An Interview with Past Missionary, Song Writer . . .

                  David Stearman

I'm so thrilled to have talented David with us today. You'll enjoy hearing all about him . . . Read on:
How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

Hi, Carole—so great to get to share with you today!

I’ve always loved writing, having been a professional songwriter since I was eighteen.

And yet I never really considered writing novels until a few years back when I picked up a book about the orchid collecting business.

The first chapter included a tale wherein a collector falls from a two-hundred-fifty foot jungle tree. I’d spent years in missionary work, so it was easy for me to envision myself telling that selfsame story. After reading that first chapter, I recall thinking “I could write something like this! So why don’t I?”

The next day, I began penning chapters about my personal experiences on the mission field. And yet about halfway through the work, it occurred to me that inventing such stories would be much more fun than just retelling them. And so I became a novelist.

What an unusual experience, David! Loved reading about it. Tell us what is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

Most of my work falls within the Action/Adventure category, with the exception on my most recent effort, entitled Hot, which is a romantic novel about the music business. My adventure stories often feature exotic overseas destinations, usually places where I’ve worked personally as a missionary. Hot, on the other hand, explores another, equally alien world, that of the popular music industry.

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

I try to write an hour or more per day, but due to my involvements in both missions and music, I usually fail to pull that off. That’s why it takes me about a year to span the distance between story inception and the final edit. But I am trying to get faster :-)

Ooooh! I can relate to that. Tell us about your new book. What is the spiritual message in it? What can readers expect to get from reading it? How and where can readers buy your book?

The book I’d like to draw attention to here is currently being shopped to publishers via my wonderful agent Diana Flegal of Hartline Literary. I do a lot of work in Mexico, so this one is particularly dear to me.

Set against the backdrop of the illegal immigration crisis, Hummingbird is the story of Lexa Morales, a misfit. Abandoned as a child, Lexa is Mexican by ethnicity and American at heart, but feels more like the dash between the words that compose the term Mexican-American than anything else. In her struggle to arise from the ghetto of her youth, Lexa commits a crime and flees south of the Border to escape prosecution. While hiding from bounty hunters in a small fishing village, Lexa finds redemption, discovers her true identity, and becomes part of a forever family and a Kingdom without borders.

The story’s theme elaborates on the concept popular culture refers to as Karma and the Bible calls The Law of Sowing and Reaping--that those who sow good deeds will reap a good harvest and those who sow evil will reap an evil one.

Hummingbird illustrates this principle by portraying Lexa as a selfish person who learns to sow good seeds of generosity, kindness, and mercy, and ultimately reaps a harvest of these same things in her own life. In contrast, her antagonists sow hatred, destruction, and death, and end up reaping in kind.

Sounds fantastic. I'm fascinated with Mexico, too. Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through? Who’s inspired you the most?

My experience in the music business, another horrendously over-competitive field, has hardened me somewhat to the challenges faced by an aspiring novelist. Be that as it may, this is a tough business for everyone; the thin-skinned need not apply. Even the most celebrated writers have received their fair share of rejection letters. I have a publisher friend who ashamedly recalls rejecting Ted Dekker’s proposals.

Nevertheless, and contrary to most beginning authors’ beliefs, we are not automatically born skilled wordsmiths. Writing is a craft; something we must learn, and learning involves a willingness to receive correction. That was a hard one for me, since having been a successful songwriter; I assumed that I already knew all I needed to know abut working with words. Wow, was I wrong about that! So I humbled myself and asked for help from others, and then at last began to learn. (I’m still learning!) And yet once I did receive a certain level of facility with the craft, I also had to learn that there is some advice that’s not worth listening to at all. I recall a song lyric that goes: you’ve got to know who to, and who not to, listen to. So nowadays I try to listen to people who actually know what they’re talking about; i.e, well-published authors and experienced agents, and take advice from all others with a grain of salt.

Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could?

I have an abundance of interests: Music and travel, obviously, (French Polynesia sounds nice!), but I also breed parrots, keep aquariums, grow orchids, enjoy photography, deer-hunting, snorkeling, fishing, and movies, not to mention geeking around with the computer.

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

You can learn a lot about what I do at my website, http://www.davidstearmanministries.org/

Promo? Please buy lots of copies of Hummingbird when it comes out!!!



Can't wait, David. Thanks so much for joining me today, and I hope you and your publisher sell many, many copies!

Blessings!

My Friend . . . Shelba Nivens!

It's a real privilege to have Shelba with me today! She has such an interesting writing journey: make sure you read about her "first" play plot!

