Advice for Aspiring Writers

Study to Show Thyself Approved 

The best advice I can give an aspiring writer or editor is to begin immediately to prepare for the task God has called you to do. Regardless of your career choice, being an approved workman should be the goal of all of God’s children. Study to show thyself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed. . . (2 Timothy 2:15).

Doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers, welders, electricians, mechanics, graphic designers, technology gurus—every career choice requires extensive training in order to achieve success. Why should it be any different in the field of writing or editing? Yet many people attempt to write or edit without ever having any professional training. Without training, most of them will fail.

When my husband felt called by God to become a pastor, we had just moved into our new home. He had recently been promoted to supervisor at GE and I was teaching first grade. We had four children (ages 3-14).

His first reaction was: “I don’t know anything about being in the ministry. I have to go back to school and prepare for this task God has called me to do. This will change our lives dramatically. We’ll have to quit our jobs and move to the seminary.”

What was God thinking? It seemed impossible! Four months later we were at seminary, and the whole family was enrolled in school.

When I decided to become an author and editor, I had an MA Ed in education and had recently retired from teaching, but I realized I needed specialized training before I could move to a new career. I knew I had to invest time and money to make this dream come true. I took many online and community college courses and attended several writers’conferences to prepare for the ministry of writing and editing.

Do you dream of becoming a writer or editor? What kind of sacrifices are you willing to make? Do it now! Enroll in your first course today and begin the journey. Check out the "Classes Taught by Ann" on this blog. You can make that dream come true.

Write Pathway Welcomes Jo Huddleston back!

Ann: Hello Jo, and welcome to Write Pathway where writers and editors meet. We are thrilled to have you back with us today.

Let’s begin today with a little information about you; then we’ll merge into thoughts about your book. Tell us about Jo Huddleston.

Jo: I like to laugh with people but not at people. The beach is my favorite vacation spot. I don’t like to see or hear about people or animals being abused. I’m a spectator fan of several sports, my favorite being tennis. I don’t like being in the dark and am fearful of snakes!

I’m is a multi-published author of books, articles, and short stories. My debut novels in the Caney Creek Series are sweet Southern historical romances. My forthcoming novel, Wait for Me, is another sweet Southern historical romance and is book 1 in the West Virginia Mountains Series. I’m a member of ACFW, the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN), and hold a M.Ed. degree from Mississippi State University. I live in the U.S. Southeast with my husband and close to our two grown children and four grandchildren. Visit me at www.johuddleston.com where you can sign up for my newsletter and read my blogs.

Ann: Jo, you are not the only one who is afraid of snakes. And I switch the channel when those ads come on about abused animals. Love my dog!

What would you do with your life if you didn't write?

Jo: I’d have more time to read!

Ann: If you were a style of music, what style would you be?

Jo: Soft instrumental jazz.

Ann: Who or what inspired in you a love for books? What are some of your favorites from the classics?

Jo: My seventh grade homeroom teacher. She arranged for me to work in the school library where my exposure to all those books took root as a love to read.

Ann: What was your favorite book as a child?

Jo: As a child, our house didn’t have books to read. The only books I had were coloring books. In college I minored in English. When I took the course, Children’s Literature, I first met Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.

Ann: How many books have you published? Do you also write other things—articles? short stories? Etc.

Jo: I’ve traditionally published 3 nonfiction books and 3 novels. I’ve self-published 2 nonfiction books, one coauthored with Vickie Phelps. Yes, I write devotions, short stories, magazine articles, and wrote a regular inspirational newspaper column for seven years.

Ann: We all know that publishing is an arduous process and often takes many rejections before we get published. How many rejections did you get before you published a book?

Jo: Oh, my! I didn’t record a count of my rejections. I’ve had plenty.

Ann: Which character in your present release, Wait for Me, do you find most interesting?

Jo: The heroine, Julie. She’s spunky, determined, and won’t stop at anything to reach her goal.

Ann: Tell us a little about your book.





Jo: I’ll share the book’s back blurb here:

Can Julie, an only child raised with privilege and groomed for high society, and Robby, a coal miner’s son, escape the binds of their socioeconomic backgrounds? Set in a coal mining community in West Virginia in the 1950s, can their love survive their cultural boundaries?

