On Writing and Moving

In the wee hours of the morning, when sleep was curiously absent, I listened to Diana Gabaldon, author of the popular “Outlander) series talk about writing. One particular part of her speech jumped out at me. She said, “I write all the time.” Apparently, when she gets stuck on one thing, she switches to something else. Then, she switches to another something else and keeps doing this until the first thing she was writing on starts speaking to her again. “This way,” she told her audience, “I’m always writing and don’t lose my momentum as easily as if I stopped writing altogether.”

Sound advice, and one I am starting to put in to practice. The story I’m currently working on comes to me in spurts. Actually, everything I work on comes to me that way. For a few weeks I’ll be focused totally on a story, and then, poof, it’ll stop talking to me. If I stop writing altogether, it takes a while to get my momentum up and running. So, when the characters aren’t talking, I work on my blog posts. I work on 2 blogs, so sometimes, this can be a lot of writing. I also write in my personal diary, which I started in January of 2016. Since then, I rarely go a day without writing something. I hope it shows up in my books. :)

Speaking of Diana Gabaldon, I enjoy her writing. I don’t always agree with the content of her books, but she is an excellent writer. Her writing advice is worth listening to. She knows how to use words to great effect. From my personal experience, this is a skill to be learned. Then again, growing up listening to audio books, sometimes I just know without being able to explain, why a particular word fits a particular sentence. This can drive my poor children crazy during language arts class, BTW. But, I digress.

The other day while editing a paragraph, I couldn’t think of the “right” word that would convey the meaning or emotions of the scene. So, I looked it up on an online thesaurus. The “right” word, turns out was already there. Looking it up only confirmed it to me, but I had known it all the time. Of course, this doesn’t happen every time I sit down to write. Sometimes, words just aren’t there. But, the more I study words, the more I learn how to use them.

Which brings me to the point of this post that I have been avoiding—what to talk about today. Ha! I’m only writing down what has been going through my mind about writing lately. I have no point, except to talk about writing. I have very little to say that would be of interest to the world, so I’m talking about one of the things I not only enjoy but want to learn how to do better.

Someone asked me how to blog the other day. It probably was a scammer, but I answered, just the same and said something along the lines of, “Find a topic you or your followers are interested in, write what you want, and be consistent.” Then, I had to ask myself, am I doing those things? Does what I want to talk about interest anyone? After blogging for a year, is anyone listening, anyway? LOL

Ok, announcement time. I am moving. Nope, not out of my teensy house that doesn’t have enough bathrooms or kitchen counters but here on the web. That’s right, I have a new website. This blog will stay here, but from now on, you can find me at sjwellsauthor.com.

sjwellsauthor.com has a Books page that lists all my current published books and where you can purchase them online. It also has a sample of one of them for you to read. Another page is the Old Blogs page, which gives you the link to this blog plus one I kept several years ago, oldtimechristian.blogspot.com. You can follow my blog on my new site, and connect with me on Facebook. Keep in mind, though, it is a work in progress and isn’t all that it will be. :) I’m excited about the new site, and I hope you will come visit me there.

Well, I know I usually end my posts with, “Come back next week”, but I won’t be blogging here any longer. You’ll have to hop over to sjwellsauthor.com and see what’s cookin’ over there. God bless you, faithful readers for sticking with me, and I pray I’ll see you at my new home on the web.

Contest Winners, Mom Moments and the Eclipse

Good morning. Hope you are having a great week. We’re dealing with colds, so this post might be short and all over the place. So, to keep me on track, here’s what I plan to write about today.

1. Announcement of the winner’s of last week’s contest
2. A mom moment because my oldest is now 12 years old
3. A thought or 2 on yesterday’s solar eclipse

Congratulations to Lucy Reynolds and Carolyn Holtz, winners of the giveaway I did last week. It was great having Heather Day Gilbert here, and I know you ladies are going to enjoy “Miranda Warning”. Check your email, because we need your addresses to mail you the books. Thank you all for reading and commenting, and I hope you’ll stick around. :)

Time is a funny thing, isn’t it? One minute you’re busy changing diapers, and the next, you’re telling them not to wear such a low cut shirt. LOL Twelve! I’m stunned. Where has time gone? I remember holding her for the first time at a few minutes after 6 AM 12 years ago, and now, she’s going shopping with my Mom with money of her own in her purse. She helped decorate the cookies I made yesterday for our eclipse/birthday party, arranged the table and chairs outside for our guests, still sits on my lap and tells me she loves me, loves to decorate, loves to paint, sings so pretty when she thinks no one is listening and reminds me everyday what it’s like to be young. :)

Saw a post on Facebook a few minutes ago that disturbs me. It said something like, “God speaks profoundly through the signs of heaven.” I didn’t read it all, but what disturbs me is that no one mentioned God speaking through His Word, only signs in the heavens, signs they can see. Seems to me that Jesus had something to say about this in Matthew 16:4. “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall be no sign given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them, and departed.” In order to understand the sign of the prophet Jonah, we have to look into the Old Testament, which, BTW is the Word.

