Tips to Treasure with Laura Frantz

If you've never had opportunity to delve into the lyrical beauty of Laura Frantz's historical romances, you MUST try to get your hands on one ASAP. Laura's novels carry with them a poetic and descriptive elegance which draws the readers into the throes of history and a passion of intertwined lives.

 

Laura's heroines are written with three dimensional depth, each growing through the stories and with the powerful heroes she writes.

 

So - with that in mind, let's see what Laura has to say about heroines.

 

Who has been one of your favorite heroines to read?

Oh, this is like asking me to choose between Reese’s Cups and Hershey’s Almond Bars! Can I name two favorite heroines? Christy in Catherine Marshall’s Christy is a fav because she went into the wild woods and fell for a handsome if cantankerous Scottish doctor and carved out a meaningful, if often uncomfortable, life for herself in Tennessee. And then there is Valancy Stirling of L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle and her handsome Barney Snaith aka John Foster and their little cabin in the woods. Barney is not a Scotsman (not that I remember) but he’ll do. Lots of wooing and angst in that one...

 

Oh Laura, I LOVE Christy!! what a great choice. (and how can you go wrong with a Scot, right?)

Who has been one of your favorite heroines to write?

 

I have to say Roxanna Rowan – or Roxie as I think of her.

And WHY was she your favorite to write?

 

Because she was brave enough to take on Colonel McLinn despite his being a tormented, intimidating soul.And also because she was a blend of gentleness and strength despite having T.S.T.L. moments. Of all my heroes, I think the colonel would have been the most tempting to kiss, cribbage game or no! So Roxie wins, hands down.

Tips to Treasure with Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter captured readers with her novels, Surrender Bay and A Convenient Groom. She's been wooing them to the coast with her tender love stories since last year - when she introduced cowboys and Moose Creek.

She's going to chat with us today about heroes. ( a 'hot' topic)

Who has been one of your favorite heroes to read? So many great heroes out there! But if pressed, I think I'd have to go with Michael Hosea from Redeeming Love. Francine Rivers knows how to write a Godly man with all the yummy characteristics women love.

 

Oh my, yes! There is a reason why Michael Hosea turns our hearts as readers. I think it's a healthy mixture of strength and tenderness.

Who has been one of your favorite heroes to write? They're all so fun to write and so different. I'd say it was probably Dylan Taylor from The Trouble with Cowboys.

And WHY was he your favorite to write?

Hmmm. Texas drawl, blue eyes, dimples. All that and a cowboy too. :) I love his flirty, playful ways and the way he's so much deeper than first meets the eye-which Annie eventually discovered. There's something about a wounded cowboy . . .

There definitely is! Whew...

 

Leave a comment about 2 characteristics you think are a MUST for a good hero and have your name placed into a drawing for Denise's book, The Trouble with Cowboys.

What's Up the Street Next Week?

It's a fabulous weekend in Iowa as the AlleyCats have their FIRST annual Alley Cat retreat!!


In celebration of our fun, we're offering another fabulous week of giveaways and guests for you.


Monday - Denise Hunter chats about Writing Heroes.


Tuesday - Laura Frantz gives us some tips on writing spell-binding heroines


Wednesday - Verses to encourage your writing - from various authors


Thursday - Melanie Dickerson brings us tips on how to write heroines.


Friday - We end with more Hero Talk from Jody Hedlund

Make sure to stop by for chances to win fabulous books and enjoy some healthy encouragement along the way!

Alley Cat RETREAT!!

So, Case just traveled across the NATION to Iowa! Needless to say the excitement and exhaustion of traveling caused a bump in the blogosphere.

Here's some fun pics as we start our retreat and plan for The Writers Alley!

Please leave a comment about some things you'd like to see on The Alley in the future and how we can serve you more.

The tagline we're proposing is:

The journey of a story is paved wtih possibilities -

Where will the words take you?

Check out weekend post for pics from our retreat!!

Publication Prep Part 1 - BELIEVING

Don't think dreaming big is wise?
Well... it worked for me...
as shown above!

I'm a big believer in dreaming big.

When my daughter is "on deck" at softball, I always ask her, "Lacy, are you going to hit the ball?"

