My friends have been at it again. In honor of NaNoWriMo, Angela Hunt, Terri Blackstock, Kristin Billerbeck, and Robin Lee Hatcher. Last week I read Angela’s latest, a wonderful legal suspense titled Let Darkness Come. WOW! This woman can write. Actually, all four can. Intervention, Terri Blackstock’s latest is on the NYT bestseller’s list very deservedly. Kristin has a wonderful …
Real Life on Pages
What happens when real life bleeds on to the pages of our books? Sometimes it happens. I know, you never expected that, right? Some of my writer friends have talked about whether they feel more exposed in fiction or nonfiction. Now my onl y non fiction book is on business law. Very academic if approachable. I definitely feel more exposed …
Writing: Ministry or Hobby?
Is writing a ministry or a hobby? This is a good question. One I wrestle with periodically. For years I had the desire to write, but kept getting a wait signal from God. The dream would go to the back burner and simmer for another couple years before it would reach a boiling point again. At the same time I …
Christian fiction discussion continued
Karen Ball is continuing her series on Christian fiction and what it is. As she mentions and as your comments from last week reinforce, this is a hot topic. I remember the discussions she refers to — um, I think I helped instigate the one at ACFW with my check the box conversion scene comment while moderating the editor panels. …
What Makes a Christian Book Christian?
Here’s a question that my friend Karen Ball posted on her blog: What makes a Christian book Christian? I look forward to reading what the editors discussed when she posts it later, but here are my thoughts. If you can’t tell, I’m kind of passionate about this: Some of my bias probably came through at ACFW. I don’t want a …
A Promise Kept
That’s the working title of my next book, which is due October 7th. In part because of the ACFW conference, I’ve got a LOT of words to write and very few days. So if you don’t see much of me here in the next week and a half, it’s because I have to make every word count. Please pray that …
The joys *and challenges* of writing
I learned wonderful news for a friend earlier this week. She’s made it through pub board at a publishing house — that means she’s one half step away from a contract. This is HUGE news. FANTASTIC news. And my humaness is showing. I’m a wee bit green. Make that Jolly Green Giant green. I am so happy for her. But …
Olympics & Writing
Okay, guys, I just to say it is killing me that I have two very tight deadlines right now — and the Olympics are on! I love the Olympics — when I worked at a NBC affiliate in 1992, I was the go-to person for trivia for the Sports Director. And I need to be writing. But I want to …
Argh! Tight Deadlines: Risk of Implosion
A quick post today, because I really need to be writing chapters. Lots of them! Monday I turned in what I thought was the last four chapters in the Complete Idiots Guide to Business Law to hit my August 4th, half the book turned in deadline. Yesterday I got an email from my wonderful editor that they needed two more …
I’m back from Orlando
Arrived home at midnight yesterday — hence no post, but here’s a glimpse of what Rebecca and I’ve been up to. Writing can be very solitary work. Think about all the hours that a writer spends in front of a computer crafting the words and story that a reader can inhale in a few hours. I belong to American Christian …