Now, I’m not saying God doesn’t speak to us through the signs of the heavens. He can and does. After all, Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Therefore, we must take the eclipse yesterday for what it is—the glory and wisdom of God on display. He’s got the whole world (universe, galaxies, everything you see in the night sky) in His hands, and the best way to get to know what He is saying to us as a people and as individuals is to get into His Word. He will give us wisdom and understanding, if we simply ask Him.

So thankful for His healing power. I felt pretty rough when I began writing this. Feeling much better as I finish. If you enjoyed the interview last week and want more of them, drop me a comment and let me know. Love hearing from my readers. The birthday girl and the youngest aren’t doing school today, so I’m praying for inspiration to write on one of my works in progress. Here’s praying you have a fantabulous week. Catch you here next Tuesday.

Blessings.

Presenting Christian Author, Heather Day Gilbert

Hello and welcome! So excited that you could be with me this week. Today, I am interviewing HEATHER DAY GILBERT, a Grace Award winner and bestselling author who writes novels that capture life in all its messy, bittersweet, hope-filled glory. Born and raised in the West Virginia mountains, generational story-telling runs in her blood. Heather writes Viking historicals and contemporary mystery/suspense. Publisher's Weekly gave Heather's Viking historical Forest Child a starred review, saying it is "an engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.”

I first heard of Heather through a friend who suggested I look up her books on Audible. I read “Miranda Warning”, and I loved her characters so much, I knew I had to introduce y’all.

Q: So, Heather, I was telling everyone how much I enjoyed your characters from "Miranda Warning".  What inspired you to set that book in the mountains of WV?

A: I was actually born in West Virginia and, except for three years in South Carolina (where my accent was solidified), I grew up in West Virginia. I'd heard plenty of ghost stories and real-life unsolved mysteries set in these mountains, so I knew there would be no better place to set a mystery series! Also, I really wanted to bring a taste of modern-day West Virginia to readers. West Virginia is a mixed bag—it's full of wild beauty, yet it's also full of families that have been ripped apart by drug addictions. I enjoy working real-life details into my West Virginia-set books, since I do live here once again.

Q: How old were you when you first knew you wanted to be a writer?

A: From the time I could read (around age four), I've loved words. I won an essay contest in the fifth grade, which was encouraging, since I'd whipped up that paper the morning it was due. ;) But I guess I was about twelve when I wrote my first poem (about our first visit to the ocean), and I ran over to tell my mom and grandma my epiphany: I was a writer. My family has always believed in my writing abilities, even when I doubt them! But I wasn't able to start writing novels in earnest until my children were out of their toddler years.

Q: From where do you get your inspiration for your characters?

A: Often, my characters are kind of built around certain types of people—I want them to be people you feel you know because they're so believable. Personality tests have really opened my eyes as to why some people are so very different from me. As a matter of fact, I'm kind of strange myself (I'm an ENTJ on the Myers-Briggs, a "Commander," which is a rare female type).

I do think men are so fun to write, especially when they turn out to have a similar personality as my husband (yes, Thomas Spencer in my mystery series is quite similar to my man). I think I draw from anyone I know or have known, but no one character is exactly the same as someone I know. They have similarities, yes, but they are always different enough that I can maintain my  objective writing distance. (I'm controlling these characters' fates, after all!)

Q: Can you tell us about other books you have written and where we can find them for sale?

A: I’ll link to my books below. All are available in softcover except the Indie Publishing Handbook and “Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers”. Both of my mysteries, “Miranda Warning” and “Trial by Twelve”, are available in audiobook format as well (on Audible), as well as my Viking historical, “God's Daughter”. All my books and the vendor links where you can purchase them are listed on my blog's book page.

“Trial by Twelve” is my second mystery, and I'm working on the third one, “Guilt by Association”, which will hopefully release this December. I have a romantic suspense novella out, titled “Out of Circulation”, and the second in that series, “Undercut”, will first release with the “Kill Zone: Ten Deadly Thrillers” boxed set that's up for preorder. These romantic suspense novellas are also set in West Virginia.

I also have two bestselling Viking historicals, "God's Daughter" and "Forest Child", which are based on real Viking women who sailed to North America. Also, my Viking romance novella “The Distant Tide” is found exclusively in The Message in a Bottle Romance Collection.

Finally, I've written a short handbook for authors who are considering independent publishing titled “Indie Publishing Handbook: Four Key Elements for the Self-Publisher”, and you can find it here.

Q: What is next on the horizon?

A: As I mentioned above, Undercut will release with the Box Set

 
October (it's a steal at 99c/preorder for 10 all-new thriller novellas by bestselling Christian authors, and the price is going up to $5.99 after release). Undercut will have its individual release (also in softcover format) later in October. Then I hope to release my third mystery, Guilt by Association, in December. I have other things in the works, but those are my top priorities for this year!

Q: One of my favorite scenes in “Miranda warning” was the one at church. Can you tell us about your faith and how much of a role It plays in your writing?

A: I’d be glad to. All my books are written from a Christian worldview (since I'm a Christian author!). In some of my books, that worldview is more overt, but it's never preachy. You'll find I have very flawed characters who wrestle with sins and who have character arcs that might span an entire series (just like we're works-in-progress until we die!). 