AND she's giving away a copy of her local history book, "Early Settlers of the K-Springs/Chelsea Area" and a copy of "Abingdon’s Easter Drama Collection, #2"!

Did you receive a clear “call” to write, Shelba?  

Yes. When my husband Ken and I began working with the church youth group I wrote some of the program material and skits for them to perform. After a couple of years at this, I began to feel that God wanted me to have a writing ministry. But I said, “Maybe someday, Lord. Right now, I’m too busy ministering to people I can see to spend my time writing things that nobody may never read.”


We were in the middle of rehearsals for the annual Christmas play, when, one night after my husband was already sleeping, I became deathly ill. Too sick and too near paralyzed to wake him, I prayed, “Lord, I don’t want to die yet. I want to live to raise my children and grow old with my husband,” then a voice seemed to add “And write.”


I felt that this was a direct call from God, and an assurance that my prayer would be answered. A year later, I began to see my work in print in Christian magazines.

(I was diagnosed with a chronic immune system disease, which led to my writing a book as encouragement to other people with chronic illnesses. The book has not yet been published, but Diana (my agent) is seeking a publisher for it.)

How long have you known that you were a writer? Have you just loved writing all your life?

I’ve always loved words and stories. When I was in second grade our teacher told the class to write a play pretending we were some object. We had recently studied about the way liquid expands when it freezes, and I had heard a city aunt talk about having milk delivered to her doorstep. (Back then, it was always in glass bottles.) So I put the two together and wrote a “play” pretending I was a bottle of milk left on a doorstep one cold wintery morning, where I froze and ran all over the place. When the teacher chose my “play” as the best and had the class act it out, I knew I would be a writer someday.

So, throughout my school years, I wrote plays for my friends and I to perform and song lyrics for us to sing, plus poems and stories. I loved school, but refused to go on to college after high school graduation because I was too anxious to get my writing career started. (My three children were in school before I took some college classes.)

After high school I went to work for a newspaper – in the business office, but with dreams of moving up to become a reporter (I planned to take college classes in the evening.) Well, I ended up getting married before that happened, started a family and all I wrote for a few years was silly song lyrics for my children, and once wrote and directed a play for the P.T.A.

Under the question about a “Clear Call,” I told about my reluctance to give up the youth group (people I could see to minister to) and start writing things that no one might never read. Then I received what I believe was a definite call to write, the night I became ill and had to give up most of my church work and my job as a bookkeeper.

I might add to that, as assurance that God meant for me to write:

Only a few months after I began writing and sending out stories, poems, etc. to Christian and family magazines, I started receiving acceptances, more proof to me that God wanted me to write. Many of these stories were accounts of what God was doing, or had done in my daily life or lives of other women with husbands, children, friends and jobs. Some were short fiction. Some were geared to youth. I’ve not submitted much to magazines in recent years, while working on other writing projects. My latest magazine story, Chronic Peace was about the way God took me from a boring, going-no-place office job and set me on a new course as a writer.

About a year after I began writing again, characters and scenes for a Christmas drama began forming in my mind. With pad and pen, I sat under a tree in my front yard on a beautiful fall morning, and began writing. The very next Sunday, our pastor and new youth leader stopped me as we were leaving the church after service. “Shelba, we were wondering if you might write a Christmas play,” one of them said to me. “We know about what we want, but can’t find one in the bookstores.”

They began describing sort of what they would like to have, and I told them, “You may not believe this, but I just this week began writing a play that sounds like what you’re talking about.”

Our youth group staged the play at our church and at another church in the state. . (More proof that God wants me to write.)

Since that time, I’ve written (and directed) numerous plays for my church A few years ago, I put together a collection of them into book form. It won a First Place Award at Florida Christian Writer’s Conference and sold to Abingdon Press.

What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

So, throughout my school years, I wrote plays for my friends and I to perform and song lyrics for us to sing, plus poems and stories. I loved school, but refused to go on to college after high school graduation because I was too anxious to get my writing career started. (My three children were in school before I took some college classes.)

After high school I went to work for a newspaper – in the business office, but with dreams of moving up to become a reporter (I planned to take college classes in the evening.) Well, I ended up getting married before that happened, started a family and all I wrote for a few years was silly song lyrics for my children, and once wrote and directed a play for the P.T.A.

