Daring to Bloom

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Gail

My website’s name, Dare To Bloom, is no accident. Blooming requires tenacity and courage. This summer, I kept a close eye on a certain plant in one of our planters. As the season moved toward its end, I marveled that the flowers took such a long time blossoming.

What could be wrong? I made sure to water it through dry times, leaned into its leaves and whispered, “Bloom!” Finally, as mid-September rolled around, I moved this baby to a spot with more sunshine. The risk seemed worth it–striving a whole season without showing your colors is a sad thing.

Mid-October brought some tight green buds.

I watered more, and whispered, like a mom with a child slow to take that first step. A few buds started to show red.

Then one day, a single petal strayed from its bud. And as the sunshine cooperated, a few more emerged.

Over the next fees days, individual petals straggled out to create a feeble show.

But this past week, glory time came! Take a look.

Plants are meant to bloom. And so are we. The old adage, “Bloom where you’re planted,” sounds simple, but blooming can be downright difficult. You have to develop confidence that your colors matter to the world, for one thing, that what you have to offer will make a difference.

A couple of days ago, someone called to say my memoir was exactly what she needed to read right now. It doesn’t get better than that, since I’ve always wanted to contribute, to help.

This weekend, my husband spoke over in Eastern Iowa for a Veterans’ Day service, noting that soldiers, policemen, and firemen put their lives on the line for others.

We honor our veterans this week, and I’ll be taking even more photos of this amazing daisy that’s been blooming for about two weeks now. I imagine it’ll continue until Jack Frost says it’s time to stop.

On November 18, my first women’s fiction will release, too. Five full boxes adorn the corner of my little office right now, and I hope this story’s colors–its characters and the growth they experience–will brighten the lives of many readers. That’s what it’s all about.

Faith – It’s EVERYWHERE, it’s EVERYWHERE!!

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Gail

These tracks go somewhere. Just because we can’t see their destination doesn’t mean they don’t have one.

Similarly, people may say they don’t believe, but often suspend rationality. This is true in the internet world. For example, I replied to a FaceBook message from a woman I’ve never personally met. Her page cited her as a writer, so I asked what she wrote.

She sent a message: Nothing. I know I ought to be writing, but something in me keeps me from taking action. I don’t know if it’s fear of failure, or what, but my so-called writing is nonexistent at this point.

My reply: I’m a born cheerleader for people who have even one iota of an inkling that they’d like to write. I mentioned that I’d put off my desire to write for many years, so could relate to her situation.

Later, she let me know that she rarely checks her FB messages, and received mine by some fluke in the system that had never occurred before. (Do you get the picture that I’m no pro at using these tools?) Anyway, I answered that I’m not so hot at FB, either, and gave her my e-mail address.

Within an hour, another message came from her, saying she’d received that message from me in a text. Go figure. I don’t even know her phone number. Maybe there’s a logical explanation, but my reply works for me:

Well, I’d say maybe we’re meant to continue our conversation, and that some other power besides Google must be in charge of the airwaves.

The more I think about it, seems that Internet users exhibit raw faith. We trust this manmade technical tool will work. We trust these messages we send, unseen yet real, will reach their destination. And we trust that malevolent hackers won’t interfere and send our lives into a tailspin.

Our belief is a kind of “knowing,” like the assurance that leaves turn fiery orange in autumn. But there’s really more evidence for the latter–we’ve seen it happen year after year.

Faith manifests in many modern arenas, though naysayers deny the facts. But this internet one escaped my notice so far. When I complete this article, I’ll edit it a few times and eventually post it or send it to some other blogger who’s invited me to visit. Their blog—tangible in one sense, highly intangible in another.

It’s all about tuning into the right address, calling up the blog’s presence, and embracing its power to aid communication. Kind of like another unseen, but totally real presence.

Reminds me of the excitement I feel today as my debut novel wends its way from New York. I trusted that it would be published, and now, that it’s been mailed. Seeing it for real will confirm what I’ve believed, and also be pure FUN! Of course, then I need to trust that readers will come … if you write it, readers will come.

