*Today I’ll be talking about adult issues that may jar some comfort zones. It’s not my intent to shock, but I believe there are times we must be brave enough to confront the elephant in the room. If you’re uncomfortable with this idea, you may want to click past my post, though I really hope you’ll continue reading. Since I write Christian fiction, specifically contemporary …
Seasoning: It’s Not Just for Chili
(Today I’m continuing to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. This is a favorite of one of my previous posts. I pray your day is blessed!) ****** I think in life we all experience difficulties, hardships, and trials from time to time. Some folks may endure these struggles temporarily. For others, the season of suffering may seem never-ending. (I’ve …
Keeping Christ in Christian Fiction
In today’s world “politically correct” seems to be the hot buzz phrase. And if we’re Christians, heaven help us because that ups the ante. We certainly don’t want to share our beliefs too loudly. That might offend. We mustn’t be too bold, joyful, or overzealous in spreading the message of the Gospel. It might alienate. And we can talk about Christmas …
Blending In or Standing Out? (A Word about Author Branding)
For newer authors just starting out, we may get so caught up in the whirlwind moments of writing that we neglect the one thing that will set us apart from other writers–our brand. Recently, I was privileged to hear Shannon Vannatter speak at a branding and marketing workshop while at the 2011 ACFW conference. Shannon is a talented inspirational romance author whose …
Still Dishing…Part 2 of ACFW Conference Impressions
In Wednesday’s post, I gave a brief synopsis of my overall ACFW conference impressions. Today I wanted to focus a bit more on something that’s less talked about, but something that (if truth be told) is always on our minds as we attend these types of writing events. Competition. The mere word can conjure myriad emotions. When we’re placed in a situation …
Dishing About the 2011 ACFW Conference…from a First Time Attendee's POV
Today I thought I’d dish about the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference I recently attended in St. Louis. The conference dates were officially from 09/22/11 thru 09/25/11, though many attendees began arriving on the evening of Wednesday, 09/21. There’s just too much information to sum up in one post, so I may dish up some more of the scoop in …
Indescribable Greatness
A few years ago, we visited Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a lovely, little gem surrounded by the beautiful Ozark mountains. (Eureka Springs is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.) I’ve talked about it on my blog before a few times, but you can also refer back to my post A Cure for What Ails Us if you’d like. While at Eureka Springs, we had the …
Doesn't It Just Get Your Goat?
Recently I spoke about marketing, gimmicks, and being a savvy consumer. As I mentioned before, “gimmicks” affect everything we buy–from the simple to the complex. Marketing tools and tricks abound. Many of the purchases we make are based on desire, eye appeal, and internal/external expectations. Distributors know that if they play on our sympathy, we’ll usually cave. If they convince us …
Gobbling Up the Eye Candy
In today’s world we’re very visually motivated. Because of savvy marketing gimmicks, we often make decisions based on eye appeal rather than performance. Bells and whistles and cross-the-heart promises sell us everything from dressed-up paperweights to lighter-than-air feather dusters–and usually, all for a mere $19.95. From cleaning supplies, food, clothing, make-up, and countless everyday products to the more costly things such …
The Next Chapter
I think because I write, I equate a lot of life’s stages to writing. Perhaps, it’s the other way around. Writing probably intersects with various chapters of my life, too. If we think about the natural order of progression, it might not make sense to non-writers the twists and turns that authors take at certain life junctures. In society’s eyes, …