Hi. Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements. To read previous installments, see the links at the bottom of this post.
Before we talk about research venues, let’s discuss the different types of talks you might be called on to present. I categorize these in four groupings as follows:
Dianne Neal Matthews here, realizing that this is the second Monday of the month and I’m supposed to post some encouraging words for you. But the truth is: I got nothin’.
Hi! I'm Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I'm a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I'm blogging about "PUGS"--Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling...tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit. Each blog post will have one tip for each of the four categories, as well as a reason it's important for authors to "polish their PUGS." (For more PUGS tips, check out my website, www.KathyIde.com, or get a copy of my book "Polishing the PUGS" (available through the website or at the conferences where I teach). If you're interested in working with a freelance editor (or know someone who is), e-mail me at Kathy@KathyIde.com. Or go to www.ChristianEditor.com to get referrals to other established, professional editorial freelancers. If you're a freelance editor yourself, or think you might be interested in that field, check out www.TheChristianPEN.com.
Cheri Cowell here.
There is much discussion in the writing world about the effectiveness of Blog Tours. I take the stance that the Blog Tour is one of a smorgesborg of marketing opportunities available to authors, but not if our goal is a direct link to increased sales because the jury is still out on those numbers. However, if our goal is to create buzz and connect with potential readers, then a Blog Tour is a great tool in a marketing bag. Here are a few steps I'm taking as I prepare for a June Blog Tour for my new bible study.
Garden Of Madness by Tracy Higley
The Untold Story of King Nebuchadnezzar's Daughter.
For seven years the Babylonian princess Tiamat has waited for the mad king Nebuchadnezzar to return to his family and to his kingdom. Driven from his throne to live as a beast, he prowls his luxurious Hanging Gardens, secreted away from the world.
Since her treaty marriage at a young age, Tia has lived an indulgent palace life. But when her husband dies and a nobleman is found murdered in the palace, Tia must discover who is responsible for the macabre death, even if her own newfound freedom is threatened.
As the queen plans to wed Tia to yet another prince, the powerful mage Shadir plots to expose the family's secret and set his own man on the throne. Tia enlists the help of a reluctant Jewish captive, her late husband's brother Pedaiah, who challenges her notions of the gods even as he opens her heart to both truth and love.
In a time when few gave their hearts to Yahweh, one woman must decide if she is willing to risk everything-her possessions, her gods, and her very life-for the Israelite's one God. Madness, sorcery and sinister plots mingle like an alchemist's deadly potion, and Tia must dare to risk all - to save the kingdom, and to save herself.
Bio:
Tracy L. Higley started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. After earning a B.A. in English Literature at Rowan University, she spent ten years writing drama presentations for church ministry before beginning to write fiction. A lifelong interest in history and mythology has led Tracy to extensive research into ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome, and Persia and shaped her desire to shine the light of the gospel into the cultures of the past. She has authored nine novels, including Petra: City in Stone and Pompeii: City on Fire. Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. See her travel journals and more at TracyHigley.com
This new release information was uploaded by Cecelia Dowdy! Happy reading!
Hi, Pamela Meyers here, a bit later than my regularly scheduled fourth Wednesday of the month. Last month I talked about how to have a successful launch party. This month, I want to talk about creating a book trailer.
In recent years, book trailers have become a popular means of promoting new releases. Over the years I’ve seen the quality improve as authors have grown into understanding the purpose of a book trailer and what makes one effective and one not so effective.
After I contracted for Thyme for Love, a good friend of mine offered to create a book trailer for me as a gift. To pay to have one done can run an author well upwards of $500, so of course, I immediately agreed. The project really became a collaborative effort as we both learned the process as we went along.
If you are going to build your own trailer, I recommend acquiring a software program for creating movies. My MacBook Pro came with a wonderful Apple program called iMovie. Microsoft has a program called Movie Maker which I understand is similar to iMovie. In our case, my friend used a program called Flash to create the movie. A decision that later proved problematic. I’ll explain more about that later.
Following are the steps I took in developing the book trailer's content.
Once we had all these elements in place, the labor switched to my friend and I became a consultant. He fine tuned and added special effects that enhanced the video in ways that went beyone what my movie program could do.
When the day came to launch the trailer to You Tube, we realized that the Flash Program could not be converted to a format that worked with You Tube, and I ended up using a workaround and iMovie. Thankfully, my fix worked and I was able to upload from iMovie to You Tube. Be sure whatever program you use that it is compatible with You Tube. It will save you a lot of unnecessary difficulties.