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

I don’t set goals to reach a certain number of words or pages per day. I just write what I can – sometimes it may be a whole chapter, sometimes not even one page. I may struggle to write one scene off and on all day, then the creative juices start flowing about sun down and I’ll write until one or two in the morning. I write historical novels more than contemporary, so a lot of my writing time is spent researching on the web and in books. Besides dates and historical facts, I like to find personal accounts of events and feelings, like letters or journal entries from the Civil War, which I’ve found for the story I’m writing now that’s set during that time.

I’ll do enough research before I start writing to have a general idea of what I want to write. Then, during the writing process, I usually have to do more.

Tell us about your book. What is the spiritual message in it? What can readers expect to get from reading it? How and where can readers buy your book?

Both of my published books have been out for several years.

• The drama book: Abingdon’s Easter Drama Collection, #2, has six short dramas for Palm Sunday and Easter to get young and old involved in ministry and to inspire the congregation. It is usually sold in Christian bookstores during the Easter season, and can be ordered from Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN and from other places listed on the web.

• The local history book, Early Settlers of the K-Springs/Chelsea Area follows two pioneer families from Virginia, to South Carolina, then across Georgia and into Central Alabama. Descendants are scattered throughout the country – and in Australia. It has many old photographs and personal anecdotes, references at the end of chapters and an extensive index It’s purchased by individuals, libraries and historical groups from across the U.S and used in historical and family research and for enjoyment of people who like to read about our early settlers. It’s often quoted by other authors/genealogists and stories from it have been reprinted in other publications. Early Settlers…. can be purchased (sometimes second-hand from Amazon) and can be ordered by contacting me at ssnivens@bellsouth.net calling me at 205-678-6217, or writing 245 Brandy Circle, Chelsea, AL 35043. First published in December 1981, it is now in its third printing.

Diana (my agent) has three of my book manuscripts: A NON-FICTION, written as encouragement for people with chronic illness, shares my story (I have lupus) along with the stories of several other chronically ill persons. It shares Scripture, other spiritual writings, personal interviews with medical and spiritual leaders. A HISTORICAL NOVEL is set in Creek Indian Country, central and east Alabama, and South Carolina from which many early settlers migrated to this area. It is encouragement and inspiration to NOT try to work everything out on your own, but to be patient and let God lead and direct your life. A CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE encourages readers to hope in the Lord when the present and the future look hopeless.

Where do you get ideas? Character names? Do you find your characters similar to you in any way?

My ideas for a story come from situations in my life or in the lives of other people, along with interesting characters and events in history, and from current world events, such as an historical I’m working on titled Peace Talk. Character names come from just searching my brain for names that seem to fit them. Sometimes I find that I need to change a name after I get to know a character better. In my latest, the novel I’m working on now, the story idea came from the history of an interesting place I visited and the people I met there, along with suggestions from an editor about the time in which to set it. My heroine’s name came from the name of the place. My non-fiction, which is with Diana, came from the life experiences (mine and other people’s) while living with serious chronic illnesses. The title came from one of the main characteristics of my illness.


I’ve not had characters that are similar to me in appearance or actual experiences. But they usually have some of the same “hang-ups,” and inner conflicts/problems – such as trying to be too independent, and running ahead of God to try to “work out” a problem or situation.


Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through?

Yes, I have felt like giving up at times. I think the worse time with this was when my young adult daughter and I were having problems, and I started to feel that I had been a terrible mother to her. And if I had been a terrible mother to her I had probably been a terrible mother to my two sons, too. And if I was a terrible mother, then I was also a terrible wife, a terrible daughter, sister, etc. and a terrible person. So, how could I write things to help other people, when I couldn’t even help myself?

I wondered, what will I ever do with my life now? All I’ve ever wanted to be since I was a child is a wife, mother and writer. But I found that I couldn’t stay away from writing, and for awhile everything I wrote was either prayers about this or questions and thoughts where I was trying to figure it all out, with the help of the Bible.

This was good therapy for me, and God showed me through it that Satan was putting a lot of these negative thoughts into my head. He showed me through the love and appreciation of family members (eventually my daughter, too) how wrong my thinking was. And He showed me that oftentimes it’s through our own problems that we learn to understand the problems of others and can help them.

Who inspired you the most?

It was my second grade school teacher who first encouraged me to write. But it would be really difficult to name one person who has encouraged me the most to keep writing. Unless I can list that one Person as God. Many people all through the years have inspired me: teachers, parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, pastors, my husband, children and grandchildren and people who ask me to write things or publish what I write, editors and other well-published writers, and last but not least, Joyce Hart and Diana Flegal at Hartline Literary Agency.

