Author Archive

Posted on April 25, 2012 - by Linda Fulkerson

Habits or Superstitions?

It’s fun to read about “habits” of famous writers. From must-have good-luck charms to particular drinks to awkward body positions — for many well-known writers, rituals and routines were part as much a part of their writer’s survival kit as a laptop is to ours.

Hugo was said to have written standing up. Capote wrote lying down. Asminov’s desk faced a blank wall. (So does mine, incidentally.) To Dumas, color was important. He wrote nonfiction on pink paper, fiction on blue, and penned poetry on yellow.

John Cheever got dressed in a suit and rode down the elevator with other businessmen on their way to work. Once in the lobby, he walked down to a storage area in the basement, stripped out of his suit, and wrote until noon. He’d then don the suit, ride up the elevator, eat a sandwich for lunch, and return to his basement “office” until the workday ended.

Strange, but at least he didn’t meditate in an open coffin before putting pen to paper like Edith Sitwell did.

Some habits of not-so-famous writers (collected by a blogger who polled her writerly friends) include:

• Sucking on lemon drops while writing the bad-guy’s scenes
• Writing each manuscript in a new location, thus prohibiting “ghosts” of former characters from influencing the cast of the new tale
• Refusing to give characters a name with the same initials of anyone the writer knows personally
• Breaking a pencil in half before beginning a story, then writing down to the very nub to prevent using the same utensil on more than one story

Okay, it’s confession time.

What habit, superstition, or ritual is part of YOUR writing routine? Besides sipping a steaming cup of java, is there some little something you simply can’t write without? Some writing-survival quirk or quiddity that would make a non-writer just a bit jumpy?

My prelude to prose isn’t as interesting as some. I like pens and notebooks. Okay, I really, really like pens and notebooks. I almost never start a new story without a new pen and a new notebook (for recording research). Plus, I typically read poetry before writing. The rhythm and imagery found in poetry help me get into a “write” frame of mind.

Now it’s your turn. Spill!

 

Posted on March 28, 2012 - by Linda Fulkerson

Holy, Holy, Holy

Most of us have heard that God’s personal name is YHWH, often translated in English as Jehovah or Yahweh. The Hebrew language has no vowels, so no one is exactly sure how to pronounce YHWH.

Although on this earth, we will never know the exact pronunciation of God’s name, we can have an understanding of what that Name means to us. In the Old Testament transcripts, YHWH is often accompanied by descriptive words. For instance, in Psalm 23, David, who was as close to God as any human, uses seven terms alongside YHWH to give us an insight into God’s divine nature:

1. “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

- Jehovah Rohi (The Lord is my Shepherd and my Guide.)

2. “I shall not want.”

- Jehovah Jireh (The Lord is my Provider.)

3. “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”

- Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is my Peace.)

4. “He restores my soul.”

- Jehovah Rapha (He is my Healer.)

5. “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

- Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord is my Righteousness.)

6. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me.”

- Jehovah Shammah (The Lord is There.)

7. “Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

- Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my Banner, or The Lord covers me.)

The ancients believed God’s name too holy and reverent to even speak aloud. Some don’t understand why God, whose very nature is love, would condemn the lost to hell. I believe it’s because He is too holy, too divine, too sacred to even be in the presence of sin. It is simply impossible.

However, due to His infinite love and mercy and grace, He made it possible to have the sin removed from our lives so we can have a hope of living with Him eternally. And for that, I am grateful.

Posted on February 29, 2012 - by Linda Fulkerson

Magical Ending Day

Wow – I get to choose my very own writer’s holiday! Of course, others can share in this day of celebration as well, because I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who has wished many times for International Magical Ending Day! To give you an idea of how this holiday would work, here’s a peek into a world that already has this special day:

Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, lived a would-be novelist. This would-be novelist had unending story ideas, and she LOVED to plot and outline. She would create complicated character charts, weave intricate plot lines, and take copious notes from the hours of research she conducted. Research was actually her favorite part of the process and often included trips to settings she planned to include.

This novelist didn’t have a favorite genre. She loved to develop tales in ALL of them! Mysteries, Historicals, Fantasy – even the now defunct Chick Lit category. Writing for such a vast array of story types, of course, required even MORE research, so she bought books of all sorts on the topic of writing and loved attending annual writers’ conferences because hanging out with novelists is the bomb – even though she herself hadn’t “yet” been published in fiction.

