Yorkshire Lass

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Gail

Welcome to author Carol Nemeth with her Faith in the Parks series, where you’ll find suspense and romance. Carol tells us about her writing, and is giving away an e-book copy of Yorkshire Lass to one commenter.

His Perfect Timing

As an author who began writing as a teen, I was confident I would get published early too. After all, my love of writing was as heartfelt and important as any other author’s. Right? No doubt true, my love of writing certainly didn’t guarantee publication. Far from it. Not until our second child’s birth did I finish a novel and attempt publication.

That journey was fraught with disappointment, rejection and self-reflection. My first novel, Yorkshire Lass, was rejected time and again, leaving me to wonder if writing was God’s will for my life. Or had I pushed my plans ahead of His?

I prayed, If it’s not Your will for me to continue writing and pursue publication, then, Lord, please take away this love and desire to write. It never went away as I continued praying and submitting my manuscript. More rejections followed. One publisher gave me hope as they made manuscript suggestions with the idea they might take it. They didn’t.

Disappointment again filled me. I kept praying, but God was silent. Even in His silence, my desire to write and to publish my novel showed me He hadn’t said no. He was telling me to wait. Like most of God’s children, I struggled with waiting for His perfect timing.

Our daughter was born in 1990, and I began Yorkshire Lasssoon after that. It was finally published March of 2016, nearly twenty-six years after it was finished. I may never know all the reasons my Abba Father led me on that disappointment-fraught journey to publication, but He taught me some things.

His timing is always perfect, and I must trust His timing. The details of my life are better left in His hands to work out the proper time for them to happen. Psalm 27:14 says “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”

I discovered God has our best interests at heart. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” He didn’t withhold publication from me because He was angry or being mean. Whatever His reasons, He chose 2016 to publish my first novel. Since then we’ve published eight more books. He’s blessed me in ways I never expected.

American Jessica Montgomery arrives in WW I England to be greeted with the horrible news that local vagrants and homeless folk are being found murdered. With a killer skulking through the North Yorkshire Dales, she and Grandmother Morag McDonald fear for the safety of the orphans living at Hope Orphanage. With the help of local Dr. Garth Samuels, they do all they can to protect them. Is it a deranged individual who is the harbinger of death or could it be something far more sinister? As they search for answers to end the horror, Jess learns who she can and cannot trust, but it may be too late when she finds her own life in danger.

A native North Carolinian, I always loved reading since childhood and making up stories since junior high school. I worked in the National Park Service and served in the US Army where I was stationed in Italy. There I met the love of my Life, Mark Nemeth, also an Army veteran. After we married, we lived in various locations including North Yorkshire, England. We now live in West Virginia, where in our spare time, Mark and I enjoy camping and sightseeing. We’re active in our church and enjoy our two grown children, son-in-law and three grandchildren. I’m a member of ACFW and have written and published nine books.

You may connect with Carol here:

Amazon Author Central – https://amzn.to/2AbdKRa

https://www.jcarolnemeth.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

https://www.pinterest.com/carolnemeth1/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnUhQR2avhaC3Pb-2nbozZg/videos

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-carol-nemeth

Monthly newsletter signup through my webpage or my Facebook Author page

Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Gail

People like me get excited about books for writing, so I’m thrilled to welcome Zoe McCarthy this week. For years, I followed her helpful blog posts that explained grammar and usage in a hands-on manner, and now has compiled them into a text that I’ve enjoyed perusing. And she is giving away a

My review: This volume literally (pardon the pun) bursts with necessary information for both fiction and non-fiction writers. Through the years I’ve consulted various grammar handbooks, and also used several in instructing college writing classes. I can heartily recommend this one. Concise and filled with down-to-earth examples, it offers treasure to serious writers.

I congratulate the commenter who wins her giveaway of a signed copy. To qualify, just leave a note for her in the comment section. And here is Zoe:

“You need to turn your blog posts into a book on writing,” an editor told me. Then a few weeks later, literary agent Diana Flegal said the same thing. She later wrote, “Since the market for fiction writers is tougher than ever, I bugged Zoe, and her agent, for a Zoe McCarthy writing book.” So, I took these professionals’ advice and created Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days.

