We CAN! promote our books

Tips from the Pros: Becky Harling

Greetings from almost-fall Ohio! I’m visiting here for a few weeks as I help my mom clean out and pack up in preparation for her move to a retirement community. So in the midst of not-so-normal days, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to introduce someone who’s one of those friends I’ve never met. Becky Harling and I have traded prayers, reviews, support and encouragement online for a few years now without yet meeting in person. I read and loved her 30 Day Praise Challenge and am thrilled to re-introduce Becky to our CAN readers. 

Praise and celebration seem to happen wherever ky goes, so let’s get this party started.

Hello, my friend. I’m so glad to see (and share) you here today. How many books do you have published?  

Five.

And what are a few of your latest titles?

The 30 Day Praise Challenge

The 30 Day Praise Challenge for Parents

 

 

New Release ESCAPE THE LIE, May 20, 2014---By Marti Pieper

Escape the Lie shares powerful truth that enables readers to escape the lie that says they don’t matter to God and move into abundant life.

Author Marti Pieper is an author, collaborative writer, editor, and popular conference speaker. She shares her love for teens as contributing editor for Sisterhood Magazine. www.martipieper.com

Tips from the Pros - Marti Pieper

Greetings from Sarah Sundin! What fun today—I get to turn the interview tables on Marti Pieper. Marti is one of the volunteers who helps post the CAN author interviews here. We all appreciate her dedication to the writing craft and her support for other authors and CAN. Marti has collaborated on several nonfiction books, is a prolific article writer, and she assists writers as an editor too!

Marti, how did you get into writing? How many books do you have published?

Like many authors, I have loved to write since I was a child. Thanks to an encouraging teacher, I was published as a twelve-year-old. However, I gave up any dreams of a writing career at the end of high school, deciding I wasn’t a “real” writer. After I came to know Christ as a college student, He made it clear that He wanted me to use my writing. I went to seminary and earned a Master of Divinity so I would have a sound theological basis for whatever I wrote.

Tips from the Pros: Miralee Ferrell

Greetings! I’m always delighted to interview one of my fellow CANners, and this month, I get to refresh your acquaintance with an author you’ve already met here: Miralee Ferrell. She has lots of new information and ideas for us, and I’m delighted to welcome her back to the CAN blog.

So, without further ado, welcome, Miralee! How many books do you have published?  Nine total.

What are a few of your latest titles? The most recent are all part of the Love Blossoms in Oregon series: Book 1, Blowing on Dandelions; Book 2, Wishing on Buttercups; Book 2.5, a 160 pg novella, Forget Me Not; and coming Oct 1, the final book, Dreaming on Daisies.

Those are great titles—I read Blowing on Dandelions not long ago, in fact (loved it!). You were last featured on the CAN blog in 2009. What are the chief lessons you’ve learned about the writing life since then?

That I must pace myself. I can’t spend too much time on promotion or my writing suffers. I must make a certain amount of room for publicity, or there won’t be any future writing. It all must mesh togetherto work correctly.

Tips from the Pros: Twila Belk

Almost six years ago, I had the privilege of meeting the wonderful Twila Belk and her partner in crime, Cecil Murphey, at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Orlando. Since then, I've come to count both Twila and Cec as good friends. That's why I'm delighted to introduce Cec's much-maligned sidekick to you today. Not only does Twila serve as Cec's manager, protector, and as Cec would say, "mother," but she is a talented speaker, writer, and the “GottaTellSomebody Gal.”  She was also brave enough to invite me to teach at my first writer's conference in 2009. So without further ado, heeeeere's Twila! 

Welcome to the CAN blog, Twila. How did you get into writing?

Tips from the Pros: MaryAnn Diorio

Almost-Thanksgiving greetings from Marti Pieper, posting today from Sevierville, Tenn. and the National Bible Bee. Through the magic of the Internet, author MaryAnn Diorio and I were able to set up today's interview in advance. I'm thankful to have met MaryAnn in person when we both taught at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. She has some wise words to share, so without further ado, enjoy our Q & A session.

MaryAnn, how did you get into writing? How many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles?