Would you explain how you “chose” (or were chosen by) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin. 

When I first began writing, it was for magazines. If I subscribed to or obtained through other sources magazines I thought something I had written would fit, I would send it off to an editor whose name and address I found in the magazine.

Later, I discovered the book Writer’s Market and writers magazines. I spent hour after hour pouring over these trying to find just the right publisher. Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn’t.

And THEN I discovered writer’s conferences. The first time I went to one, I felt like I had died and gone to Heaven. Grin. I began meeting a lot of editors and published writers at conferences and making contacts this way. I first met Joyce Hart at a writers conference (But that is another story, and I have already told too many long stories. You can tell by these how passionate I am about writing.)

Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

I always have too many things in the writing to really relax for very long at a time. And, for all the years I’ve been writing and publishing, I don’t feel that I’m a success. I feel that I have not done nearly as much with my writing after all this time, that I should have done.

• Some of that comes from knowing that I can never do enough for the One who has done so much for me.
• Some from wanting to reach more and more people for the Lord. Some because of that writing “itch” within me.
• Some because I feel that the Lord just keeps on giving me writing opportunities. And to be really honest, since I was a child I’ve wanted to write and publish novels, and I guess I can never be satisfied until I am doing that. Oftentimes I have to remind myself of something I heard an editor say at a conference several years ago: “If you write (not necessarily publish) something that helps one person move one step closer to God, then what you wrote is a success.”
  

Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could?

• I enjoy having my family come to visit and enjoy being here.
• I enjoy the beach in early morning and late afternoon, walking, just sitting and enjoying the view or reading or writing. I like watching the sun set into the water and gathering shells.
• If I had a real hobby, it would probably be history research and genealogy, but I have to be careful to not get caught up in too much of this.
• I like drama,
• old-time Southern Gospel music, big band and symphony with the horns, and acoustic guitar.
• A trip to England and France would be nice, to see places where some of my long-ago ancestors lived.
• I dislike loud twangy music.
• I dislike clutter – but you wouldn’t know that by looking at my house. My biggest frustration in life has probably been trying to keep a neat house with chronic illness and writing.

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out?

http://shelbanivens.blogspot.com/

Anything else you’d like to share?

Only that, if someone feels they have a call from God to write, or if that old writing “itch” just won’t go away, then don’t give up. Although I started publishing soon after I began sending things out to editors, I have certainly not had that much “luck” with everything since then. I have received many rejection slips through the years. Some of my material has gone out numerous times before it was accepted. Some has never found a publisher. And I believe that everything we write is not meant to be published in a book or magazine. Things I’ve written have been shared in a number of other ways – such as drama, program and newsletter material for my church. Sometimes something we write is meant for the writer personally, for someone else we let read it, or even for an editor who rejects it. I’ve had editors ask me to let them know if it is published.

So, writers might look around for ways to use what they write, other than through “publishing.”

• I currently write a column (feature stories about our community’s people, activities, history) for our county newspaper, a prize-winning weekly. Read them at shelbycountyreporter.com, “Lifestyles,” “Columnists.”
• I’m available to hold writing workshops for small groups in Alabama and surrounding states (I have done this in the past in Alabama and Florida).
• I am also available to speak on dealing with chronic illness and the way God can use it to help self and others. (My stories about my experiences and the experiences of other people with chronic illness, have been published in magazines, and an as-yet unpublished book on this subject is with Diana at Hartline.)
• My book of local history is in its third printing and sells all across the country to individuals, libraries and historical groups. Two Birmingham television stations have interviewed me for news stories about local history and I’ve spoken on it to school and civic groups.

Thank you, Shelba, for joining me today. It's been a fun interview with you!

Let's hear your comments, readers, for a chance on one of Shelba's great books!
Blessings!

First Blessings

I wandered out to my garden pond flower garden this week and found a surprise. A sign that spring is here regardless of the fact that the weatherman is calling for snow Monday.

Spring is stealing in like a shy maiden. One foot forward, one step back. Blushing, radiant, and breathless with new life.

I'm ready!

Quote:
Every path has a few puddles.

Blessings!

A MOUSE TRAP STORY


A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

“What food might this contain?" He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:  "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember ---- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.


REMEMBER. . .

• EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;

• OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

• One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a FRIEND ! ! !

Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest, but about who came and never left your side.

Wonderful blessings to all of you, my friends!

Coming Wednesday, March 24th!