The entire research-plot-and-outline process exhausted her, though, and she soon found her hard drive littered with dozens of unfinished stories. Each one plotted down to the last “And they lived happily ever after.” She would browse through her collection of craft books to ensure she’d followed all the rules and had everything ready to begin the actual writing part. Her husband once commented that she didn’t like to write, but rather she liked only to read about writing! What did he know?!

One day, she set out the notes, charts, and outline from one of her stories and vowed that early the next morning, after a good night’s rest, she’d sit down and actually WRITE a novel. (Of course, it took several days to determine which novel should be completed first – What was selling at the time? Which story had that agent-whose-name-slipped-her-mind invited her to submit once the manuscript was finished? And, the most important question – Which of her stories-to-be could she FIND amid her mess?)

What happened next, was magical!

Early the morning after, as promised, the novelist-to-be poured a cup of steaming coffee and trudged to her desk. Instead of her pile of notes, she found a complete novel! Each of the 90,000 words had been carefully selected and strung together in perfect order, right down to the final “The End.” She was amazed and called to her husband, “It’s done! My novel is WRITTEN!”

He, too, was amazed. What was even more amazing was when she emailed the already-polished query to the agent (she found the tattered card in between some wadded Wal-Mart receipts in her wallet), the agent responded within 10 minutes, requesting the full ms!

Wondering what could have happened, she decided to set out another of her unfinished novels on her desk before retiring that evening. She and her husband hid behind the piano, hoping to find out exactly who or what had pecked out those pages on the keyboard the night before.

Sure enough, a little after midnight two elves hopped up on her desk and cranked up the computer. They scanned the screen, then shut the thing down and turned away, looking disgusted. The would-be writer couldn’t help herself and burst into the room. “Why did you turn off the computer? Aren’t you going to finish the next novel”

One of the elves (the fat one) looked up at her and said, “Look, lady – couldn’t you even finish writing ONE project? Say, perhaps a thank-you note? You only get to pick one writer holiday, and you picked Magical Ending Day. That’s DAY – not DAYS! If you want another novel to be finished, you’re going to have to put your behind in the chair and start typing.”

As she stood there, mouth gaping wide enough to park a semi-truck, she thought she heard the little elf mutter, “At least the shoemaker made us these clothes!” He lowered his voice and elbowed the fat elf. “Your shirt’s getting pretty snug lately, though. Maybe we’d better back head over to the cobbler and see how he’s doing?”

—-

How does this story end? For me, like the hoards of outlined & plotted novels I’ve started, it’s not finished.

Yet.

 

Posted on February 15, 2012 - by Linda Fulkerson

Romantic Animated Movies

Those who know my daughter and me well know we’re Disney junkies. But that doesn’t mean we don’t love a great romantic film – because many of the “cartoon” movies out there can compete with live action when it comes to romance.

One of the key characteristics of love is sacrifice, and most romance stories (The Gift of the Magi comes to mind) include a great sacrificial moment to save the object of the hero or heroine’s love.

Have you seen Tangled – one of the newer romantic animated flicks? It has all the elements of a great story:

• Mystery
• Suspense
• Character Development
• A villain
• Romance (including the big sacrificial moment)
• And, of course, a happy ending

Another animated romance, which is quite possibly my favorite, is Beauty and the Beast. What a great story! But what makes it great? Both the hero and the heroine had to come to the point where they were willing to trade their own hopes and desires in exchange for the happiness of the other.

The Beast stepped out of the reclusive comfort zone he’d created and dared to hope for a brighter future with Belle. And Belle chose to look beyond the fairy tale hero she’d dreamed about and see the Beast for who he was inside.

It takes more than placing a dainty toe inside a glass slipper to create a real romantic story. I think that’s why some of the more recent animated movies have been so widely popular – they have actually delved deep into the development of a relationship, not just placing a kiss on the sleeping lips of a fair maiden the prince has never met.

What’s your favorite animated romance?