This is a tragically beautiful love story of a simple yet deep love between two soul mates, Robby and Julie. The American South’s rigid caste system and her mother demand that Julie chooses to marry an ambitious young man from a prominent and suitable family. Julie counters her mother’s stringent social rules with deception and secrets in order to keep Robby in her life. Can the couple break the shackles of polite society and spend their lives together? Will Julie’s mother ever accept Robby?

Ann: Wait for Me sounds like my kind of book. You know I loved you Caney Creek series. I look forward to reading this book.

Would you share a favorite Scripture verse or passage of Scripture that means a lot to you?

Jo: Philippians 4:8. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Ann: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Jo: Ann, thank you so much for having me visit with you and your readers. One of the commenters will win an eBook copy for Kindle of Wait for Me. Good luck to all in the book drawing.

Ann: Where can we find you online, Jo?

Jo: You can find me at:


Website www.johuddleston.com


Blog http://www.johuddleston.com


Blog http://lifelinesnow.blogspot.com


Facebook https://www.facebook.com/joshuddleston


Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1615694.Jo_Huddleston


You can purchase eBook for Kindle and print copies of Wait for Me at: http://tiny.cc/xndfwx


Ann: Thanks again, Jo, for sharing with us about yourself and your book. I look forward to the new series.

You're going to love Jo's Sweet Southern Historical Romance. Leave a comment for a chance to win an eBook of Wait for Me to read on your Kindle. Be sure to note if you are a follower of this blog and your name will be included three times in the drawing. Leave your email address written like this: ann (at) yahoo (dot) com . The contest will end June 14 at midnight EST. Good luck!

Welcome Sandy Ardoin!

 WRITE PATHWAY WELCOMES SANDY ARDOIN







Ann:  Hello Sandy, and welcome to Write Pathway where writers and editors meet. We are thrilled to have you with us today.

Let’s begin today with a little information about you; then we’ll merge into thoughts about your book. Are you a native Carolina girl?

Sandy:  Ah, Carolina Girls … love that song. No, I was born in Indiana and moved to Texas when I was sixteen. I’ve been in North Carolina for the past (almost) 19 years.

Ann:  What would you do with your life if you didn't write?

Sandy:  Clean house. J I’d probably also roam the streets looking for antique shops to prowl through. I’d do more gardening.

Ann:  If you were a style of music, what style would you be?

Sandy:  Country. More specifically, Country-Pop—a little bit country and a little bit rock ’n roll. Not too wild, but definitely not citified.

Ann:  Who inspired in you a love for books?

Sandy:  Dick and Jane. I still remember reading those and getting caught up in the stories of Spot and the pony (maybe because I wanted a pony so badly myself).

After that, it was Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books (my historical side). Then I graduated to gothic mysteries—Jane Eyre, Rebecca—and then more contemporary romantic mysteries from people like Phyllis Whitney and Mary Higgins Clark.

I don’t come from a family of big readers, so I’m not sure where I picked up my love for reading.

Ann:  How many books have you published? Do you also write other things—articles? short stories? Etc.

Sandy:  The Yuletide Angel is my first published book—a Christmas novella. My first novel (a follow-up to the novella) releases in January of 2016. It’s working title is A Reluctant Melody.

I’ve been publishing since 1986—short pieces like cards, posters, devotions, short stories. In June, my short story “Ellie’s Escape” appeared in Splickety Prime. It was exciting to be in the same issue as Jerry Jenkins.

Ann:  Well, congratulations on getting in Splickety Prime with Jerry Jenkins.  

We all know that publishing is an arduous process and often takes many rejections before we get published. How many rejections did you get before you published a book?

Sandy:  Book rejections? More than I care to remember. Before The Yuletide Angel, my agent submitted three other books—two of them multiple times. Between those three, I’d say I’ve racked up at least twenty rejections.

Ann:  Which character in your present release, The Yuletide Angel, do you find most interesting?

Sandy:  That’s a tough one. I love my hero’s character. Hugh is really sweet and protective. He looks beneath the surface. My heroine, Violet, starts out shy and withdrawn, but she has an inner grit that I like in a female character.

Ann:  Tell us a little about your book.

