NEW BOOK FROM KATHY IDE

Kathy Ide’s book, Polishing the PUGS is the first book I reach for when I am writing or editing and need help. When I teach at writers’ conferences, I recommend it to the people in my class and usually have one on hand to show to them. I also tell my editing clients about it and suggest they purchase one.

Now Kathy says, "Don't buy Polishing the PUGS." What? Why?

And the answer is---Kathy brings us a new book, Proofreading SECRETS of Best-Selling Authors. In the introductory pages Kathy explains the importance of good editing. She says "Words and Punctuation are the tools of a writer's trade and calls this book 'the owner's manual for the tools we use in our writing.'"

This book contains most of the material from the PUGS book, updated to correspond to the latest editions of the industry standard professional books for writers and editors: The Chicago Manual of Style, The Associated Press Stylebook, The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Kathy doesn’t just tell you the rules; she gives you examples and cites her sources.

The first twenty-six pages of this book contain additional helpful comments from Kathy and the SECRETS she promises in the title. She quotes such well known authors as Gayle Roper, Kathie Macias, Cindy Woodsmall, Renae Brumbaugh, Mary DeMuth, and Wanda E. Brunstetter. The book is endorsed by Cecil Murphey, author and coauthor of more than 135 books, Pam Pugh of Moody Publishers, Nanette Thorsen-Snipes, freelance editor, and several other authors and editors.

 

Proofreading SECRETS of Best-Selling Authors has just been released. Order your copy today and come back here to leave your comments about the book.

Book Giveaway Drawing:  After a lifetime of reading romance. I have suddenly developed an affinity for suspense. Susan Sleeman is the one responsible for the profound change in my reading interest. I even joined a suspense book club.

I decided to offer you a chance to read some excellent suspense books. Please leave a comment at the bottom of the page and include your e-mail. If you follow me, you will get another chance to win so be sure to tell me if you’re a follower. Follow me by e-mail and you’ll have another chance to win. I will only e-mail you to notify you of new post or contests. Your comment must be posted by 12:01 am on September 30 and the winner will be notified October 1. I look forward to seeing you at http://write-pathway.blogspot.com 

Susan's book No Way Out was one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. As an editor, I seldom read a book that I do not analyze, critique, and edit. I see every error no matter how small; it jumps off the page at me, but No Way Out held me spellbound. As an editor, I still did  some critiquing, but it was for what was right about the book. I believe every word was important to the story; it flowed fast and furiously forward like white water falls. I began reading under the dryer at the hair salon and read off and on all day, finishing it at 1:00 am. If you're a suspense freak, it's a book you'll love. If you're not a suspense freak, be careful or it will draw you in that direction.

Back Blurb:

Alyssa Wells has discovered evidence that her husband police officer was murdered by his partner---a dangerous claim in a small town. After two tours in Iraq, protecting Alyssa and her children shouldn't be a problem for private investigator Cole Justice. Alyssa feels drawn to him, but how can she trust anyone after all she's been through. Cole's sure his heart is closed off to love, but Alyssa and her children seem to have found a way in. As the killer draws closer, Alyssa realizes she's trusting Cole with a lot more than her safety.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Debby Gutsi has written a series of five Military Investigations books about heroes and heroines in the army's Criminal Investigation Division. This book is filled with military acronyms like WTB, CID, AW2, PTSD, and more, so get ready to learn some military jargon as you follow Stephanie on the race for life---her life and the lives of others she loves and cares about.

 The Soldier's Sister by Debby Gutsi

Back blurb: 

WHO WILL PROTECT HER? Inspiring Romance coupled with riveting suspense

Someone wants Stephanie Upton dead. A warning to leave town is just the beginning. Fearing for her life, Stephanie turns to Special Agent Brody Goodman for help and protection. But can she trust him when he's convinced her own brother is a prime suspect? Torn between her devotion to two men, an estranged brother whose trust she yearns to regain and an agent she may be falling for---Stephanie doesn't know who or what to believe. As feelings between her and Brody escalate, she'll have to choose sides to stay alive.

The Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference

Celebrates Thirty Years  July 31-August 3

By Ann Knowles
Write Pathway Editorial Services

Wilmington, NC – In 1983 author Marlene Bagnull from Lansdale, PA founded the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. This year hundreds of published and non-published writers, along with a faculty of 65 editors, agents and authors from across the country, will convene on the campus of Cairn University in Langhorne, PA. to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the conference.

GPCWC's goal is to “encourage and equip you to write about a God who is real, who is reachable, and who changes lives,” said Bagnull. “Our purpose has always been to write His answer. On Wednesday night, some members of the staff will have the opportunity to share their calling to write His answer through a specific ministry.”

 

The conference includes 18 early-bird workshops on Wednesday, 8 continuing sessions, 7 keynotes and general sessions, 42 workshops and 3 hands-on clinics. Workshops focus on the Writer's Life, Craft, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Getting Published, Marketing and Specialty genres. Continuing sessions provide six hours of in-depth learning on The Web for Writers, From Start to Finish for First Time Authors, Take Your Fiction to the Gym, Write Your BEST Nonfiction Book Now, PowerSpeak, WannaBe Published, Best-Selling Children’s Books, and Breakthrough Scriptwriting. All are taught by successful authors, editors and agents who have proven what they are teaching works in today's marketplace.

 

The keynotes and general sessions are open free of charge to the community and include “Transforming Our Culture” with Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and Chairman of The Christian Film and Television Commission™ and Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®     Magazine, a family guide to entertainment. The public is invited to celebrate 30 years of ministry in a special evening on Thursday that concludes with an autograph party featuring dozens of authors, many who got their start at GPCWC. Of special interest are three programs within the overall conference agenda.                          

Teens Write! -- on Thursday, August 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -- Teens learn the nuts and bolts of writing and being published. Ten professionals will teach on creating characters, using humor, strengthening writing, effective dialogue, writing scenes and making it big in the movies. Bob Hostetler, author of 30+ books including 11 co-authored with Josh McDowell, will encourage the teens with his story of how he published his first manuscript as a pre-teen.

Thursday Specials are open to the community for a nominal registration fee and to conferees for no additional fee. Sessions include Prepare for Persecution (10 a.m. - noon). More Christians have died for their faith in the last century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. C. Hope Flinchbaugh will speak on the subject of persecution, and how it may come to America.

A Culture in Peril (1:00 – 3:00 p.m.) will be led by Rick Marschall, author/editor of almost 70 books and a columunist for the ASSIST News Service. This forum is a creative blend of lecture, seminar and  workshop on topics ranging from biblical traditions, to our American heritage, to dilemmas Christians face living in today's world.

Compassion, Justice, Advocacy (3:30 – 5:30 p.m.) will be led by Steven Lawson, a freelance writer, editor, and publishing consultant with more than 30 years of experience working with well-known authors, World Vision, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Topics include human trafficking, orphans, abortion, the poor, racism, the learning impaired, the handicapped, the hungry, the oppressed and more. For anyone with a God-given burden to be an advocate, to tell a story, or make a cause or issue known, this session will equip him or her to be effective.

Pastors Write on Friday, August 2 will help pastors broaden the impact of their message by turning their sermons into a book. Busy pastors can register for one or all four workshops.

Attendees, whether published or non-published, have the opportunity to pitch their work to editors and agents, strengthen their writing and marketing skills and build deep friendships while networking with others writers.

 

To learn more visit the conference website at http://philadelphia.writehisanswer.com or contact Marlene Bagnull, conference director, at mbagnull@aol.com or 484-991-8581 for a free 16-page conference brochure.

Welcome Jo Huddleston: Caney Creek Series

Today we welcome Jo Huddleston to “Write Pathway.” She’s sponsoring a blog tour this week as she promotes her second book in the Caney Creek series. I read That Summer and enjoyed it so much that I asked Jo to let me know when her next book came out. I wanted to read more about the Callaway family I met in the first Caney Creek book.

Ann: Good morning, Jo. We are very happy to have you join us here at “Write Pathway.” Tell us a little about yourself .