On the eve of Halloween, I’ll share scary challenges that confronted me and snippet assurances I received in endorsements.

Overwhelming material.I’d researched and written over 150 posts on writing topics I’d used in writing my seven inspirational romances and teaching writing workshops. I didn’t want to dump posts into a book. How could I organize so many posts into a coherent guide for writers? Scary. I wish you could’ve seen the posts’ print-outs stacked into meaningful piles covering my office floor and furniture. Editor coordinator for Pelican Book Group, Jamie West, wrote, “A concise, detailed, step-by-step resource for all writers.”

Daunting dream. How could I structure the book to help writers get their manuscripts in shape and guide first-time writers in writing their stories? I wanted to free writers from experiencing rejections like I’d received on my journey. Freelance editor Denise Loock wrote, “If you follow her advice and implement her strategies, a publisher will be much more likely to issue you a contract.”

Perfection. Since Tailor teaches writing, I wanted it to be perfect. Recently I spotted a typo in one of my examples.Ugh. I wrote, “I didn’t steal this heroine.” I meant a drug, not a woman. Multi-published author Tanya Hanson said, “As an English teacher, I can attest that her tips on good grammar and her hints for excellent sentence and paragraph structure are spot on. But as an author, I also appreciate her ever-present advice that excellent skills are not enough: you must tell a good story, too.”

Confidence. No scary ghost can attack me on one aspect. I believe in Tailor. Multi-award-winning author and president of Word Weavers, Eva Marie Everson, penned, “Zoe McCarthy’s book is a fresh and innovative refocusing of your novel or novella. Through a few simple—and fun—steps, Zoe helps writers take their … manuscripts to a spit-polish finish.”

Aspiration.I hope Tailor will lessen fear of writing. Bestselling cozy mystery author and Twitteriffic owner, Elizabeth Spann Craig, wrote, “Zoe M. McCarthy’s step-by-step reference guide leads you through the process, helping you fight feeling over-whelmed.” I smiled.

Links:

Home

https://www.facebook.com/ZoeMMcCarthyAuthor/

Little Reminders of Who I Am

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Gail

Today we welcome Jeff S. Bray and his Hallmark-type novel. Having a male romance author here is unique, so I asked Jeff to share a little about his journey. Enjoy, and please see below for qualifying for his GIVEAWAY of a free signed copy of Little Reminders.

Little Reminders, as with most of my writing, began with a dream. However, the final product came out quite differently than the dream. Yet, two components remained the same, the characters and the premise of the novel that developed. I don’t want to give too much away, but the ‘reminders’ weigh heavily within the dream and the novel’s entirety.

I really wanted to have fun with this one, since my first novel The Five Barred Gate was much more serious. It was about our freedoms as Christians being taken away from us and takes place in a dystopian world where being offensive to another person is illegal. I know that doesn’t seem so far-fetched. I wrote TFBG in 2016 and watched the world decline after it was released. Talk about seeing my writing unfold before my eyes.

So, with Little Reminders of Who I Am, I wanted to do a 180 through writing a love story, a true Hallmark-Saturday-in-your-pajamas book. And I do believe this novel delivers in spades.

My love for food comes from eight years of working in restaurants, which becomes evident in Little Reminders. By default, this makes me the cook in our family, where I am also a stay-at-home-parent of four boys and one girl. My wife goes to work, while I stay at home and run our household. Well, that is a half-truth. As a freelance writer, my job allows me the freedom of being at home.

When I am not fulfilling a client’s demand, I am promoting Little Reminders, penning my next novel, or writing a blog for my website, Moments for the Heart. I enjoy what I do and have had a passion for writing since I was in high school. I would love for you to visit my website, follow me on my FB page, JeffSBrayAuthor, and check out Little Reminders of Who I Am. In fact, I am going to make this interesting. If you complete the following two steps, I will enter your name into a drawing for a free signed copy of Little Reminders of Who I Am.

