Tina Ann Forkner

Authors and Speaking

            I was once asked to give a speech at a ribbon cutting ceremony when I was about fifteen. I was invited to speak because I had somehow managed to enter and win the local Miss Hometown pageant. Maybe it was because during the interview I said my favorite TV personality was Geraldo and I…

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The New Library

Last night, I had the huge privilege of attending a test opening of my local library. Because I am a member of the Foundation Board of Directors, my family was invited to visit and use the library along with many others who work with there. When I walked into the library, I was amazed at…

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Poetic Insights for Your Fiction

My effort to keep the act of writing pure during my journey as a contracted novelist has led me back to poetry. I recently spent a week reading the writings of two poets: Billy Collins, the former poet laureate of the United States and Dennis Schmitz, the former poet laureate of Sacramento. I read these two poets…

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It Really Can Happen

Going through my archives recently, I came across this post about what I did with my first advance. Since I am always quick to point out the patience needed in the publishing journey, I thought I would throw you a bone. Enjoy… Splurging With My Advance

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The Possibilities

This article appeared in the April 07 issue of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers newsletter In my twenties, I had a framed quote from Emily Dickinson that said, “I Dwell in Possibility…” and I lived by that. I had the whole wide world of writing before me and while I had no idea where it…

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No Fast Road to Publication

Many published authors have a story of how ultimately it took fate or divine intervention to get published. Everyone needs a foot in the door, so it seems, and all the powers that be must come together at just the right moment to create the much coveted Writing Contract. As writers who are also Christians,…

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Books as Writing Teachers

It’s nice to be well-read. A good way to talk with your editor about a book you are working on is to reference another book that employs a literary device particularly well. I know it might sound daunting, but really it’s not. Let yourself read and don’t take it too seriously. Read for fun and…

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It Works for Me

As I wait for the impending release of Ruby Among Us (Jan 2008), I work furiously on my second novel. One thing I have learned about the second one is that I am pretty much writing it using the same process I used for the first one. At first, I tried to be very organized.…

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A Writer Going Home

Celebrating my savior’s birth notwithstanding, at this point I feel loaded down with the holiday season’s commercialism and busyness. Don’t misunderstand. Christmas was great, but how do I come down from it, so I can get back to writing? Sugar plum fairies still dance in my head uninvited. Really, you too? So then, what do…

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After the Call

I recently told you about The Really Long First Call. And then what happens after the first contract has been signed? In a word, Wait. But eventually, after we come back down to earth, we get back to work. Every writer is different, but here are a few things I’ve been working on while I…

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