Yes, readers will come, just like winter will. And they’ll fall in love with my heroine, and …

The Gift of Words

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Gail

A warm welcome to Vannetta Chapman, who writes inspirational novels full of grace. She has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June 2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman was a teacher for 15 years and currently writes full time. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com

The Gift of Words

One of the most frequent questions I receive is “How do you avoid writer’s block?” Wow! I don’t even like to read that question, as if the very phrase writer’s block might have cooties that might somehow crawl on to me.

I’ve published 16 books in 5 years, and I currently have a full length 100,000 word book due every 3 months. Yeah, that’s a bit of a push even for me. So how do we make deadlines and still lead a balanced life?

It’s pretty simple math. If I take my total word count and divide by how many days I have to complete it, then I know what I have to write each day. Easy, right? Except, I don’t like to work on Sundays, and we’re out of town some days. So a calendar and an Excel sheet are my friend. I make a column of every day that I think it’s feasible for me to write between now and deadline, and then I divide that number into my word count. That’s my goal each day. I do try to build in a week of extra time in case I come down with a cold or one of my kids wants to spend the afternoon together.

I resist the urge to speed ahead. I have 9 days left on my current project. It is so tempting to lock myself in a room and just finish it. However, I know if I do that, the writing won’t be as good and I’ll be completely depleted. I have another project after this one, and another. I’m incredibly thankful to have work. So I take care of myself, and I resist the urge to attempt 10,000 words in a day.

I feed the artist. When people mention writer’s block, I suspect they are spending too many hours in front of a monitor. For me, it’s very important to get away from my desk—to sew, garden, take walks, go for dinner, see a movie. All the things that we write about, the living part, that’s something that we need to do as well. It rests our mind and our spirit. Now that it’s fall the temps have fallen into a tolerable range in Texas, and I want to enjoy it. Feed your artist and spend some time doing the things you enjoy.

I put my family first. A top priority for me is to engage with my family. If my son calls, I stop what I’m doing, walk away from the computer, and talk to him. If hubby wants to make a quick drive to the country, I pack up my stuff and go with him. The story in my head will wait, and I don’t have to worry because I’m doing my word count every day. But my family? Well they are precious, and I want to give them the very best of me.

Now it’s your turn. How do you do deal with “burn out?” I pray blessings on each of you, and on the story that burns in your soul—that God will use you, use your words, and bless your efforts.

When a tornado strikes, Anna Schwartz’s life is changed forever. She suffers a spinal cord injury and finds herself learning to live as a paraplegic. But then a miracle happens, and the world’s attention is drawn to this young Amish girl who has experienced the unexplainable.

You may learn more about Vannetta at: http://vannettachapman.com

https://twitter.com/VannettaChapman

https://www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks

http://pinterest.com/vannettachapman/

https://instagram.com/vannettachapman/

June Foster

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Gail

June’s newest novel, What God Knew, released two weeks ago. An intriguing title, and look closely at these hands on the cover …

Neonatal specialist Dr. Michael Clark is passionate about saving the lives of premature babies. But the pediatrics department at El Camino General can’t provide the care many of his preemies require. Now he wants to build a specialty hospital where he can better offer medical treatment for his young patients.

Tammy Crawford is an accomplished geriatrics RN who wants nothing to do with her sister Joella’s religious beliefs. She’s independent and doesn’t need anyone, including God in pursuing a new job as a nurse practitioner.

When she falls in love with the intriguing Michael Clark, she must reconsider her resolve to devote herself completely to her career and not become distracted by a romantic relationship. Now the obstacles are insurmountable. She’s in love with a man from another culture and a different race.

Michael acknowledges his growing affection for the beautiful nurse yet can’t ignore his brother’s deep racial prejudices.

Can two people as different as night and day find a life together?

Thanks for stopping in, and discover more about What God Knew at http://tinyurl.com/pdd6prs

Going the Distance – Patty Smith-Hall

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Gail

Welcome to you, Patty, and to all of your followers! Patty’s new release, New Hope Sweethearts, is now available on Amazon.

