I'm particularly excited this Cyber Monday because I have something pretty special to share. I've just released my first nonfiction ebook for writers! 112 Christian Authors and Publishing Professionals Share Their Best Advice for Novelists is available for your Kindle or Nook for only $2.99 (a deal all year long!)

If you're an aspiring novelist, or if you know one, this ebook could make a great Christmas present. (It's easy to gift an ebook, btw.) But even if you're a seasoned writer, there's information in the advice these professionals shared that'll encourage and inspire all year long. I know I got a ton out of reading them myself.

Imagine a coffee shop packed with award-winning Christian novelists, top editors, literary agents, and publicists. Each one is taking turns sitting down with you, giving you their best writing advice. Sort of like speed dating for writers.

Within these pages the most recognized names in Christian publishing share their personal answers to the question, “If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?”

In the ever-changing publishing world, you must stay on top of your game to succeed. This book will give you a leg up, with practical tips and advice you can use on your novel writing journey.

Includes advice from Karen Kingsbury, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Jerry B. Jenkins, Josh McDowell, Liz Curtis Higgs, Francine Rivers, James Scott Bell, Terri Blackstock, Randy Alcorn, Melody Carlson, and many more!

But bonus just for my blog readers! Here's an extra piece of advice for novelists from Michael Landon Jr. that didn't make it into the book:

Write about what you’re passionate. Not necessarily what you know, but what you’re passionate about. You can always learn what you don’t know. But you can’t create passion.

Lately I've become a fan of some of the popular dystopian YA series, namely The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Divergent by Veronica Roth trilogies. I've always had a thing for YA novels, and perhaps I'm late on the bandwagon, but the dystopian genre intrigues me. It's certainly not a new thing, but the two above mentioned authors have hit it big, and as an author I ask myself why. What is it about Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior that has spawned multi million dollar movie deals, thousand upon thousands of book sales, and rabid fans enthusiastically creating fan art and fan fiction?

I believe the biggest things these books have going for them are their heroines. We've seen variations of the plots before. But Katniss and Tris spark something in readers. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Their Strength
Today's readers are looking for strong heroines who can take care of themselves. Katniss & Tris don't necessarily need someone to take care of them, though that doesn't mean there aren't times when people do.

2. Their Skills
Katniss is a skilled archer who can shoot a bow better than anyone else.  Tris learns to fight hand to hand effectively. When we read about these girls, we want to be like them, whether it's realistic or not.

3. They Have Vulnerabilities
An error some authors make in creating their heroines (and heroes for that matter) is to write a perfect person without any weakness. While Katniss and Tris are indeed strong, they aren't perfect. This three-dimensional aspect is what allows us to suspend our disbelief easier when reading their stories. Plus we relate even more since who among us is perfect?  

4. Their Hearts Aren't Hard
Most of the evil in these books happens to the girls. They are thrust into situations against their will. If they kill, it is in self-defense. To survive. And both of them face at least one situation that nearly breaks them. After all, they are girls (both sixteen at the start of their books) thrust into a world most women couldn't handle.

5. They Don't Have Time for Bull
Excuse the language, but these are no-nonsense girls (and keep in mind the novels are general market fare). Katniss and Tris say it like it is. They say the things we wish we could say. It gets them in trouble sometimes, but we cheer them on.

If you've read these stories, what about the heroines did you like? Why do you think the novels are so popular?

You knew it was coming, right?

I just discovered an awesome new service called Kindlegraph. Basically, it allows authors to personalize/sign an e-book for a reader. If you have a Twitter account, you can instantly send a request to an author who's signed up (including me), and in a matter of moments the author can send you a personalized pdf bookplate of sorts that can be downloaded to your Kindle.

My novels Thicker than Blood & Bound by Guilt are on the site. Now if I can just figure out how to make my signature look neater than a five-year-old's when using a mouse to sign...

Click here to go directly to my page.

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