Can Great Leadership be Faked?

Cynthia Herron Uncategorized 3 Comments

When I was in grade school, I dreaded the possibility of one day having a specific teacher. Even as a youngster, I recognized his leadership style as iron fisted and unyielding. Mr. Downer* (not his real name, of course) was tall, dark, and anything BUT handsome. His brooding countenance just didn’t lend itself to attractiveness. He never had a kind word …

Blogging: It’s Not for Wimps

Cynthia Herron Blogging 8 Comments

Putting ourselves “out there” is hard. Harder still is knowing whether or not we’re really connecting with our audience. With Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and a dozen other ways to communicate, the possibilities are endless. We can share through a variety of mediums that best suit our personalities, time allowance, and interests. For authors, an effective way to connect is through a blog. A website’s great for informational …

American Christian Fiction Writers’ “Likefest”

Cynthia Herron Social Networking 11 Comments

Who doesn’t like to be…well… liked? I think if we’re honest, most of us derive satisfaction from knowing others find us “worthy.” It strokes our self-esteem and gives our egos a boost. There might be some folks who claim they don’t care one way or another if they’re liked, and maybe they don’t. (But I would imagine they really do!) I’m not sure …

When the Unexpected Happens

Cynthia Herron Writing 8 Comments

Where I live, it’s not unusual for farm animals to occasionally wander off from where they’re supposed to be. Cows, goats, horses, and chickens have all made an appearance along the little lanes in our neck of the woods. Once when our daughter was about three, she called, “Mommy, come see the big birds in our back yard!” Of course, I thought …

The Goosebumps and Godiva Factor

Cynthia Herron Romance 10 Comments

I think all little girls grow up with preconceived notions of what romance should be. We form those beliefs based on how we see our mothers and fathers interact, television and movies (skewed as they may be), and the world around us. Since I grew up in a very affectionate household, it wasn’t unusual to see my mama and daddy openly …

The Great Debate: Which Genre is Better?

Cynthia Herron Writing Christian Fiction 4 Comments

One sure-fire way to strike a nerve with writers is to diss what they do. Intentional or unintentional, it rattles the doors of debate within the writing world.   Some folks try to temper their stance with awkward pleasantries while others are embarrassingly rude about their opinion. I think what’s disturbing is the fact that so much of their logic is based on …

Loving the Craft When We Tire of the Writing

Cynthia Herron Writing 20 Comments

For writers, there’s nothing worse than those “off days.” The ones that Wally Writer and Annie Author rarely talk about because their writing is just too picture-perfect. Everything they create is a masterpiece. Every word they write is beautiful and filled with deep, profound meaning.  They don’t often admit mistakes, because…well…they just don’t make any! And of course, Wally Writer and …

The Beautiful World of “I Can.”

Cynthia Herron Encouragement 10 Comments

Most of us like being around positive people. Happy, upbeat, good-humored folks make us feel good. Rarely, have I heard anyone say, “Gee, I wish Pleasant Polly would pack up her bag of cheer and go home.” More often than not, we gravitate toward those who are cheerful. They inspire and encourage. We’re drawn into their beautiful world of “I …

Turning Circumstances into Teachable Moments

Cynthia Herron Humor 8 Comments

Do you ever experience a circumstance that sometimes causes you to scratch your head? Situations like those seem to happen to me a lot. In fact, I had one last week when I pulled into a service station for gas. As usual, the big box store nearby was fairly busy. Thankfully, I’d managed to time my gas fill-up before the crowd migrated over. Great. …

10 Sweet Things about the Ozarks

Cynthia Herron Favorite Things 8 Comments

I’ve always told my husband, “I want to retire on the beach.” There’s just something about the sound of the incoming tide and living on island time that holds great appeal. Fewer tornadoes, no sudden temperature drops, and sunshine aplenty even in winter sound pretty sweet, too. Yep, I could definitely go for life on the water. I wonder, though, …