 

Posted on February 1, 2012 - by Linda Fulkerson

Love Does Not Envy

“Envy is the art of counting the other fellow’s blessings instead of your own.” – Harold Coffin

I’m not familiar with Harold Coffin, but when I ran across his quote about envy, I realized how true it is that the root of envy is focusing on the blessings of someone else instead of our own.

And it all started in the beginning. Instead of focusing on the beautiful garden God blessed Adam and Eve with, they sought to be like God. They were envious.

Sarah was jealous of women who could bear children, so she “helped” God fix her situation by giving her handmaid to Abraham. Today there is still strife in the world, just as God foretold, because of that one act of envy.

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery — why? They were jealous! Their father loved him more than the others and doted on him.

And Pilate realized that the Jews had delivered our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to be crucified because of envy.

“Love does not envy” 1 Corinthians 13:4.

When we feel the twinges of envy rearing its ugly head in our lives, the solution is to love one another and to focus on our own blessings instead of becoming green with envy when someone else is blessed.

Years ago, during a time when I was struggling spiritually, a mentor of mine encouraged me to focus continually on the blessings God had bestowed upon me. “Start with the letter A,” she said, “and continue throughout the alphabet until you’ve named at least one blessing for each letter.”

This is a very good exercise, and I want to encourage us to do that not only today, but any time envy creeps into our lives.

So, I’ll start with A, and then, in the comments, each person can take the next letter and add something you’ve been blessed with that begins with that letter. If we have more than 26 comments, just start over with A again. If you wind up with Q, X,  or Z you may have to get creative!

A — I’m grateful today that God has blessed me with many ABILITIES. There are many times I squander that gift, and I need to put the abilities He has given me into action to glorify Him!

Who’s next? What B word are you grateful for?

Posted on January 18, 2012 - by Linda Fulkerson

Getting to Know Lynette Sowell

It’s a good thing Lynette’s memory is better than mine, because I couldn’t remember exactly when we met, but she reminded me it was at the ACFW Conference in Denver. The first Denver conference. I knew she lived in Texas, as do many of my ACFW friends, but what I didn’t realize when I recently relocated to The Lone Star State is that we now live just a few miles apart, work for competing newspapers, and even attend the same church! It’s been great to reconnect with Lynnette, and I’m glad she agreed to share with us today.

Lynette Sowell has had a love of story from a young age. When she was a child, the reading bug bit early and the library was one of her favorite haunts. Lynette is the author of five novels and seven novellas for Barbour Publishing, and her work has finaled and won ACFW’s Carol Award. If she’s not writing, she divides her time between editing medical reports and chasing down news stories for the local newspaper. Lynette was born in Massachusetts, raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but makes her home on the doorstep of the Texas hill country with her husband and a herd of cats who have them well-trained. Besides her love of reading, she also loves to try new recipes, spend time with her family, and is always up for a Texas road trip. You can find Lynette online at her Facebook author page, www.facebook.com/lynettesowellauthor, or at her web site www.lynettesowell.com

What did you want to be when you were a little girl? How has that affected your writing?

My mother wrote in my “school years” scrapbook that when I was in kindergarten, I wanted to grow up to be a TV star. I don’t see that happening anytime soon. But writing has a similarity to acting, I find—we writers get to “try on” characters all the time. We can be anyone, at any time period. I love that.

Being who you want and traveling wherever you want is one of the fun parts of writing fiction. At what point did you know you wanted to become a novelist? What factors have influenced your decision to become a writer?

I’ve written since middle school, and sort of had the dream of being a writer one day, but I never imagined it would or could really happen. I started reading good fiction, the kind I wanted to write. And then I read a book where I didn’t like the ending—it was a romance and I thought the heroine ended up with the wrong guy. That spurred me to submit my first book proposal.

That’s hilarious, Lynette! Why did you choose to write in your genre?

I love the “happily ever after” ending of romance, so that’s where I started. I’m also a fan of suspense and mystery, so I like to incorporate those kinds of story lines too. I also like a satisfying ending as well—I realize that life doesn’t always tie up with a neat little bow. I may have some of that in future books, too.

Can you give us a glimpse into your current project?

Currently I’m writing a novel called Tempest’s Course, a contemporary romance with Gothic undertones set in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It’s part of the “Quilts of Love” series from Abingdon Press. Titles will release beginning fall of 2012. My book releases fall 2013 and involves a textile conservator who works to restore an old quilt and uncovers some long-buried secrets.

