because it turned out to be a match made in Heaven (pun intended). Pat has been a huge blessing to me, so today I wanted to return the favor and bless her with exposure to some of the best blog reader friends on the Web -- Seeker friends!

When I first read Pat's post below and learned about some of the spiritual "coincidences" she experienced, there was no question she has an anointing on her to write her current series. But when I realized the subject matter of her blog included facts from her genealogy that trace back to pre-Civil War slavery, my heart skipped a beat. Call it coincidence if you want, but when I realized I'd inadvertently scheduled Pat's post for today -- the same week as Martin Luther King's holiday -- I felt it was more anointed than coincidental. So please join me in welcoming our very special guest today, Pat Simmons, a truly "anointed" addition to Martin Luther King week.

My name is Pat Simmons. I’m a Christian fiction author of six published novels with two more scheduled to be released this year.

I’m so happy to share the testimony about my first book deal. Guilty of Love was actually the third novel I wrote, but the first one that was published. The amazing thing is I didn’t want to write the story because of the subject matter: abortion. After I gave it some thought, I realized that I could write ten novels and none of them would be successful until I wrote the one God told me to. Let me tell what Jesus did. That book broke sales records for the imprint that year. It also established my writing career. The Guilty series now called the Jamieson Legacy will probably go to seventeen books. Look at Jesus. What would have happened if I didn’t say, yes, Lord?

Prior to starting that book, I became interested in my family’s genealogy. I decided to incorporate some of my family names into the stories in hopes of tracking now-distant relatives who might pick up the book and recognize names.

I chose "Charlotte" for my main character’s mother. Charlotte was my maternal grandmother and my maternal great-great grandmother. Then on to the last name. I needed something that had a distinguished ring. Somehow "Jamieson" stuck, thus creating Parke K. Jamieson VI. He and his brothers became the strong, successful and confident men who were the tenth generation descendants of a royal African tribe.

My maternal grandmother’s last name was Wilkerson. I located Charlotte Wilkerson along with her two sons: William (my great grandfather b. 1866) and his brother Samuel (b. 1868), on the 1880 census. I hit a wall when I went back to the 1870 census. I couldn’t locate them. I turned to other genealogy enthusiasts to help in the hunt for Charlotte Wilkerson and her two sons who would have been four and two. It’s amazing how savvy some of these sleuths are. A few days later, they came back with information that made me hold my breath.

It appears that Charlotte’s last name was actually Jamieson. Eerie, huh? I had no idea I was giving my character the exact FIRST and LAST name after an ancestor.

Since 1870 was the first year blacks were counted as free, I searched the 1860 slaveholders’ schedules. Sure enough, Robert Jamieson was the slaveholder over my great-great grandmother. In his household, there was a guest and teacher in the academy, John Wilkerson (my white great-grandfather).

So for six years, the Guilty series has captivated black and white readers alike with its positive strong black family and historical facts that are weaved into contemporary storylines. This month under a new publisher, the Guilty series presents The Jamieson Legacy.

My encouragement to every aspiring author is to listen to Jesus when you get that first offer. It may not be the publishing house or advancement you want, but we never know how God will cause a seed to grow, once we’ve planted a story.

SYNOPSIS: Guilty by Association is a Christian fiction meant to entertain, educate and fascinate readers with true historical facts like Sinner’s Hotel in Maryland where Africans were auctioned, The Good Ship Jesus that transported Africans to the Americas, or the 1860 Mississippi Morbidity Book where slaves who didn’t bear their slaveholder’s last name were given "Negro" to be buried.

In Book I: Guilty by Association, Boston bad boy Kevin “Kidd” Jamieson suffers from the “angry man” syndrome. It’s plagued him since childhood when his phantom father never married his mother, but was arrogant enough to insist his two sons carry his name. What’s in a name? As far as Kidd is concerned, it’s worthless. Kidd’s resentment is tangible, and the bitterness plays out in every area of his life where he carelessly leaves a trail of destruction. Things change after distant cousin, Parke Jamieson VI, tracks Kidd down while researching the Jamieson family tree. The two strong-willed cousins bump heads within minutes after meeting. Kidd is about to get a history lesson whether he wants it or not; a love lesson from coworker Eva Savoy whose remedy for his condition is accepting his bloodline with Jesus; and a nursing home resident, Mrs. +Valentine, who rattles off facts about the 1800s as if she lived in them. Suddenly, Kidd’s outnumbered. Leave it up to the three strategically placed Christians, and Kidd’s going down. And when he gets up from his knees, Kidd will be a changed man of God.

BIOGRAPHY:

Pat Simmons has been married to Kerry for almost twenty-nine years. She praises God for a good marriage. Pat has converted her sofa-strapped, sports-fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, and GPS-guided chauffeur.

Pat Simmons describes her Christian walk as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering experience. She is a baptized believer who is always willing to share her testimonies about God’s goodness. She believes God is the true Author who advances her stories.

Pat has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, MA. She has worked in various media positions in radio, television, and print for more than twenty years. Currently, she oversees the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions. She has been a guest on several media outlets, including radio, television, newspapers, and blog radio.

She is the award-winning author of Talk to Me, ranked #14 of Top Books in 2008 that Changed Lives by Black Pearls Magazine; she also received the Katherine D. Jones Award for Grace and Humility from the Romance Slam Jam committee in 2008. Pat is best known for her Guilty series: Guilty of Love, Not Guilty of Love, and Still Guilty, which was voted the Best Inspirational Romance for 2010 by the RSJ committee. Her 2011 release, Crowning Glory, was voted the Best Inspirational of the year. Fans are giving her January release, Guilty by Association, five stars.

PAT'S WEBSITE ... CHECK IT OUT!!

http://www.patsimmons.net/

GIVEAWAY:

Pat has graciously agreed to give away her latest book (with the INCREDIBLY hunky cover!!) to one lucky commenter, so please leave a comment for Pat along with your e-mail in a spam-free manner (i.e. janedoe(at)freebook(dot)com). GOOD LUCK!

My First Manuscript

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Debby at the Coliseum in Rome. Behind me is the Arch of
Constantine with the Roman Forum to the right.

Buon giorno! Debby here! I spent last weekin Italy, exploring Rome with side trips to Florenceand Assisi. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of thesights so I’ve added photos of my trip even though they have nothing to do witha first manuscript. J Today’sdrawing and breakfast bar will include touches of Italy. Grab a cappuccino or café latte and let’stalk about writing.

Another view of the Arch and Forum.

“You wrote this?” A young woman raised her brow and pointedto one of my novels during a recent book signing. “You wrote the whole book?”

Debby and Tony at the Basilica of Saint Francis
in Assisi.

“Every page,” I responded, smiling as I remembered back tomy pre-novelist days. At that time, the thought of writing a three- to four-hundredpage manuscript seemed like a herculean task.

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Up until then, I had concentrated on magazine articles andslice of life vignettes that were short pieces, each not more than a fewthousand words. My prose tended to be terse, a no-frills style that worked formagazines but would need to be expanded for longer projects. As much as Ienjoyed writing, I wondered if I would have the discipline and perseveranceneeded to craft a full-length manuscript.

Arch of Constantine.

After moving to the Atlantaarea, I joined Georgia Romance Writers and attended a one-day workshop taughtby Nancy Knight, one of the founding members of GRW. Her program, entitled “Once Begun is HalfDone,” provided a solid introduction to story structure along with tips on howto craft a compelling novel.

The Baptistery in Florence.

She discussed character development, and the necessity forthe hero and heroine to change and grow during the course of the story. I’m sure she explained internal and externalconflict, but I was more interested in the inciting incidence and how to buildthe story to an exciting climax.

Manypeople want to write a book, Nancyexplained. A number of folks start a book, but few people actually finish amanuscript. Plow straight through, sheadvised, and don’t worry about revisions until the first draft is written.

I made note of everything Nancy said and decided that if Ithought of each chapter as a short story, I could put the chapters together andeventually have a book.

The Coliseum

Write what you know, she also suggested.

Priorto moving to

Georgia

, myhubby and I had lived at the National Training Center,located at Fort Irwin, California,in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The small garrison sat at the edge of a hugemilitary training area the size of the state of Rhode Island.

Myhusband was the senior Armor observer-controller. He and his team put each visiting unit through a 21-day rotation of battle scenarios that involved air, ground andartillery support. In addition, a livefire phase included Air Force assets and attack helicopters and provided themost realistic training available in the free world.

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

Thevisiting units “fought” against a real opposing force stationed at the NTC. Using a specially designed laser system, everymovement and round fired were tracked and recorded, and at the end of eachbattle, the observer controllers evaluated the unit’s ability and offeredconcrete suggestions for improvement.

St. Peter's Square

Visitingdignitaries within our own government and from allied countries flew into theNTC to observe the specialized training often featured on the evening news. Bestselling author Tom Clancy was allowed to tourthe training area and observed one of my husband’s after-action reviews. As a token of his appreciation, Clancy sent Tonyan autographed, advanced copy of TheCardinal of the Kremlin, and later named a character after him--Lieutenant ColonelAngelo Giusti--in The Bear and the Dragon.If Tom Clancy was writing about the NTC, I decided to do so, as well. Plus, Iwanted to chronicle some of our experiences and the unique adventure we hadlived in the rugged desert environment.

Michelangelo's Pieta in St Peter's

At Forces Command Headquarters in

Atlanta

,Tony was the staff officer in charge of training for active component forces in the

. He worked under a four-star general so I wove a tale about a militaryhero stationed at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, who accompanies the FORSCOMcommander to the NTC. Every afternoon, when the children were at school, I’dhead to the small alcove at the top of the stairs I had converted into an officeand pound out the story on my trusty electric typewriter.

Roasting chestnuts

Currently, I work from an 18 to 20 page synopsis thatprovides an outline for my work in progress, but for that first story, I was strictlyseat of my pants. When the middle began to sag, I added a murder and upped the romance as I trudgedfrom page to page. On good days, thewords flowed. At other times, myprogress was as slow as the proverbial watched pot that never boils.

Florence

I made a lot of mistakes on that first manuscript, yet despitewhat I didn't know, I ended up with a 90,000 word manuscript and patted myself onthe back, feeling an immense sense of accomplishment. I had achieved my goal and written my firstfull-length manuscript.

Assisi

Rare is the story that doesn't require revision so I madechanges and then retyped the 400 pages until I was satisfied I had done mybest. Soon thereafter, I attended myfirst Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, where Nancy Knight introduced me toher agent. I pitched my story and will never forget the thrill when sherequested my full. I called hubby totell him the good news, both of us confident my story was on the way topublication.

Honorable Men,the title of that first manuscript, was rejected. I wrote five more manuscriptsbefore I sold NOWHERE TO HIDE to Love Inspired Suspense.

The chains that held Peter captive displayed
in the Church of St. Peter in Chains

Taking an idea from initial concept to a fully developed noveltakes perseverance and hard work, mixed with a bit of luck and an innateability to weave a story. Now when thewords flow and the scenes come together, when my characters surprise me withtheir heroism, when universal concepts play out upon the written page, I realize—justas I did on that first manuscript long ago—that I love to write and nothing canstop me from pursuing my dream.

Debby throws a coin over her left shoulder into
the Trevi Fountain so she'll come back to Rome.

Have you completed your firstmanuscript? Are you writing it now? Share your thoughts, your dreams and what you’ve learned to be enteredin the drawing.

I’m giving away a copy of mylatest Love Inspired Suspense, THE CAPTAIN’S MISSION. In addition, the winner will receive the cookbook, 200 Pasta Dishes, byMaria Ricci, which features many of the delicious recipes I enjoyed in Rome.

The breakfast bar is open andfilled with the same selection I had each day in my hotel. Enjoy a cappuccinoor café latte (the milk is served warm), hard boiled eggs, sliced salami, prosciuttoand cheese, freshly baked rolls and croissants, yogurt and toast. Mangia, mangia!!!

Wishing you abundantblessings!

Ciao!

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

My First Contests

2012-01-17T00:00:00.021-05:00

The most important thing to me when I share about myself is to deliver the message that is deep in my heart. That message for me will always be to never give up. I believe it and I live it.

My contest history began in 1997 and spanned 12 years with my last entry being the 2010 Golden Heart (those entries were in the fall of 2009). I sold to Love Inspired in January of 2010 and was agented when I sold.

During my contest period I entered 158 contests. (Averaging 13 contests a year for 12 years)

Of those, I finaled in 66. (The Golden Heart twice and the Genesis once)

I won 22 of those I finaled.

(I won the Maggies twice, the Stepping Stone twice, the Heart of the Rockies three times and I also won Fire and Ice, Desert Dreams, Touched By Love, The Lauries, Put Your Heart In A Book, Ticket to Write, Winter Rose, Beacon, Tara, Golden Acorn, and the Linda Howard Award of Excellence and The Barclay.)

I contested with a total of 10 different completed manuscripts.

From those contests I received only 3 agent requests and 7 editorial requests. (Of course at the same time I was submitting.)

Looking at the numbers, those aren't exactly amazing results, but a slightly greater than one third percentage isn't too shabby either, considering the competition included all of the Seekers.

However, what I have concluded about contesting is that often it's not about the results. It is however always about the motive and the goals.

The first memorable writing advice I ever received from a contest was from author Elizabeth Sinclair regarding a manuscript now called The Last Bachelor. She told me my hero was an unsympathetic alcoholic and my heroine was too perfect.

She was correct on all counts.

But she didn't simply criticize my writing, she provided direction with her feedback. Direction for my synopsis as well.

I took that wonderful direction and ran with it.

That was my motive as a very, very new writer. Direction.

My daily life at the time was like most of yours- consumed by family, the day job, and toss in a life altering catastrophe that made meeting with a critique group or attending a local chapter nearly impossible. Often I had to choose between my own writing time and a writing group or meeting.

Then consider this: you're a new writer and you're meeting online or in person with a group of people whose writing expertise is as limited as your own. That scenario makes growth difficult.

Contests provided a cold read, and an honest interpretation of my goals in the form of the contest score sheet and comments.

Another value in contests is that they developed patience. The life cycle of a contest is close to a year. I learned how to enter and move on, forget about that manuscript while forging ahead to the next goal. This is a skill that will come in handy as you wait for responses from industry professionals later in your career.

Another goal for me toward the end of my contest years was submitting a new completed manuscript each year to the Golden Heart. By this time I had narrowed my target to only two genre's and submitted a total of four manuscripts.

The last few years before selling I entered far fewer contests as my goals had shifted. I had become more confident about my skills thanks to contests and had discovered resources (often thanks to contest judges recommendations) for honing my craft. Now I was only entering contests for two reasons: to keep my name out there and to get a manuscript in front of a particular editor or agent.

Were all my contest judges kind, fair and constructive? Of course not. But to tell you the truth I didn't let them stop me. I had a methodology when I received contest results. I glanced at them and then set them aside.

When I was ready to do edits I took the contest pages and applied them or discarded them as my gut instinct told me while I edited each page of the manuscript without looking at the scores. All I cared about was the feedback.

I'm a writer, I'm all about looking at my words and growing. A strong and long history of contest critiques and commentaries has also provided a handy shield against the negative side of this business. I can honestly say that today-most of the time- I am able to respond as I did during the contest days and take a negative response and set it aside without internalizing and move on. (I also avoid reading reviews. Why look for trouble?)

One of the final contest critiques that I recall was brutally honest and caused me to pause. I later discovered it was done by Camy Tang. Trust me, it was a tough critique and because of her objective comments I had the courage to move to another level in my writing and make some serious changes to the manuscript that sold, A Place Called Home (it sold in January 2010, to Melissa Endlich at Harlequin Love Inspired,and became The Rancher's Reunion).

Here's a little secret about me too, I'm very competitive. With myself. I am the hardest critic I will ever have. I don't give up. I also find a peace that passes understanding in resting in the knowledge that the Lord put me on this path and he is in charge of my destination.

But I'm not perfect, I also ascribe to a little quote a Colorado writing friend, Amy Sandrin, once told me: "Success is the best revenge."

So today I challenge you to consider what you can get out of contests. Consider this too: what do you have to lose? Why not make 2012 the year you step out and enter contests for you and your writing career?