Shelba Nivens



author of

• a local history book, "Early Settlers of the K-Springs/Chelsea Area" (Alabama)
• and a copy of "Abingdon’s Easter Drama Collection, #2"!

She's giving away a copy of each. We'll pick two winners, each one will receive a book from Shelba! Check in and leave your comment if you're interested or just want to encourage Shelba!
Blessings!

Tomorrow is . . .

SPRING!

For winter's rains and ruins are over,

And all the season of snows and sins;

The days dividing lover and lover,

The light that loses, the night that wins;

And time remembered is    grief forgotten,

And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,

And in green underwood and cover

Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

          --Algernon Charles Swinburne

Quote:

A little madness in the spring is wholesome even for the king. --Emily Dickinson

Blessings!

Meet My Friend . . .
     Melanie G. Snyder

It's so good to have Melanie with us today. Welcome, Melanie!

How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

I’ve always loved writing and have written stories, poetry and essays since I was a little girl. I was one of those rare (and slightly WEIRD!) kids who LOVED school assignments to write research papers and book reports. I’ve also been a voracious reader my whole life and think that has a lot to do with my love of the written word. The funny thing is, though I’ve always thought of myself as a writer, I didn’t feel that I could legitimately tell others that I was a writer until I had my first articles published in magazines. And I’m finding that, now that I have a published book to my name, that seems to give me more credibility as a “real writer” in the eyes of others. Regardless of whatever public credibility I may achieve (or not!), in my heart, I have always been and will always be a writer.

I know what you mean about loving research. I've got that bug, too. What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

I write primarily non-fiction, on topics such as education, the arts, parenting and social issues.

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day?

I wish I could tell you that I have some type of discipline or structure about my writing. In addition to being a writer,

• I have numerous clients for whom I do a variety of (non-writing) projects,
• I teach writing courses and other courses for several area colleges, and
• I’m heavily involved in restorative justice and mediation work as a volunteer (along with numerous other volunteer commitments in the community).
• And I’m a wife and mother of two college-age kids (and a neurotic Golden Retriever).

So, every day is vastly different, and it’s difficult to find quiet, focused time to simply write.

But when I do get time to focus on writing, at the moment, it’s mostly spent on writing speeches and presentations to promote my first book, Grace Goes to Prison, which has just been published by Brethren Press (http://www.brethrenpress.com/)

You are busy! Tell us about your book. What can readers expect to get from reading it? How and where can readers buy your book?

Grace Goes to Prison tells how one unassuming, ordinary woman challenged conventional wisdom in our prison system during her 33 years as a prison volunteer, by practicing a radical form of LOVE for those who have committed crimes. Regardless of one’s views of our criminal justice system, this book is, at its core, about how one ordinary person can make an extraordinary difference in the world. Marie Hamilton’s example offers powerful lessons for ALL of us!

Grace Goes to Prison is available directly from the publisher, Brethren Press, at:

http://www.brethrenpress.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1497

You can find recent reviews of the book on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Goes-Prison-Inspiring-Humanity/product-reviews/087178128X/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Though the book is listed on Amazon, it is constantly “out of stock” and you’ll get much faster service ordering directly through Brethren Press. Also, I really encourage people to order through Brethren Press anyway as it supports this wonderful small, independent publisher.

Sounds fantastic! Where do you get ideas?

I think there are ideas for topics to write about all around us. But I’m especially interested in peoples’ stories. I believe EVERYONE has some incredible stories inside of them, and I love the process of engaging in dialogue with people to draw those stories out of them!

Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through? Who’s inspired you the most?

Sure, sometimes it is frustrating, trying to get past the writer’s block and the nagging voices in my head to get words on the page. And it’s frustrating to try to get others (editors, publishers) to take notice of what I write. You have to develop a thick skin to be a successful writer, because rejection is a constant. I once heard someone say, “Being a writer should be easy – grab a dictionary, pencil and paper and you have everything you need!” If only it were that simple. But when I get frustrated, or “blocked”, or tired of the “no, thank you’s” from editors and publishers, I think about what my life would be like if I COULDN’T write – and I can’t imagine how sad that would be. That knowledge keeps me moving forward.