Once you have the clip up on You Tube, you can direct people to that site to watch the video, and also get a code for imbedding it on your blog and/or website.
Now, enjoy the fruit of your labors and drive people to your video. I learned a lot by doing. And a good thing, as I’m now collecting pictures for a new book trailer to promote the sequel to Thyme for Love.
To see my book trailer, go to this link: http://youtu.be/UN8qm0P3xi8
A Wedding Transpires by Cara C. Putman
Attorney Alanna Stone vowed long ago to avoid Mackinac Island. Although it may seem the perfect place to heal, for Alanna it holds too many memories of a painful past.
But an exhausting high profile case and an urgent plea from her parents have brought Alanna home. Moving into the house next to Jonathan Covington doesn’t help her. Jonathan may have been her first love, but he was also her first lesson in betrayal. Now Alanna must protect her privacy and her heart. Then Secrets and a murder intersect, and she’s thrust into controversy again as tragedy turns public opinion against her and potentially her family.
For years, Jonathan has stubbornly resisted the urging of his family and friends to date, believing he’s already found the perfect woman. With Alanna’s return, he begins to wonder if he’s waited too long for someone who isn’t the right one after all.
Cara C. Putman lives in Indiana with her husband and four children. She’s an attorney and a teacher at her church as well as lecturer at Purdue. She has loved reading and writing from a young age and now realizes it was all training for writing books. She loves bringing history and romance to life.
An honors graduate of the University of Nebraska and George Mason University School of Law, Cara left small town Nebraska and headed to Washington, D.C., to launch her career in public policy.
Cara is an author chasing hard after God as she lives a crazy life. She invites you to join her on that journey.
This new release information was uploaded by Cecelia Dowdy! Happy reading!
The word weary has captured my interest. This is likely because I recently spent hours preparing a retreat package based on Isaiah 40:28-31. Beautiful verses, they are:
“Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (NLT)
I travel across Canada and oversea for ministry purposes. Everywhere I go, women tell me their stories. Some accounts thrill me; others break my heart. I especially feel for those who are weary from the inside out due to difficult circumstances, major changes, criticism, or interpersonal conflict at home, church, or in the workplace. These gals are tired—bone tired—and hoping for reprieve to show up soon.
I can relate to their feelings. I recall the days spent raising three preschoolers. Life was busy and loud at any given time, but it included the additional stress of one child having special needs that required weekly occupational therapy and frequent hospitalizations. Weary seemed tattooed on my forehead.
My kids are grown and gone now, but I still experience weary from time to time. As a writer, speaker, and missionary, I travel across time zones frequently. This means sleeping in many different beds, eating at odd times, being flexible with schedules, and trying to communicate with people whose first language differs from mine. It also means sitting for hours at my desk pecking on my computer keyboard, researching, and revising.
When weary sets in, I recall Isaiah 40:28-31 and find encouragement in its words. God—the one who never grows weary—knows our limitations. He also knows that our source of strength is found not in our own efforts, but in Him.
“Wait on Me,” He says. “Commune with Me. Be entwined with Me. And as you do, you’ll find your strength renewed. Your energy restored. Your weary diminished.”
I’ve found this to be true. When weary sets in, I seek silence with God. I bask in His presence. I thank Him for the strength He provides. And I praise Him for the depths of His understanding and His immeasurable power. My soul is renewed and my strength restored.
Are you feeling weary today? God knows. He cares. Spend some time in His presence, draw from His strength, and you’ll find restoration.
Read more devotional blogs at www.gracefox.com
Hi, Ava Pennington, CAN Secretary, here. Our CAN members have been learning how to better use social media, thanks to several recent member webinars. As I apply what I’ve been learning, I've noticed some parallels with driving…
Hello. I'm Donn Taylor, here again to talk about poetry writing and ways to achieve the "higher voltage" that distinguishes poetry from most prose. We've talked about putting strong words in emphatic places, use of images, and a little bit about figurative language. On my last blog we began talking about ways to organize a poem. Those ways are infinite, of course, so we'll confine ourselves to some of the most common, and we'll deal only with lyric poetry (poetry that expresses the poet's thoughts or emotions). As before, I compare a short poem to a paragraph: it has a main idea that may be stated or unstated, and everything in the poem points to or develops that one idea.
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