Today two commenters who express and interest in this opportunity will win a 15 page manuscript critique to prepare your pages for a contest. Winners announced in the Weekend Edition.

Also, here are links to a few archived contest posts to assist you on your own contest journey.

Pimp Your Contest Entry

Exploring Contest Mood Disorder

Contests, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you who has ever judged a contest. Thank you to those of you who suffered through my early, plot-less wonders with the telling and not showing, the information dumps and those perfectly flawless and equally boring heroines.

I know who you are, because some of you even signed your names. Trust me, there is a special place in writer heaven just for you.

Tina Radcliffe is entering only a select few contests in 2012 and is concentrating on writing faster. You can always find her in Seekerville or at her home at www.tinaradcliffe.com. She is happy to answer any of your pressing contest questions at tina at tina radcliffe dot com

Missy Tippens and Her First Rejection

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Missy Tippens, here. And for this Month of Firsts, I wanted to share about myfirst rejection. No, I’m not talking about the first boyfriend who dumped me.:) I’m talking about my first manuscript rejection, the result of the firsttime I braved sending my manuscript to a publisher.

Now, rest assured I had already sent the story out to contests and hadendured that torture to prepare me for rejection. (The very first contest, Itied for 35^th place…out of 36 entries. Yeah. Enough said aboutthat.) :) And I even got some form rejection letters later, which were morepainful. Those are the ones that come straight off the copy machine, and youcan tell the letter has been copied over and over because the print is gettinglighter and blurry around the edges, and there’s a lot of little stray dots ofink. They say something like:

Dear Author, we regret to informyou that this submission is not right for us at this time.

OUCH.

But my first true rejection actually had editor feedback. It said that my story lacked sparkle. And that the characters were cardboard.

DOUBLE OUTCH.

So today, in honor of that first rejection, I thought we’d try tofigure out what the editor meant and discuss how we can try to do better.

MANUSCRIPTSTHAT DON’T SPARKLE

To me, this one is easier to interpret. But maybe more difficult to“fix.” Because I think sparkle means voice. It’s that certain “something” thatmakes your manuscript special. It’s what makes it yours and no one else’s. Inmy opinion, voice is something you have to discover as you write stories youlove, stories that reflect your life experiences, your personality, the way youtalk, the way you view life. Apparently, when I submitted that first story, Ihadn’t found mine yet.

If you want to make sure your stories have that sparkle, keep writing,keep practicing. Work on storyideas you’re excited about. Write about something that’s important to you,stories that touch you at your core. You’ll eventually find your voice, andreaders will stand up and take notice.

One of my critique partners, Lindi Peterson, wrote several greatstories that I enjoyed. But then she tried writing the type story she’d alwaysloved to read—first person, funny, light-hearted romance, with people learningto rely on God. And as soon as I read it, I told her, “This is it! You’ve foundyour voice. This’ll be the one that sells.” That story, now titled Her Best Catch, was Lindi’s first sale. (YAY!! I’m still excited!)

CARDBOARD CHARACTERS

Trying to figure out cardboard characters can be tough. I suppose itmeans they lack depth, lack emotion, lack personality, lack relatability, lackbelievability, lack likability. Lack…lack…lack! So many lacks! :)

So how can we avoid this problem? I’ve sat down and tried to come upwith ways:

1. Plan. Do somebackground work. Maybe even some sort of character interview.

-- Figure out their family of origin, past relationships, education, friends.

-- Figure out what they want and what motivates them (ask why, why, why?).

--Figure out their faults and fears. Also their strengths. I can’t thinkof anything more cardboard than a perfect character. Except maybe a whiny, weakcharacter.

2. Decide what type personality they have. Give them a couple of quirksthat make them memorable.

3. Make them likable and sympathetic. (See my previous post on this)

4. Don’t hold back on emotion. Pour yourself into each character. Onething I see in contest entries over and over is lack of emotion. Go deep, here.Use your own hurts/fears/joy/anger/frustrations, etc. to help you imagine howyour characters feel. This can be exhausting while you’re writing, but wellworth it.

5. Study premise and theme (I recommend The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success by Stanley Williams) to strengthenthe character arc so the story and your characters’ growth will resonate withyour reader.

6. Make them active, not reactive. I had a hard time learning this (andam still learning!). Don’t just make terrible things happen to them that causethem to react. No, have them make decisions and act, doing things that put theminto messes (their weaknesses you created will cause this). The struggle to getout of the mess is what readers enjoy.

7. I suspect sometimes stilted dialogue may lead to cardboardcharacters. Read it out loud to see if it’s conversational. But don’t try tomake it like a regular conversation (no chit-chat). If dialogue is one of yourgrowing areas, then study how your favorite writers handle it. Ask for feedbackon your dialogue.

8. Use layering. It would take a whole post to discuss this. But thinkabout how subplots and the struggles of other characters can reflect your maincharacters’ problems. Also, consider how your story setting can best revealcharacterization.

9. Make sure your characters are not TSTL—Too Stupid To Live. Our characters needto act believably and in-character. Make sure the “person” you’ve created doesthings you’ve set them up to do. Of if he/she acts out of character, then makesure you’ve motivated it well. We don’t want to throw the reader out of thestory (or make her throw the book against the wall).

10. You tell me! How do you create full, believable, well-roundedcharacters that we love?

If you’d like to be entered in my giveaway of a critique of your first 5pages (focusing on characterization), please leave a comment and let me know toenter you!

********

Missy Tippens’s newest release from Love Inspired, A House Full of Hope (her favorite book yet!), is available now on Harlequin.com! It’ll soon be available at otherbooksellers and can be pre-ordered now.

From black sheep to father of four...

Before becoming a Christian, Mark Ryker ran with a bad crowd and broke hearts. Including his father's. Now a successful businessman, Mark has come home to Corinthia, Georgia, to make amends. But no one will forgive him. So when the widowed mother of four renting his dad's run-down house needs help fixing up the place, Mark gets to work. Pretty Hannah Hughes and her sweet kids have him longing to be part of the clan, but Hannah isn't ready to let go of the past. Still, they are working together on a house full of hope—and that's all Mark needs.

Read an Excerpt by clicking here.

Seekerville Weekend Edition

2012-01-14T00:00:00.053-05:00

Welcome to another Weekend Edition.
We're hard at working, writing, writing writing..
What are you up to?

Oh, and did we mention there's a new Seekerville Short Read up?

REMINDER! The National Uninterrupted Day of Writing
is coming up on February 5th,
(formerly known as Superbowl Sunday).
So get ready to write.

Also, start clearing your calendar for the
March, Seekerville BIAM (Book-In-A-Month).

We Have Winners

Seekerville is just getting caught up from the holiday guests and party fun. If we missed sending out your prize, please do let us know! As always, contact Seekerville through our new web email if you are a winner and if needed, provide your snail mail address. Please note our giveaway rules here. All prizes are distributed within 6-8 weeks of winner announcements.

Monday Love Inspired Historical author Janet Dean as she talked about the debut, of her first published book, Courting Miss Adelaide. Winner of Courting Miss Adelaide is Valri.

"My First Book Pitch." continued our month of firsts as Myra Johnson revealed her initial ignorance about editor/agent appointments and the terror of finally signing up for her first-ever pitch. The winner of of Autumn Rains, (the book she pitched at that memorable appointment) is Donna (Lostie815).

Wednesday Seekerville was delighted to welcome guest blogger and inspirational writer Amanda Barratt! Winners from Amanda's visit will be contacted by Amanda, instead of the usual Seekerville protocol. Dawn Crandall – An Inconvenient Match, Sandra Ardoin – A Heart Revealed, Laura Frantz – Out of Control, Whitney – Love by the Book, Melanie – Mended Hearts, Angie Adair – A Family For Faith.

Thursday Love Inspired author Ruth Logan Herne is your hostess. Ruthy will jump on the "Firsts" bandwagon with the Top Ten Reasons Her Really Bad First Book Never Got Published. The winner of Waiting Out the Storm is Erica Vetsch.

Friday we welcomed back Love Inspired Historical and Barbour author Debra Ullrick who shares about her first conference and editor appointment. The three winners of Debra's latest release The Unlikely Wife are: Sandy Nadeau, Christina B, & Jeanne T.

Next Week In Seekerville

Monday:For our Month of Firsts, join Love Inspired author Missy Tippens as she shares about her First Rejection. She'll talk about characterization and will give tips on how to avoid the dreaded "cardboard" characters. Missy will give away critique of the first 5 pages of a sweet or inspirational romance manuscript, focusing on characterization.

Tuesday: Love Inspired author and former contest diva, Tina Radcliffe brings you a post on her very First Contests. She's also offering two commenters an opportunity to have the first 15 pages of their manuscript critiqued in preparation for a contest.

Wednesday: Love Inspired Suspense author Debby Giusti writes about writing her First Complete Manuscript. She'll be giving away a copy of The Captain's Mission, her latest suspense release.

Thursday: Today we welcome guest blogger, Pat Simmons to Seekerville! Pat is a Christian author who has turned her love of genealogy into book characters.

Friday:We wrap up the week with a HUGE DAY in Seekerville. Sue Grimshaw, Senior Editor of Romance at Random is guest-blogging as part of a publishing launch: "First Publisher to Re-launch an Established Line Digitally." Sue will be here to explain the opportunities and new curves that the role of digital publishing is throwing our way as evidenced by their re-release of the "Loveswept" line of romance novels. Be sure to stop by for some great editor insight into an exciting new format that offers new life for old and new works! (Adult content in some novels.) In honor of Sue's visit we'll be giving away a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card and a first chapter critique up to fifteen pages!

Seeker Sightings

Attention Hoosiers!!

Janet Dean will be signing An Inconvenient Match Saturday January 21 from 1-3:00 at the Bookmark in Fort Wayne, IN.

Wade Cummings, Janet Dean’s hero in An Inconvenient Match will answer interview questions at Harlequin.com January 17.

Tina Radcliffe is visiting the Yankee-Belle Cafe today.
And..don't miss this review of Oklahoma Reunion
Come Meet Aus Jenny.

Glynna Kaye's At Home In His Heart is the featured review today at Come Meet Aus Jenny.

Random News & Information

What Do Editors Want in 2012 (GalleyCat)

E-Book Revolution Upends a Publishing Course (New York Times)

Agent Spotlight: Lauren Ruth (Literary Rambles)

Bookstore Comes Alive (Beyond Her Book)

Savor, Listen, Ask, Risk and Dream. (Wendy Lawton, Books & Such)

Ooooh and let's leave you with some feel-good for the weekend...

Everybody Loves Whales and Joyful Noise!!

Welcome Guest Blogger Debra Ullrick

2012-01-13T00:00:00.007-05:00

My First Conference and Editor meeting

I’d only been a member of the American Christian Romance Writers (aka ACFW now)for a few months. At that time there were a little over three hundred members. Everyone was talking on the loop about the conference and how they couldn’t wait to go. It sounded like a lot of fun and was being held in Denver, my home state, so I decided to go.

Didn’t have a clue what to expect or how to act or anything. My friend told me she’d been to quite a few, so I asked her a ton of questions. What does one do when meeting with an editor? What about these one liners I’d heard about? Can you talk to other editors? That one she said yes, but cautioned me about talking to them while they were in a bathroom stall. My first thought was, someone must have done that or she wouldn’t have mentioned it. That person must have memorized every detail of that particular editor’s shoes or stalked them. Not sure which one, but either scenario didn’t tempt me. Uh uh. Not one little bit.

Anyway, then our conversation turned to Meet-n-Greet night. Living on a cattle ranch at the time, my wardrobe was limited, so I asked her what every one wore to them. She said people wore slippers, various hats, etc and to wear something that gave people a clue about who I am or what I love or what I do. Didn’t think my cowboy boots with lawn fertilizer on them would be appropriate, so I went for the Monster Mutt cap. I love monster trucks, but I didn’t want to drag my large remote control Grave Digger truck with me, so I borrowed my husband’s Monster Mutt cap. Now, you have to picture this, okay? The cap resembles a dog, complete with floppy ears, wide cartoonish eyes, and its tongue sticking out at whoever looks at me.

Click To Buy

When I entered the room that Thursday night, I was met with wide eyes, double takes, stares, and whispers. Some laughed and inquired about my cap. (Bless their little pea-pickin’ hearts. SMOOCH) Some fled. Probably didn’t want that dog licking them or slobbering on their clothes or anything. Can’t blame them. Most of them were dressed in nice gowns, or comfortable, yet classy attire, or suit dresses. Not Monster Mutt hats. My friend had tricked me, I was sure of it. Oh well, even if she did, I was going to be myself and have fun. I did too. After people got over the initial shock, they accepted not only me, but my cap.

When it was time to eat, my friend led me to a table at the front. Just what I wanted, to sit up front of all those people with my Monster Mutt cap. I sat down beside this really nice lady, and we chatted and chatted like we’d known each other for years.

Fifteen or so minutes later, my friend leaned over and said, “You do know that that’s Francine Rivers, right?”

“Francine Rivers!” I squealed, and about got whiplash spinning my head (Floating body part, alert!) Francine’s direction. “Oh my gosh. You’re Francine Rivers!” I belted out as if she didn’t know who she was. She laughed, and so did I until I remembered my cap. The one with its tongue sticking out directly at Francine Rivers.

Debra's husband Rick, Francine Rivers and Debra

To make matters worse, I didn’t feel too good. Thought it was a case of the nerves. Was I ever wrong. That night, I spent the whole night throwing up. I had the flu. Not only was I worried about my friend/roommate getting it, although it would have served her right, hehe, my first editor’s meeting and my first paid critique meeting with Linda Windsor were on Friday, the next day. Thank God, I felt better the next morning and was able to keep my meetings, and no one seemed to notice The Walking Zombie Woman.

On Saturday, I met Jim Peterson, acquiring editor at that time for Heartsong Presents. Because he was standing amongst a group of women and not headed to the bathroom or anything like that, I asked my friend if it would be okay if I pitched my book idea to him. She said it would be fine, so I did. He loved my Ford/Chevy, mud-bog racing rivals and asked to see the whole manuscript when I got it finished and even gave me his card. His card! With is contact information! Wow! Talk about mind blowing. Hmmm that must have been where I left my mind. I’ve been wondering where I left it all these years. *smiling* I still have that card. My first published novel, The Bride Wore Coveralls, came as a result of that first conference and that meeting with Jim.

Francine Rivers and Debra and Hat :)

I will never forget that conference. If any of you ever get a chance to go to one, do. A word of advice though… if anyone tells you that people wear fuzzy slippers or weird hats or anything else strange to Meet-n-Greet night, run! And if you do decide to wear something peculiar, make sure you know who you’re talking to. It might very well may be Francine Rivers.

Please leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for one of THREE copies of my latest release, The Unlikely Wife.
Find me online at http://www.debraullrick.com/

Back Cover Blurb:

The arrival of Michael Bowen’s bride, married sight unseen by proxy, sends the rancher reeling. With her trousers, cowboy hat and rifle, she looks like a female outlaw—not the genteel lady he corresponded with for months. He’s been hoodwinked into marriage with the wrong woman!

Selina Farleigh Bowen loved Michael’s letters, even if she couldn’t read them herself. A friend read them to her, and wrote her replies—but apparently that “friend” left things out, like Michael’s dream of a wife who was nothing like her. Selina won’t change who she is, not even for the man she loves. Yet time might show Michael the true value of his unlikely wife.

Top Ten Reasons Why My First Manuscript Didn't Sell!

2012-01-12T00:01:00.056-05:00

I don't get a chance to see humorous top ten lists often.

Most comedians are up late.

I'm not.

Some of them are inappropriate for Seekerville.

'Sup with that???

But here, for you today, in light of our celebration of FIRSTS is a Ruthy-generated top ten list of what not to do as an author.

(the list could be MUCH LONGER, but we'll suffice with ten. Hush, Connealy.)

10: It's not considered good form to unintentionally insult your targeted line on an on-line loop. Oddly enough, loops are not your living room. Who knew???

9. Unless your name is Diana Gabaldon, it's probably not in your best interests to try to market a 160K book to a 70K publishing house.

8. Four sub-plots might be one or two too many. I'm just sayin'...

Subplot (also called counterplot) - a secondary or minor plot within a play or other literary work which may contrast with the principal plot, highlight it, or be unrelated. It involves characters of lesser importance than those involved in the major plot.