I’ll have to watch for that. Both my mother and daughter are quilters. Has becoming a novelist been everything you’d hoped it would be? What is one thing that has surprised you?

Yes, I still remember the first thrill of seeing my book on a shelf in a bookstore. It doesn’t get old. One thing that surprised me is I definitely don’t feel like I’ve “arrived.” I always thought that somehow things would be different (or maybe easier) once I was published. I find that some things are easier, but there’s a whole new list of things to deal with. Another thing I didn’t realize was the role that authors must take in their own marketing.

What advice do you have for those who wish to write Christian fiction?

Go for it! Don’t follow trends, but write what you love. And finish, finish, finish that first book if you haven’t. If you have finished writing your first book, don’t stay too attached to it. Start writing another one.

Which book are you most pleased with and why?

I think it’s Tempest’s Course, the one I’m writing now. With every book, I try to improve—whether it’s characters, setting, pacing. I like the thought of doing better, and I hope the readers appreciate that too.

What are your future goals in your writing career?

Currently I write part-time, like many authors. I would like to get to the point that I earn my sole income through writing. It’s a lofty goal, but I think it’s do-able in the future.

You’re also a part-time newspaper reporter (for my competitor!). How has that affected your writing?

I realize that every time I go out to cover a story, I’m faced with very real characters who have their own stories to tell. As a novelist, I keep reminding myself to find my characters’ stories. Not the one I think I want to tell, but the one they have to tell me. Also, I’m learning that I need to be brief enough to get my point across. Readers don’t like to have things “over-explained” to them.

Thanks so much, Lynette, for sharing with us today! For those of you who wish to get to know Lynette more, visit her blogs:

http://soyouwanttowriteabook.blogspot.com/ If you’re an absolute writing newbie, start writing now!

http://christiansread.wordpress.com/ A collaborative blog with 13 other authors

http://cherryblossomcapers.blogspot.com/ A blog highlighting Cherry Blossom Capers

Posted on October 12, 2011 - by Linda Fulkerson

He Restores My Soul

I am so grateful that our God allows do-overs! Whenever I fall short (which happens every day!), I think of His grace toward King David, the Apostle Peter, and countless others, who, although they were leaders, failed.

To restore means to bring back to the original condition. The Bible tells us unless we become born again, precious and pure as a little child, we cannot enter the Kingdom. We must be restored to our original condition — pure of heart, innocent.

Note that David said, “He restoreth my soul.” Restoration is a process we cannot do ourselves. We must seek God’s help. Only He can restore us.

I’ve never restored antique furniture, but I read about the process while pondering what to write for today’s devotional. In every reference I found, the very first step in restoring an item to its original condition is clean it. Carefully wipe away all the grim and gunk. Until that step is completed, nothing else can be done.

David must have known that, as he cried out to the Lord, “Create in me a clean heart, Oh, God!” and “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” God heard David’s cries for help and forgiveness, and John promises us that God will hear our cries, too.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

Wow! What a powerful promise!

When we reach out toward God and beg Him to restore our souls, He will reach back: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a).

But the verse doesn’t stop there. The next part reads, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded” (James 4:8b). There’s that first step — the cleaning process.

When I was in the Marine Corps, each year we were required to complete advanced first aid training. The goal of medicine is to “restore” a patient’s health to its previous condition. The steps for drawing closer to God are similar to those of stabilizing a trauma victim: Start the breathing, Stop the bleeding, Treat for shock, Protect the wound.

Notice that James tells us to draw near to God before he instructs us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. That’s because we’ll need God’s strength and comfort, because once we choose to ask God for restoration, Satan gets busy trying to hold us back.

Start the breathing is the first step toward saving a victim’s life. And spiritually speaking, we must breathe in God’s word and exhale our prayers. We clear our spiritual airway through confession so no obstructions can block our breath.

Once the patient is breathing, stopping blood loss is vital. To avoid further deterioration of our relationship with our Father, we must stop the sin in our lives. This doesn’t mean we’ll become sinless, but that we’re doing our best to walk in His light so our iniquities won’t continue to separate us from God. (See 1 John 1:7).