Today, Patty shares encouragement for novel-writing … and for life. Enjoy!

Going the Distance

This past weekend, I decided to decipher all the information on my iPod’s pedometer. It’s like a fitbit, keeping track of how many steps and how long you’ve walked over any given time period. I’m an avid walker but this is the first time I’ve ever had the opportunity to find out exactly how many miles I’ve walked since the middle of May. To learn I’ve walked almost 175 miles was HUGE, considering that three short years ago, I thought I’d never walk without pain again.

That spring, I had a spinal fusion on my lower back. I’m not going to go into all the details but will say that I couldn’t stand, sit or walk without indescribable pain. But I was determined to get some semblance of my life back. When I asked the surgeon what I could do to speed up my recovery, I was surprised when he told me to start walking. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage that—just the act of putting one step in front of the other had been so incredibly painful for the few years leading up to my surgery, I couldn’t imagine putting myself through that. But if it helped me get better, I’d try anything. Two days after my surgery, I made it around our cul-de-sac.

Once.

But I kept at it. Before I knew it, I graduated to the walking track at the park next door. One lap soon became two; two became four. I began carving out time to walk and guarded it because I realized the doctor was right. For the first time in years, my pain was controllable. I was feeling better.

Writing is a lot like that. You look at the possibility of churning out a 90K novel and ask yourself if it’s even possible, or life gets in the way and you only get down 100 words for the day. How are you ever going to finish your book at that pace?

It’s all about pushing ahead, building up your endurance. Realizing you can’t run a marathon on your first day. If we’re honest, every writer wonders, at one time or another, if we can finish a book. Even now, after all the books I’ve written, that fear still gets a hold of me. It’s when we don’t give up, when we push ourselves further than we thought possible that that book becomes a reality. It’s about making daily writing goals and sticking with them.

Here’s a little food for thought: One page(250 words) over 365 days equals a 90K novel for every publishing house. Two pages or 500 words equals two. Two 90K books a year just from writing two pages a day.

That novel doesn’t seem quite as impossible now, does it?

Patty Smith-Hall is a multi-published author with Love Inspired Historical and Heartsong. She currently serves as president of the ACFW-Atlanta chapter. She calls North Georgia her home which she shares with her husband of 30+ years, Danny; two gorgeous daughters and a future son-in-love. Her next release, New Hope Sweethearts is now available on Amazon.

A New Heroine is on her WAY!!

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Gail

My debut novel, In This Together, releases on November 18, 2015, and Dottie, the heroine, has opened up a space in my heart. It’s 1946 and she’s the kind of gal you’d want for a friend – steady, reliable, a hard worker, and as loyal as thistles sticking to your pants.

The only splash Dottie makes when she walks into a room comes from her mop pail. World War II is over, but it took her only son. Still, comfort gradually comes to her as she faces each new day and makes do the best she can.

As she prepares nutritious meals and cleans at Helene’s boarding house in her little Iowa town, who would guess Dottie also yearns to hug her daughter Cora in California and hold those two grandbabies she has yet to meet?

But Al, the widower next door, watches Dottie trudge home exhausted each night, and schemes how he might befriend her. She has no idea how much she has in common with her lonely neighbor.

I hope Dottie finds a place in your heart, too! The Vintage Line of Wild Rose Press categorizes Dottie’s story as super sweet, which means there’s not even a reason to blush in this heartfelt midwestern tale. You can see more about the novel at:

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6492

Diane Kalas

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Gail

Welcome, Diane. Let’s get right to the thought behind your Civil War novel.

Why I wrote PATRIOT HEART: back in 1990-91, a US military operation called Desert Storm took place in the Middle East. Not long afterward, the veterans involved came back with invisible scars that later became known as PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The heartbreaking stories about the men and women who couldn’t keep jobs or relationships soon became a regular feature on the nightly news. The heartbreaking numbers of vet suicides have increased over the years.