I liked writing that church scene in Miranda Warning because Tess didn't grow up in a Christian home, and she has lots of questions. It's important to show churches where those questions are welcomed. 

Thanks so much for letting me visit today! 

Thank you for allowing me to feature you on my blog. I can't wait to read more of your books.

To find out more about Heather, you can check out her website at heatherdaygilbert.com.

And, now, for the moment you have all been waiting for, we’re giving away 2 paperback copies of “Miranda warning”. To enter, just comment below, tell us your name, and leave an email address where we can reach you. Contest ends on Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 11:59 PM. Winners will be contacted via email, and if they wish, their names will be announced here on the blog next Tuesday, August 22, 2017. Note: Leaving comments on Facebook will not enter you into the contest. Good luck. :)

End of Summer Post

**Heads up** The following post will be random and might not make much sense.

Organization and time management skills are essential for a homeschool mama who is also a writer. But, what does an author and a homeschool mama do if these skills do not com naturally? Pray and work hard. Yep, that’s it, and I should know, because here I had all summer to straighten and clean and get ready for the coming school year, and I’m just now…a week before school starts…straightening and cleaning and preparing. Can anyone say procrastination?

Yesterday, my own mama stopped by and tried to help me organize a cabinet. Trouble was, she wanted it organized to her standards. Her standards are fine for her, but as a blind person, when it comes to important stuff like cleaners that I want to use whether a sighted person is here or not, I need for them to be where I put them, not where someone else puts them.

And, speaking of my disability, I really get annoyed when people use a lot of emojis instead of actual words. My speech on my phone is great at announcing what those emojis are, but it gets real tiresome hearing the speech say over and over, “Clapping hands with light skin tone. Clapping hands with light skin tone. Clapping hands with light skin tone.” Deed.

Back to cleaning and straightening. The funniest part of today’s cleaning spree was seeing my 11-year old, my 9-year-old and my mama sitting in the living room floor playing barbies under the guise of sorting them. Ha! I love it.

I’m really afraid I’m going to have to take a reading day before school starts. Last night and today, I really wanted to turn on an audio book. Listening to a story with humor and awesome characters while keeping my hands busy with yarn and needles, now, that sounds like a plan. When to fit in the time, though?

So, next Tuesday, right here on the blog, I am interviewing a Christian author straight from WV. A few weeks ago, I downloaded the audio version of Heather Day Gilbert’s “Miranda Warning”, and fell in love with the characters. They reminded me of friends and family right here at home. I asked Heather if I could feature her, and she graciously agreed. We are also doing a giveaway. There are 2 softcover copies of “Miranda warning” waiting on 2 lucky people who leave a comment after reading the interview. Y’all won’t want to miss it, so mark your calendars. There is also a Facebook event, so come on over and check it out.

Here’s apologizing for not being more organized with this blog. I’m running around like a crazy mama who knows that come next Monday, I’ll be busy encouraging my girls and myself to get up earlier and hit the books. We need your prayers. I’ll be back next week with that interview, so catch ya’ll then.

Be blessed.

Lil Bit of Wisdom

Tuesday again, and I find myself unable to concentrate on a subject to write about. I thought of telling you about my vacation last week, but we didn’t do anything terribly exciting. I wanted to come up with some biblical wisdom, but all that is running through my mind is God’s goodness and grace. Certainly he is enough, so maybe I’ll talk about that.

While scrubbing my bathtub earlier, I had this profound thought: I have to put some muscle into ridding my tub of grime, but the Lord washes me clean with only one drop of Jesus blood. How awesome is that? Seems like we try and try to better ourselves, knowing all along we can not do anything to fix ourselves. Only His blood makes us clean. It isn’t even hard for Him.

I’ve also been thinking of organization. I have none, BTW, at least, none that would make sense to anyone else. My oldest daughter, however, is organizing the bowls that we keep seashells in. She wants to make them look pretty. Me, I'd just dump them in there and call it a job well done. She is taking her time, making sure each one fits the best. Guess maybe she’s doing something the Lord does all the time: putting us where we will look and work out the best. We fight Him, sometimes. We don’t like this particular job or situation. We’d rather do this or that, but He knows best how and where we will fit to make His plan what He knows it can be. Lord, let me be a little seashell in your hand, so you can put me where you want me.

Spent all week during my vacation thinking of my characters, Mercy and Gabriel. Had a brainstorming session with my friend and couldn’t wait to get home where I was sure inspiration would flood my mind like a…well, a flood. Hahaha! But, last night, I clearly heard conversation in my mind that is intended strictly for another manuscript. Wow, haven’t thought of that one in a month or more. So, before my cleaning spree today, I sat down and worked a bit on it.

Well, think I’m about out of words for now, so even though this was short, praying y’all have a safe week. Remember, I’m doing an interview and a giveaway. Two weeks from now on August 15. I’ll be creating an event on my FB page, so come on over and check it out. The address to the FB page is facebook.com/sjwellsauthor/

Blessings to you all.