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Tell-a-Marketer
Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. Psalm 66:16 NIV Brrrriiiiinnngggg! The shrill of the phone interrupts the race across the keyboard as my fingers pour out thoughts. “Hello,” I say in my nicest “you’ve-just-messed-up-my-thought-process” voice. “Mrs., umm- Hatcher?” A telemarketer. I know…
A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carson
It is July FIRST, time for the FIRST Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and her latest book’s FIRST chapter! The feature author is: Melody Carlson and her book: A Mile in My Flip-Flops WaterBrook Press (June 17, 2008) ABOUT THE AUTHOR:…
$26
You would think $26 wouldn’t make so much difference, but I remember that amount like it was the hinge my life swung on. And maybe at the time it did. I was just weeks from having all of my college classes behind me (still had student teaching, but I had a summer to save for…
Putting it all together to write your hook!
Hey Everyone! Happy Fiction Friday! For the last month we’ve been talking about HOOKing the reader you’re your story. I hope you remember the SHARP acronym! S-Stakes H – Hero/Heroine Identification A – Anchoring R – Staring the story on the RUN P – The problem or Story question. Today, I’m going to give you…
Surviving Reviews
Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to have your own book reviewed by reviewers and readers? Recently I was Interviewed over at Frommipov (a great blog!) and Andie asked how I felt about reviews and how they affect me. I thought it was a great question, especially since my book has only recently been released. Here is…
What’s the problem?
Hey there! Welcome back to our HOOKS discussion! We’ve been talking about the elements of a great HOOK – using the acrynom SHARP S= Stakes (Public or Private) H = Hero Identification (or Sympathy) A stand for ANCHORING! Or, using the journalist inside to create place!R – Starting your story on the Run, or two…
Organized Kids: Five Habits to Cultivate
Get summer off to a great start by helping your kids cultivate some clutter-busting habits. You might learn something too! 1. Teach kids that less is more. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to keep things organized. Encourage kids to ask themselves why they are keeping toys that are broken, missing pieces…
A Beautiful Morning by Anthony Conroy
Last week while cleaning at the dining room/school room getting it ready for the fall, I came across some old papers on my son’s I’ve never read before. Anthony was in 4th grade when he took a 6th grade Shurley Grammar class. He got 100% on this essay I wanted to share with you. A…
Of Car Washes & New Binders
A friend and I were talking. She was telling me how annoyed she got one day last week. The story went like this. Monday was a beautiful day, so she decided to get a car wash. Her white car shone in the bright summer sun—clean down to the white wall tires. She was so proud…
House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing a double pair House of Dark Shadows and Watcher In The Woods (Books 1 and 2 in the Dreamhouse Kings Series) Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008) by Robert Liparulo ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert is an award-winning author of over a thousand published articles and short stories.…