Serious Wednesday: Author Eddie Jones Visits!

Welcome To Nick (and Eddie!). 

Using a young person's viewpoint, Eddie captures their doubts, questions, and suspicions of what is real and what is not. In today's world, plenty of young people are searching for faith of some sort, for answers. 

We're excited to read about this opportunity for writers who want to learn about writing for the young adult age group. Read on to find out what makes Nick tick and some of his history and a bit about what Nick's adventures are about...you won't be disappointed!

Some readers have asked the guy who helps me write my stories (Mr. Jones) if I’m a Christian. I doubt that I am. I’m in my teens, which means I sort of question everything. Especially people who say they know for sure something is true.

I know Mom and Dad aren’t Christians. Neither is my sister. But then again, a lot of the people I meet who say they are Christians don’t act like it. They’re mean or rude or don’t do hardly any of the things the Bible says you’re supposed to do, like treat your neighbor like you want to be treated or (and this is a big one) treat God like he’s actually GOD.

Pop, my grandfather, is a Christian. He used to teach religion at a college in Sleepy Hollow. When I was a kid he told me every person who’s ever been born was messed up in God’s eyes. Some worse than others. But Pop said being even a little messed up is enough to send you off the road and into the ditch. Except he didn’t say ditch. He used a word I can’t repeat because Mom says it’s a cuss word. Pop said that’s how come we need God’s help to get fixed.

I know most of the boys my age don’t think a lot of stuff in the Bible actually happened. Like, how can there have been dinosaurs during the Jurassic Park era and the earth only be 6000 years old? 6000 years old! My grandfather has packing peanuts that old. My grandfather never throws away bubble wrap or packing peanuts. “Never know when I’m going to need to mail something.” By the way, my grandfather hardly ever leaves the house so I’m not sure when he thinks he’s going to mail something to someone.

But then my science teacher swears we came from some single-cell-ameba-whatever that crawled from the sea a gazillion years ago and eventually grew into a human. How’s that even possible? And where did the single-cell-ameba-whatever come from? Or the earth? Or our solar system? See what I’m saying? There had to be something or someone before there was the single-cell-ameba-whatever. I’ll be honest: I’m not sure either side knows the real facts.

Only thing I know is that the more I read in the Bible about ghosts and the “walking dead,” and “men turned into wild beasts” (that could or could not have been a “wolf-man”), the more I wonder if maybe some (maybe all) of what’s in the Bible might be true.

And if it is, then the Bible is about the scariest book I know of.

By the way, did you know that:

• According to the National Assessment of Education Progress' latest report, 64% of all eighth-grade students are unable to read proficiently.
• 82% percent of black students and 77% of Hispanic students are not reading proficiently.
• More than 30 million Americans cannot read or write above a third-grade level.
• 85% of the juveniles in the court system are functionally illiterate, as are 60% of prison inmates.
• The reading gap between boys and girls increases as they age. By 12th grade girls are two times more likely to score higher on reading tests than boys.

I wrote the 'Caden Chronicles' series with boys in mind. The 'Caden Chronicles' books are short murder mysteries with a spiritual supernatural element. For example, 

Dead Man's Hand addresses the myth of ghosts. 

Skull Creek Stakeout addresses the myth of vampires (it started in the Upper Room). 

Dead Low Tide addresses the myth of zombies and the walking dead. 

Rumor of a Werewolf deals with powerful men who refuse to honor God 

and are turned into beast-like creatures (Book of Daniel).

"Immediately his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. Let him live with the animals of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal." ~ the Bible "werewolf"

Opportunity for writers:

By the way, if you know a boy or girl who likes to make up stories and stuff, send them my way. The Cool Ghoul Gazette, at http://coolghoulgazette.com needs some new writers/reporters. No experience required. We will teach you how to write a lead, build upon the “who, what, when, where, how” reporting style, and help you improve your writing skills. Think of this like your high school newspaper, only way more fun.

The man who helps me write the Caden Chronicle series (Mr. Jones) graduated with a journalism degree back when reporters published the facts, not their opinions, and sought to present both sides of a story fairly. (Mr. Jones added that last part.) And if you’re too old to be called young (or whatever), you can still write for us. It’s just that we give kids my age first priority on the big stories.You can contact me, Nick Caden, at: mailto:editor@coolghoulgazette.com. The scarier the story, the better. If The Cool Ghoul Gazette had been around when that fellow Edgar Allan Poe was alive, he’d have probably written for us. Anyway, we need lots of scary stories so send us some strange writers.

Thank you so much for joining us Nick (and Eddie)!!

Blessings!

Rambling Friday: Up, up and Away!