So true! Would you explain how you “chose” (or were chosen by) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin. Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

For Grace Goes to Prison, the logical first publisher for me to approach was Brethren Press, because Marie Hamilton’s work was rooted deeply in the principles of her Church of the Brethren upbringing. Though I did send an initial query for this book to 5 other publishers (all simultaneously, by the way!), luckily Brethren Press responded very quickly that they were interested. The overall process of getting this book published was very easy and very fast, according to many of my writer friends who have also had books published. I committed to the project of writing the book in October, 2007, roughed out a first draft, query letter and book proposal by April, 2008, sent 6 query letters out on June 5, 2008, heard from Brethren Press by August 11, 2008 that they were interested in publishing the book, finished the manuscript and submitted it to Brethren Press by December 21, 2008, and the book was released on September 23, 2009, just shy of 2 years after I first took on the project.

I don’t expect to be nearly that lucky the next time around.

As for “sitting back and relaxing” from this success: no way! In many ways, the journey with this book is just beginning, as I now turn my attention to getting out and speaking to as many faith groups, civic groups, book groups, colleges and universities, and others as possible about Marie Hamilton’s work. (Anyone out there know of any potentially interested groups? If so, I’d love for you to contact me to discuss the possibility of a speaking engagement. See my website at http://www.melaniegsnyder.com/ for contact info)

Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could?

• Well, obviously writing is one of my “likes.” Some days, it’s also one of my dislikes!
• As for travel, I’m planning a cross-country book tour for the Spring of 2010. Going cross-country is something I’ve wanted to do for over 25 years. I had planned a cross-country trek with a friend right after college – but then both of us got job offers and decided to do the “responsible” thing and start working. But now, the publication of Grace Goes to Prison has given me the perfect reason to pursue that long-cherished dream!

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?
My website is http://www.melaniegsnyder.com/

I also have a Facebook group set up for Grace Goes to Prison at

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=85093900457

I’d love to connect with fellow writers and with readers!

Thank you so much, Caroline, for the opportunity to share my publishing journey with your readers! And blessings to you in your own writing ventures!


It's been a real privilege to have you here, Melanie! May God continue to bless your work.
Blessings

Winner!

Linda Glaz! Congratulations, Linda. If you'll send me your address, I'll pass it on to Cindy so she can get your book to you!
browncarole212@yahoo.com

This week, Wednesday, March 17:

Melanie G. Snyder, author of Grace Goes to Prison, will visit my blog and give one of her books away. Don't miss reading her writing tale.

Blessings, dear readers!

Nuggets . . .



Leave tomorrow's trouble to tomorrow's strength;

• (I have no idea what faces me . . . tomorrow, but I rest in the knowledge that God is big enough for whatever "it" is and he will give me the strength I need.) 

Tomorrow's work to tomorrow's time;

• (What I accomplish today is enough. What I need to do tomorrow will be there waiting for me . . . tomorrow. I shouldn't get anxious about my duties for the future.)

Tomorrow's trail to tomorrow's grace and tomorrow's God!

• (And whatever God has planned for me . . . tomorrow, he will lead the way. My path will be exciting and full of adventures. Breathtaking.)

Blessings!

Childish? Yeah.

I'm a person who likes homemade desserts.

Most of the time.

I mean, sure, there are some great, expensive desserts out there that can be bought. And there are also many that are mediocre and downright awful.

But for the most part, nothing beats a homemade luscious pie, or a rich, delectable cake, or some cookies that cause you to close your eyes in total delight at the first bite.

So, I've got an excuse for why I've fallen for something that's new to me.

• We travel a lot. (I mean, you've gotta have something to munch on to while away all those miles, don't you?
• I've always loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Childish, I know, but can't help it. Love them!
• Gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling that's due to remembering eating those sandwiches as a child.

I guess that's more than one. Still, when I found these cakes on the store shelf, I thought we'd try them. Don't know if they're something new or been around for awhile.

And they are really good. The mixture of the oatmeal cake with the smooth, sweet blend of peanut butter and jelly makes for a tasty treat. I'm hooked.

Gotta go. It's treat time . . .



Quote:
I don't want to be a passenger in my own life. --Deane Akerman

Blessings!

Talented historical writer
         Cindy Thomson

Giveaway: Celtic Wisdom!

Leave a comment for a chance to win

Cindy's book!

How long have you known that you were a writer? Did you receive a clear “call?” Or have you just loved writing all your life?

A tough question right off the bat! I’m not one of those authors who knew they wanted to be a writer from a young age. I wanted to be a teacher, and I was for nearly 20 years. I liked to make up stories when I was young, and I dabbled with writing a little. Then we moved and I didn’t have a job. I started praying about what God wanted me to do, and I wrote in my journal that I had been suppressing my desire to write. So, I just started writing (about my ancestors) and I got the bug.

What is the genre you write in? Would you explain what it is?