7. Edgy Christian fiction does not include bedroom scenes.

6. Following that, having church services and prayers in a book with bedroom scenes doesn't make it a Christian book. You'd have thought I knew that, right????

5. One sub-plot pitted a Republican hero vs. a Democratic heroine.

I thought it was brilliant, of course. Embracing all. What it would successfully do is guarantee that 50% of any possible audience will HATE YOUR BOOK. Editors really want and deserve better odds than that, right?

4. Whiny, traumatized heroine. (Yes, I know, I get it. The kind of book you throw across the room because she's "TSTL" (too stupid to love)

3. Too many characters to possibly keep track of and every one of them had a point of view, most of them self-deprecating. Really, this family needed more heavy duty psycho-therapy than any fictional family should ever qualify for.

This is a "Herne" family in the U.K. I figured they wouldn't mind being an example of many POV's, LOL!
In my experience, Herne's like to hear themselves talk. I am no exception, so it makes things interesting.

2. Way more arched brows, angled looks, furrowed brows, sweet, tender lips, rugged stances, brawny arms, clenched jaws. We might have actually chewed off a lip or two... Oh my stars, if it was cliche, I used it. BECAUSE IT SOUNDED SO GOOD, LOL!

1. And the number one reason my first novel will never see the light of day because smart editors everywhere cringed and cried:

A fifteen page opening chapter of telling, telling, telling, all in the hero's problem-solving head. NOT ONE WORD OF DIALOGUE.

But all is not lost, LOL!

Because the premise for this book is in the works for a totally new book I'm proposing to Love Inspired for my next series. Julie Hilton Steele won the New Year's Eve contest for naming this "Hot Cop" hero, and he will be Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Steele, a tough-as-nails hard-working guy who moves his family to Allegany County for a fresh start. New beginnings. Only to find that past grief trods the heels of the present. I can't wait to segue into the totally awesome fun of delving into the lives of the sheriffs of Allegany County.

Ruth Logan Herne is an upstate New York author, mother of six and a seventh somewhat stolen "daughter of her heart". She's a grandmother to eleven really cute and sometimes snarky kids, several of which bear the "Logan" or "Ruthy" names, which means they most likely get more in the will, right? She's the author of seven Love Inspired novels available HERE with three more on the way! She blesses the editorial crew of Love Inspired for their constant love and support of her work.
:)
She loves God, chocolate and cappuccinos and thanks God that her husband is a very patient if long-suffering man. And she's serving coffee and Danish from Wegman's inside because she's too busy writing to cook this morning. Stop in, make a comment and she'll toss your name in a hat for a copy of her opening novel of her North Country series: "Waiting Out the Storm"...

GUEST BLOGGER AMANDA BARRATT: Sailing Through Unchartered Seas (AND giveways!!)

2012-01-11T00:01:00.003-05:00

Julie here, and you know, there just has to be something special about the age of twelve in a girl's life because I know WAY too many authors and writers who began writing at that impressionable age. Who knows—maybe because as a pre-teen, the idea of romance is just beginning to burgeon within a gangly little-girl body. Most of you know I began writing A Passion Most Pure at the age of twelve after I read Gone With the Wind, penning 150 single-spaced pages about characters who are like family to me today. But ... the difference between me and our very special guest is that I let forty years go by before I finished that first novel and embarked on the journey to publication. Our guest, Amanda Barratt? WAY more on the ball than me, beginning her first novel at the age of twelve and now, at the tender age of sixteen, racking up five novels under her belt. I'm guessing by the time this sweet, little thing hits my age, she's going to be an icon on the New York Times Bestseller list with more books to her credit than Nora!

I first met Amanda at last year's ACFW Conference when I was talking to somebody in the hallway outside the main ballroom and noticed a mom and daughter hovering out of the corner of my eye. When I finished my conversation, I turned to them, and in that very instant, I experienced one of the true highlights of the conference. The mom handed me a beautiful gift pack of a scented candle and soap, and although I suppose it might have been a hint that I should "clean up" the excessive passion in my prose, it turned out that her 16-year-old daughter was a devoted reader friend of mine. Never, ever have I been so struck by a young girl as I was with Amanda. Shy and gentle, she evoked such instant affection in my heart that I kept hugging the poor thing, probably traumatizing her for life. Today, we are the best of friends and I am SO excited to see what God is going to do in her life. To celebrate our month of "firsts," it is my pleasure to introduce you to the "first" incredibly young woman I have ever met who took the bull by the horns at such a young age and is pursuing her dream of publication. Please welcome, Amanda Barratt:

Hello to everyone here on Seekerville!! Thank you all so much for having me today! I’m so excited to be here!

Writing is a lot like sailing isn’t it? You row smoothly along with calm seas and blue skies, until suddenly a storm hits, rocking the boat, ripping the sails, and terrifying everyone onboard. Or maybe you hit an iceberg and a hole rips through the side of your ship. Hopefully, if you’re dedicated enough to keep chartering your course, you’ll repair the damages and continue sailing on.

Writing novels in a genre where you’re younger than most of your audience can be compared with sailing through uncharted seas. It is a course that hasn’t yet been mapped out. You never know what kind of response you’ll get and what’s around the next bend is completely unexpected. It’s a fun cruise to be sure, with plenty of twists and turns, rocky seas and calm ones. Just like every writer’s journey.

If you’re a young writer reading this, let me give you what has almost become a mantra for me. Age doesn’t matter, but writing quality does. Sometimes age works as an advantage and sometimes it can be a disadvantage. But if you’re dedicated enough, and determined enough to sail straight and navigate the storms, age is really not important. What is important is perfecting the craft of writing, becoming industry savvy, and most of all- just writing.

One of my favorite movies, Becoming Jane, about the life of the amazing Jane Austen, contains some wonderful advice for all writers. Ann Radcliff is giving Jane, who is a relatively young and inexperienced writer at the time, some advice. She says, “Knowledge will come in time. But until then, that’s what the imagination is for.” Isn’t imagination the main ingredient for good writing at any age? After all, how many of us have lived as English aristocrats or slew dragons? Although a young writer may not have experienced all the emotions of someone much older, they have experienced some, and possibly many, depending on their life experiences. Everyone has knowledge of regret and disappointment. Everyone, to some extent, has loved and lost. Drawing on those emotions can be the building blocks for the emotions of characters. What is lacking can certainly be accomplished with the imagination God has given every natural born writer.

Many (if not most) authors write about younger characters. This is where being younger can work to our advantage. I once read a review for a historical romance written by an author in her late twenties. The reviewer said they thought the author gave a more accurate depiction of the way a young woman would think and feel because the author was very close in age to her heroine. After all, someone with a great deal of life experience might have to remember what it was like to be eighteen again, in order to write that emotion accurately. (By the way, so many authors do this extremely well, including all you amazingly talented Seekers!) In our current culture we tend to relegate youth to a static existence. Thinking all that’s capable of them is biding, or even wasting, their time until adulthood. This is great shame. My great-grandmother was married at 15! Not that I’m advocating this, but young people are capable of so much, if only this mindset could be erased. One great advantage to being a young writer, is the freshness of it all. We’re excited about sitting down and putting words on paper, because most of us aren’t doing it because we have to, but because it’s what we love and are passionate about. Not that older writers are not in love with what they do, because the ones I know certainly are. However, when we age, sometimes even the things we used to love, become work. Our mindsets need to keep the freshness and enthusiasm of youth.

Still, I must face the fact that due to my age there have been disadvantages. I’ve had industry professionals imply that because of my youth I’m not qualified to write in the genre I write (historical romance). My goal is, and I am sure other young writers would say the same, is to be taken seriously and to have my work assessed in the same fashion as a writer of any age. As young writers, we don’t want favoritism, nor do we want boundaries or segregation. Personally, I don’t want to be known as a “teen writer” but as simply - a writer.

Lastly, I will admit, lack of experience can be a disadvantage. Young writers do lack the compounding knowledge that other writers have. We haven’t done all that we will do and see in our lifetimes. However, as we experience new things, and new challenges come our way, we will continue to embrace them and learn, thus aiding our writing.

Getting published may take longer because of age and young writers usually are willing to accept this. Yet that doesn’t mean we’ll become any less persistent or stop trying. At the 2011 ACFW conference Tracie Peterson ended one of her talks with a question. She asked, “If you knew that you would never be published would you still continue to write?” To this, I can honestly answer yes. Although my stories would undoubtedly become a whole lot more Dickensian and I wouldn’t worry so much about that bothersome POV, I would still write because it is what God has called me do, and I could not stop writing any more than I could stop breathing.

Four years and five novels later, I’ve learned so much from when I started. I’ve had so many people offer encouragement, support, and advice and I hope to do the same for other young writers. I think many of them will become the future of fiction, adding new slants and new ideas to what already exists.

So keep sailing, young writers (and all writers too!) There’s bound to be rough seas ahead but staying the course can lead to unimaginable rewards.

About Amanda Barratt: Amanda is a Historical Romance author who has just finished her fifth novel. She has won several awards for her fiction and enjoys writing about eras such as the Gilded Age and Regency England. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Writers. She lives in northern Michigan with her family where she enjoys attending writers conferences, reading, researching history, and of course writing.

You can learn more about Amanda and her writing by visiting her blog at:

Amanda Barratt Blog

GIVEAWAYS GALORE!!! Amanda is offering a special Seekerville giveaway of six awesome books from some of the writers here on Seekerville. So leave a comment with your email and you could possible win one of the following: A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman, Out of Control by Mary Connealy, An Inconvenient Match by Janet Dean, Love By The Book by Cara Lynn James, A Family For Faith by Missy Tippens, or Mended Hearts by Ruth Logan Herne.

Winners will be contacted and annnounced on the Seekerville Weekend Edition.

My first book pitch

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Uh, no, we're not talking baseball!

Myra here. Oh. My. Talk about naive! I’ve lost count of how many conferences I attended before I had the vaguest idea of what it meant to pitch a manuscript to an editor or agent! I suspected something significant was going on when I’d notice writers sidling up to editors and shrewdly sort of segue into a short synopsis of their work-in-progress.

But seriously??? The audacity!

The first clue I had that all this sidling and segueing was de rigueur was in 2001 at my second Mount Hermon conference. As at other conferences, attendees were given the opportunity to sign up for one-on-one appointments with editors and/or agents. And, as at other conferences, my initial thought was, “And what, pray tell, would I EVER IN A MILLION YEARS have to say to such an important person???”

But that year, fortunately, I was attending the conference with the ladies in my critique group, two of whom were published and who actually knew what they were doing. I watched in silent awe as one of them approached a big-name editor from a well-known Christian publishing house and began glibly describing the premise of her book. The editor nodded with interest and invited her to submit the manuscript.

Oooookay. Pitching to an editor. You get him interested. He says send the proposal. That’s how this is supposed to work, huh?

But moi? You want ME to try this? Uh-uh, no way!

So I let another entire conference go by with little more than timid smiles at the editors whose paths I happened to cross, while hoping and praying they’d NEVER ask me to talk about my book! (No worries there. All the glib and audacious writers successfully monopolized the editors’ time. )

Fast-forward to Houston 2003, my first national American Christian Romance Writers conference. That year I had a book manuscript I actually felt hopeful about. So I swallowed my fears (well, not really) and signed up for an appointment with the editor my research had told me would most likely be interested in a story like mine.

My appointment was at 2:00 Saturday afternoon, so I had all day Friday and all Saturday morning to get really nervous. I had a list of pitching guidelines in my folder that someone had generously posted to the loop prior to the conference, and I knew the important points I should share about my story. But no way did I have an “elevator pitch” perfectly memorized! I just prayed God would give me the words I needed when the time came.

Pass the tissues, please!

Finally it was time to meet the editor. Donning my most professional demeanor, I sat down across from her and introduced myself. Then I confessed my inexperience and nervousness, after which I promptly burst into tears!

Not an auspicious first-ever appointment experience.

I’ll always be grateful for this editor’s patience and understanding. Her first instinct (a good one) was to offer me some of her peanut M&Ms. My response (a bad one) was to say, “No, thank you.” (I LOVE PEANUT M&Ms!)

Anyway, somehow I muddled through a description of the book I wanted to propose. She politely declined, saying she didn’t think it was quite what they were looking for. I thanked her, and that was that.

Bummer, huh? My first book pitch a total bust.

Not really. I’d tested the waters, broken the ice, conquered (or at least temporarily subdued) my worst fears. Next time, at least, I’d know what to expect.

Most importantly, I learned editors don’t live to rip off authors’ heads and fling them over the edge of the highest cliff. Editors (agents, too) are real people, not inapproachable luminaries enthroned on high. Most of them (in the Christian book market, anyway) are actually quite supportive and encouraging and want to see you succeed.

As for the manuscript the editor passed on, time (and lots of revisions) heals all wounds. I’m happy to say the story went on to win the 2005 RWA Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Romance Manuscript. Autumn Rains was published by Heartsong Presents in 2009, and was named a Short Contemporary Romance finalist for the 2010 Carol Award. If you’re doing the math, that was seven years after my originally unsuccessful pitch, which just proves you should never, never, never give up!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you haven’t yet read Autumn Rains, you could win your own autographed copy of the utterly fantabulous book passed up all those years ago by a certain editor who shall remain nameless. Just mention your interest in a comment to be entered in the drawing.

You can also find Autumn Rains in the Barbour Publishing three-in-one collection Gateway Weddings. Three Missouri women enter the gateway to life, love, and longing. Valerie Bishop, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, is afraid to leave her home. Can ex-con Healy Ferguson show her the path to freedom? Sailor Kern is enamored of romance author Chandler Michaels. Will she fall for his lines or find a real hero in Parker Travis? Jilly Gardner has reluctantly agreed to help out her estranged foster parents. Will Cam Lane help the family heal the breach? Will these three couples be open to the plan God has for their lives—and loves?

My First Published Novel

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

January is the month of new beginnings, the first month of abrand new year. I’m excited to begin 2012 with a clean slate and a spanking newcalendar to monitor and record my life.

Yet I like to look back, too, to see whereI’ve been. January in Seekerville is the Month of Firsts, a great wayto focus on our firsts and how they changed our lives.

I’m highlighting my first published book, Courting Miss Adelaide, September 2008. Melissa Endlich, Senior Editor of LoveInspired Historical offered to buy my manuscript on June 29, 2006. With LoveInspired launching a new line in February of 2008, I had to wait for what felt like forever at the time. Yet this launch provided the open door I will always be grateful for and made me a published author.

If you’ve had a book published or are trying to, I’m sureyou can relate to the excitement of selling your first book and seeing thatbook in print. Many firsts are involved: first contract, first revisions, first edits, first cover, first back cover blurb,first author copies, first book on the shelves—each milestone taught me a lot.

The Harlequin contract is a long document but I read every word before I signed. Here's the picture my dh took of this momentous moment. My, I look young. Guess six years take a toll. LOL

My first revisions were light, no doubt the result of lots of polishing.

From these firsts come the first reader letter, first book signing, first review,and my first published contest finals. Debut authors may also deal with thefirst less than stellar review, the first negative reader letter, the first didn’t-sell-a-single-copybook signing. But thankfully most firsts are joyous events, filling authors with optimism and bigger dreams. J

My advice to those who sell this year, squeeze every bit ofjoy out of that debut. Ahead of you is another book to write. Only this time youwon’t have the leisure to revise and polish to your heart’s content, usingcontest feedback to guide you. This time you worry if you’ll sell a secondbook. But wait, I’m wandering into seconds’ territory.

Seeing a book didn't change my life in any huge way. I didn't get rich or famous. Most of us authors find life is much the same. That is until a reader says your book touched her life in some way and thanks you for your story. Or until a child or grandchild looks at books with your name on the cover and their eyes glow with awe, like you're some kind of a super hero. Or until you get your very first check and realize you'd been writing for years piling up expenses and now you're getting paid. An editor thought your story worthy. Wow. Publication didn't change my life that much but it changed me. Added some pressure too, but that's another post.