The next step in life-saving is to treat for shock. This is accomplished by keeping the patient warm and calm. God, in His infinite wisdom, gave us fellow Christians to help us along our Christian walk. The warmth and fellowship of the church prevents the newly restored brother or sister from slipping into shock.

The final first aid step is to protect the wound. The affected area must be cleaned thoroughly and protected by placing a clean bandage. We protect our spiritual wounds by applying the balm of forgiveness and covering them with love.

Protecting a wound is an on-going process. We must choose each day to walk in the light. And each day we’ll receive the blessings God offers as he keeps our soul restored.

Posted on September 30, 2011 - by Linda Fulkerson

What’s a Nice Blogger Like Me Doing in a Place Like ACFW?

Or — why, in addition to improving one’s fiction-writing skills, should one attend the annual ACFW conference? Here are my top personal reasons (in no particular order):

• Travel. Okay, that’s kind of a lame and shallow reason to go to a fiction-writing conference, but it’s true for me. I especially like to travel with Shannon. She’s fun and doesn’t criticize my driving. And, while I didn’t find it necessary to go to the top of the Gateway Arch, I did enjoy snapping a few pictures of it.
• Classes. And I always learn something great at the ACFW conference. The classes are awesome. I especially enjoyed Jeff Gerke’s class on creating characters for the plot-first writer. I love to plot, but the common denominator among my fiction rejections has been character-related, so this class gave me hope. Besides, all good non-fiction writers (including bloggers) know that incorporating elements of fiction into our writing will make our words more compelling for the reader, so learning from some of the best fiction craft teachers in the country is a good thing!
• Food. I love to eat, however conference food isn’t typically my favorite fare. The fun part, though, isn’t really eating at conferences, but anticipating and guessing just what they’ll serve next. This year, green beans was the new asparagus. In fact, I thought nothing could top the creative ways last year’s kitchen crew came up with to serve asparagus (even at breakfast). That is, until I saw Mickey Mouse smoking a cigar on my plate at the banquet. Nice!
• Marketing. During the past few years, ACFW has expanded the conference curriculum to include a variety of marketing classes. Since marketing is one of my favorite topics to blog about, I love it! And our own Shannon Vannatter was one of the presenters on this topic. She did a fabulous job!
• Spiritual Retreat. Singing praises together. Praying in the Prayer Room (or in the hallway between sessions). Leaving the cares of home behind for a few days. It’s a great pick-me-up!
• Networking. Attending the annual ACFW conference is sometimes like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. Or who you’re going to meet, or what opportunities you may be presented. Usually we’re asked for proposals and manuscripts, but someone this year actually asked me to submit a resume. Like for a JOB. That was a first for me. Plus, I met a POD printer who suggested when I finish my e-course on how to market yourself and/or your business online that I put the course in book form, too, and let those who wish order a copy. I wouldn’t have thought of that had I not met him at conference. Now I can offer the book as a free bonus to the course, and give those who might not want the full course the choice of just buying the book. Thanks, Dave! (Oh, and if you want to get on the early notification list & get periodic free marketing tips in the meantime, head over to Creating Biz Buzz and sign up!)
• People. You just can’t beat the people in the ACFW family! I love seeing my old friends and meeting new ones. Each conference is like a family reunion.
• Inspiration. And yes, every year I come away with a story banging around in my head. I don’t always write them (stop it, Shannon!), but I do always come home with one. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll actually write a novel. But until then, thanks, ACFW, for letting this blogger hang out with you yet another year!

Posted on September 16, 2011 - by Linda Fulkerson

Do We Understand Each Other?

Communication is vital in every relationship – whether it be husband and wife, pastor and congregation, parent and child, and, yes, even among those we spend possibly the largest chunk of our days with — our co-workers.

I managed to survive a brief but memorable career in the high-stress behind-the-scenes arena of the trucking industry known as dispatch. Basically, the job of a dispatcher is to appease the tempers of salesmen, customers, management, and, of course, truck drivers. Days were spent in a vast room filled with partitionless cubicles, breathing the ever-present aroma of coffee mingled with diesel fumes creeping in from the adjacent shop.

When the trucker-turned-dispatcher seated next to me slammed down his receiver and muttered an expletive, I momentarily ignored the four flashing lights vying for  attention from my own phone and peered around the computer monitor.