What I write is history-related. I have both fiction and nonfiction and I write for genealogy magazines.

How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

This year I set a goal to write 2,000 words per day. I’ve been doing pretty well with that. If I don’t have any other appointments, I start my day with breakfast, devotions and prayer, writing, exercise, lunch, and more writing. Writing a novel for me takes anywhere from 6 months to a year. I might cut that down though, now that I’m more committed to a daily word count.

Tell us about your new book. What is the spiritual message in it? What can readers expect to get from reading it? How and where can readers buy your book?

• Celtic Wisdom, Treasures From Ireland is what I have a tendency to call a “kind of gift book” and that’s because of all the historical background it contains.
• But it also is filled with stories, poems, and sayings, and beautiful color photographs of Ireland.
• It’s artistically designed, something Lion does quite well with their books.
• There are chapters on all three of the patron saints of Ireland: Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille (or Columba.)
• There is a chapter on the Apostles of Erin, the men who founded the major monasteries in Ireland (and certainly Columba was one of those), and chapters on Celtic Learning and Art, and Celtic Prayer.
• There is also a bibliography of sources in the back of the book. Lion has a pdf preview on their site (a great way to get a glimpse of the interior) at:

http://www.lionhudson.com/detail.php?product_id=1226570

• My hope is that readers will be inspired by the stories of these ancient people as they travel on their own spiritual journeys.

• The book can be ordered by any bookstore or ordered online at any retailer including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, even Target.

You asked about my research earlier.

I have been researching ancient Ireland ever since I discovered St. Brigid at an Irish festival. Well, not her exactly, but a display about her. There are so many fascinating tales that I had to learn more. And then I decided to write about her. I researched the social history of the time period, which is a little tricky when you are going back to the 5th century. But there were some wonderful books written by PW Joyce in the late 19th and early 20th century. PBS did a documentary on the early time period, and there were lots of historians, both here in and in Ireland, who were willing to answer my questions and point me to resources. The research is a really fun part of writing historical fiction.

As you might guess, I have Irish roots. They go back pretty far, to the 18th century, but that is how I first got interested in all things Irish.

Do you ever feel like giving up? Most people don’t understand the stress, the work, and the joy of being a writer. How tenuous becoming a writer is. Do you care to share how it feels, what discouraging/encouraging times you’ve gone through? Who’s inspired you the most?

You are right, Caroline. The writer’s life is filled with ups and downs. I’ve had my share of rejections, of books getting close with a publishing house and then being shot down, of editors saying they love the writing but can’t sell that time period, of negative Amazon reviews . . .

The joys, however, are great. When you learn that your book is going to be published, it’s like Christmas! When you first see your cover art, you feel like your baby has been born and will soon be seen by the world. When readers tell you they love your book—those are special moments. But I suppose the greatest joy is knowing that you stuck with it and were obedient to what God called you to do.

Who has inspired me the most?

There have been a lot of people. Early on Tricia Goyer and Sharon Hinck were my mentors. My agent, Chip MacGregor, does a great job of helping me on this journey. I have several writer friends that help also. In the end, it’s my faith in God that inspires me to do what would be impossible without him.

Would you explain how you “chose” (or were chosen by) a publisher? Do you just go “inny, minny, miny, moe?” Grin. Now, that you’re published, can you sit back and relax from the success you’ve experienced?

Two good questions!

Brigid of Ireland was rejected by several publishers, including one who took the idea to committee not once but twice. I started thinking about Stephen Lawhead’s book, Patrick Son of Ireland. I asked my agent at the time about querying this publisher (that is in the UK) and he said it was worth a try.

Almost immediately after I realized that this publisher hadn’t published Patrick Son of Ireland, and they did very, very, little fiction. I thought it was a mistake. But as it turned out, they did want to publish it. So I see that as a God thing.

My most recent book, Celtic Wisdom, was targeted to the same publisher, although it went to a different division, because they do great gift books. I do have another book, a baseball biography. I did not have an agent for that one and I looked at who else was publishing those kinds of books. I chose a university press because the books don’t go out of print and you get superior editing. For that type of book, it was the right decision.

Can I sit back and relax? Are you crazy? (Caroline: just a little.)There is no guarantee for me that another book will be published. And besides that, authors have to be in charge of promoting their books, so there is no rest!

Do you mind telling us some of your likes and dislikes? Hobbies, interests? Where would you like to travel if you could?

Almost everyone who knows me knows that I’m dying to go to Ireland. I haven’t been yet. My husband and I are beginning to plan a trip.