All of my books have had lovely covers but Courting Miss Adelaide’s cover is myfavorite. Doesn’t she look feisty, flirty, the epitome of a successful milliner?Here's the back cover blurb:

A Family of Her Own

The “orphan train”seemed like small-town spinster Adelaide Crum’s last chance to know the simplejoys of family life. So many lost children, every one of them dreaming only ofa caring home—the home she longed to offer. And yet the narrow-minded townelders refused to entrust even the most desperate child to a woman alone….

Newspaperman CharlesGraves believed his heart was closed forever, but he swore to stand by thislovely, lonely woman who was fighting for the right to take some motherlesschild into her heart. And her gentle soul and unwavering faith made him wonderif even he could overcome the bitter lessons of the past, and somehow find thecourage to love….

The idea to write this story came after I read a newspaper clipping my father sent on orphan train riders. I’d never heard of the phenomenon but knewimmediately I wanted to write a story about these children. I set the book in thereal town of Noblesville, Indiana, where an orphan train once stopped. Ientitled the story Orphaned Hearts and entered it in several contests. In timeOrphaned Hearts performed well on the contest circuit, even garnering a 2005 GoldenHeart final. I met Seeker sisters and fellow finalists Julie, Tina and Myrathrough the GH. We called ourselves the Golden Girls. Golden or not, thatfinal didn’t result in a sale.

Speaking of contests, the published book, Courting MissAdelaide, was a finalist seven times in either Best Inspirational and Best First Book or both.It received 4 ½ stars from Romantic Times and a Romantic Times Reviewer ChoiceAward. I had no idea at the time that my yet to be written books would not garnerthis much success. I’m grateful for what my first book brought into my life, forthat first open door. Still, each successivebook I've seen in print is a thrill. Some readers tell me these later books are their favorites soI've realized contest finals or wins don't determine reader popularity or book sales.

I can’t serve breakfast until I give a shoutout for my latest release. AnInconvenient Match, Love Inspired Historical, that just hit the bookshelves January3, 2012.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

THE BEST OF ENEMIES

His family destroyedhers. But Matthew Cummings’s job offer—to care for his recuperating father—isimpossible to decline. Schoolteacher Abigail Wilson can swallow her pride forthe sake of a summer paycheck that will help her sister. And when Abigail’semployment ends, old loyalties will separate the feuding families once more.

If there’s anyone intown stubborn enough to deal with Matthew’s cantankerous father, it’s Abigail.It’s just a business arrangement—and a temporary one, at that. Her good opinionshouldn’t matter a lick to Matt. Yet their different backgrounds belie asurprising kinship. Perhaps unexpected love will be their reward for thesummer’s inconvenient match.

For a chance to win a signed copy of Courting Miss Adelaide, leave a comment. Let's talk debuts. Books or otherwise.

I brought scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon, pancakes, biscuitsand gravy with coffee, tea and tomato juice for breakfast.

Seekerville Weekend Edition

2012-01-07T00:00:00.038-05:00

The Secret to Finding the Time to Write, Market, Promote, and Still Have a Life (Writer Unboxed)

Editor/Agent Etiquette (Bookend, LLC)

A New Year + A New Agent=A Sparkly Beginning to 2012 (Books & Such)

The Magician's Nephew is COMING!! Carol Moncado uncovers the TRUTH!! This is only a fanvid.

Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't Break The Chain" productivity technique. Download your own calendar at The Writers Store. BTW you can start any day of the year.

How To Create A Vlog In Ten Easy Steps (About.com) or (Wired) Lights! Camera! Vodcast!

Have a great week!

Seekerville Welcomes Back Vince Mooney

2012-01-06T00:00:00.021-05:00

A Guy Writing Romance...

What's so funny about that?

xxx
Photo Caption: ‘cognitive dissidence’:
Writing a Blaze in a Blizzard.

Seriously...

I write romantic comedy and meta-romances (romances about romances) because I don’t believe a man can actually write a genuine genre romance! (I consider imprints like Love Inspired and Harlequin Romance to be ideal examples of genuine genre romances. )

I won’t even read male romance authors.

“What’s the point”?

Since I read romances to gain insights into the machinations of the female mind, reading a male author would not make any sense. Of course, I’ve read one or two romances by male authors (with ambiguous pen names) but I believe I have always caught them out. It seems that with these authors I always have a, “No women would ever say this!”, experience.

A few males do write ‘romance-like’ novels, I’m thinking of Nicolas Sparks, but these attempts are a long way from being genuine genre romances.

Three Things Men Need to Know to Write Genuine Genre Romances
Men need to know:

1. what women want and find sexy in a hero.

2. what type of ‘romantic behavior’ women want and why this is so important.

3. how a female feels as she gradually becomes romantically interested in a male.
While the first point above may be difficult to ascertain, the knowledge is possible assuming that women want what women should want in a hero from the point of view of ‘natural selection’.

The second point is almost impossible for a man to discover without a through understanding of how women think and look at life. Since many men believe that the romantic behavior women prize so highly is mostly just ‘female silliness’, they are not in a position to learn what they need to know. The very idea of a ‘feminine mystique’ would seem to relieve men of the responsibility of even trying to understand women.

The third point is totally impossible. Men always know their exact state of interest in a female: there is no need for heat, curling toes, jelly knees or flip-flopping stomachs. In one sense, all these female sensations are foreign to a male.

Given these three levels of difficulty which a man faces in writing a genuine genre romance, I don’t think men can actually do it.

The Difference Between Men and Women and the Difference it Makes

While ‘Political Correctness’ would have us believe that there is very little difference between men and women (and what is different is a result of culture and not biology), men and women a polar opposites in some important ways.

Males are capable of fathering hundreds of children in a lifetime. Females are restricted to only a dozen or so children. In a biological sense, males have two approaches to successfully passing their genes to the next generation.

(1) Have as many sex partners as possible and hope enough of the offspring survive until they are old enough to reproduce.

(2) Stay with one (or just a few females) and help raise a far fewer number of offspring with the hope that a greater number will survive to reproduce themselves given this extra attention.

I believe that males have all the biological urges to follow choice (1) but social evolution has proven that option (2) seems to work best in insuring a male’s genes are passed to the next generation.

What Men Universally Want in a Female

It is easy to discern what men want in a female. A recent survey found that, in all societies on earth (with no exceptions) men prefer younger females with promenade secondary sexual characteristics. Such females look healthy and seem more able to have viable offspring which they will also have the stamina to care for after birth. (Males did not sit down one day and figure this out. Nature selected for males who just naturally favored maternal looking females.)

What Women Want in a Male is More Complicated.

I should point out that I’m not talking here about ‘wants’ as in the sense of, “I want a new purse.” I’m talking about ‘wants’ that are hardwired into the female mind. These are wants so basic that no thought and no language is required for them to be expressed.. It’s like being thirsty and wanting water. No language is necessary to feel thirsty. Indeed these ‘wants’ were in place long before man developed language.

What Women Should Want in a Mate from a Biological POV.

When I first started my study of the romance genre, I set out to discover what women wanted in a hero. To this end I conducted a ‘thought experiment’ similar to the philosophical analyses I was trained to conduct in college. Here is what I concluded women should instinctively seek in a mate.

1. A big, strong, healthy, alpha-male, who is older and more experienced and who is therefore more capable of acquiring resources. (Probably by being a good hunter). An older male has proven he has survived a few winters. A bigger older male would also be expected to be better able to defend his mate and any offspring. To do this well the male should also be very protective of his mate and offspring. (This should make protective behavior seem sexy to the female).

2. An intelligent male. Next to physical strength, health and courage, intelligence has a paramount survival value. All things being equal, the smarter individual has a better chance of survival. A female should find intelligence sexy in a man.

3. A male who is nice to and protective of children. If a female is going to pass her genes to the next generation, she needs her children to survive until they are old enough to reproduce. A female cannot depend on having hundreds of offspring. She must insure that her children are provided for. As such, females should find being ‘kind to children’ sexy in a man.

4. A man with a sense of humor. A sense of humor is very high on the survival list. Males are often very much stronger than females. If a male goes into a rage, he could easily kill his mate and offspring within minutes. A male with a sense of humor has a safety valve to let off steam and is less likely to go into a rage in the first place. Women should find having a good sense of humor to be sexy in a man.

Surveys Have Confirmed My Findings

Over the years there have been several surveys about what women find sexy in a man. In all the surveys, which I have read, all four of the attributes I have listed above have appeared in these studies. Since I came up with my list before I read any surveys on the topic, I believe my list is both logical and defendable from a biological POV.

The only item above not often found in romance heroes is the sense of humor. I do feel this is a major gap in romances which authors could exploit. This is why I have created a list of 108 ways to show your hero has a sense of humor. (Richard Castle in “Castle” has a very good sense of humor.)

Julie Lessman is doing a great job showing how to add humor to romances in her two part series on the subject. Part I has been posted with Part II still to come.

The Female Advantage

Female writers have a big advantage over male romance writers. A woman writer will always get the female part down correctly at even the deepest levels. Furthermore, the female writer does not have to get the male exactly ‘right’. All she has to do is get the male ‘right’ in the eyes of her female readers.

The Male Disadvantage

The male writer has to get the heroine ‘right’ and that is almost impossible to do at all three levels. His advantage in having insider knowledge of the male mind actually is not much help in writing romances. A lot of genuine male behavior is not particularly attractive to women.

What Difference these Differences Make

Men understand love better than women and women understand romance better than men.

I know many women will think this is statement is wrong but consider this:

Love is not a feeling. Pain is a feeling. If you experience a sharp pain, which only lasts a few seconds, you still know that you felt pain. There is no doubt.

However, if you have a sharp feeling of love, which only lasts a few seconds (and then goes away), you would not say that you experienced love or that you were in love for those few seconds. Love is very different from a feeling.

Men know that love is actually a ‘set of expectations’. Love is not a feeling that a man needs to get ‘in touch with’.

For example, if a man tells a woman, “I love you,” this action creates dozens, if not hundreds, of obligations.

Saying “I love you to a woman” means:

I will help you move when you change apartments.
I will take your side in disputes.
I will pick you up at the airport.
I will visit your parents.
I will go places with you that I don’t want to visit.
I will fix your car if I am capable of doing that.
I will not date other women.
I am open to the idea of marrying you.

The above list can run into hundreds of obligations. Each obligation is a reason why a man is very reluctant to say, “I love you”. Saying these three little words opens the door for the woman to say: “If you loved me, you’d…”.

The Test of Love

If you want to know if you are in love you don’t have to check with your emotions. Simply ask yourself if you are ready to do all the things a person in love is expected to do. (‘Runaway Brides’ may have felt they were in love but when they took the time to ask the right questions, they decided they were not in love.)

Women Know the Importance of Romance

Photo Caption: “Serious Romantic Behavior”

While level 1 reveals what women find sexy in a hero, level 2 is also crucial in selecting a mate.

A female knows that an alphamale is of little value if he deserts her and her offspring when a younger female attracts his attention. Romantic behavior is not ‘silly women’s stuff’’ – it’s a matter of survival. Romantic behavior has a strong biological basis. However, in most cases, romantic behavior is not important to a male.

“The Big Things You Have to Do – It’s the Small Things that Determine Your Sincerity”.

From the POV of ‘mother nature the male’s job is to provide the big things: food, shelter, clothing and protection. A male thinks providing these basics is enough in most cases. He sees little value in romantic behavior. Men often like this joke: the husband tells his new bring, “I love you and if I change my mind, I let you know.”

What Women Want From A Hero

It is almost a cliché to say that mothers have warned their daughters that ‘men are dogs’ and ‘all men are after just one thing’. Women are told not to believe men when it is probable that they are just trying to have their way with them. How can a woman be sure a man is really interested in her as a person and not as a sex object? This is a very important question from a biological POV. Survival requires that mates stay around.

The Accoutrements of Romance

Women want to be loved, cherished, respected, desired, appreciated, envied and even lusted after. A woman also wants her man to be loyal and supportive. She wants to be taken seriously. It is also important that her man’s passion be such that it can only be satisfied by her and not any available woman. This passionate fixation on just one woman, the heroine, is very romantic and it also carries a strong survival value.

Romantic Behavior as Evidence of Real Love:

Paying attention to a woman shows a genuine interest in her as a person. An authentic lover should be interested in all aspects of his woman’s life. (For example: her hair, her perfume, her wants and desires). It is romantic to notice that a woman has changed her hair style or perfume or mode of dress. Not noticing these changes may be a sign of lack of interest or caring. (It is also very unromantic.)

A man is not ordinarily worried that his wife is going to run off and leave him with the kids. He doesn’t need or ask for romantic reassurances.

Romances Provide What Women Want

Romances are not primarily read to find out how the story ends. Romance readers know how the story is going to end. Romances are more like comfort food. Romance novels vicariously provide the female reader with the ‘romantic feelings’ she needs and may not be getting. Romances are like emotional vitamins. I believe romance novels are very healthy for women.

By vicariously becoming the heroine in a romance, the reader can experience the feelings of being loved, desired, cherished, respected, successful, envied and sexy. Unfortunately, as in eating chocolate, these comfort feelings wear off in a rather short time. The reader soon develops a craving for another romance. Indeed: romances can become addictive. The best romances writers know this and make concretive efforts to provide the reader with an abundance of these vicarious experiences.
(Consider all the scenes where other women look at the hero with envious eyes much to the joy of the heroine.)

The Importance of Respect

Respectful behavior is romantic. In modern romances it has become important to show that the hero is willing to stop at any point in the love making process. His respect for the heroine is stronger than any lust he is feeling at the time. Even more romantic is the hero who puts the heroine’s pleasure first. This is treating the female as being even more important than himself.

Sincerity Is More Important than the Behavior

Men don’t think much about romantic behavior. They don’t need it themselves. What little romantic actions they perform, they often do out of a sense of duty.

What men don’t understand is that if a woman has to ask for romance, (calling in the middle of the day just to say ‘I love you’) the romantic behavior by itself has no value as a genuine indication of affection.

Conclusion:

Women are so good at writing romances that men have very little chance of competing with them at the level of being published.

Examples of Romantic Behavior:

“The Price of Victory” by Sandra Leesmith is one of the most ‘romantic’ books I’ve ever read. The hero does dozens of romantic things for the heroine because he is deeply in love with her. He is older and he knows what he wants.

From “The Price of Victory”

The heroine, Debra, thinks she cannot love Sterling, the hero, and still have a racing career. She is young and dedicated to her career.

The hero speaks:

“Being with me is right. Continuing your training is right. You’re trying to put logic into what your heart feels. That’s why you feel disoriented. What you need is to bring your heart into your mind.”

He brushed away her tear with a corner of her towel.

She looked deeply into his eyes, searching for the truth he always seemed to have at his fingertips. “I don’t understand.”

His smile warmed the chill inside. He guided her off the trainer and began walking with her around the room. “Tell me what you don’t understand.”

“How do you know all these things? How can you be so patient?”

“I’ve lived my dream. I’ve accomplished what I wanted to in racing. So I’m ready for other things.” He paused and pulled her around to face him. “You are just beginning. You must follow your own dreams. I understand that.”

“I know. Basically, that’s what I have been doing.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“What is it you truly desire? That is what you need to focus on.”

Sterling is a solid gold hero.

From “Yuletide Hearts” by Ruth Logan Herne.

“Callie snorted. Very unfeminine, but then that was the story of her life. Unloved. Unfeminine. Uncherished.”

In these few words we find the foundation of so much of the hero’s romantic actions. The hero, Matt, a former Marine, does all the things that Callie needs: he makes her feel feminine, loved, and cherished at many points in the story. He treats her son like is own but the piece de resistance is when Callie discovers he bought a $500 quilt that the family lost in their financial collapse.

Callie’s father Hank explains:

“Then things went bad and I couldn’t pay for the blanket, Maude hung on to it, and I went into town the other day to buy it.
“What’s this got to do with…”
“It was gone,” Hank continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Matt bought it for you. Maude said she wrapped it up real pretty. Said she knew he was smitten weeks ago and told him about the quilt, and he told her he was going to be sure Callie had the best Christmas ever.”

Tears pricked her eyes, but they were different tears. Tears of anticipation and hope, not anger. “He bought it for me?”

Matt is a true hero

“The Sweetest Gift” by Mary Connealy.

In this story, the hero is Graham a farmer and the heroine is Addie.