Jo:  Hello, Ann. Thank you for inviting me to be a guest on your blog today. I hold a B. A. degree with honors from Lincoln Memorial University (TN) and I’m a member of their Literary Hall of Fame. I also earned a M.Ed. degree from Mississippi State University. My debut novel, That Summer, released in December 2012 as the first in The Caney Creek Series. Beyond the Past is Book 2 in the series. In the beginning I thought it would just be one book, but I couldn’t leave the characters in the situations they were in at the end of That Summer, I continued the saga of the Callaway family with Beyond the Past. Now I am writing the third book, Finding Peace, to be released in September 2013.

Ann: Jo, how did you come to write this series? Is there a story behind the stories?

Jo:  Oh yes, there is a story behind the Caney Creek series, some of it is quite painful, but the ending is what’s happening now and that’s a blessing. The Caney Creek Series is set in the Southern Appalachians of East Tennessee where my ancestors and I were raised. I’ve listened to older generations tell stories at family reunions about time before telephones and automobiles. Their stories caused me to want to write about a time before I was born. While this idea rumbled around in my mind, in 2001 I received a life-altering health diagnosis with a negative prognosis. My first symptom was the loss of penmanship. Nobody, not even I,  could read what I tried to write. Then I began to have involuntary muscle spasms that prevented me from holding my fingers on the home keys of a keyboard. I couldn’t write or type—this was before speak-to-type. My mind was still intact but my body wouldn’t do what it was told. My balance while walking diminished and I stopped going to writing conferences. My doctor advised me not to drive. In 2008, I began to improve. My hands grew steadier and I could get my story started.

 I’ve outlived my doctor’s prognosis by two years. A relative marvels that I never questioned, “God, why me?” I did not become bitter because of the health issues. I think God just gave me time to understand many things when I was inactive. I’m a more peaceful, patient, and faithful me now.

Book 1 in this series, That Summer, hibernated for those miserable seven years and then became a story on paper. When I finished That Summer, I thought I had accomplished my goal. However, I found I couldn’t leave my characters in some of their situations. I had to write at least one more book about them. Book 2, Beyond the Past, came to be. I’m now writing Book 3, in the Caney Creek Series, Claiming Peace, scheduled to release in September 2013.

Ann: That’s very interesting, Jo. I’m certainly glad that you overcame that negative prognosis and had a chance to achieve your dream of writing.

          Now Jo will introduce you to one of the characters in Beyond the Past as she interviews Art Gray.

CHARACTER  INTERVIEW

BEYOND THE PAST, BOOK 2, CANEY CREEK SERIES

This interview of Art, teenage son of Callie and Arthur Gray, takes place in 1951. He lives in Newton, Tennessee with his family.

JO: Art, can you stop and talk with me for a minute?

ART: I’m supposed to be working, but maybe I can talk to you for a minute.

JO: Thanks. What are you working at?

ART: I’m doing community service and today I’m picking up trash around the school grounds.

JO: Why are you doing community service?

ART: I got into some trouble and the judge ordered me to do this.

JO: You must have been in some big trouble to get ordered to do this.

ART: Yeah, I guess. I don’t like school and only go if I have to. I wrecked my car one day when I skipped school.

JO: Were you hurt when you wrecked your car?

ART: Not much. A broken arm and they took out my spleen. But the worse thing was when I wrecked my car I’d been drinking some beer. That’s what got me in trouble with the judge. I’m supposed to go to an Alcohol Anonymous meeting every week. I went once and found out the people there were just a bunch of losers. I’m not going back.

JO: Art, if you don’t go to those meetings won’t you be in trouble with the judge again? Have you thought about that?

ART: Not much. What else can he do to me? He’s already taken away my driver’s license for two months. The way I see it, the judge can’t make it any worse than it already is.

Visit Jo at these sites:

Website

Blog

Facebook

Shoutlife

   

BEYOND THE PAST,  BOOK 2,  CANEY CREEK SERIES

Jim Callaway looks forward to 1951 but he’s sidetracked when his sister and his best friend need his help. His baby sister, Emmajean, skids into jail on drug charges in Atlanta. She struggles to recover physically and spiritually with her lawyer’s help as he champions her inside and outside the courtroom. Jim’s nephew, Art, is one step ahead of the truant officer, wrecks his car, and officials suspect alcohol is involved. Art awaits his fate at the hands of the juvenile court judge. Jim’s twin brothers end their military careers and return home. Jim and Caroline continue their bumpy journey as they seek realization of their dreams.