Sandy: The Yuletide Angel is Christian historical romance set in 1890. Here’s the back cover blurb:

It's Christmastime in 1890s Meadowmead, and someone is venturing out at night to leave packages at the homes of the needy. Dubbed The Yuletide Angel, no one knows the identity of this mysterious benefactor. 

No one, except Hugh Barnes, a confirmed bachelor who finds himself drawn to the outwardly shy but inwardly bold Violet Madison, a young woman who risks her safety to help others. 

When Violet confesses her fear of eviction from her childhood home, Hugh longs to rescue her. His good intentions are thwarted, however, when Hugh's estranged brother shows up in town ... and in Violet's company. 

But Violet faces an even bigger threat. A phantom figure lurks in the shadows, prepared to clip the wings of The Yuletide Angel.

Ann:  The Yuletide Angel sounds like my kind of book. I look forward to reading it. Got it on my Christmas list.

Would you share a favorite Scripture verse or passage of Scripture that means a lot to you?

Sandy:  I have several, including Jeremiah 29:11, but I really like Isaiah 55:8-9.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Those words remind me of the awesomeness of God and that He is in control. I can’t do anything, think anything, plan anything that equals what He can do or who He is.

Ann:  Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Sandy:  Thanks so much for having me here, Ann. I’ve enjoyed answering your questions and introducing your readers to Hugh Barnes and Violet Madison, the main characters of The Yuletide Angel. 

Ann:  Where can we find you online, Sandy?

Sandy:  Here are a few places:

http://sandraardoin.wordpress.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/SandraArdoinAuthor  
The Yuletide Angel: Sandra Ardoin: 9781941103890: Amazon.com  

https://twitter.com/SandraArdoin1 

http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com/2014/04/aha-now-youre-on-to-something-by-sandra.html 

Ann:  Thank you for sharing your debut novella with us, Sandy. We hope when the next book comes out, you'll revisit us here at Write Pathway. 

Write Pathway Welcomes Linda Yezak

Linda, I'm so happy to have you with us today to learn a little about you and about your new release The Cat Lady's Secret. Right there, you've piqued my interest because I love a secret and I used to know a cat woman who had about two hundred cats. But first, let's learn about you.

What would you do with your life if you didn't write?

I love being a freelance editor and thoroughly enjoy helping others polish their manuscripts or helping them reach an epiphany pertaining to some aspect of the craft. I’ve held positions as editorial assistant for a literary agent, content editor for a small publishing company, and copy editor for a small ezine–even had a short blast as an acquisitions editor.

For the sake of my writing, I gave up what jobs were not already defunct (the e zine saw only a couple of releases), but if I didn’t write, I’d pursue editing more actively. Love it.

How many rejections did you get before you published a book?

My first book, Shattered Crystal, received only one rejection, and it was enough to make me take the craft more seriously. I dumped that manuscript in a drawer and started a new one. The second, Petting Wet Cats, showed promise and improvement, but it landed in a drawer too, without ever being pitched.

I thought I had a winner with Give the Lady a Ride, but it received several rejections–all encouraging, but rejections just the same. I finally offered it to the publisher I worked for at the time, and she took it. One reason I stopped submitting it was because of the insanity going on in my life at the time–deaths, illnesses, long stints away from home–which didn’t end until three years later.

How many books have you published? Are all of them published by traditional publishers?

Five books bear my name, either as author or a co- or contributing author. My first nonfiction, Public Speaking for Newbies, was self-published just because I wanted to see if I could do it. I was one of 31 contributing authors for 31 Devotionals for Writers, also self-published, but by the instigating author, Suzette Williams.

The Cat Lady’s Secret, Give the Lady a Ride, and Writing in Obedience, which I co-wrote with literary agent Terry Burns, were all traditionally published. However, Ride was released by the original publisher, so I put it out myself earlier this year.

Tell us a bit about The Cat Lady’s Secret.

Like many people her age, Emily Taylor has a past; unlike others, she goes to extremes to hide it, particularly from her high school sweetheart. Their newly rekindled romance brings joy to her quiet life. But when her generous contribution to the family of a young man with a brain tumor draws the attention of a journalist, her security as an anonymous benefactor is threatened. And when a string of arsons throw her into the limelight, that security begins to crumble. Instead of living in fear of being discovered, Emily decides to confront her past head on . . . in prison.