In the story the hero gives up what is very most important to him in order to give his new bride what is most valuable to her. This is about as romantic as it gets.

From “Oklahoma Reunion” by Tina Radcliffe

Kait is the heroine and Ryan is the hero. They are at a wedding reception for the hero and heroine of the last book,“ The Rancher’s Reunion.”

All eyes turned to him, but his gaze was on Kait.
She shivered again and wrapped her shawl closer around her arms.
Was it the breeze from the open tent flap, or was it Ryan’s eyes upon
her, his heart there for everyone to see?
“Today we are gathered to honor Annie and Will."
“Life is a short journey. If you can’t spend all your time riding your horse, you may as well spend it loving well. It’s not a surprise that guys have plenty discussions about life and love. But as you probably already guessed, we don’t know a darn thing about any of those topics, except the horse part.”

I don’t think I could have said it better, ‘we don’t know a darn thing about any of those topics.” And that’s why men don’t write romances. QED

What examples do you have or that you thought really stood out as ideal romantic behavior? Please share.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In honor of Vince's visit to Seekerville, we're giving away a Seeker book prize package to one commenter. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Taking Baby Steps to Win The Race

2012-01-05T00:01:00.240-05:00

New Year's Revolutions are nice...
but stickin' with them is a whole 'nother story!

Raise your hand...how many of you made New Year's Revolutions this year? Yes, yes, I call them Revolutions because:

Revolutions offer power.
Revolutions create change.
Revolutions unseat the unsavory.

And it all starts one step at a time.

I know the feeling. Once you've decided to do something, you want to jump in with both feet. Get right on it. See results. Right?

Wrong. FIRST, we've got to develop a plan or after a week of exuberance, all that high-octane energy is going to burn off and you'll be left with nothing but the fumes.

Think about it. You want to get in physical shape, a very common New Year's Revolution. There are many options open to you:

Diet. You've decided 10 pounds have got to go. So you've heard the new "red beet and soda water" diet melts away the pounds without any effort. After one day - maybe two - of eating nothing but beets and washing it down with water, you scrunch your nose at the nonsense and run to the nearest Cold Stone for a double scoop of chocolate fudge ice cream and chow down instant comfort. Where did the enthusiasm for instant slimming beauty get you? Probably an extra 2 pounds before your taste buds forgave you.

Better idea. FIRST, instead of overdosing on grapefruits, or floating away on Slim-Fast, why not try a sensible eating regime that not only cares for your health, but you might also find sustainable with minimum effort. Personally, I'm partial to Weight Watchers (I just re-upped my commitment), but there are many other excellent plans available that will help you reach any goal you set. You will have learned sound eating habits and developed a cooking routine that will keep you in that size-whatever, along with a huge smile on your face.

Exercise. You've had enough couch-potatoing over the holidays. It's January 1 and you've decide it's time to get up and move. You slap on your sneakers, fill a water bottle, grab your iPod and out the door you run. Five miles later, you crawl back into the house, exhausted, dehydrated, and pooped, but you finished the course. The next day, you can barely get out of bed, much less do any sneaker slapping and revisit that five miles again. Muscles sore, knees aching and heart rate jitterbugging like a 60's dancer, you've just set yourself back further on the workout chart than you started. Definitely not a pretty picture.

Better idea. FIRST, learn warm up exercises to stretch and condition those underused muscles before you sprint off down the road. Maybe consider jogging around the block for a couple of sessions and slowly expanding your distance each day or two. How about researching your options and mixing it up? Jogging 3 times a week, weight training once a week, aerobics squeezed in as able. Match your strengths and your weaknesses with a balanced program and soon you'll be in the rhythm that just comes naturally.

Okay, now that we've explored the obvious New Year's Revolutions, let's explore the Writers' Revolutions.

Niche. Can you believe all the hype over vampire novels? Oh my goodness, they're selling like wax teeth at a Halloween store. So, you're about 40,000 words into a delightful Amish - western - timetravel you're targeting for ABC Publishers...the SAME publishers contracting the hot vampire thing!! Your blood starts pumping and pulse racing. You don't want to miss this opportunity to get your book in front of an editor while the genre is hot. Your mind starts spinning. How about exchanging vampires for the H/H, relocating it to a quiet east coast town and dropping in a couple of aliens for conflict? How hard can that be? All the rest of the book can remain the same, right? You start tweaking, revising, changing, massaging what was once a perfectly good Amish-western-timetravel and what do you have to show for it? Tears, crumpled paper, a melted hard drive and frustration beyond measure.

Better idea. FIRST, never chase after markets unless you have the voice and love for it. Readers can tell. Take a deep breath. All popular genres are cyclical. If you have a love for Back To The Future Amish Style, then that's what you need to write. Write it well. Write it carefully. Write what's on your heart, not the plot-of-the-week. As you follow your heart and your voice, you'll develope style and your brand. Your heart will be your book.

Speed. Book in a Week (BIAW). National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). One thousand words in one hour (1K1HR). Can you image how many books you could pump out if you scramble all the techniques together? With the excitement generated by the New Year high of get'er done, we gobble up every opportunity to rack up those words and fill those pages. 10-20-30K in a week....and then our minds - and harddrives - explode.

Ewwww.

Better idea. FIRST consider what each of the above challenges means to your writing. All three incentives are excellent in themselves. They are tools to help you succeed, but like every practical tool, they have a specific function to serve in order to be useful. How do you prepare to write? Think about the time you have and how your mind works and pursue the most sustainable course.

Do you like mapping out your book from beginning to end, defining your major plot points, crafting your black moment until you see HEA in sight? Then consider preparing for NaNoWriMo. You'll have the skeleton of a well thought out book in front of you and NaNo encourages a goal of 50K in a month-just enough to reward you with a nice rough draft.

Do you need to snatch time where you can find it? Check out the 1K1HR on Facebook. Spur of the moment writing...1000 words in one hour. Great for getting your creative juices flowing and immersing in your work. And I'm sensing there's a whole lot of fun going on, too : )

Want something inbetween? Book In A Week is just long enough to help you focus your efforts to write over any hump you might be stuck on.

I could go on and on, but really, you get the picture, right?

The new year brings us endless possibilities to fulfill our dreams. God planted the seed of desire to write in us while we were still in the womb, is there any doubt we will be successful? NO. But we do need to be wise in our choices, both for our physical well-being and our creative.

Frustration leads to dead ends. Don't overwhelm yourself. Set a course and stick to it. First things first.

This is a new year...make it work for you!!

Share an over-exhuberant moment with us and then tell us how you might have prepared for it FIRST to be included in a drawing for a surprise package announced in the Weekend Edition. It can be writing related or just a fluke of life. Let's have some fun!

Seekerville Welcomes Guest Blogger Sarah Ladd

2012-01-04T00:00:00.002-05:00

Your First Marketing Plan: Why Every New Author Needs One and How to Get Started

You have a website. You post to Facebook. You tweet. You even have a one sheet and a tag line.
But…do you have a plan?

If you answered yes to that question, GREAT!

If you answered no, then pull up a chair and grab a cup of java. I have some information that might help you in your writing career.

So, you may be asking yourself the following question: If I am not published, why do I need to worry about marketing? The answer is very simple: You need to establish your brand.

Now, if you ask ten different marketing professionals what a brand is, you will likely get ten different answers. From my ten-plus years in the marketing field, I define an author’s brand as their “reputation” in the marketplace. Many new authors make the mistake of believing that their brand is their tagline or the way their website looks. But dig deeper. What are other writers saying about your work? What do agents think when they hear your name?

Believe it or not, you can influence the answers to these questions, even before you are published. And how do you do that? You need to execute a well-developed marketing plan!

So, let’s get started.
Think of your marketing plan as your roadmap to establishing your brand. I believe there are eight basic components that must be included in every basic marketing plan. You can add elements as needed, but the points outlined below will get you headed in the right direction.

#1: Current Situation Analysis
In order to decide where you want to go with your marketing, you must first have a clear understanding of where you are now. Write two or three sentences about your current marketing initiatives. Do you have a blog? Do you post to Facebook? Do you tweet? Outlining all of your current marketing and communications initiatives will help you identify what areas are already working and in which areas you need to grow.

#2: Marketing Plan Objectives
Spend a few minutes thinking about what you want your marketing to do for you. Do you want to attract an agent? Do you want to increase your exposure through guest blogging? Do you want to broaden your networking base by increasing the number of Facebook friends you have? Write down at least three.

#3: Measurable Outcomes
How will you know if you are making progress towards your marketing objectives? In order to help define marketing success, you need to assign a numerical measure to each objective … even if you are just getting started. Here’s why: Let’s say one of your marketing objectives is to broaden your networking base by increasing the number of your Facebook followers. That’s great, but in order to gauge success, you need a numerical goal. So a measurable outcome could be “increase my Facebook followers by 50 people in six months.” When you tie a number to an objective, you now have a goal and a timeline. At the end of six months you will know whether or not you have been successful and then, if necessary, you can reevaluate your strategies.

#4: Who’s Your Audience?
Your marketing messaging must be personal and relevant in order to have maximum impact, and having a clearly defined audience is the first step. Jot down your primary and secondary audiences. Your audiences can be broad or narrow: other Christian writers, potential readers, agents, etc. This may seem like a trivial step, but it will help you as you define marketing strategies and tactics in #8.

#5: Find Your Focus
What are three things you want the audiences you identified in #4 to know about you? Write those down. They can be as simple as adjectives that describe your writing or as complex as mission statements. This is also the appropriate time to think about your tagline. The key messages/concepts you identify in this step will lay the framework for the messaging you use in your marketing initiatives.

#6: Budget
Ah, money. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get your marketing plan up and running, but you will probably need to spend a little. At minimum, you will probably need to pay a website hosting fee and have business cards printed to distribute at writing events. Keep track of these expenditures. Doing so will help you evaluate what you have done in the past and decide which expenditures have been effective.

#7: Timeline & Marketing Editorial Calendar
Dedicate a calendar specifically to your professional marketing. When and how often are you going to post to Facebook? When are you guest blogging? When are you going to update your website? Not only will a marketing calendar keep your communication initiatives from falling through the cracks, but it will also help you establish your marketing editorial calendar.

#8: Overarching Strategies and Marketing Tactics
This is the fun part, folks. This is where the rubber meets the marketing road. Think of “overarching strategies” as marketing buckets or channels. These strategies should be broad. Examples of overarching strategies could be “utilize social media to increase author awareness” or “use writing organization memberships to strengthen writing network” or “develop print collateral to reinforce author brand”.

A marketing tactic is the specific action you take to support each strategy. For example, if your strategy is to “utilize social media to increase your author awareness,” then the tactics could be (1) post to Facebook at least three times a week, (2) comment on at least five other author’s posts, and (3) friend at least two new people a week, (4) tweet twice a week, etc. Try to have at least three tactics to support each strategy. (BONUS TIP: Now that you know how often you will need to perform a tactic to support your overarching strategy, you can plan ahead and mark those dates in your editorial calendar. See how they are all related?)

This all may sound like a lot, but don’t worry. You may need to think about these concepts/questions for a few days or weeks, and that is okay. Keep in mind that your marketing plan will change and grow as you move through the different stages of your writing career. I have a download that may help you on your marketing journey. Visit my website at www.sarahladd.com and go to the resources page to help you get your marketing plan started on the right foot.

In parting, I have a few “rules” I want to leave you with:

Keep it consistent.
One of the worst things you can do to your marketing reputation is to be inconsistent. Don’t tweet five times in one week and then not tweet for three weeks. This is when your editorial marketing calendar/timeline will help you.

Keep it current.
Your marketing plan is not a “one and done” document. Visit your marketing plan every few months. What is working? What isn’t? What needs to be tweaked? It’s okay to change your goals. Remember – your marketing plan is a working document and will continue to develop as your writing career grows.

Keep it separate.
This rule applies mostly to social media, especially Facebook. Consider having an author page instead of using your personal page for both personal and professional updates. Remember … if social media is one of your overarching marketing strategies, then you are using it to help establish your brand, your “reputation” in the professional marketplace. Be intentional with your posts.

Thanks for letting me visit with you all today. Best of luck in your writing … and in your marketing endeavors!

Sarah Ladd lives in Indiana and shares her life with her amazing husband and sweet daughter. She had more than ten years of strategic marketing and brand management experience, including five years of marketing non-fiction books and three years of marketing the musical arts. Sarah writes historical romance. Recently, her book Heiress of Winterwood won the Historical Romance category of the 2011 Genesis Contest and was the overall winner for the 2011 Touched by Love contest.

In honor of Sarah's visit with us, Seekerville is giving away a Seekerville surprise book package to one commenter. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Author Beware – It’s Not as Easy as it Seems

2012-01-03T00:01:00.013-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Audra here. I'm so excited to welcome the New Year with my special guest, Amanda Cabot. Mark your calendars, Amanda and I will be booksigning together in Cheyenne, WY on Saturday, February 13, 2012 at the Cornerstone Book Store. If you're in the area, stop by! We'd love to see you!!
Author Beware – It’s Not as Easy as it Seems

Using Real Locations for Your Book’s Setting

What was I thinking? I’d just finished writing the Texas Dreams trilogy and had loved creating the fictional town of Ladreville, so when my editor asked me to propose a series set in Wyoming, why on earth did I choose Fort Laramie and Cheyenne for the settings? Did I have a sudden memory lapse, forgetting that the one time I used a real city as a location for one of my secular romances, I agonized the entire time I was writing it, worrying that I’d get hate mail from a reader, telling me that such and such a street wasn’t cobblestoned at the time of the book?

The truth is, I chose real settings for two reasons. I haven’t queried other authors, but I suspect that if they use real places for their books, their reasons are similar. So, what were my reasons? The allure of reality and increased marketability.

Let’s start with the allure of reality. “Real” fiction would seem to be an oxymoron, wouldn’t it? After all my Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines fiction as “something invented by the imagination or feigned.” And yet, even though the stories are fictional, I know that readers of historical fiction enjoy learning facts about the time period and that their enjoyment is enhanced when they have the opportunity to read about places that they may never actually visit. I could have set Summer of Promise at a fictional fort in Wyoming, but using Fort Laramie, an important and well-known location, gave the book added appeal. That’s the reason I asked that the back cover copy specifically mention Fort Laramie rather than simply saying ‘Wyoming.’ It’s too soon to tell, but my hope is that readers who haven’t picked up my earlier books will be intrigued enough by the Fort Laramie connection that they’ll read it.

And that leads me to the second point: increased marketability. Revell has a superb marketing department, but I still think it’s my job to help them. One way of doing that is to get my books into places that wouldn’t normally carry fiction. Fort Laramie’s gift shop is a tourist’s delight, filled with books and souvenirs. The books, it should be noted, are mostly non-fiction. I knew it was a long-shot, but I really wanted them to carry Summer of Promise, so I approached the Historical Association. The general manager was intrigued by the premise of the story, and she loved the cover. (Note: the background is a scene from Fort Laramie.) But, since we’re dealing with the National Park Service, there’s a rigorous selection process. Not only did several people on the staff have to read and review the book before they could consider carrying it, but the park superintendant asked them to answer one key question: “Are the details in the book authentic?” It was only when the readers could answer ‘yes,’ that the Historical Association could order copies of my books. And now that they’re going to carry it, I’ve approached other museums, using Fort Laramie’s decision as an inducement for them to stock copies of Summer of Promise. I have no idea how many additional sales this will mean, but each new reader is important.

We’ve talked about the advantages of choosing real locations for a book. Now I’d like to debunk two myths. “Of course you should use a real location. It’s easier,” one author told me. I disagree. Although it’s true that you don’t have to invent street names and other details about the location, the opposite side of that argument is that you need to know all those details. Simply having a general idea and then fudging won’t work. Which is the perfect segue to the second myth: readers won’t catch small errors. Trust me. They will. That’s the downside of increased marketability. Among the new readers that you’ll attract by using a real location are those who are experts on that location. While they might forgive a few discrepancies, chances are that if you make serious errors, they’ll tell you and – even worse – the world. Are you willing to risk having reviewers post your inaccuracies? It’ll happen. And even if your mistakes aren’t paraded for the online world to see, there’ll be negative word of mouth. None of us can afford that.