First, like and follow my Facebook page, JeffSBrayAuthor.

Second, leave a reply to this post saying that you have liked my page.

That’s it. Do those two things and you could win a signed copy of my new release Little Reminders of Who I Am. Thank you again for your time and support.

In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JeffSBrayAuthor/Website – https://www.jeffsbrayauthor.comTwitter – https://twitter.com/JeffSBrayAuthorInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/jeffsbrayauthor/LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsbrayauthor/Email – www.jeff@jeffsbrayauthor.com

The Firefly Warriors Club

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Gail

Susan Count brings one of her middle-grade novels to us today. What a fascinating story of her writing method and how the idea for the FIREFLY WARRIORS came to her–and she’s offering a GIVEAWAY, too. Commenter’s choice of a $10 Amazon gift card or a signed paperback of this book.

This story is overflowing with information for young scientists, and the author integrates ways modern laws can be used to protect endangered species. What a great Christmas gift for a grandchild!

Now Susan shares her writing story with us:

Oh what fun it is to be a middle-grade author!

Selah’s Sweet Dream was my first book. I was 62. I had NO idea about craft, so I didn’t write it with middle grade in mind—it just turned out to be the voice of the story. Then a friend read and loved it, so I wrote to Dandi Mackall—you know her as a well-respected Christian children’s author. Bless her heart—she answered me. At her prompting, I joined SCBWI and worked with a critique group for two years on the novel. At the end, I was in love with the process and couldn’t stop writing. I still have that problem today.

I prefer to fabricate stories in a quiet zone. Out my window, my mind wanders across the forest and keeps me in a grateful state of being. I write at a fabulous antique desk that has secret compartments filled with horse story ideas.

My schedule changes with the seasons of life. The sunniest of times is when I can equally balance the best things in my life—riding my horse and writing my stories. When the weather is bad, I write more. If it’s glorious, then I ride more.

I’m not a fast writer because I re-read and then listen for the next line. Editing is my super-power but plotting is the greatest fun. I write the story beats on sticky notes and plaster them on a glass sliding door. I especially love to plot with my grandchildren. They are full of fun ideas. I have to keep asking them “and then what could go wrong” because they will stick a happy ending into every scene. How delightful to be a child. I feel strongly this age should have their hearts and minds sheltered from the world’s evils. If it were up to me, I’d keep them innocent for as long as possible.

My new release, The Firefly Warriors Club,is a major departure from the horse books I normally write. The story came about after the bushes in the forest surrounding our home came to life with thousands of twinkling lights. We’d never seen such a spectacular show and have not seen one like it since. Then I learned that many children have not only never seen the miraculous firefly, but have never heard of them. God filled our world with delights and clues to His existence. It’s our job to draw young readers near to the light.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089M1XJXW/

http://www.susancount.com

https://www.facebook.com/susancount/

https://www.pinterest.com/susancount/

https://twitter.com/SusanCount

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14771062.Susan_Count

Middle-Grade Sci-Fi on Deck!

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Gail

I’m happy to welcome Carole Marie Shelton, an award-winning writer. She’s the author of middle grade novel, Cosmic Chaos (Ashberry Lane, 2015), and the author of a soon-to-be-released picture book, Sasquatch Loves Bacon Day!(Clear Fork, 2021). She and her four children live in the Pacific Northwest where they enjoy hiking and seeking new adventures. Carole is giving away TWO COPIES of Cosmic Chaos to commenters–great Christmas gift for a middle-grade child!

Our world was suddenly turned upside down. I was in the process of writing two separate middle grade novels, while also researching an idea for a sci-fi novel when I received a call that urgent help was needed. My extended family had an emergency, which resulted in my young cousin coming to live with us.