• I've been writing since I was a young teen. I started with poetry. When I won an award in a national poetry contest at the age of fifteen, I was hooked.  I did not, however, pursue writing in college. Instead, I majored in foreign languages.  At the age of thirty, I felt a distinct call by God to become a writer, but I needed confirmation. God confirmed the call by allowing one of my poems to be accepted for publication by The Saturday Evening Post. At the time, I had no idea of how difficult it was to be accepted by The Saturday Evening Post.  When I learned the odds of acceptance, I realized that God had ordained the acceptance to confirm His call on my life to write for Him. I have had five books published, and I have contributed to eight others.

Tips from the Pros: Crystal Bowman

A warm greeting from sunny Florida, where fall means cooler days, shorter nights, and (as my teenage daughters say), choosing the flip-flops with the wider straps. Today, I have the privilege of sharing an interview with fellow Florida author Crystal Bowman. I first met Crystal when we taught together at the Florida Christian Writers Conference, and I’m delighted to share her words of wisdom today.

How did you get into writing, Crystal?                                

I started writing when I was 10 years old. I loved writing poems—some funny and some serious.

My first professional writing opportunity (decades later) was an offer to write lyrics for children’s piano music. That was in 1990. and I am still writing for the same composers.

How many books do you have published?

Around 75—mostly kids’ books, but also three nonfiction books for women.

Tips from the Pros: Davalynn Spencer

Greetings from historic Philadelphia, where I’m teaching “WannaBe Published,” a continuing session, at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. I always enjoy spending time with other writers, and this conference is dear to my heart.

Every month, Davalynn Spencer, Sarah Sundin, and I alternate in posting interviews with our fellow CAN authors for this “Tips from the Pros” feature. So I take special delight in sharing the following interview with Davalynn. She has some creative answers and insights to share that I know you’ll enjoy.

Welcome to the other side of the interview desk, Davalynn. How did you get into writing?                                                                                     

Words captured me years ago, in the sixth grade, to be exact. Since then I’ve scrounged and scratched for just the right words to use in devotions, inspirational columns, biographical sketches, crime-beat reports, feature stories—and more recently—novels.

I love the variety there! How many books do you have published?

My first fiction piece was an e-book novella from White Rose Publishing, As You Are at Christmas. Heartsong Presents picked up my contemporary romance which releases August 6, The Rancher’s Second Chance, and signed me for a three-book historical series set in Colorado. The first book in the series is set to release in February 2014. I also have a short romance published in OakTara’s I Choose You.

Tips from the Pros: Debby Mayne

Not-so-sunny (because of Tropical Storm Andrea) salutations from Florida! Today, I'm please to present an interview with multi-published author Debby Mayne. I know you'll enjoy what she has to share with us today. 

Welcome, Debby. How did you get into writing?

I started writing articles for regional parenting magazines when my children were small. My husband challenged me to write a novel, so I did. It took about 5 years to sell, but I sold my first book to Avalon on October 6, 1999, and a novella to Barbour 10 days later.                                                                            

It sounds like you were one of those five-year overnight successes. How
many books do you have published now?                                                     

Thirty-something. 

Tips from the Pros: Cynthia Ruchti

"A bosom friend, a really kindred spirit." ~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

That's the kind of friend Anne Shirley longed for, and that's the kind of friend I found in author, speaker, and woman of God Cynthia Ruchti. We met while serving on faculty at the Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference a few years ago. I've only seen Cynthia in person a few times since, but I'm delighted to introduce my forever-friend to the CAN audience today. She has many wise insights to share.

Enjoy!

Cynthia, how did you get into writing?

I always considered writing recreation rather than a career choice. I trained to work in a chemistry laboratory and did so for the first seven years of marriage, working part-time after our kids were born. But I longed to be home with them while they were young and laid aside my job at the lab and its income. Purely to keep my mind agile while making homemade baby food and creating clever birthday parties on a budget, I enrolled in several correspondence courses in creative writing. I sold an article here and a newspaper column there, enough to convince me of the joy of storytelling and the power of words to alter the flow of the human heart.