So, how do you avoid bad reviews and what I call hate mail? There’s no panacea, but I have a few hints.

Read everything you can about your location. I find the reference section of the library to be a particularly good source of information, especially when I ask a librarian for assistance. Searching the card catalog reveals many books, but librarians are the experts. They’ve pointed me toward books that I would never have found otherwise, books, I might add, that have proven invaluable. Those included diaries of people from the time period which provided a number of important details, including the weather on specific dates. Readers may not know that my descriptions are accurate, but I do, and that helps me overcome those worries about hate mail.

Look for picture books. The adage about a picture being worth many words is true, and never more so than when you’re trying to discover what buildings or streets looked like many years ago. I’ve found the Images of America series to be extremely helpful. Not only are there hundreds of old photographs in them, but the commentary is typically written by local history experts. While I borrow most reference books from the library, the Images books are ones I own, because I find myself referring to them almost constantly during the writing process. (And, no, I don’t own stock in the company.)

Visit the site at the appropriate time of year. Although I had made two research trips to Fort Laramie before I wrote the book, one was in late summer, the other mid-autumn. Since my book began in June, I knew I had to return to the fort then. I was so glad I did! Not only did I discover that the grass was green then, whereas it had been golden brown on my other visits, but I was able to see how much higher the river was. Those and a myriad of other details made their way into the story, adding the authenticity that readers expect. I know it’s not possible for everyone to travel to a location, especially at a specific time of the year. If you can’t, search for local residents who can help you with details. Which leads me to my next hint.

Enlist local experts. Although I’d read stacks of books about Fort Laramie and had visited it several times, there were still things I didn’t know. As an example, most visitors to the fort are familiar with Old Bedlam, the large white building that served as the bachelor officers quarters for much of the fort’s history. The problem was, at the time my story took place, Old Bedlam had been converted to apartments for married officers. I could find no reference to the building that was used as the BOQ at that time period, so I consulted the fort’s librarian. She and one of the park rangers pulled out maps and records, and when they couldn’t find any definitive information, they helped me to choose a plausible location.

Don’t make assumptions. This is actually a corollary to my first two points. On one of my visits to the fort, I took a picture of two uniforms displayed in the fort’s museum. One was clearly marked ‘infantry,’ and since my hero was a lieutenant in the infantry, I used that picture as my source, describing the single-breasted coat in great detail. The problem was, once the Images of America book on Fort Laramie was published, I started studying it and discovered that many of the soldiers wore double-breasted coats. Why was there a discrepancy? Again, the fort librarian was of immeasurable assistance. She provided me with a book that detailed Army uniforms during the nineteenth century. Half an hour with that book revealed that the uniform in the museum display was for an enlisted man, while the double-breasted coats I saw in the pictures belonged to officers. My description had to be changed. Would a reader have caught the error? Possibly not, but I’m glad I discovered it.

Lastly, if you take liberties, tell the readers. There are times when an author wants to bend history for the sake of the story. There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, we’re dealing with fiction. But if you do decide to stretch the truth, perhaps by placing a real person in a city where he or she might not have been, mention that in a note to readers. They’ll appreciate it, and so will you, because your note will forestall criticism.

If I’ve made using real locations as settings for your stories seem like an overwhelming burden, let me assure you that it’s not. It can be fun to learn the details of a real place and share them with readers. A real location can help you market your book. And it can attract new readers to your books.

Would I do it again? Maybe.

Though she had planned to spend the summer in Vermont with her sweetheart, Abigail Harding cannot dismiss her concerns over her older sister. Charlotte's letters have been uncharacteristically melancholy, and her claims that nothing is wrong ring false, so Abigail heads West to Wyoming. The endless prairie seems monotonous, but when her stagecoach is attacked, Wyoming promises to be anything but boring. Luckily, the heroics of another passenger, Lieutenant Ethan Bowles, save the day.

When circumstances--and perhaps a bit of matchmaking--put Abigail and Ethan together, there's certainly attraction. But Abigail is planning to marry another man and return to life in Vermont as soon as she is finished attending to her sister. And Ethan loves his life in the Army and the wilds of Wyoming. When summer ends, will Abigail go back East? Or will she fall in love with this rugged land herself?

A former director of Information Technology, Amanda Cabot has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. She is now a fulltime writer of Christian historical romances. Amanda is delighted that her Texas Dreams trilogy received critical acclaim, in part because of their historical authenticity, and that the staff at Fort Laramie found her research so accurate that they’re carrying Summer of Promise, the first book in the Westward Winds series, in their gift shop.

Great info, Amanda! Whatever you're writing, historical or contemporay, suspense or Amish, never take research for granted! Seekerville is offering a prize package today. So leave a comment and winner will be announced in the Weekend Edition.

The First Money I Ever Made WRITING!

2012-01-02T00:00:00.032-05:00

I still remember so vividly the first sale. It wasn’t a full length novel. It was a Christmas play. For which I earned the princely sum of $75. I was ecstatic.

I fully advise anyone seeking publication to consider shorter forms of writing as a way to earn a bit of money, build a resume and affirm that you’re not wasting your life!!!

For years I was the director of my very small church’s Sunday School Christmas Program. Our Sunday school needed material that (I learned this term) was broadly graded.

What broadly graded means is, I needed a skit or play or something that I could use for about two dozen kids ages 18 to 3.

Bigger parts for the high schoolers, short one liners for the younger elementary kids. Standing around in silence for the 3 and 4 year olds…who might abandon their post and go sit with Mommy at any moment.

Well, it was hard to find. REALLY hard to find. Add to that, I had no budget…translation: I had to pay for anything I found, any costumes we needed, any special set…myself.

Of all these challenges finding a good play was the hardest. Keep in mind here that there was little or no internet back then. The internet existed -- Al Gore had already invented it -- but I didn’t have it in my home. There was no Amazon (to my knowledge anyway). I had to go somewhere (I live a looooooooooong way out in the country) find some store that carried such things as Sunday School Christmas Plays and start digging through them.

So, I ended up writing them myself. I won’t go into the stress of that. The worry (yeah, I know, worry isn’t Christian….so I’m not only having to write the program myself…I’m a stinking sinner while I’m fretting over it! Great!)

Well, wait a minute, let me go into the stress of it for a second after all. I’d start writing the play about six months early and at that point I’d start worrying. By the time the play would go off at Christmas time, I had the whole thing memorized. It would run endlessly through my head. It fed my insomnia like little else…the only thing I can remember being as bad was the few years I coached softball when my daughters were young. Guess what? Softball????? Me??? Mary 'Klutzy Couch Potato' Connealy???? We lost a LOT of games. I lost a LOT of sleep. Insomnia is my default reaction to anything (and sometimes NOTHING)

Back to the play…I’d rewrite and revise, kids would show up at the last minute, you know---kids that belonged to our church whom I’d forgotten existed. And yet here they’d come, sometimes showing up for the Sunday of the Christmas program for the first time, wanting a part in the play.

So, anyway, I wrote a new play every year for about ten years. And when I finally quit--at the urging of my cardiologist and psychiatrist and the straight jacket repair squad--I had a nice little body of work.

So, one Sunday--the week after the program--which was a delightful play called Clashing Symbols that had a sing-song chant reminiscent of The House That Jack Built--this sweet little old lady in our church asked me if I’d ever tried to get my plays printed. The lady worked for our local newspaper, the smallest of small down weeklies. But still, that's the publishing industry, right? I thought she might KNOW STUFF. When she said that, a light bulb came on. I’d never once considered that I could try and get my plays published. I’d been trying to get my BOOKS published but never my plays.

Ka-Ching!!!

So, by now I had the internet at home. I started hunting for publishing companies for Christmas Program plays and I found two of them. I tidied up my play (took out individual children’s names and put in CHARACTERS, stuff like that) and sent it in AND THEY BOUGHT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m getting chills writing this (of course it’s kinda cold in here, but still!!!!)

It was a wonderful moment.

Anyway, I went up to that sweet little old lady in church and told her, “It worked! Thank you so much! Thanks to you I got my play published!” (insert Kermit the Frog Dancing here)

And she said, “I’m a bit deaf and couldn’t hear the play, and I just wanted you to print up a copy for me so I could figure out what was going on.”

(insert extended dead silence broken only by the sound of crickets chirping)

They say God works in mysterious ways. And in this instance, I believe not even Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, teamed up with Nancy Drew and Sam Spade could’ve seen that coming!

Christmas Treasures
by Mary Connealy et al

I dug out four more of my plays (I couldn't find any more) and got them published, too. (These four went in a bigger book called Christmas Treasures and they’re still available on Amazon).

I don’t really recommend you buy them and stage your own original Mary Connealy play. Some of the plays are………a little sarcastic. (I know, you're shocked!) I’d hate to see your church split over them. Also the book costs a FORTUNE. Twenty-five bucks for a ten year old book currently ranked 2 millionth on Amazon? Get over yourself and put it on sale already.

And that is the heartwarming story of how deafness launched my career. How insomnia made me what I am today and (sniffle) how I earned my first money as a writer. I should have distributed tissues before I told you that poignent tale.

Hope your New Year is blessed and full of fun and joy and wonderful FIRSTS.

And since this is the first blog day (it's January second, I know, shut up) of the first week of the first month I'm giving away the first Seeker prize of 2012.
A fifteen dollar Amazon gift card.
I've got some copies of that book with the FIRST play in it kicking around, too, if anyone wants one. Heaven knows I'm not gonna use them again.
I got a note from my cardiologist and retired right before writing and directing that play killed me!!!!

Weekend Happy New Year Edition

2012-01-01T02:00:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year Seekerville!!

Last night we celebrated and we thank YOU for making Seekerville's New Year's Eve Party
a wonderful event. Thank you for sharing your accomplishments for 2011 and goals for 2012.

We've got lots of excitement coming including the Month of Firsts in January and
our own brand of Book-In-A-Month in March.

Don't miss our Short Reads area
currently featuring Julie Lessman.

So stay tuned and print of a copy
of our Seekerville the town calendar.

We Have Winners

Seekerville is just getting caught up from the holiday guests and party fun. If we missed sending out your prize, please do let us know! As always, contact Seekerville through our new web email if you are a winner and if needed, provide your snail mail address. Please note our giveaway rules here. All prizes are distributed within 6-8 weeks of winner announcements.

Winner of the monthly book drawing, Debra Dixon's GMC, is Karen Bracken. This was such an incredibly popular book we are doing it again in January. If you entered in December your name is still in the draw. More info on our monthly book draw can be found here.

Tyndale House author Pam Hillman gave us the low down on tax write offs for the home office with an emphasis on the working writer on Monday. Winner of their choice of either an e-copy of Stealing Jake or a grab-bag of print books off her shelf is Autumn ( Jaimn - justin _ autumn at msn dot com).

Tuesday Thomas Nelson author Cara Lynn James shared "New Year's Traditions." Winner of her latest release, Love by the Book, is Joy (jumpforjoy).

On Wednesday Love Inspired author Glynna Kaye shared "2011:Making the Most of What's Left of the Year." The winner of Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells by Mary Buckham and Dianna Love is Nancy Kimball.

Thursday Harlequin author Donna Alward returned to chat about 1K1HR, with her post, "The Game Changer." Winner of one of Donna's delightful books of their choice in print or ebook format is Kirsten Arnold.

We shared the January Contest Update on Friday! Winner of Debra Dixon's GMC is Renee Ann Smith.

Saturday was our 24 hour New Year's Eve Celebration!!

12am - 6am (Eastern)

1. Ruth Logan Herne-A full autographed set of Men of Allegany County, all four books, ready to be delivered to your door for either reading or gift-giving (choice of print or ebook)! And there might just be a little surprise packed inside! Winner is Critty Joy.

2. 10 pages edited for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage by Grammar Queen. Winner is Helen Gray.

3. Debby Giusti: Amazon gift card for $15 and a copy of The Captain's Mission (print). Winner is Donna in the blue Shirt.

4. Critique of the first chapter of an inspirational Manuscript by Janet Dean. Winner is Walt Mussell.

5. Nobody's Child by Austin Boyd-Pam Hillman. Winner is Donnas.

6. Mary Connealy $15 Amazon Gift certificate. Winner is Vince.

7. An entire five book set of Janet Dean Love Inspired Historical releases (print). Winner is Christina.

7am - 9am (Eastern)
1. A 10 page romance manuscript critique by Sandra Leesmith. Winner is Virginia.

2. Myra Johnson- One Imperfect Christmas (print). Winner is Abbi Hart.

3. Cara Lynn James-Love On a Dime (print). Winner is Paula O.

10am - Noon (Eastern)

1. $10.00 Starbucks card from Tina Radcliffe. Winner is Laura Loves To Read Romance.

2. Glynna Kaye- Alicia Rasley's "The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life." Winner is Jamie Adams.

3. Amazon gift card for $15 from Audra Harders. Winner is Joanne Sher.

1pm - 5pm

1. Julie Lessman -winner's choice of any of Julie's books PLUS choice of top CBA book from Julie’s personal library. Winner is Cathy Shouse.

2. 3 chapter critique of an inspirational romance by Tina Radcliffe. Winner is Andrea Strong.

3. Debby Giusti: First two books in the Military Investigations Series, The Officer's Secret and The Captain's Mission (print). Winner is Michelle.

4. Nobody's Child by Austin Boyd-Pam Hillman. Winner is Apple Blossom.

5. Glynna Kaye: Bill O'Hanlon's "Write is a Verb: Sit Down, Start Writing. No Excuses." Winner is Janet Kerr.

6m - 9pm

1. To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson--Pam Hillman Winner is Aly Logan.
2. Missy Tippens-February 2012 LI release, A House Full of Hope print). Cindy Regnier.

3. $15 Starbucks card from Audra Harders. Winner is Pepper Basham.

4. Ruth Logan Herne - The chance to NAME THAT HERO for the first book of Ruthy's next LI series! Ruthy will give you an overview of the hero, the heroine's name, and a little about the story, then the winner will submit ten possible names for this deputy sheriff who comes to town for a new beginning and gets way more than he bargained for! Winner is Julie Hilton Steele.

10 - 11 pm

1. Tina Radcliffe – Oklahoma Reunion and/or The Rancher’s Reunion. Kindle or print. Winner is Ms. Kathleen.

2. 1 copy of Price of Victory by Sandra Leesmith. Winner is Sherrinda.

Midnight! (Eastern)

1. 30 minute chat with Julie Lessman.Winner is Jan Drexler.

2. Rocky Mountain Hero, Kindle only by Audra Harders. Winner is Lena Nelson Dooley.
3. An Inconvenient Match by Janet Dean (print). Winner is Dawn Crandall.

Midnight! (Central)

1. Oklahoma Reunion by Tina Radcliffe (print) Winner is Elizabeth B.

2. Yuletide Hearts by Ruth Logan Herne (print) Winner is Jude Urbanski.

3. One chapter inspirational manuscript critique by Tina Radcliffe. Winner is Sarah Richmond.

Midnight! (Mountain)

1. Myra Johnson--Your pet (dog, cat, horse, whatever!) featured in a supporting role in Myra Johnson's next novel. Winner is Whitney.

2. Pam Hillman - 1 copy of Stealing Jake for Kindle or Nook. Winner is Kristi Ann.

3. 1 Children's Book of choice by Sandy Wardman. Winner is Traveling Stacey.

Midnight! (Pacific)

1.Tina Radcliffe--Debra Dixon's GMC. Winner is LyndeeH.

2. Mary Connealy-- Out of Control (print). Winner is EC Spurlock.

3. Missy Tippens-- February 2012 LI release, A House Full of Hope (print). Winner is Jan Pierce.

Next Week In Seekerville

Monday: Award winning Barbour and Bethany House author Mary Connealy starts out our January Month of Firsts with: "The First Money I Ever Made WRITING. "Join Mary as she takes us on that blast from the past and leave a comment for a chance at a $15 Amazon gift card!

Tuesday: Historical author Amanda Cabot joins us with great advice about incorporating actual places, people and events into your fictional work.

Wednesday: We are delighted to welcome Sarah Ladd today. Sarah was the 2011 Genesis winner in the historical romance category. Her post is "Your First Marketing Plan: Why Every New Author Needs One and How to Get Started." Seekerville is giving away a nice surprise in honor of Sarah's visit too!

