Serious Wednesday: Jennifer Allen Shares About Becoming a NEW Author!

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

paid for his or her writing. But since I’ve become an author in the last fourteen months, I’ve discovered being an author of Christian fiction means more than just a paycheck.

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! 

Click here for details

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

Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 24Symbols, Kobo

Serious Wednesdays: Excellent Reasons to Write Short

So you want to break into fiction? How can you do it?

Many say, "write a lot."

Or "begin with a series."

Or even, "look into the easier markets: romance..."

Build your platform first

Blog every day.

And on and on.

Overwhelming? Yep. It takes time to write anything, but a book? While taking care of a family and working a day job?

Why not start with short stories?

It's a good, traditional starting point to break into fiction writing. It can stretch your creature juices, build up a readership, and help you fine-tune your writing for longer projects. You might just bring in some added income too.

Here’s some reasons to write short:

1.  Easier to be discovered

Because the more you write, the easier it is for people to discover you. On Amazon, you'll have a far greater chance of being discovered, more people will begin to read your work, review and spread the word that you're a great author.  Have you seen the "Customers who bought this also bought" phrase on Amazon? The more work you have out there, the greater opportunity to be read. Once readers are acquainted with your work, the more apt they are to pick up your next piece of work and recommend you to their friends.

2. You also have a better price option to choose. 

For someone who doesn't know you or your work, it will be easier to pick up a short story for $.99 than a longer book selling at $12.99. It's easier to take a chance. Even fans will feel happy to pick up a short piece of work. Once you have the short stories under your belt, you can then move on to novellas and price them accordingly.

3.  Short Stories can give new readers a glimpse of your work before commitment.

New readers to your work may find it easier to put in the short time reading your work...at least until you've "hooked" them. Once they enjoy your writing, they can move on to your longer books, and hopefully, have a devoted fan for life.

4.  Gimmicks, Etc.

Giving away copies of short stories has several benefits: less time to write and less expensive for you. Not only that, but you can use them on your blog to draw new readers or newsletter readers, and if you wish, use them as kindle giveaways. 

5.  Writing Short Stories can help improve your writing.

You learn to write "tight." You can experiment with writing points of view you normally don't write with. Or you can tackle different genres or time periods. Even if it's not to your own satisfaction, have fun, maybe even get feed back from readers...there's all sorts of possibilities.

6.  This is one of my favorites:  Write about secondary characters from a longer work of fiction you're writing. This is an exciting way to include more information from a longer work. It expands the readers' view of the characters and give them an entirely different view from a new direction. Not only that, but it helps you expand your view and consciousness into your longer work. What connections your readers will gain...and even you!

7.  And, finally, writing short stories is a huge opportunity to combine them into an anthology or a series which means you have yet another new way to sell, and at a novel-price point. It also gives you another product for your list of works, and a way for readers to connect with you.

Happy Writing Day!

*****

Sabotaged Christmas

Perrin only wanted to be left alone to write. He didn't need a cute, curly-haired carpenter to disturb his concentration.

Toni wanted to save her business from destruction, but Perrin seemed the one person to whom she could point a finger. 

But there was more than snowflakes in the air. Trouble was abounding all around Appleton. And romance and sabotage is not a good mix. 

Buy your copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1492661357&sr=1-1