Every writer has his or her bookshelf favorites. It’s important to find the writing mentors that can expand our depth and style in the stories we hunger to write. But there are also some mentors whose writing principles cross over genres and over years. They define what is a classic. These are the craft books […]
The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck Contemporary Romance Charlotte Malone, owner of an upscale bridal boutique, has a gift for finding the perfect gown for her clients. But when she can’t seem to focus on her own fast approaching wedding, she wonders if Tim Rose, the handsome architect who swept her off her feet, is […]
Deliver Us From Evil by Robin Caroll Suspense Brannon Callahan is a tough and beautiful search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She and her partner deal with the stress and demands the job brings by quizzing each other on Scripture. After a blizzard takes down a small plane carrying […]
Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews Biblical Fiction Love in a Broken Vessel is the fictionalized story of the biblical characters Hosea and Gomer. Prophet Hosea goes wherever God leads, and he proclaims whatever message God gives him—regardless of the danger. When God tells him that he must marry a harlot and love […]
The manila envelope containing my first critique is still in my dented file drawer as a memorial to how delusional I was back then . . . I mean how far I’ve come as a writer. I pre-submitted the story before my first writer’s conference. If I remember correctly, I requested Christine because that sounded […]
Most acquisitions editors know a lot about proper punctuation, usage, grammar, and spelling. Most people on publishing committees know a lot about “PUGS” too. You don’t want them looking at your manuscript and thinking, This author has some good things to say, but she sure doesn’t know a comma from a semicolon. Even if your […]
When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason Suspense After her high school graduation, Jillian Carter left town, her boyfriend, family, and friends without telling anyone where or why she’d gone. After witnessing the governor being murdered, she escaped and went into hiding to protect herself. But ten years later, Jillian isn’t the same, scared girl. […]
Showing & Telling is an excellent addition to any writer’s library. She cuts through confusion, misunderstanding, and error, to provide practical understanding towards achieving balance between them, in both fiction and nonfiction. As a freelance editor and writer, and sometimes a preliminary judge in a writing contest, I have been struck at the inconsistencies, and sometime […]
Two weeks ago, I posted a devotional on a blog that I had never written for before. I was so excited for the opportunity, but my fingers almost froze as I clicked “Publish.” I didn’t need to wonder why I felt so nervous. I was not only putting my thoughts out there for a whole […]
Empathize with Your Characters
I once read a description of how to relate to someone with a motor disability. Put your hand, palm down, on a table. Make a tight fist with that hand. Put out your ring finger from the fist so it is the only finger not a part of the fist, while continuing to keep the […]
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