Thursday: Love Inspired author Audra Harders is our hostess today. She's going to tackle the subject of "Taking Baby Steps to Win The Race". Don't miss the chance to win a surprise pack of great reading to start your year!!

Friday: You're in for a treat today as we welcome back Philosophy of Romance's Vince Mooney with his post, "A Guy Writing Romance...What's So Funny About That?" We'll also be giving away a Seeker book surprise package.

Random News & Information

I got a great Shakespearean Insult Mug for Christmas from The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild. You might find something you can't live without here too.

Inspired by Donna Alward's 1k1H post, Carol Moncado has started a Facebook 1k1H. Join here and say Seekerville sent you.

The Snowflake Method (Advanced Fiction Writing )

Rachell Gardner's Submission Guidelines have changed since she moved over to Books & Such Literary Agency-check it out here.

The Ultimate Guide to Succeeding as a Freelancer in 2012 (Renegade Writer)

Unstuck App Fights Writer's Block (Galley Cat)

Daily Minute: Lisa Gardner on Craft (Author Magazine)

How Much Should An Editor Charge (GalleyCat)

Setting Effective Writing Goals by Moira Allen (Writing World)

Simplify your life in 2012. Get Dropbox!

Fireside. Many genres. No limits. Good stories.

That's it ! You have 365 days left to reach your dreams...start walking.

Seekerville New Year's Eve Party

2011-12-31T00:00:00.034-05:00

Seekerville welcomes you to our fourth annual New Year's Eve Party.This year the party is hosted by Missy Tippens and Tina Radcliffe.

We have all the necessary party ingredients..

music and more music,

and we snuck over to the Food Network

and T he Yankee-Belle Café,

for our menu.

But no Seekerville New Year's Eve party is complete

without a full 24 + hours of giveaways.

And YOU!!

Every hour on the hour from 12 midnight EST to 12 midnight PST we'll draw a name from a commenter for a prize. So let us know what you'd like to win!

12am - 6am (Eastern)

1. Ruth Logan Herne-A full autographed set of Men of Allegany County, all four books, ready to be delivered to your door for either reading or gift-giving (choice of print or ebook)! And there might just be a little surprise packed inside!

2. 10 pages edited for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage by Grammar Queen.

3. Debby Giusti: Amazon gift card for $15 and a copy of The Captain's Mission (print).

4. Critique of the first chapter of an inspirational Manuscript by Janet Dean.

5. Nobody's Child by Austin Boyd-Pam Hillman.

6. Mary Connealy $15 Amazon Gift certificate.

7. An entire five book set of Janet Dean Love Inspired Historical releases (print).

7am - 9am (Eastern)

1. A 10 page romance manuscript critique by Sandra Leesmith.

2. Myra Johnson- One Imperfect Christmas (print).

3. Cara Lynn James-Love On a Dime (print).

10am - Noon (Eastern)

1. $10.00 Starbucks card from Tina Radcliffe.

2. Glynna Kaye- Alicia Rasley's "The Power of Point of View: Make Your Story Come to Life."

3. Amazon gift card for $15 from Audra Harders.

1pm - 5pm

1. Julie Lessman -winner's choice of any of Julie's books PLUS choice of top CBA book from Julie’s personal library.

2. 3 chapter critique of an inspirational romance by Tina Radcliffe.

3. Debby Giusti: First two books in the Military Investigations Series, The Officer's Secret and The Captain's Mission (print).

4. Nobody's Child by Austin Boyd-Pam Hillman.

5. Glynna Kaye: Bill O'Hanlon's "Write is a Verb: Sit Down, Start Writing. No Excuses."

6m - 9pm

1. To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson--Pam Hillman

2. Missy Tippens-February 2012 LI release, A House Full of Hope print).

3. $15 Starbucks card from Audra Harders.

4. Ruth Logan Herne-The chance to NAME THAT HERO for the first book of Ruthy's next LI series! Ruthy will give you an overview of the hero, the heroine's name, and a little about the story, then the winner will submit ten possible names for this deputy sheriff who comes to town for a new beginning and gets way more than he bargained for!

10 - 11 pm

1. Tina Radcliffe – Oklahoma Reunion and/or The Rancher’s Reunion. Kindle or print.

2. 1 copy of Price of Victory by Sandra Leesmith.

Midnight! (Eastern)

1. 30 minute chat with Julie Lessman.

2. Rocky Mountain Hero, Kindle only by Audra Harders.

3. An Inconvenient Match by Janet Dean (print).

Midnight! (Central)

1. Oklahoma Reunion by Tina Radcliffe (print)

2. Yuletide Hearts by Ruth Logan Herne (print)

3. One chapter inspirational manuscript critique by Tina Radcliffe

Midnight! (Mountain)

1. Myra Johnson--Your pet (dog, cat, horse, whatever!) featured in a supporting role in Myra Johnson's next novel.

2. Pam Hillman - 1 copy of Stealing Jake for Kindle or Nook.

3. 1 Children's Book of choice by Sandy Wardman.

Midnight! (Pacific)

1.Tina Radcliffe--Debra Dixon's GMC.

2. Mary Connealy-- Out of Control (print).

3. Missy Tippens-- February 2012 LI release, A House Full of Hope (print).

If that's not enough to bring in the New Year, Seekerville is also giving away a GENUINE, ACCEPT NO IMITATIONS-Seekerville pen to every single winner!

This is not the time to lurk!!

All winners will be announced as close to the hour as possible and then again listed in the Weekend Edition in case you feel the need to...sleep.
2011 was a great year, and we've got proof. Check out our photos here.

We'd also like to share some trivia from 2011 and if you check out our 2011 predictions, you'll see that many of our predictions came true!

Seekerville shared a whopping 367 posts with you in 2011!

Our 2011 monthly stats ran between 18,600 and 27,500 hits per month.

The Seekerville audience includes in order of top hits: United States,Canada, United Kingdom,Germany,Australia, Russia, Netherlands, Ukraine, France, Denmark.

The Seekers sailed off Unpublished Island in 2011 and together saw 25 new books on appear on your favorite bookstore listings in 2011.

A Seeker finaled in the Golden Heart, the RITA and two Seekers were Carol Award finalists!

Additionally we are thrilled that we were able to celebrate the first sales of the following friends of Seekerville ( in no particular order): Valerie Comer, Gina Welborn, Walt Mussell, Mia Ross, Eva Maria Hamilton, Anne Barton, Jessica Nelson, Katie Ganshert, Krista Phillips, K.C Frantzen, Sherri Shackelford, Lisa Jordan, Lisa Karon Richardson, and Keli Gwyn.

Congratulations to us all. Be sure to tell us about the milestones you accomplished in 2011 and we'd love to know if any of them were in part because of Seekerville.

We're watching that clock and it's time for our 2012 Seekerville Predictions:

1. Seekerville (the new town) will be listed as a top town to visit in a major magazine.

2. Five more friends of Seekerville will sell.

3. Three Seeker books will be finalists in The Carole.

4. Three Seeker books will be finalists in the RITA Awards.

5. Ten friends of Seekerville will brave entering and will final or place in writing contests.

6. 2012 Seeker book/novella releases and new contracts will exceed 20.

7. The Seekers will offer special free reads on their website! Their gift to you.

8. Seekerville’s very own café, T he Yankee-Belle Café, will be featured on Food Network.

9. At least 10 Seekers will be in Dallas for the 2012 ACFW Conference, Sept 20-23.

10. At least 5 Seekers will be in attendance for the 2012 RWA National Conference in Anaheim, CA, July 25-July 28.

So come on, share your own predictions as we bring in 2012!

Happy New Year Seekerville!

January 2012 Contest Update

2011-12-30T00:00:00.036-05:00

Welcome to the first Seekerville Contest Update for 2012. A new year and a fresh calendar, brimming with opportunities. The contest circuit is just heating up and as always you should be prepared for writing opportunities in Seekerville. Have that query, synopsis, blurb and first chapters ready to go? You should because the next days and weeks will present our Seekerville friends with several great opportunities.

The prize vault is open today and due to popular demand we are giving away another copy of Debra Dixon's Goal, Motivation and Conflict because we have had so many entries into the Seekerville monthly book giveaway.

Another copy will be given away during the Seekerville 12-12 New Year's Eve Party on Saturday.

So now you have three chances to win the definitive resource book for writers. Winner announced in the New Year's Day Weekend Edition.

Published Author Contests

Contests for books with a copyright date from January 2011 to December 2011.

The Colorado Award of Excellence:Deadline January 13.

The Write Touch Reader's Award:Deadline January 13.

The Golden Quill:Deadline January 13.

Bookseller's Best Award: Deadline January 15, 2010

Judge a Book by Its Cover: Deadline January 15.

The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence: Deadline January 15.

The Holt Medallion: Deadline January 18. (The Holt has short and long inspy categories)

Winter Rose Award of Excellence: Deadline January 21.

Reader's Choice Beanpot: Deadline January 23.

Unpublished Author Contests

2012 ACFW Genesis. Electronic only. Opens January 2, 2011- deadline is March 2, 2012 at 3 p.m. Central time.The contest consists of three rounds: The First round, a Semi-Final round, and the Final Round.
Categories and Final Round Judges:
•Contemporary Fiction: To be announced
•Contemporary Romance: To be announced
•Historical Fiction: To be announced
•Historical Romance: To be announced
•Mystery/Suspense/Thriller: To be announced
•Romantic Suspense: To be announced
•Speculative Fiction: To be announced
•Women's Fiction:To be announced
•Young Adult: To be announced
Okay this TBA stuff sucks when you are in the throes of contest and financial planning.

The 2012 Marlene Awards. Deadline January 15th.One electronic copy of a synopsis (up to 5 pages) and the beginning of the manuscript not to exceed 35 pages total for synopsis and manuscript pages. The grand prize winner in each category receives a detailed critique from a published author.

Series Contemporary
Judge: Johana Raisanen, Harlequin
Critique Author: Liz Talley

Single Title
Judge: Megan Records, Kensington
Critique Author: Jeanne Adams

Paranormal
Judge: Heather Osborn, Samhain Publishing
Critique Author: Kristen Painter

Historical
Judge: Esi Sogah, Avon
Critique Author: Diane Gaston

Romantic Elements
Judge: Latoya Smith, Grand Central
Critique Author: Deanna Raybourn

Young Adult
Judge: Holly Blanck, St. Martin’s
Critique Author: Diana Peterfreund

The Winter Rose Contest for Unpublished Writers. Opens December 1 and closes January 21. Electronic only. Entry consists of the first 25 pages.

Contemporary: Alicia Condon, Kensington
Historical (includes Regency):Amanda Bergeron, Avon
Paranormal: Heather Osborne, Samhain
Romantic Suspense: Deb Nemeth,Carina Press
Young Adult: Kari Sutherland, Harper Collins Children’s Books
2012 Grand Prize (Agent Read): Maura Kye-Cassela, Don Congdon Asst.

The Laurie. Electronic Deadline February 1. Entry consists of the complete first chapter—not to exceed twenty-five (25) pages.The top three entries in each category will go on to the final round to be judged by editors at the following houses:

Historical: Tessa Woodward, Avon

Contemporary: Deb Smith, Belle Bridge Books

Paranormal/Fantasy: Debra Dixon, Belle Bridge Books

Inspirational: Tina James, Harlequin

Romantic Suspense: Allison Lyons, Harlequin

Young Adult: Leah Hultenschmidt, Sourcebooks

The Sandy. Electronic Deadline February 12. The Sandy has done some revamping so check out the web site. Also, The Sandy now welcomes published authors. The entry MUST be original and uncontracted at the time of the contest deadline. No self-published works will be accepted. Entry consists of 20 pages and a 2 page synopis.

Romance - Sue Grimshaw, Editor at Large & Category Specialist for Ballantine & Bantam Dell
Mainstream Adult Fiction - Kevan Lyon, Agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Suspense / Thriller / Mystery - Kat Brzozowski, Assistant Editor at Thomas Dunne Books
Fantasy / Science Fiction - James Frenkel, Editor at Tor / Forge
Children's & YA - Mary Kole, Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

The Merritt. Opens for submissions on January 15, and closes February 14. All electronic. Entry:25 pages total, including a maximum 5-page synopsis.

Contemporary – Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Historical – Tessa Woodward, Avon
Paranormal – TBA
Romantic Suspense – Patience Bloom, Harlequin
Women’s Fiction – Kate Seaver, Berkley

Just For Fun

The Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. Capture the essence of Erma's writings and you could win $500! Competition opens Tuesday, January 3rd. Entry consists of a personal essay of 450 words or less.Entries must be submitted by 7:30 AM, EST, February 14, 2012.

Deadline is February 29th for the...Wow! Women on Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest.

Word Count:Maximum: 750, Minimum: 250 OPEN PROMPT! That’s right, this is your chance to shine, and get creative. You can write about anything, as long as it’s within the word count and fiction. So, dig out those stories you started way back when and tailor them to the word count.

Any style and genre. From horror to romance! So, get creative, and most of all, have fun.Entries limited to a maximum of 300 stories. Please enter early to ensure inclusion. The winner not only gets cash and goodies but an agent read! The guest agent judge is Elise Capron with the Dijkstra Agency.

That's it, now go forth and contest!! But leave a comment first so we can enter you in the giveaway!!

The Game Changer by Guest Blogger Donna Alward!

2011-12-29T00:01:00.003-05:00

When Ruthy e-mailed to ask if I’d come back to Seekerville, I was like “of course!” Everytime I visit, the reception’s warm, the conversation is sparkling, and the sheer volume of treats y’all leave around is inspired.

But when she asked if I’d chat about #1k1hr, I was definitely on board. Because, as I said to one of my chaptermates at our holiday potluck, #1k1hr has been a game changer for me.

One of the things that is hardest about being a published author is productivity and time management. Now, more than ever, we’re being told to keep up a social media presence, an up-to-date website, a newsletter.

We aren’t just writers – we’re businesswomen and men. We have to do that promo, keep accounts, write books, stay on top of what’s happening in the market. And it’s sooooo easy to get caught up in the daily dross and realize at the end of the day that you’ve written exactly 500 words, and that was a blog and not on your WIP.

(Just FYI – I’m writing this AFTER I sent my current partial to my editor, k?)

For five years…yes I said FIVE….since selling my first book I’ve been struggling with this time management thing. And I got frustrated. I kept feeling like I needed to WRITE MORE but I wasn’t sure how to do it. Saying I had to get my butt off the internet wasn’t always working. One of my tricks was still to take all my admin and do it at the beginning of the month (like guest posting and website updates etc.). But sometimes you just can’t let stuff go until the end of the month.

The first thing I did to “free” up more time was cut back on some of my involvement in places around the web. It was scary, believe it or not, but I’ve felt so good about it since that I know it was the right decision. That helped a lot. The fewer directions to be pulled, the better it is. Simplifying helped a lot.

And then someone came up with #1k1hr on twitter. Don’t know who it was. Don’t remember the first time I did it even. But after the first time or two I saw the results and the rest is history.

What happens is this: Someone will post a “call” for #1k1hr on twitter that will look something like this:

@DonnaAlward: Hey @AnnetteGallant @jenniemarsland @writercatfox - I'm starting #1k1hr on the :30. You in?

Annette, Jennie and Cathy are chaptermates of mine, in case you’re wondering.

Or I may just say hey, I’m going #1k1hr on the :15. Who’s with me?

I usually do this 15-20 minutes before I’m ready to start, to give people a chance to join in. Then at the allotted time, a tweet goes out with everyone’s name, the hashtag of #1k1hr, and hopefully the word GO!

And that’s it. You don’t check e-mail, you don’t tweet (I’ll confess I’m terrible at popping in on occasion) but you do write for an hour, with a goal of a thousand words.

At the end of the hour, you check back in and post your total. Sometimes it’s a measly few hundred if you’re editing, and sometimes it’s 1200 if you’re having a great day.

Usually people take a 15 min break or so, and go again. 15 minutes is perfect for throwing in a load of laundry, grabbing a snack, using the bathroom. J I try to do 2-4 a day, depending on what’s going on. My first hour is usually light on words because I go over what I did the day before to get back into the story and pick up where I left off. But then…well, I’m averaging between 2-3000 words a day this way.