PURCHASE COPIES OF BEYOND THE PAST:

Signed copies of Beyond the Past available in sidebar at my website.

Paperback copies available from my publisher.

Paperback and eBook copies available at Amazon.                                       

WIN A COPY OF BEYOND THE PAST  by Jo Huddleston. Leave a comment and tell us the name of the family around which Jo has built her Caney Creek stories. If you are a follower, you will get another entry in the contest.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT BRMCWC
by Ann Knowles 



               The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is held at Ridgecrest, NC on the side of a mountain that defies simple words like beautiful, serene, and majestic. Busy people bustle and fro to help those who are coming in to attend one of the many retreats or conferences throughout the year. What many people do not know is the story “behind the scenes.”

            Ridgecrest welcomes 400 volunteers every year, most of whom are Seniors who have retired and are seeking a place of continued service. There are paid staff members in every department, but volunteers provide the broad base support system. They clean, repair, paint, garden, landscape, cook, and stand by to help in any way they can. Some shuttle staff members back and forth to the airport. As busy as they are, they are never too busy to offer a helping hand, directing you to the right building or class, sometimes walking beside you to show the way.

            Forty years later he returned again to volunteer and has been volunteering at Ridgecrest April through October for the past twenty-nine years, a fete which has earned him the title of “Mr. Ridgecrest.” At ninety-one, this former pastor drives up from Tallahassee, Florida every summer to take his place on the volunteer staff. Although they offer him free accommodations just to come as an inspiration, he insists that he must earn his keep. He continues to walk the mountain, keeping the grounds spotless and appealing to the eye of every visitor..

            During Jack’s lifetime, he served as a pastor and worked with the Florida Baptist State Convention. He also served in the Navy and Merchant Marine and worked at the shipyard during World War II—a productive and colorful life. Once he retired he wanted to continue to serve the Lord and it was natural to return to Ridgecrest, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina where he began his in-depth spiritual journey as a college student.

            Many mountain stories are hidden behind the kind eyes and gentle smile of this devoted servant of God. Participants at the writers’ conferences count it a blessing to meet him and hear just one of those stories.

            Since it is a well-known fact that there are bears round about the campus, I asked Mr. Epps  if he had ever seen a bear at Ridgecrest. He said he had never seen a brown bear at Ridgecrest, but knew for sure there are bears around. He did encounter a bear at another location. Here’s his story about the bear:

            “I was coming down the mountain when I saw a bear coming up the mountain. The path was narrow and there was no way we could pass. The bear walked slowly up the mountain path and didn’t seem to be upset at my appearance. He didn’t appear dangerous, but I had been warned about the bears and didn’t want to take a chance. I turned around and started back up the mountain with the brown bear about five steps behind me. As soon as I came to a place where there was room to pass, I stepped aside and let the bear continue on his way up the mountain. He didn’t make any move toward me, but my heart pounded as I watched him pass by. He went on up the mountain and I continued my trek down. I guess the bear wasn’t hungry that day. Thank the good Lord.”

            Thank you, Mr. Ridgecrest! And God bless!

Book Giveaway: The Promise of Deer Run by Elaine Marie Cooper

This is a delightful historical novel set in the late 1700s after the Revolutionary War. A Continental soldier still awaits the return of his missing father, years after the last battle. Haunted by the memories of war and scarred from betrayal in love, the young man turns away from his faith. Then he discovers his hope is shared by a young woman, who understands loss and the longing for a father. As they encounter this unexpected connection, their hearts are drawn together. But jealousy, slander, and misunderstandings ignite a fire of doubt and mistrust--destroying their relationship. Can two souls longing for healing and trust learn to love again? Can faith and family be restored?

Enter the contest by leaving a comment below about this post. If you are a follower or become a follower, your name will be entered twice.Please send me an e-mail to let me know if you become a follower or tell me in your comment.  Please tell your friends about the post and encourage them to enter the contest. Thank you for visitng  "Write Pathway" and "Patches of Light" and helping me rejuvenate my blogs.