I write historical fiction and wanted to know how Civil War veterans who suffered with the same symptoms of PTSD were treated. Nineteenth century doctors diagnosed those afflicted with the condition as Soldier’s Fatigue. They offered bed rest in a soldier’s convalescent home, or recommended a discharge and a train ticket home. Often the soldier had a note pinned to his uniform, giving his name and destination, because he was so incapable of communicating. Let the veteran’s family deal with the troubled man.

As my story idea came together, I especially wanted to write my hero, Dan Goodman, as a strong Christian and show how he dealt with the horrors of Andersonville Prison for Union soldiers. Perhaps a 21^st century veteran’s spouse, mother, sister, or girlfriend will read Patriot Heart and see there is hope for their loved one. Hope for the future in God, the Father, and salvation through Jesus Christ, His son.

Here’s how the back cover reads–sounds like an adventure on several levels!

DUTY COURAGE INTEGRITY

May 1865. All Dan Goodman wants is to marry an uncomplicated girl and have a family, but the war interfered and he became a POW who now believes he’s losing his mind and unfit for marriage. He dreams of Oregon to put the memories behind him. The problem is he owes a debt of gratitude to the beautiful songstress. In addition, Clara Barton wants him to be a witness for the prosecution in the first trial for war crimes in American history.

INDEPENDENT ENTERPRISING FEISTY

Letty Talbot is a world-weary steamboat songstress, and wants a new direction after sudden loss. Letty decides to run a supply depot for emigrants going out West, and talks Dan into a partnership where he builds the prairie schooners. Letty won’t admit she wants to keep Dan from leaving. Even though they butt heads a lot, no man ever interested Letty as this one did.

TRUST LOVE PEACE

If Letty marries Dan she losses her depot, because married women have no property rights. Letty must learn to trust God with her future. Dan must forgive fellow Union inmates who killed for selfish reasons, and face the commandant of Andersonville Prison in a court of law. Allowing his Oregon dream to fade, he can then embrace the future God planned for him.

Giveaway and RECHARGE with Dora Hiers

Posted on September 26, 2015 by Gail

I’m so glad to welcome Dora Hiers this week. Her recent release of Burk’s Surrender, the third novel in her Harmon Heritage Series, is reason to celebrate! So she’s doing an exciting giveaway to a commenter: a coupon redeemable for ELEVEN Christmas Extravaganza e-books. Wow – be thinking of some brilliant comments!

Title of Latest Release: Burk’s Surrender

Release Date: 9/18/15

Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her “no dating” policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?

When You Need to Recharge By Dora Hiers

Struggling to find a job? Feeling stomped on by co-workers? Going through marital problems? Family discord. Rebellious children. Financial challenges. Medical issues. Or maybe you just lost a precious family member or friend.

You name it, and we’ve probably all faced it at some point. Pressure gains momentum as a culmination of events and issues take turns with their punches. Or it could be one major incident that knocks us until we’re staggering backward like a fighter in a boxing ring, squeezing the breath from our lungs until our vision blurs, the voices around us fading into oblivion.

We each handle stress differently. Some people thrive on it. Others tug the blanket back over their head and sleep. I tend to…

Run! Not run away because we all know that doesn’t solve any problems. But run to the mountains.

Peace speaks to my soul here. Whispers that everything’s going to be all right, that life is more than writing and books. That God is in control and that He’s infinitely greater than my paltry problems. Being here brings God more into focus, and the pressure lifts. I can breathe deep again, liberated from the chains of worry that squeeze my chest.

If we can’t break away for a weekend, then this is where I run…

Not quite the same, but it’s nice to escape my desk and the mountain of tasks demanding my attention and slip away for a few minutes.

This year has been crazy busy. While I’m beyond thrilled that four of my books released between May and September, that also meant long hours hunched over my laptop, trying to keep the momentum going with my current work-in-progress and the extra writing related to marketing four books. You know how, at times, events just keep piling on your calendar until suddenly you’ve lost control? That’s me this year, somewhere about April. I definitely needed a recharge, so we headed for the mountains over a long weekend.

