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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.
Had a little fun on
Goodreads.com today looking back at the books I've read in the past two years. They have a unique feature that allows you to see what you've read by book covers. I put together the three pages that constitute the past two years of my reading. What a colorful bunch of books! I might not read as much as some, but I've had fun reading what I have.
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?
Julie
1997-2012
The Best Dog Ever. We love you so much and miss you terribly! You had a wonderful, full life and gave us so much joy! We're honored we got to have you for as long as we did.
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.