We knew it would be temporary, we just didn’t know how long. We welcomed him with open arms and enjoyed having him in our home. And through each day, every moment of his time with us, there was this quiet fierceness emanating from him with determination to get back to his mom, no matter what.

It occurred to me that this was the same goal of the main character, Logan, in my science fiction story idea — to get back to his mom. And Logan is close to the same age as my cousin. I decided this was the time to write Cosmic Chaos, not later. I needed to write while I could see and experience the intensity and longing coming from this young man so I could accurately apply it to my story.

I finally completed the first draft about two years after Logan returned to his mom and the book was published just a few years later in 2015 by Ashberry Lane. I’m so thankful for my cousin’s stay with us; otherwise, that science fiction story idea may have never been written.

Cosmic Chaos is a sci-fi middle grade adventure novel intended for older elementary kids:

Twelve-year-old Logan lives inside the Luna Biodome on the moon. Not only is the moon dust making him sick, it also sets him apart from the other kids. While Logan is inside his new robot’s interactive program, his illness disappears and mysteries occur that he can’t explain.

When Logan meets an annoying, yet undeletable program character named Amy, their misadventures awaken him to a glitch — a secret that could return him to Earth to track down his missing mother. But only if Amy will cooperate before the moon’s lockdown and before the new robot destroys him.

Connect with Carole

Website and blog: www.carolemarie.com

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCaroleMarie/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaroleMarie55

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolemarie55/

To order Cosmic Chaos on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Chaos-C-M-Shelton/dp/1941720250/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=cosmic+chaos+shelton&qid=1601147968&sr=8-1
See More from Gail

Tales of Texas

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Gail

Linda Street-Ely is sharing with us her story of writing something she wasn’t used to…and receiving a big surprise. I have read this story and it really touched me–I would never have thought it was fiction! Here’s some encouragement for us to “give it a try” when it comes to new challenges. Linda is offering a commenter a free signed hardback copy.

Writing “The Memories Room” – My Tale in the Tales of Texas

By Linda Street-Ely

When Houston Writers House (now merged with Writespace) announced open submissions for their second volume of Tales of Texas: Short Stories, I thought, why not give it a try? The only rule was that the stories must have some relationship with Texas. I am mostly a nonfiction writer and have never written a novel or novella. As is common among nonfiction writers, I had written poetry. But this was also a contest, and I am a highly competitive person. It was the temptation of competition that kept taunting me. Could I write a short story? Yes, I would give it my best.

I dug out a writing lesson from a weekend class I had taken at Writespacethe previous year. The assignment was to create a character from the point of view of other people. I thought a person who cannot describe themselves, someone with special needs, would be a good character candidate. And with that, I completed the assignment. Here was the unfinished story, the character around whom I would build it, that I was driven to write for the contest.

“The Memories Room” is about a family and community dealing with the decline of the matriarch suffering from Alzheimer’s. I know “Small Town, Texas” well. I live in one where everyone knows everyone. My goal was to write a piece that was compassionate toward the subject matter and shed light on the closeness of small towns.

The competition was open to anyone, not just members of Houston Writers House, and I knew some gifted authors would be submitting stories.

After finishing the story, I needed to decide where it would take place. I wanted to pick a real place in Texas, and not where I live. As I perused a list of small Texas cities, my eyes fell upon Junction. The very name spoke of coming together.

My husband and I are both pilots, and we have an airplane. So, I flew out to Junction to meet people. I met the mayor, the director of the Chamber of Commerce, the sheriff, and several others. Junction was the perfect place for my story. In fact, as we sat at the Chamber office listening to their personal stories, I realized I had already written about Junction. Everything fit so perfectly. From that visit, I added a few bits, and sent it off.

“The Memories Room” won first place.

You may connect with Linda online here:

Email:linda@paperairplanepublishing.com

Paper Airplane Publishing, LLC

—-

Tales of Texas: Short Stories, Volume 2, published by Houston Writers House, December 13, 2018.

