In five short days, I’ll board a plane a head to Dallas for the 2017 American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. As I polish my pitch and print materials, I’ve been reflecting on my experience at last year’s conference in Nashville. Throughout that weekend, I was a sponge, noting various tips and tricks on the pages …
Writing
My Top 10 Favorites in Ohio Amish Country
Over the past four years, I’ve visited Ohio Amish Country about a dozen times. People often ask me for recommendations as they plan their own trips, so I created a list of my top 10 favorites in Ohio Amish Country. 10. Rebecca’s Bistro If you’re not in the mood for Amish fare, head …
Keep Moving Forward
While packing for a week’s vacation in Michigan, I received an email from my agent. She had heard from The Editor, the one who had expressed interest in my writing after reading my novella, and she wanted my thoughts about his reaction to my first full-length novel. This was the moment I’d been waiting for …
The Creation of a Novel
I attended the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat this weekend in Cincinnati. My favorite part of the event was the presentation by inspirational authors Becky Wade and Dani Pettrey. While speaking to us about planning, writing, revising, and publishing a book, Becky illustrated the creation of a novel with M&Ms. When I asked for permission to …
Assistant to the Author
In October of 2013, I was invited to be an assistant to New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Shelley Shepard Gray. At that time, I was a full-time stay-at-home mom to two young daughters in elementary school. I was familiar with Shelley’s writing because my mom would read her books and then pass them …
My Writing Journey: An Update Part 2
For the past couple months, I’ve waited to receive feedback about the Amish novella proposal my agent pitched to editors on my behalf. Yesterday she forwarded an email from the editor who had expressed interest in the story in March. I have printed his email to hang beside my desk as if it’s my first rejection letter. …
Considerations for Critique Partners
Prior to attending the ACFW Conference in Nashville last summer, I joined Scribes, the organization’s online critique group. Though I had a great experience with Scribes, I was interested in building similar relationships with writers at home. That being said, I was overwhelmed and uncertain where to begin. During the conference, I spoke with several other ladies to learn how they connected with writers …
My Writing Journey: An Update
My life as a writer has been crazy since I last posted, but I thought I’d step away from the first draft of my next book to update readers about this phase of my writing journey. When speaking with my agent in early February, we discussed a series anchored by the manuscript she held in her hands. I was given several options as we …
I HAVE AN AGENT!
Last April, I made writing a priority in my life. My goal is to be a published author, and I’ve taken another step on this journey by accepting representation by a literary agent. Though there’s much work to be done, I thought I’d continue to share what I learn along the way. In this post, I reflect on …
Chipotle-Inspired “Two Minutes About” Writing Prompt
While at the mall with my daughters last spring, we grabbed lunch at Chipotle in the food court. As the girls dug into their soft tacos, the print on the brown paper bag caught my eye. Tears blurred the words as I read “Two Minutes About Sardines” by Fue Xiong. The author describes the last meal his family ate on their final …