It’s the same for hero Burk Harmon in Burk’s Surrender. As Deputy City Manager of fictional Harrison, NC, he deals with stress every day in his job, and as the oldest of the Harmon siblings, he’s been the glue that held his family together since their celebrity father’s tragic suicide. But he has a few weighty decisions to face. Like if he’s willing to risk his family’s emotional well-being with the increased visibility that accepting the City Manager’s position would demand, and moving beyond a decade of being “just friends” with Lacie. When she invites him to tag along with her and fifty elderly seniors to the mountains for a city event, he jumps on the chance to recharge. That, and spend time with her. 🙂
Where do you go to destress and recharge?

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him,

whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! ~Isaiah 26:3 TLB

He’s my yesterday, my tomorrow, my today.

He’s my redeemer, my hiding place, my refuge.

He’s the grace who covers a multitude of wrongs, the beauty in my ugly, the bridge to forever.

He’s the restorer of my soul, the quiet in my storm, the still water of perfect peace.

He’s my champion, my hero, my rock.

He’s the sweet spot in my day, my reason for being,

my very next breath. ~Dora Hiers

A little about Dora…

After a successful auditing career, Dora left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. When her youngest son no longer wanted her hanging out at school with him anymore, Dora started writing Heart Racing, God-Gracing romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers.

Dora and her real life hero make their home in North Carolina. When she takes a break from cranking out stories, she enjoys reading, family gatherings, and mountain cabin getaways. She despises traffic, bad coffee, technological meltdowns, and a sad ending to a book. Her books always end with a happily-ever-after!

Connect with her on Fiction Faith & Foodies, Seriously Write, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Purchase Link: http://bit.ly/17u3Im3

My Debut Women’s Fiction is Releasing Soon!

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Gail

Yesterday I received the official release date from The Wild Rose Press for my debut novel, In This Together. Here’s the cover – I guess you can see I’m excited.

Wild Rose publishes romance of every kind, so you should know right off that mine is classified SUPER SWEET … in other words, it’s a lovely midwest World War II era story that won’t even make you blush.

Probably every author dreams of readers falling in love with their main characters, and I’m no exception. Dottie Kyle, my heroine, would be great company along life’s journey.

She’s forthright, a hard worker, and slugging her way through losing her son in WWII without self-pity. Her husband died just after the war, too, so she took a job at a boarding house in their small midwestern town. This gives her a reason to get up in the morning.

She enjoys providing nutritious meals for the male boarders, who keep to themselves. But challenges arrive with a new employee, and true-blue Dottie tolerates the situation. Eventually though, her employer’s nasty behavior tweaks Dottie’s sense of justice and she’s forced to speak up.

At the same time, widower neighbor Al, husband of the best friend Dottie lost to cancer some years back, starts paying sudden attention to Dottie. She’s surprised to find she actually enjoys his company, and shares more of her feelings with him than she’d ever imagined.

Then, Dottie’s daughter Cora in California needs her desperately during a frightening turn in her third pregnancy. Will her longing to meet the two grand- babies whose voices she hears over the crackly telephone line be enough to overcome her debilitating fear of enclosed spaces … i.e., the train trip necessary to facilitate this meeting?

Or will she accept help from someone desiring with all his heart to share life with Dottie?

So, to all those I’ve met in the past few years–my friends at the Cedar Falls Writers Conference, author and editor colleagues far and wide, and my friends and family, thank you for your encouragement and patience. The road to publication may have been loooong, but it did take me to the desired destination.

And I hope you enjoy Dottie as much as I do. She’s quite a gal!

Oh, I seem to have forgotten one important fact: the release date is November 18, 2015. Can you see I need all the help I can get with promotion?!?!

Insights from Bonnie Engstrom – and Giveaway…

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Gail

Welcome Bonnie!
Thank you for having me, Gail. This is such a treat.