Up, up and away!

Summertime --although to be truthful--

is too hot for me,

but I love the activities!

Water at the lake and beach,

flowers in bloom and the green of the earth,

visiting U.S. sites filled with history, fun and interest.

Traveling, camping, cookouts, visits.

Way too busy,

but who NOT wants it to continue?

have a fun-filled and safe summer!

Rebels, Adventure and Mystery by Author Linda Weaver Clarke

I'm tickled to host Linda on my blog today, not only because of her fun and interesting books, but also because she's a wonderful friend who's caring and helpful to other authors! She's sharing today about her series, why she wrote the books and her love of that period. Welcome, Linda!

Historical Romance: 

Stories of Rebels,

Adventure, and Mystery

My favorite time period is historical because it’s during a time when men defended a lady’s honor and treated women with respect. The women, on the other hand, were not pansies by any means. I love strong women characters who fight for what they believe.

The Rebel Series is a Historical Mystery/Adventure Romance set in the 1700s. I love historical romance and I love mysteries. Many people have asked me why I wrote a story about rebels. Simple! I love a rogue who fights for justice and for the people.

It was a bunch of rebels who fought for our freedom here in America. They wanted to be free from the dictatorship and tyranny of a king. Liberty is something that I cherish. So I decided to write about a small country that struggles to be free.

My favorite genre to write is a mixture of romance, mystery, and adventure. I also love a romance where the man and woman know they are meant for one another, even though there are trials along the way. Instead of drama between a couple, I prefer having suspense in the main plot, instead.

What is The Rebels Series about?

In The Rebels of Cordovia, a group of men and women find themselves fighting for their rights, for freedom of speech, and equality. In the small country of Cordovia, groups of rebels begin springing up, but its Robin’s Rebels who get the attention of the king.

In this battle for freedom, a tender love story begins to blossom. Daniel, a rogue and a leader of the Freemen, doesn’t realize that the sweet feminine woman he has met and is falling for happens to be the leader of Robin’s Rebels. Realizing the importance of uniting all the rebel groups, Daniel tries to recruit Robin’s Rebels but they refuse. Now he has to find a way to convince them. When he finds out the leader is actually a woman, what will his reaction be?

https://youtu.be/-Nd2vqNYqSA

In book 2, The Highwayman of Cordovia, the people enjoy their new-found liberty, but all is not well. A group of powerful men plan to take over the small country and replace the leader with a king. With the help of a bold highwayman and a pastor’s daughter, they try to save their country from being taken over by a power-hungry leader. As they strive to stop the Kingmen and thwart their plans, Christine finds herself falling in love with Austin Knight. The only problem with their relationship is that she thinks he is her knight in shining armor instead of a highwayman. If she finds out his trade, what will her reaction be? As a pastor’s daughter, will love override her values?

https://youtu.be/UtHY-DPjfFE

In book 3, The Fox of Cordovia, a sinister plot has just been uncovered and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it. Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for help, the adventure begins.

https://youtu.be/mCgwRF5nzQ8

How about the reviews for this series?

When I sent The Rebels of Cordovia to Sunnie Reviews, she wrote: 

“I so enjoyed this fun book! It has adventure, romance, a little mystery, and action.  

No boring moments here. Placed back in the days of wicked and oppressive kings, 

the rebels work together for the freedoms of the common people.  

Will they succeed against the governing forces? 

The romance is sweet and the action is plenty.”

Author Charissa Stastny reviewed The Highwayman of Cordovia: 

“This sequel to the Rebels of Cordovia takes a pastor’s daughter 

and mixes her in with a rogue highwayman. The results will surprise you in this continued battle 

for freedom and justice. This sweet romance had action and intrigue, 

mysteries to solve, and villains to thwart.”

Inishowen Cailín, from Ireland, wrote about The Fox of Cordovia on her blog: 

“I loved this book. It is full of adventure, drama, intrigue and suspense. 

We've got kidnapping plots, pirate ships, daring rescues and romance. 

The author weaves an exciting tale and a sweet romance together 

in a way that will appeal to all readers.”

To read a sample chapter from each of my books in The Rebel Series, go to: 

•  http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/historicalromance.html 
• and click on the TITLE.
• To purchase a book on the same page, 
• click on the COVER and it will take you directly to Amazon. 
• These books can also be purchased from Barnes and Noble.

Readers, be sure to check out her links! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Happy Reading!

Meet My Friend and Writer,

Eddie Jones!

Please leave your comments and email address for a chance to win Eddie'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?