This intricate tale of love, forgiveness, and second chances started out to be a comedy, but I wrote much of it during the “crazy years.” The tone of my life during that time affected the tone of my work. Now it’s a comedy/drama that holds much more depth than it would have otherwise. I’m excited about the results.

What two or three things would you do differently if you were starting your publishing career today?

I’d be more patient. Far more patient. I’m tickled with what I’ve accomplished over the seven years I’ve been at this job and not complaining at all. But I can’t help wondering what would’ve happened had I waited out the storm in my life before offering Ride to its publisher, or what would’ve happened if I’d waited until I was well from my last bout with Crohn’s disease before pitching Cat Lady.

What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?

First thing I do is write the first several chapters, as far as my ideas for each scene go. Next I grab a spiral notebook and show myself what I’ve learned about my characters and their stories. I can’t call myself an outliner yet–my first draft usually serves as my outline–but I do stop writing to sketch out a few scenes and play with my characters.

Have you received a particularly memorable reader response or peer honor? Please share.

The Cat Lady’s Secret was a finalist in the Genesis contest, back when the contest had only two rounds. I haven’t yet submitted it to any other competition.

Give the Lady a Ride was my first finalist in the Genesis, and also a finalist in the Carol contest in the “debut novel” category. It won the 2011 Grace Award.

Those honors are amazing, but my favorite responses were from a couple of readers, both commenting on Give the Lady a Ride. One was going through a rough patch in her life and found comfort in a comment made in the novel. Hearing that humbled me and warmed my heart. 

Another response was a stern reminder to watch my words. A veterinarian from Georgia caught me calling a steer a bull–something totally unintentional, but it slipped past all the edits. She wrote, “You do know the difference, don’t you?” Well, I’m from Texas, and of course I do, but she had no way of knowing. I still giggle every time I think of the letters we exchanged. She was a sweet lady.

Oh my, those are amazing results in just seven years. Congratulations, Linda! What's next? 

Coming in August is a novel I co-wrote with a friend, The Simulacrum. Brad Seggie had a marvelous idea for a story similar to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, but instead of tweaking the noses of Christians, as Mr. Brown does, Brad tweaks the noses of evolutionists. His research is impeccable and his logic is flawless, and both are illustrated through characters who are chasing a killer from Texas to Virginia. Finding the man who pulled the trigger only reveals more secrets, and our heroes won’t quit until they get answers.

This conspiracy thriller not only entertains, but also provides food for thought for those who still waffle about Intelligent Design. The Simulacrum is Brad’s debut novel, and I expect it to be a hit. 

Wow, that sounds like a real thriller that anyone would love to read.

Well, again, thank you for being with us today, Linda. We look forward to reading The Cat Lady's Secret.

And thank you for having me on Write Pathway, Ann. I hope the person who wins my book will enjoy it. I look forward to reading comments from your readers.

To win a copy of The Cat Lady's Secret, please leave a comment about the interview. Linda will be checking to see who's reading about The Cat Lady. If you follow me, you will be entered twice in the contest. If you tweet or post about it on fb, you'll be entered for each time. Just send me a copy of your tweet or fb post. Be sure to include your email in the comment in order for me to contact the winner. Good luck!

 

MILITARY APPRECIATION



"God bless America, land that I love." Where would this land be without the men and women who so valiantly defend our freedom? Today I want to say "Thank you" with all my heart. No matter which branch of service you have served in, you are the reason we are free today. Please know that your sacrifices do not go unnoticed by the people who love the America given to us by those who went before. You are our heroes! You make a difference! We depend on you! We celebrate you and your service.

And we thank God for your selfless devotion to our great country. We are equally thankful for the families who are left behind, who stand with you in the good times and support and love you during your difficult days of deployment.

Futhermore, we pray for you! We want the best for you and your families and we know that includes being able to live by the faith that sustains you. We pray that God will restore your freedom of religion that our government taken away from you over the past year. May God richly bless you for your service to our country.

To show my appreciation for your service, I am offering a 25% writing or editing discount to military personnel, past and present, active duty or reserve. Material to be edited or written must conform to Christian publishing standards and proof of service is required. Offer is good through May 31, 2014.

If you need help writing or editing your story or book, please contact me for more information annknowles03@aol.com

Ann Knowles
Writer - Editor - Speaker - Teacher