2000 words x 20 days in a month (I don’t work weekends) is 40 000 words. That means a book in 5 weeks for me.

How well can this really work? The numbers tell the truth:

On September 6 I had 12k written on the Harlequin Romance I had due. I handed it in, I believe, on September 26^th. It sold October 14.

In October, I wrote 17k on a novella, hated it, scrapped it, wrote 32,000 words and subbed it on November 4. It sold November 21.

From November 4-now, I’ve been working on a holiday romance for Harlequin. It’s due February 6. It’s on my editor’s desk.

The odd thing is I STILL have time for all the other stuff. The difference is, I work on it before 9:30 a.m. and then after 2:30 p.m. because that’s when I start having kids home and it’s far easier to wade through e-mail and deal with requests then, than write.

Game changer. I’ve never been so productive, and I’ve never been less work-stressed.

Other benefits? A group atmosphere for support and overall goodwill. It’s harder to skive off if you’re in a group. Especially if you’re at all competitive! I hate when I post 2-300 word totals – even if I have a very good reason!

And #1k1hr has also brought me a ton of new followers and people I follow too.

Social media can be such a time suck, but this one thing has made it all worthwhile. And if any of you ever want to try it – and I know Anita Mae is reading and she already joins me quite often – you can find me on twitter @DonnaAlward. The more the merrier.

Now…since you deserve a reward for all your hard work, head on over to the Yankee Belle Café because I think Ruthy’s posted my Apple Cake recipe and it’s fantastic if I do say so myself!

And Happy New Year. May 2012 bring you many many finished manuscripts!

2011: Making the Most of What's Left of the Year

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Good Morning, Seekerville! It had been my original intent to post this week on getting your writing organized for 2012. But with a December book deadline (it was sent Priority mail to my editor on Saturday morning, December 24) and then taking a few rare and precious days away from my computer and the “Infamous To Do List” to spend time with family and enjoy this special season, researching a blog wasn’t high on my list of priorities.
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Besides, here we are halfway between Christmas 2011 and New Year’s Day 2012 --not much time left to get organized the way I dream of getting organized to start a new year. The majority of my time this week is already spoken for with additional deadlines for my publisher, judging a writing contest, and seeing to a ton of other writing-related endeavors--not to mention the 1,001 things that didn’t get done in the past month that still need to be done!
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It’s going to be a jam-packed remainder of the week and just thinking about it is overwhelming, but instead of letting that zap my energy as a new year rapidly approaches, I intend to live the next few days intentionally.
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What will that entail? I’m focusing on the “must do’s” but also blocking out time to weave in a few things that will ground me and ENERGIZE me going into the coming year.
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These things will be very different for each of us. But for me the plan includes…
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…walking daily--with a cup of hot cocoa topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon to warm me up on my return.
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…setting aside time to read a chapter or two from a good book (maybe with that cup of hot cocoa for company!) .
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…writing a few New Year’s letters to friends and family each day (there wasn’t time to compose a Christmas letter this year).
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…pausing to dream up my next books--characters, premises, scenes.
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…celebrating all the things I DID accomplish this year.
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…spending quiet times with God to seek direction for 2012.
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So, instead of getting bummed out here at the end of the year about all the things you HAVEN’T had time to do in 2011 and WON’T have time to do before ushering in 2012, what are YOU going to do to energize yourself in the remaining days of December? What are some small things you can do to give yourself an added boost and start your new year off on solid footing and with a positive attitude?
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If you’d like to be entered in a drawing for a copy of “Break Into Fiction” by Mary Buckham and Dianna Love, please mention it in the comments section and leave your e-mail addy (remembering “at” and “dot”). Then watch our Weekend Edition for the winner!
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Glynna
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Glynna Kaye’s Love Inspired “Dreaming of Home” was a 2010 finalist in the “Carol Award” and “Maggie Award,” as well as a first place winner of the 2010 “Booksellers Best” and “Beacon” awards. Her most recent release “At Home In His Heart” (August 2011) garnered a 4 ½ star review from national magazine “RT Book Reviews and is a nominee for RT’s Reviewers’ Choice Award.” “High Country Hearts,” Glynna’s fourth story set in the mountain country of Canyon Springs, Arizona, debuts in March 2012.

New Year's Traditions

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

I’ve always wanted to write a Christmas story filled with caroling, sleigh rides, and snow—the fluffy kind that doesn’t disrupt traffic or cause accidents. Christmas is my favorite time because of the rich traditions, nostalgic memories, and fantastic food.

Here are a few pictures of the Newport, Rhode Island mansions at Christmas. These ‘cottages’ are part of the Gilded Age setting of my Ladies of Summerhill series. They are the Breakers, the Marble House and the Elms.

But of course Christmas isn’t the only holiday we writers can use for local color. Different countries and even different sections of the United States have customs and foods that we can incorporate into our books. Many holidays have their own specific menus. Think Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, the fourth of July, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.

Instead of setting a novel around one of the more popular holidays, look for one that’s usually ignored, at least in books. New Year’s Eve (my husband’s birthday) is really fun to celebrate, but how about New Year’s Day? At first I couldn’t think of many ways we celebrate the first day of the year, but actually we have lots of traditions.

The song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung in English-speaking countries around the world on the stroke of midnight. It’s often followed by a toast. More about that later.

How about making resolutions? We’re usually so good at writing a list, but maybe not so faithful at following through. I speak for myself, of course. Not anyone else. Making resolutions dates back to the early Babylonians. Their most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. This might apply to Mary’s or Pam’s husbands, but not to everyone’s. Some of us might decide to lose weight. Let’s move right along and not berate ourselves over broken resolutions. We can always make them again this year and this time keep our promises to ourselves.

Anybody watch the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV or in person? It goes back to 1886. Later the Rose Bowl football games were played as part of the Tournament of Roses. There are always plenty of televised football games on New Year’s Day and a lot of TV sets all over the country are tuned in. Personally, I’d rather read a good book than go to a football party. But that’s just me.

It’s been a long held belief (superstition) that a person could affect their luck during the coming year by what they did or ate on January 1st. So people often like to celebrate the beginning of the new year in the company of family and friends. It’s an old belief that the first visitor on New Year’s Day would bring either good or bad luck the rest of the year. It was considered extremely lucky—at least for a lady—if the first visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man. I can see a romance novel forming!

New Year’s foods were also thought to bring luck. Many cultures thought that anything in the shape of a ring was good luck because it symbolized ‘coming full circle.’ The Dutch, for example, believed that eating donuts would bring good fortune. Don’t I wish! It’s worth a try, whether you believe in luck or not.

Many southerners eat black-eyed peas accompanied by either hog jowls or ham on New Year’s Day. The hog, and the meat of the hog, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Many people consume rice or cabbage which are also ‘good luck’ foods. Cabbage leaves are thought to be a sign of prosperity because they represent paper currency. To me that’s a real stretch.

A toast at midnight to ring in the new year is an old tradition which can be traced back to the ancient Romans and Greeks. They’d pour wine from a common pitcher. The host would drink first to ensure the wine was free of poison. Poisoning was a common way to kill your enemies back in the day. A square of toast would be floated in the wine bowl and then eaten by the last person to drink. The bread was added to absorb the extra acidity of the wine in order to make it more palatable. Later on, the act of drinking in unison came known as a toast, from the act of ‘toasting’ or putting toast in the wine.

So, I think I’ll research a holiday and include it in a book. Do you have a favorite holiday you’d like to write about? Anyone have a favorite custom, tradition or special food for New Year’s Day?

I’m giving away a copy of Love by the Book. If you’d like to be included in the drawing, please leave your e-mail.

I know I’m a few days earlier, but I’d like to wish each and every one of you a very blessed and happy new year!

Business as Usual - Tax Write-offs: Deadline Dec 31st

2011-12-26T00:01:00.006-05:00

Disclaimer, I am not an accountant or even remotely knowledgeable about tax law, but I can add and I can subtract, and that’s just about all I need to know that I don’t want Uncle Sam (since he’s not really my uncle) taking 30-35% of my self-employment income every year.

There are several articles online in the writing community to help you with tax law, so I’m not going to address the topic of hobby writer vs. career author/freelance editor/artist, etc. If you’re receiving self-employment income, then keep detail records, talk to your tax preparer and exercise your right to claim legitimate expenses.

Now, don't get slap-happy and go on a spending spree. If your only income is from your self-employment gig, then you can’t spend it all on allowable expenses. I don’t mean the government won’t allow you to, but you wouldn’t have anything left to live on if you did! Unfortunately, we can’t deduct basic living expenses (food, gas, rent, utilities, clothes, kids’ daycare, car payments, etc.) from our Sch C.

Yes, I know you can deduct a percentage of those expenses for your home office, but my point is that if you’re 100% self-employed, you’ll end up with some income and have to pay that 15.3% social security tax, app. 15% federal income tax, and 3-7% state income tax.

Ouch. Ouch. Double ouch.

On the other hand, if you also work outside the home, and receive a W-2, you can push your self-employment income way down by purchasing much needed items and supplies for your home office.

Tip: Even if you don’t have the money to make a purchase for your business, in some cases you can actually save money by taking out a business loan to buy much needed equipment rather than handing over the taxes. I don’t recommend taking out loans lightly, but 5-15% interest rate vs. 30% taxes is something to think about.

So, hoping I haven’t muddied the waters too much, you have exactly 5 days to determine if you are going to be in the red or in the black on your Sch C for 2011. If you’re in the red, don’t worry about it. If you’re going to be significantly in the black, then you might want to lay out the dough for some items you can claim as expenses.

I’m going to loosely categorize the following into “Depreciable” and “Expensed”. Depreciable is anything that will last more than 1 year like a computer, a desk, or a printer. You can claim the entire expense for the item in the current year if you need to, but if you’ve whittled your Sch C Net Income down already, these “big ticket” items are the expenses you can spread out (depreciate) over a number of years.

Examples of expenses generally claimed in the current year:

Accounting software
Business Cards
Contests (anybody accepting entries right now?)
Donations (ACFW Scholarship fund comes to mind...)
Folders - 1/3 cut, hanging, box
Gift Cards / eCards from Amazon/B&N, etc. for giveaways later
Books
Boxes for mailing books
Docking station for existing laptop
External hard-drive
Highlighters
Permanent markers
Ink cartridges
Labels
Memory Cards
Notepads
Office chair
Packing tape
Paper
Pens
Plotting software
Plotting boards
Research Books
Stamps
Storage bins
Writing software
Website design/hosting

Examples of depreciable expenses that can be claimed in the current year, or depreciated over a period of 5-7 years:

Desktop computer
Laptop
Printer
Fax machine
Copier
iPad
Kindle/Nook
Desk
Filing Cabinet
Bookcase

Here is an easy to understand article from a CPA Peter Jason Riley that goes into more detail on expenses, Section 179, depreciation, the home office, etc.
http://www.artstaxinfo.com/writers.shtml

Also from this same site, look at the pdf of writer’s expenses. It’s a great resource that might jumpstart your mind on items you desperately need to make your writing life easier. http://www.artstaxinfo.com/WRITERS/WRITER~3.PDF

So, pull up a chair and sit a spell. I’d love for you to share your ideas of must have items for your home office.

PS…I won’t be able to comment as much as planned today because I’ll be traveling unexpectedly with my husband to look at a tractor, another item he desperately needs to purchase before December 31 for his Sch F! I’ll drop in as often as I can to see how the discussion is going.

Hey, today I'm giving away an e-copy of Stealing Jake or a grab-bag of print books off my shelf. To be included in the drawing, please remember to mention it in your comment and specify which prize you want.

2011-12-25T01:30:00.004-05:00

Seekerville is "closed" today.

Please join us in celebrating

the true meaning of this season.

Seekerville Weekend Christmas Eve Edition

2011-12-24T00:00:00.052-05:00

Lots coming up in Seekerville including our big New Year's Eve Party
that runs 12-12 with prizes, predictions and a look at the past year.

Beginning January 1st we have a Seeker Reads
page where you can read short stories and essays by the Seekers.

January is also our month of firsts,
so look for posts on the topic.

In March we're bringing back our brand of the
Book-In-A-Month Challenge.

Finally, don't forget that this is your last week to get
in on our monthly book draw at the village.
This month it's Debra Dixon's GMC.

We Have Winners!

Contact Seekerville through our new web email if you are a winner and if needed, provide your snail mail address. Please note our giveaway rules here. All prizes are distributed within 6-8 weeks of winner announcements. Send us a note if we dropped the ball. We do that on occasion.

Monday Love Inspired author Missy Tippens will be your hostess shared "Anchoring Yourself in the Real World While Living in Your Story World." Winner of a brand spankin' new, hot off the presses, paper copy of her February release, A House Full of Hope is Aus Jenny.

Tuesday the versatile and prolific Harlequin author Abby Gaines was our guest with her post, Switch-Hitting Genres. Winners of Abby's new LIH release, The Earl's Mistaken Bride in print or e-format are Gwendolyn Gage and Lynnette Mullin.

Love Inspired Suspense author Debby Giusti, shared"Believe," on Wednesday. Winner of Sarah Young's devotional, Jesus Calling and The Captain's Mission is Jamie Adams.

Children's book author and Avalon author Sandra Leesmith brought us "Gifts for Christmas" on Thursday. Winners of Thursday's drawing can choose a Seeker book or one of Sandra's children's books. To find her selection of children's books check out the book tab of her website. Winners are: Joanne Sher, Paula O, Patricia W, Sherrindaketch and Stephanie Queen Ludwig. Merry Christmas!

Love Inspired author Tina Radcliffe brought you her holiday miracle. She plotted and she showed you how using Michael Hauge's 6 Stage Plot Structure. Winner of Michael Hague's and Christopher Vogler's The Heroes Two Journey's on CD is Kav. THE SECOND WINNER IS ANNIE RAINS!!!

Next Week In Seekerville

Monday: Tyndale House author Pam Hillman will be your hostess, talking about tax write offs for the home office with an emphasis on the working writer. Only 5 days left to GO SHOPPING! Self-employed folks shouldn't wait until April 15th to balance their taxes, unless they want to get hit with a larger than expected Net Income on their Schedule C. Poor planning can result in up to 30-35% of self-employment income going to taxes. Plan ahead. Pam will also be giving away an e-copy of Stealing Jake or a grab-bag of print books off her shelf.

Tuesday: Thomas Nelson author Cara Lynn James will be your hostess, talking about "New Year's Traditions." She'll be giving away a copy of Love by the Book.

Wednesday: Love Inspired author Glynna Kaye will be your hostess and will be giving away a copy of "Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells" by Mary Buckham and Dianna Love.

Thursday: Join return guest and Harlequin author Donna Alward when she chats with us about "1K1HR," the wonderful methodology behind writing 1000 words in an hour. Stop by and leave a comment for a chance at one of Donna's delightful books

Friday: January Contest Update! The prize vault is open.

Saturday: Seekerville rings in the New Year with an all day party hosted by Missy Tippens and Tina Radcliffe. Not only do we have gift cards, books, e-books, critiques and lots of other prizes but we'll also be compiling the stats on 2011 and sharing our predictions for 2012.

Seeker Sightings

Yankee Belle Cafe wants to know what wonderful things come FIRST on your kitchen list! If you'd like to guest blog at the cafe in January and tell us something that ranks first (recipe, idea, something you MUST share) give Missy and Ruthy a shout at yankeebellecafe@gmail.com. We'll take it from there!

December 8-25, 2011- Join Julie Lessman at Project Journal blog for a interview giveaway to win a signed copy of one of Julie's books including Julie's new release, A Heart Revealed.

December 20-31, join Julie at Austenitis blog for her final interview/giveaway of the year to win a signed copy of one of Julie's books including her new release, A Heart Revealed.

Random News & Information

How To Survive Waiting (Adventures in Agentland)

The Library Alternative (Publisher's Weekly)

The Best Gift You Can Give A Writer (GalleyCat)

Check out Brenda Hiatt's Preliminary Indie Earnings Report

The Hobbit Trailer (YouTube)

Podcast: Scott Sigler On How To Be A NY Times Best-Selling Author (The Creative Penn)

That's it! Merry Christmas from Seekerville.