Christmas In September

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Gail

Welcome to Diane Tatum, who writes in several genres. She’s here with her Christmas novella, Dreaming of a Wedded Christmas, and offering a free copy to a commenter.

Dreaming of a Wedded Christmas is my tenth book but my first free-standing Christmas story. This tale begins in the boardroom of Wycroft Booksellers. Grandpa Jay is cleaning his glasses while the young people around the table argue over the future of the company. I wrote this much at a writer’s conference. Then it sat in my journal until I was interested in writing the full story when I received the opportunity from my editor to write a Christmas novella.

This story is part of a set available this Christmas, called MISStletoe Romances. Each story is centered on nearly missing something. My story is a triangle love story. Jaymie is engaged to Dave Garrett. During their search for a house, Jaymie meets Kyle Mason, their real estate agent. Literal sparks fly. The closer they all get to Christmas, the more stress they experience and the more Jaymie feels confused about the wedding.

I write romantic fiction in several genres. My first book is Gold Earrings, an historical novel. I’m writing a Main Street Mysteries series. The next installment of Dorie and Ross’s story is called DNA Secrets, and my Colonial Dream series is historical fiction. The fourth book in that series will be A Time to Create. I have two other free-standing novels: Mission Mesquite, and Oxford Fairy Tale, part of a set Romancing the Billionaire.

I began writing in elementary school. My first degree was in Accounting so I could support myself while pursuing my dream of writing. God intervened by bringing my husband into the picture. I finished my degree and we started our family. I started writing youth Bible curriculum for Lifeway and articles for magazines in the early ‘90s and finished Gold Earrings, my first novel begun in high school. After finishing a master’s degree in teaching Language Arts, I taught full time for eleven years. My husband asked me to “come home and write my stories” in 1989, so I did.

I’m living my dream and enjoy my novels. God inspires my stories and gives me the opportunity to publish them. I’m giving away Dreaming of a Wedded Christmas to one reader of this blog. Please leave a review on Amazon for me.

Website: www.dianeetatumwriter.comAmazon page: amazon.com/author/dianeetatum

blogs: http://tatumlight-tatumsthoughts4today.blogspot.com/http://tatumlight.wordpress.com/ email: tatumlight@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/tatumlighttwitter: @DianeTatumPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tatumlight/
Gold EarringsMission MesquiteColonial Dream: Book 1 A Time to Fight, Book 2 A Time to Love Book 3 ATime to ChooseMain Street Mysteries: #1 Kudzu Sculptures #2 Gemini Conspiracy #3 Attic VisitationsOxford Fairy Tale
Watch for:Colonial Dream: Book 4 A Time to CreateMISSletoe Romance: Dreaming of a Wedded Christmas

Fictionalizing History

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Gail

In her novel Lainey of the Door Islands, Judy DuCharme brings history to life. Here, she shares the ins and outs of staying true to historical facts while using literary license to give fiction readers a great read. She has agreed to give a free e or paperback book to one commenter.

Lainey of the Door Islands uniquely tells the history of Door County in the late 1800s. I live in this huge tourist area, host to approximately three million visitors every year. Before I wrote Lainey, my seventh book, it just seemed time for a local book set in a place so many people love.

I pondered and prayed and then one day the beginning dropped into my spirit and I sat down and typed the first several thousand words in one sitting. I said to my husband, “I’m writing and I can’t stop.”

Then began the research. I had already visited the islands at the tip of Door County and several lighthouses, but now I revisited with notebook and camera (phone) in hand. I doublechecked stories I heard, talked with those who knew the history and acquired books that told about the lighthouses and shipwrecks.

I believe I did thorough research, but chose to not be bound to getting every single detail into the story. While being accurate, I allowed myself to embellish and weave the history into the story. Hopefully I didn’t info dump or drag through tons of background. It’s a tricky walk at times, but that’s where practice and critique groups help. Be sure to join critique groups – you need their eyes and instincts.