I wrote for my high school newspaper and later the college newspaper, The Technician. Earned a degree in English and continued to write part-time after college. Since the mid-eighties I’ve written a humorous boating column called Hard Aground. Still do. Couple of years ago I began writing full time. I make less now than I did selling toilet paper but I started at the bottom there and worked my way up, too.

I don’t know that I received a call so much as a nudge. Was in the audience at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference several years ago. I’d just been laid off from my job at IBM. Al Gansky mentioned something about writing for God. That seemed like a good gig. I figured God wasn’t going out of business and wouldn’t fire me. Turns out God doesn’t pay writers a lot of money. But there’s a clause in my contract that says I’ll get my rewards later so I’m banking on that bonus.

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

I write adult fiction and non-fiction, Teen / Tween and Middle Grade books. I also write devotions and columns. If it has words I’m all over it. As far as adult genres, I write romantic comedy. My characters are disturbed — but then so are most my friends and All my family members. Currently my agent is pitching Bahama Breeze, a tan and sandy love story. She also has Dixie Chicken, another love story that involves Civil War reenactors in denial, professional golfers in recovery, Tea Party patriots, civil rights leaders, mafia hit men and a cadaver dog. I’m working on the second book in the Caribbean Chronicles, Dead Calm, Bone Dry. This is a teeen/tween middle grade read. It follows on the success of The Curse of Captain LaFoote. Finally, my agent is pitching a straight middle grade book called, The Hill Top Ghost Ranch Mystery.

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?

On my novels, I try to write 1000 new words a day. I write on my own work from 7:30 to 11:30, grab lunch and begin work on my freelance and ghost writing. That usually takes me until nap time. Afterwards, I grab a cup of coffee and finish up that’s days quota. I polish as I write so I spend a lot of time going back, editing what I wrote the day before. This allows me to build up momentum for the new words. But I’m also a little obsessive compulsive. I can’t just leave something alone until I fix it. I can usually finish an 80,000 novel in six months. But lately, given all my work with Christian Devotions Ministries and the teaching at writers conferences, it’s taking longer.

You recently had a book published. Would you take this time to describe it to us? How and where can readers buy your books?

The Curse of Captain LaFoote is a pirate tale awash in buried treasure, romance and dead men's bones. The truth is, this book and the ones that follow in the Caribbean Chronicle series are love stories. For Ricky Bradshaw, the hero of the book, the story is a quest to find his father, soul mate, and purpose in life. For guys, finding their father and gaining his approval is huge. Of course finding love is pretty high up there, too.

Here’s the book’s premise:

If you drowned and the sea spit you out, thrusting you back into an age of pirates, buried treasure and beauty beyond belief… would you stay?

Ricky Bradshaw has never sailed the Caribbean Sea, searched for buried treasure or battled pirates on the deck of a Spanish Galleon. He’s never fallen through the floor of Davy Jones’ locker, befriended a witch doctor or watched an old fisherman morph into a porpoise. All Ricky knows is his lonely life with his widowed mom in a tiny apartment overlooking a marina on the Chesapeake Bay.


But all that changes on a snowy Christmas Eve when Ricky’s apartment building burns down and he falls into the chilly waters while trying to save barnacle, a mangy mutt with shrimp breath. Suddenly Ricky finds himself confronted by his neighbor, a young woman in a pink bathrobe who jumped to her death in order to escape the flames. She offers him a choice: go with her to a wonderful afterlife where snowflakes taste like candy or return to the dreary old world he knows. Ricky picks the past and awakes on a raft in the middle of the sea where there is surprising beauty on every island, danger around every corner and great honor and glory ahead of him… if only Ricky can summon the courage to survive the curse of Captain LaFoote.

So it’s a pirate fantasy love story. One of the great things about the book is that Ricky suffers from epilepsy and I get to weave a little of that into the book, too. Early in the story I needed a reason for Ricky to fall into the water. I did the same thing years ago. Jumped into the Neuse River in February while holding an outboard motor. So I knew how Ricky would react to the shock of cold water. I also knew Ricky would surface and be okay if I didn’t give him another wound.

A friend suggested that I let my lead have epilepsy. She said when she has episode she sort of zones out: like daydreaming except she can’t stop it. She also said she knows when it’s about to happen. That she smells something like burning wires. So I gave Ricky epilepsy and finished the story.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized the book had a larger purpose. I met another woman at a writer’s conference whose son has epilepsy. During the conference, her son suffered a seizure — the first one he’d ever had without his mother present. The look on her face that morning convinced me that Ricky Bradshaw could be a champion for those suffering from epilepsy.