“What’s wrong?” I dared to ask.

“I gotta make a delivery appointment in Laredo, Texas, and this guy don’t speak English!”

Ignoring his own lack of skill with the language, I thought, “Ah, Spanish.” All those years spent sweltering in Yuma, Arizona, would at last come in handy. And, while I’d always taken an interpreter on my frequent trips to Mexico, I had mastered all the necessary phrases: “How much?”; “No, thank you”; and “Where’s the bathroom, please?”

“Let me see the customer information,” I offered.

He tossed me a half-wadded sticky note with a phone number scrawled on it. I dialed the number and responded with an appropriate greeting (in Spanish) to the voice that answered. At that point, the conversation immediately advanced beyond the scope of my expertise, and, as a baseball manager in a tight situation points to the bullpen and pats his left shoulder with hopes of saving the game, I pulled out my emergency all-purpose phrase: “¿En Ingles, por favor?” Within moments the appointment was set. I gave the obligatory “Muchos gracias,” and handed the note back to my co-worker.

With a face like that of a child who just witnessed the antics of some grand illusionist, he asked, “How’d you do that?”

“Simple,” I said smugly. “I asked him to speak English.”

A few days later, my neighbor once again needed to set up a delivery in Laredo. “Hey, Linda. Teach me what you said to that guy the other day.”

A ten-minute Spanish lesson ensued, at the end of which I could make out, “¿En Ingles, por favor?” through his gruff southern drawl. We were ready.

Filled with anticipation, my co-worker dialed the number while I, the proud teacher, listened carefully for the well-practiced words. Fidgeting in his chair, he tapped his fingers on the desk during the greeting. He paused momentarily, and I gave an encouraging smile. He nodded, then suddenly blurted out, “Hey dude, you speak English?”

. . . As Mark Twain so aptly put it, “Let us draw the curtain of charity over the rest of the scene.”

Posted on September 2, 2011 - by Linda Fulkerson

Heeeeerrrreeee’s Shannon!

When Lorna announced we’d be doing author interviews during this segment, I immediately knew who I wanted to hear from – my good friend, fellow adventurer, and amazing author, (and one of our own Inkspers!), Shannon Taylor Vannatter. Thanks, Shannon, for taking the time to answer these questions for us. — Linda

***

Before we get into the interview questions, here’s a bit about Shannon:

Shannon Taylor Vannatter married her high school sweetheart. Since then her husband answered the call to preach and they became first-time parents 16 ½ years into their marriage.

Her titles White Roses, White Doves, and White Pearls can be ordered through barbourbooks.com, amazon.com, and christianbook.com.

The first in her Texas rodeo series, Rodeo Dust, releases in October through Heartsong Presents. (Note from Linda – I actually wrote a word in this book, so I’m super pumped to see it in print!)

Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com. She’s active on Facebook: facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter and Twitter: @stvauthor.

***

Me: What did you want to be when you were a little girl? How has that affected your writing?

Shannon: I grew up 5 miles from Six Flags over Georgia and I had older cousins, so I spent much of my summers there and every Friday and Saturday night at the roller rink. My lofty life goal combined my two favorite things. I wanted to be one of those girls on roller skates who sweeps the park.

I put Six Flags over Texas in my second rodeo book, but my heroine is a photographer who volunteers to help chaperone the youth group trip. And of course the hero is a hunky youth director. I haven’t had a roller skating heroine. I’ll have to look into that.

Me: I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to do that. You have a great imagination! At what point did you know you wanted to become a novelist? What factors have influenced your decision to become a writer?

Shannon: It didn’t hit me until I was thirty that the story I’d played over and over in my head, since I was fifteen, could be a book. But I didn’t have a computer and I’m not that good of a typist.

Three years later, my father-in-law got a new computer and gave me his old one. As soon as it was hooked up, I was writing. My husband has supported my writing since the beginning.

After a few years of hitting the local writing groups and conferences, I discovered ACFW. If not for the hand me down computer and my husband taking me to conferences, and ACFW, I wouldn’t be writing.

Me: And now, your sticktoitiveness has paid off! Why did you choose to write in the romance genre?