Thanks for offering a print copy of Butterfly Dreams to one of our commenters. Now, please tell us the most intriguing fact about you.
I’m not sure how intriguing this is, but here goes. I am married to a clinical, Ph.D. psychologist with whom I celebrated fifty years of marriage in August. Probably most folks don’t know, but shrinks (as we jokingly call them) don’t have a good marriage track record. Only a very few whom Dave went to grad school with are still married. One of our oldest couple friends (he, Gary, is a psychiatrist) celebrate their anniversary the same day we do, and Peggy is one of my most faithful prayer warriors. God does put amazing people in our lives.

Could you share how your desire to write originated?
OMGosh! Ready for this? I had been a member on a huge prayer chain for several years, often prayed a few hours each day for needs. (Obviously, I was an empty-nester at that point.) I had started reading Christian novels, one of which was Deb Raney’s Playing By Heart and Stephanie Grace Whitson’s A Garden In Paris.

But, I had this desire, this vision, to share how the internet could influence lives. So, one evening I was tearing up lettuce for a salad, and I heard this voice. “Write my Word.” I truly heard it in my heart. I stopped the lettuce-tearing and ran to my computer. What I eventually produced was a non-fiction called Email Angels.

Never published, but still on my heart. That year at Mount Hermon I presented the idea to both a publisher and an editor. Neither had the concept of internet prayer chains. It was too soon.

So interesting – maybe someday, still! Which of your manuscripts excites you most, and why?
I didn’t think it would, but I love Butterfly Dreams the most. Betsy’s personality was so much fun to get into, as well as the quirky personality of her mentor, Bett. I had never written in first, deep POV before, so that was exciting. I am currently working on a sequel to Butterfly Dreams. Betsy deserves one.

How do you work the natural world into your latest work? (landscape, seasons, weather, etc.)
That is easy since I now live in Arizona, but lived for many years in Southern California. I use both venues in my writing. I truly love both locales. For instance, when I finished writing Butterfly Dreams, set in Scottsdale, we were having what we laughingly call “a cold snap”- in the nineties, down from 114 degrees.

My second published novel A Winning Recipe is set both in Newport Beach and Scottsdale. A Recipe for Romance, both a stand alone novella and included in a collection published by Forget Me Not Romances, is set totally in Newport Beach.

One of my next novellas is set in Pennsylvania, my home state, but Family Secret, which I hope will be published next year, takes place both in Scottsdale and Sweden.

How does your location affect your writing, if it does?
Heat in Arizona and opulence in Southern California both affect my writing. I really do try to write “what I know” as far as locality. I know the streets, I drive or have driven them for years, I know all the outskirts and fun things that happen in each. Hopefully, readers from those two states will relate, but I also hope readers from far and wide will enjoy learning about Fountain Hills and Scottsdale, Arizona and Newport Beach, California. Both great places I am blessed to have lived.

What authors have inspired or mentored you?

Inspired: Definitely Randy Alcorn and Deb Raney, both powerful writers whom I’ve been blessed to meet and establish a friendship with; Stephanie Grace Whitson (if she could write about Paris, I decided I could write about Sweden); Dan Walsh and Dr. Richard Mabry, both of whose novels are outstanding; and, sadly, posthumously, Christy Dykes whose personality was even more outstanding than her writing.

Mentored: Barbara Warren, A.K. (Alice) Arenz, Christina Berry Tarabochia, Cynthia Hickey. All have encouraged me to never give up and have become good friends. But my first mentor, Beverly Bush Smith, now deceased, pushed and shoved me to attend my first writing conference (where I met Joseph Bentz who convinced me to go to Mount Hermon). There are still two books of hers in print, and I encourage others to seek them. Look up Joseph’s, too.
Mentored AND Inspired: Gayle Roper who started the Fiction Mentoring Clinic at Mount Herman the first year I attended, and who accepted newbie me in it. She suggested I make a list for Betsy. (I believe I have collected all of Gayle’s novels.)

Thanks, Bonnie – keep writing!