It’s not cancer or heart disease but over three million Americans live with epilepsy. If the sale of this book can raise awareness, then the book has done its job. For each book sold, the publisher and I will donate “a few pieces of eight” — half a sandy dollar — to the foundation’s Heroes Among Us program. Our goal is to raise ten thousand dollars in honor of Ricky Bradshaw. I’d like to present them with a portion of those funds later this month at the Walk For Epilepsy in Washington D.C.

The book is available at http://CaptainLaFoote.com/ via Amazon. Or just search “LaFoote” and you’ll pull it up. It should be in the Barnes and Noble system, too. I doubt you’ll find it in bookstores yet.

What is the spiritual message in your book? What can readers expect to get from reading it?

That courage costs. Near the end of the book Ricky has the chance to go back to his old life. We get to do the same thing, go back to our old way of doing things. But Christ calls us to repent and move on. Ricky faces that choice. Either way he’ll pay a steep price, as will we.

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?

My wife wishes I’d give up and get a job with a regular paycheck. But I’ve done that and found there’s no security there, either. I don’t really think about giving up. What I do think is that this is a tough business because of the solitude, of the way we don’t get daily feedback from our employer or customers. I have a pretty idea of when an article or scene is well written but there isn’t any affirmation so it’s a lonely journey. This is why faith in God is key. If you’re not sure He’s in the calling and craft then I think you’ll spend a lot of time looking over your shoulder wondering if you should be doing something else.

He’s given me a gift and it’s my job to develop it to the best of my ability.

Who’s inspired you the most?

I know I’m supposed to list people who pump me up and push me to be better, but honestly, I’ve had more people tell me to quit than keep going. So in that sense, I’d have to say God has inspired me the most. He’s the one who, when I’m down, sends me a verse of encouragement or a promise. ‘Course, I’m also hard headed so sometimes he sends road blocks that force me to stop and pick a different route.

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

First one that offered a contract got the book. I like to produce, not dicker. My agent wanted to hold out for other offers. In hindsight, she was probably right. We had a few houses show interest after I signed. But it’s just one book and there’ll be others after this one so you pick and move on. God can work all things for the good so I trust this will work out for the best.

As to relaxing, I wish I could, but the marketing part of selling a book is the real work. Lining up the blog stops (like this one), media appearances, radio interviews, reviews, endorsements, and all that is a job. Plus, I still have other books to write. I haven’t had a vacation in two years and don’t see one on the horizon.

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

I like sailing, surfing, walking in the woods and sitting on the beach when it’s hot. I hate the cold. Takes me until June to thaw out. Each day I put on the armor of God and when I get to the breastplate I say: Lord, place your breastplate across my chest that my heart may be pure and my dreams secure — my dreams of sailing around the Caribbean, surfing reef breaks and writing a best selling novel. Maybe one day He’ll give me that dream.

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

http://www.captainlafoote.com/
http://www.eddiejones.org/
http://www.writerscoach.us/.

I’d also like to put a shout out to moms and dads with kids. We’re holding our first DevoFest Creative Arts Conference this June 17,18,19 at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest North Carolina. This is a media arts event for kids ages 7-17. Conference fee is $85. We’ve got a great faculty, some of the top names in writing. For adults, if you bring your kid you get to attend for free. Helping kids become better writers is a passion of mine, so please, visit http://www.devofest.com/ and sign them up!

Thank you, Eddie, for visiting my blog!
Don't forget to leave your comments and email addresses, folks, for a chance to win his book!
 
Blessings!

The Paint Horse Tale . . .

At the apartment where we're staying, this horse lives next door.

She's young and homesick for her old home, I think.

And maybe a little rambunctious on top of that.

Young and restless.

Spoiled? Maybe.

(Is that how God sees me? a little rambunctious in my wants and desires? Restless to have it NOW? Spoiled from all the good things he's given me already? But loving me anyway?)

Tired of being there, she sought for an escape route and found one.

Hubby saw her through a window out back of our place and went after her.

She trotted innocently onto a well-traveled road.

Fortunately there are decent people in this world.

(Do I innocently - or not - seek my own path - the one that will get me THERE faster?

Fortunately, for me, there is God!)

 

A neighbor ran out and flagged oncoming traffic.

Business men from across the street shut their gates and treated her to an apple from some guy's lunch.

Hubby led her back to our yard to await for owner to appear.

Lady Paint was given good grass to eat all day, lots of loving pats and visits so she wouldn't get lonely.

(Ready to help me and lead me in the path I should go, even when I pull on the reins!)

Too bad I can't fly her home with us. LOL

Owner finally returned home late and hubby informed her of horse's dangerous adventure.

She was grateful. I just hope she's more careful.

(Let me be thankful for all God does for me!)

Blessings!