Shannon: I’ve read romance since I was fifteen. My mom would go to the library and scout out clean romances for me. I love knowing that no matter what happens in the book, it will all turn out okay. I’m too chicken to read other genres much because I’m so disappointed if I don’t get my happily-ever-after.

When I started writing, I set out to write a clean romance because I couldn’t find them anymore. But my characters kept talking to God. Once I looked into how to get published, I learned there was an inspirational market for what I was writing.

Me: You do a great job of weaving in the spiritual thread without being preachy. Can you give us a glimpse into your current project?

Shannon: I just turned in my second rodeo book. Since Heartsong Presents will end in December, it will be an e-book.

I’m currently torn between two longer length books. One set in Georgia with a English professor heroine and a French guy who’s been bugging me to write his story for three years. The other is set in Arkansas about a Diamond heiress torn between two men. I need to get busy on the heiress since I’ve already sent out proposals. I sent it out because I didn’t have the setting for the French guy—until last week. He’s got to leave me alone until I get finished with the heiress.

Me: Sometimes characters can be as annoying as a whiny puppy! You’re teaching a marketing class at this year’s ACFW conference. Can you share a few marketing tips with us?

Shannon: Setting can be so important to marketing. It’s so much easier to create fictional settings and populate them. But if you do a little research, set your story in a real place, and put a few local places in your book, you’ve got instant fans. Write a book set in each state and you’ve got fans in all 50 states.

Me: I’ve really enjoyed tromping through some of the places you set your “White” series. Thanks for letting me tag along! You’ve really broken out well as a new novelist. What awards have you and/or your books won?

Shannon: Ugh, I feel like I’m bragging. So remember, y’all, Linda asked.

• White Roses – 2011 Inspirational Readers Choice Award Short Contemporary
• 3^rd Favorite New Heartsong Presents Author
• White Roses – 1^st Favorite Heartsong Presents Contemporary
• White Doves – 8^th Favorite Heartsong Presents Contemporary
• White Doves – 1^st Best Heartsong Presents Contemporary Cover
• White Roses -  2^nd Best Heartsong Presents Contemporary Cover
• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 20 to Watch in 2011

I have to give God the Glory, my editors credit for the writing awards, and my cover designer full credit for the cover awards.

Me: I know God has blessed you and your writing, but you’ve really worked hard, too, Shannon, and I’m proud of you! I know we all are. Has becoming a novelist been everything you’d hoped it would be? What is one thing that has surprised you?

Shannon: The feeling of knowing people are reading my books, being touched by them, and enjoying them is even better than I imagined.

It’s more stressful than I realized it would be. From still getting rejections, deadlines looming, and lines closing—nothing about writing for publication is easy.

Me: What advice do you have for those who wish to write Christian fiction?

Shannon: Join a local group and ACFW, find a critique group, and move mountains to attend ACFW conferences.

Me: That’s great advice! And we have another conference in just a few short weeks! Who or what has helped you the most in your journey to become a novelist?

Shannon: My husband tops the list for his support. He’s taken me to so many places for conferences, speaking engagements, research, and signings.

I’d been to numerous conferences for 4 years. But at my first ACFW, I realized I knew just the basics. ACFW took me to publishable level.

My critters Lorna Seilstad and Brenda Anderson. When our group was formed, ACFW took applications and set up critique groups. I’ve always said God formed our group. I’ve learned so much from them both.

Linda Fulkerson. If not for Linda, I wouldn’t have gone to ACFW in Minneapolis in 2008, where I met JoAnne Simmons and pitched White Roses.

My editors at Heartsong. I’m still learning from them and my books flow because of them.

Me: I drag you 3-day’s journey out of the way of Minneapolis and yet you thank me, lol! We had an adventure that trip, and I’m about to drag you out of the way again en route to ACFW in a few weeks. You’re such a trooper!

What are your future goals in your writing career?

Shannon: The White series and Rodeo series were really all the short works I had in me. I’m very long-winded, so writing longer length comes easy for me. I’m still looking forward to being able to say, “You can find my books where ever books are sold.” Should happen in December 2012 when the White series releases as a 3 in 1. And I would love to hit the best-seller list.

Me: Thanks so much, Shannon, for sharing your story with us today!