It’s important to realize that sometimes a line or two, a quick reference in the dialogue, can provide a great deal of information of the history and the setting. When I write first drafts, I often neglect the setting description as I just want to tell the story. I then must go back and provide that. I still need some reminders, but am much more aware than when I began writing fiction.

Remember, in your author notes, you can inform the reader that you changed a few dates, adjusted a bit of the setting. I don’t know if it’s a term, but I say I fictionalized it. You want to keep the spirit of the story, the strength, hardships, and joys of the people.

An added benefit to a local historical story is that it encourages travel to the area. I have friends who loved to go to Prince Edward Island because that’s where Anne of Green Gables took place. Hence, I made Lainey a tour guide and did 30-60 second videos of the places where she spent time in the book, posted them on Facebook, and encouraged people to also visit those places.

Here’s my advice: do the research with enjoyment, physically visiting the places, then embellish and weave those facts into your story. I think you’ll like the result and others will too.

Judy DuCharme grew up with Lake Huron next to her back yard and has always loved the water. She, her husband, daughter, and son moved to Door County in 1984. After teaching 5th Grade at Gibraltar School for 22 years, Judy followed the calling that tugged at her all her life to write. Lainey of the Door Islands is her 7th published book and she is the recipient of numerous awards. She also writes for Guideposts Magazine. If you visit Door County, you may find her hiking in the woods, jet skiing on the bay, worshipping at her church, teaching a Bible study, cheering for the Green Bay Packers, playing with her amazing grandson, or sitting outside enjoying the beauty around her.

Connect with Judy here:

https://judithducharme.com/, https://www.facebook.com/judy.ducharme.18, https://www.facebook.com/Judy-DuCharme-Author-1360359084069983, https://twitter.com/PackerJudy, https://www.instagram.com/leejudyducharme/

Three Reasons to Love Historical Fiction

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Gail

Welcome, Marie Sontag. I’m already an historical fiction lover, but really appreciate your take on this topic. The idea of a “sliding glass door” that helps us understand others different from us…whoa! Do we ever need this today!

Readers, please see below for Marie’s offer of THREE free copies of her novel.

What happens when Daniel Whitcomb, a fictional thirteen-year-old, meets twelve-year-old Virginia Reed, an historical member of the Donner Party, on a wagon trail to California?—a friendship Daniel doesn’t think he needs, mentorship from the man who leads whites into Yosemite Valley, and an historical fiction story that shows how what we want is usually not what we need.

1. Historical Fiction Creates a Web of Meaning

I love historical fiction. It brings the past to life as it touches readers’ emotions within an historical context. This wedding of narrative and history creates a web of meaning that helps readers relate to and remember what they’ve read.

California Trail Discovered, my latest middle grade novel coming out this fall, places my fictional protagonist alongside historical figures, providing a context to help readers relate to the trials of the trail in 1846—when pioneers left family and friends to move into the unknown.

2. Historical Fiction Can Create Empathy

I also enjoy historical fiction because it provides a window into people’s lives and cultures. Good historical fiction provides readers with a safe way to move in and out of their own experiences and into those of others. This kind of “sliding glass door” can promote empathy for those different from us.

Jim Savage, a historical figure and member of Daniel and Virginia’s wagon train, warns a member of the Donner Party to return a buffalo fur the man stole from a Lakota Indian’s burial site. Jim had once lived with Indians. At first, Keseberg refuses. “The Indian is dead. He won’t need it.” Jim fires his pistol into the air. He tells Keseberg,“It’s not open to discussion. This is how Lakota honor their dead, and there will be consequences for stealing it. Put it back.”

3. Historical Fiction Provides Insight into Our Own Lives

Like all good stories, historical fiction teaches us something about ourselves. We all have wants, but it’s often difficult to discover what fuels those wants.

In California Trail Discovered, Daniel doesn’t want to move with his guardian to California. He wants to get back to Illinois and find out who murdered his parents. One afternoon, Daniel walks beside Virginia as she picks flowers. She comments, “Friends are like flowers. They add sunshine and color to your life. Don’t you agree?”

