A warm welcome to Jennifer Allen,
one of the authors of the
Christian Fiction off the Beaten Path anthology.
What does
it mean to be a newly published author?
Most people would say the only
difference between a writer and an author is the money. An author is
I’ve always thought of myself as a
novelist. I wrote a YA Christian crime novel and spent years
improving it because it was the kind of story I like to read. But I
got nowhere seeking an agent for it. I had many agents ask to see
sample chapters and my business plan only to have them to turn it
down for various reasons, usually because the YA Christian fiction
market is so tough to publish in.
Then I had the opportunity to write a
short story for Mt. Zion Ridge Press. The only constraint was that it
had to be set in Ohio. Although I am a huge fan of mystery short
stories and have read hundreds of them, I’d never thought about
writing one. My first crime short story, “Debt to Pay”, appeared
in the anthology From the Lake to the River, last September.
So I was now officially an author. But I didn’t grow into that role
until three months later.
Last December, Mt. Zion Ridge Press was
accepting submissions for Christmas short stories. I had two weeks to
come up with a 5,000-word story that actually made sense. As slowly as
I write, 5,000 words seemed as unconquerable as climbing a 5,000-foot
peak in my bare feet. But I decided to go for it.
As I worked on my YA mystery, “A Rose
from the Ashes”, I became more concerned with writing the story the
way God wanted me to rather than taking it over and writing it to
please myself. I didn’t think of it as my story. For some reason,
God wanted to filter this story through me. I was very aware that it
was finely balanced, and I didn’t want to wreck it.
And something funny happened. As I
wrote and revised and sweated, the story became exactly the kind of
story I’ve always wanted to write. Christmas is my favorite
holiday, and some of my favorite mysteries are set at Christmas. Here
I had the chance to write one. I’m a country girl at heart, and the
story is set in a rural county in Ohio. The mystery hinges on mercy
and forgiveness, two qualities I focus on as I grow as a Christian.
So being a newly published author does
mean getting paid for my art. Having the owners of Mr. Zion Ridge
Press accept my stories was a wonderful validation of my hard work.
But the true payment for being an author means collaborating with my
heavenly Father as a junior partner. I can’t wait to see what other
projects He has in mind.
Jennifer's holding a book giveaway on her site!
BIO
JPC Allen started her writing career in
second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo. She’s been tracking down
mysteries ever since. A former children’s librarian, she is a
member of ACFW and has written mystery short stories for Mt. Zion
Ridge Press. Online, she offers writing tips and prompts to beginning
writers. She also leads writing workshops for tweens, teens, and
adults, encouraging them to discover the adventure of writing. A
lifelong Buckeye, she has deep roots in the Mountain State. Join the
adventure on her blog,
Facebook,
Instagram, or
Goodreads.
Book Blurb
Christmas fiction off the beaten
path
Not your Granny’s Christmas stories …
Step off the beaten path and enjoy six
stories that look beyond the expected, the traditional, the
tried-and-true.
Inspired by the song, “Mary Did You
Know?” – a mother’s memories of events leading up to and
following that one holy night. MARY DID YOU KNOW? by Patricia
Meredith
A young woman seeking her own identity
searches for the man who tried to kill her and her mother on
Christmas Eve twenty years before. A ROSE FROM THE ASHES by JPC
Allen
Princess, tower, sorceress, dragon,
brave knight, clever peasant – combine these ingredients into a
Christmas-time story that isn’t quite what you’d expect. RETURN
TO CALLIDORA by Laurie Lucking
Anticipating tough financial times, the
decision not to buy or exchanged presents leads to some painful and
surprising revelations for a hardworking man and his family. NOT THIS
YEAR by Sandra Merville Hart
Years ago, a gunman and a store full of
hostages learned some important lessons about faith and pain and what
really matters in life – and the echoes from that day continued to
the present. THOSE WHO STAYED by Ronnell Kay Gibson
A community of refugees, a brutal
winter, a doorway to another world – a touch of magic creating
holiday joy for others leads to a Christmas wish fulfilled. CRYSTAL
CHRISTMAS by Michelle L. Levigne
BUY LINKS
2 comments:
Thanks so much for letting me guest blog!
Loved reading more about Jennifer and her story. Great article!
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