Genealogy has always been a hobby for me since I was a teenager, but I don’t have much time now to work on my family tree. I love Celtic music, and I’m a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. I love baseball. And of course, I love to read.

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out? Anything else you’d like to share? Promotional information?

• My web site is http://www.cindyswriting.com/

• On the site you can sign up for my monthly newsletter. I always have some kind of contest where I give something away, usually something with an Irish theme. And you can keep up with what I’m working on. Also on my web site you can find a link to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and see where I’ll be appearing.

• I have a blog called Celtic Voices where I explore the legacy of faith left to us by the ancients:  http://celticvoices.blogspot.com/

• I’m the creator of a team blog focused on historical fiction. We do author interviews, book reviews, and genre info every week. We also have a drawing every week for a free book. http://favoritepastimes.blogspot.com/

Thanks for having me, Carole!



It's been a real privilege to have Cindy here today.

There you have it, folks, an insight into Cindy's life and books. Check them out, and don't forget to comment for a chance to win her Celtic Wisdom book.

Blessings!

Coming . . .

     Cindy Thomson!

Have you read Cindy's Brigid of Ireland? No?

Then don't miss her upcoming interview on March 10th!

She's giving away a copy of her Celtic Wisdom book!


Quote:
Not being able to govern events, I govern myself. --Michel de Montaigne
Blessings!

   Wild,
Beautiful
    and

Dangerous

Imagine: moving through the water with a beautiful killer whale beside you. One that you've loved, trained, worked with for years . . .

But now, the black and white creature is showing her wild nature . . . a nature that has been tamed--to a degree. A nature that has been altered--in a minor way, so that she obeys commands and shows off and stuns crowds with her performance. Still, a wild nature.

Whether obeying its killer instincts or whether from wanting its trainer close and trying to show affection to you, you're suddenly on the receiving end of unwanted attention . . . This killer whale has pulled you under the water--a habitat outside of your limits after a certain amount of time and without the proper equipment--and . . . 

with your waist clamped between its jaws, you have minutes or seconds before you're dead . . . what are you thinking?

I'm fascinated with animals. Wild or tame, most of them have a loneness, a dignity about them that commands attention. They are creatures that are beautiful. But wild. And dangerous.

If you heard the latest about the killer whale in Florida who killed Dawn, the trainer, it will refresh your memory that wild animals are dangerous. Especially when big.

A few tidbits about killer whales:

• There's some research that says due to the killer whales superior brain power, pitted against the great white shark, they'll come out on top. How? Not my strength or size, for sure. But by flipping the whale over, who promptly goes into a trance and is at the mercy of the killer whale.
• While there is no known instance of a killer whale attacking a human in the wild, the number of shark attacks continue at the rate of more than one a week.
• Average life span in the wild: 50 to 80 years

And a few more:

• Their size is relative to a bus: Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.
• They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches (ten centimeters) long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice (ouch!). They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.

Makes you realize that there are some things in our personal lives that we need to stay away from. Things, that without God's help, we have no business messing with. Places, where we shouldn't go. People we should avoid. Weaknesses in ourselves we should guard against. Words that should never be spoken.

In Corinthians God promises that he won't let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. Satan brings temptations to all of us, but God is bigger and more powerful. We can rest in that knowledge!

Quote:

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second, when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied. --Pearl S. Buck

Blessings

WINNERS!

Yep, I'm announcing TWO winners!

• Christine won Robin Shope's book. LAST CALL, Christine, please contact me. You have until tonight at 7 p.m.
• Second choice for Robin's book:  Sherry Kuhn!! If I don't hear from Christine by tonight, please contact me with your address, Sherry, and I'll pass it on to Robin so you can get your book.

• Doug, you won a copy of Toni's book!!! Please send me your address so Toni can get her book out to you!

Thanks, everyone!

Blessings!

Catchy Books . . .


A Stray Drop of Blood by Roseanna White

(Biblical)

Riveting.

Powerful.

Complex.

Laurie Kingery's The Outlaw's Lady . . .

(historical)

Touching.

Captivating.

Real life characters.

Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard

(Regency)

Delightful.

Intoxicating.

Romantic.

The Easter Edition by Robin Shope

(Contemporary)

Fun.

Heart-touching.

Believable.

Dwight Ritter's Emerson the Magnificent . . .

(for the old and the young)

Entertaining.

Charming.

Original.

Quote:

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."   — Dr. Seuss

Blessings!