Daniel shrugs. “Sometimes, I think friends are like mosquitos. They buzz around in your ear, waiting to take a bite out of you, then leave behind an itch you really shouldn’t scratch.”

Through the friendships Daniel makes on the trail, he discovers that wanting to find out who killed his parents has masked his real need to connect with others and to become part of a new family.

Take It Home

What historical novel has helped you better remember factual events? How did it do that? Did it help you relate more with those from a different culture? In what ways? How did the plot help the characters better understand their wants, and reveal the needs behind those wants? Did it give you any insight about your own wants and needs? In what ways?

Feel free to share any of your answers in the comments below, or send me a note on my Facebook author page. One week after the posting of this blog, I will hold a drawing for those leaving a comment. Make sure to provide your email, or PM my on Messenger or my email. Three lucky winners will win a copy of California Trail Discovered.

Marie Sontag enjoys bringing the past to life, one adventure at a time. Her fifteen years of teaching middle school and high school have given her insight into what students find entertaining, and her B.A. in social science and M.A. and Ph.D. in education provide her with a solid background for writing middle grade and young adult historical fiction.

Born in Wisconsin, she spent most of her life in California, but now lives with her husband in Texas. When not writing, she enjoys romping with her grandkids, playing clarinet and saxophone in a community band, and nibbling red licorice or Tootsie Pops while devouring a good book.

mariesontag@mariesontag.com

Facebook
Webpage
Instagram
Twitter
Linkedin

Word Play Becomes a Career Move

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Gail

Word Play Becomes a Career Move

Sandra is offering to the first three readers to post comments below a free PDF copy of “How to Write and Punctuate Dialogue with Confidence.” It includes: How to write effective dialogue, punctuate it and tag it, plus extensive lists of substitutes for “said” (by purpose, mood, volume, sound and more!).

In a recent interview I was asked how long I’d been editing. My immediate (gut) answer was: “Forever!” Well, maybe not quite that long, but it brought to mind a photo I’d found among my mother’s things. It was me as a youngster while we were in Heidelberg, Germany where my father worked in medical records in a U.S. Army hospital after WWII.

Dad loved writing stories and poems, and he encouraged me to plunk out stories as well. The keys created fine dark images which surely formed wonderful stories, or so I believed. Since I couldn’t read or write, let alone type, at that time, it was a practice in vain. Or was it …?

My dad loved playing with words, imitating his favorite poet Ogden Nash. It was that “after war” period when society ached for fun and levity, and words provided that in our house. Dad would read his poems to me with a gleam in his eye. The oddity of rhyming schemes and playful meanings entranced me. No wonder years later I would write stories with tongue-in-cheek tones as I began to be published.

That fascination with words continued to intrigue me as I participated in critique groups. I soon realized I was as interested in reviewing the wording of other writers as much as in writing myself. That eventually led me to editing of Writers Open Forum (later becoming Writers International Forum) and then into serving writers with editing services.

I’ve been privileged to edit memoirs of people with amazing lives, mysteries that enthrall readers, fantasies that take us out of this world, and adventures that plunge readers deep into the wild forests of nature as well as the dangerous jungles of human emotions. I’ve experienced eras and traveled through countries that I could never have otherwise, enjoying so much of life through the reflections and imagination of others.

I feel grateful to my father for sparking in me the wonder of written words. And for that old typewriter that let my own young imagination soar. As our society tumbles through troubled times, I hope to help writers find their voices as well to entertain and inform and enlighten readers of the future.

About the author:

Sandra Haven lives on Washington state’s evergreen Olympic Peninsula with her husband. She formed a private FaceBook group page for Writers for the Next Reality for those looking ahead at the changes in our world. Feel free to join it! She also provides editing services for authors through her website, Haven4writers.com. You can email her directly or find her on these social media:

Email: services@bristolservicesintl.com

Website and Blog: Haven4Writers.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haven4writers

FaceBook: Sandra’s Tips on FaceBook

Twitter: @Haven4Writers