At the beginning of the season, it never fails. She ALWAYS responds with a shrug of her shoulder and says, "I might."

And Mommy responds with a classic hands-on-hips lecture.

You aren't going to "might" hit the ball! You go out there and hit that dad gum ball. I wanna hear you yell, "YES, I WILL HIT THAT BALL!!!!!" Be CONFIDENT. You CAN do this.

Because my sweetie CAN hit that ball. She's actually REALLY good at it.

And then, after she smiles and says, "Yeah, I'm gonna hit the ball, Momma" she stands in the "on deck" spot (not sure what that is really called) and practices hitting the ball while the player in front of her does so.

She swings to warm up her arm. She psychs herself up, determined to hit that ball.

And about 50% of the time, she does.

Publication is the same way. We can't go into this expecting to fail. We can't get up to bat with our manuscripts and be like, "No one is going to like it. No one will publish this."

Because if we don't believe in our writing... why should a publisher? And even more, why should a reader?

We use our heart when we're writing. Writing can be very emotional. So if your heart isn't convinced that you can write a sellable book...then there's a good possibility that your heart won't be 100% in it. You do NOT want your heart giving a half-hearted effort:-)

Now for you pessimists out there...

I know there is a lot of importance in managing expectations and making sure we don't get too cocky in our writing. Sometimes that can bring forth a bit of disillusionment and things like people sending agents crazy queries like, "God told me you'd be my agent and that my book will be published" or "This is the BEST manuscript you will read this year."

Yeah, don't be uppity. It doesn't look good on you. Kinda like bell-bottoms or super poofy bangs.

But there is also a lot of value in believing in our dream, in shooting for the stars, in trusting that God has GOOD things in store for us.

The worse thing that can happen is that you fail.

And honestly, whether you believe or not, that is always in the cards as a possibility.

If you don't try... you've failed before you start.

Discuss: Are you a half-full or half-empty writer? How much do YOU believe in your writing? When you start thinking negative thoughts, what do you do to combat them?

Successful Writers Need a Gathering Time

Successful writers need a time to gather and refresh their thoughts.







A time to share their book ideas and listen to other's suggestions.

A time to worship, to praise the God who has given the gift of writing, and to ask His blessings.

A time to breathe the fresh air.

A time to laugh

I suppose the entire post could be filled with this list. 



The point is we all have made so many friends through the Internet. We haven't heard their voices, but we've seen their pics and read their words. 

We're not sure if these treasured friends are tall, short, cackle or snort when they laugh, wear high heals and fashion wear or prefer the grunge look. Do we really know what makes them laugh, cry, smile?




And who could tell if this person might have the perfect idea to fill in a gap of your story until you discover all the above?

The Internet has brought men and women in contact with each other from around the world, yet we sometimes walk on eggshells as we pen an email for fear the tone is misunderstood.





What would happen if you discovered another writer, with similar interests lived in reasonable range to your home? Imagine how this friendship could spark something in your writing.

I've mentioned in a past post the amazing friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R. R.Tolkien. They met nearly every night in a pub in the UK to crit each other's manuscripts. If you've read both of their works have you found the similarities? They both use a horn, they both used the same name of a city: Lewis for his giants and Tolkien for his rock city. They also sharpened each other's words.



Organizations like ACFW have formed local chapters. In Montana mini groups within those chapters meet weekly at coffee houses to brainstorm and crit.

So....the Writers Alley gals, affectionately called Alley Cats, decided to use this same idea to push our writing and friendships to a deeper level. 

Our common goal is to take another step forward on the writing journey, to deepen our relationship with Christ, to hold each other up as life rains and shines, to minister to others on the journey, and to share our stories with a world in need.

This coming Friday, the Alley Cats will gather at Angie's. Three via Skype. The time will be too short. The minutes precious. The memories strengthening, as  gathering time should be.
.

Is there a way you could meet with someone or a small group? Spend a portion or a whole day with them? Ask around. There is a bulletin board at my local coffee shop and one at my library. Notes are attached for meetings, concerts, etc. Perhaps you could find someone there. Bring an agenda, notepad, scenes from your manuscript, camera, and chocolate and prepare to become a successful writer. 

Go ahead. Give it a whirl. You just might like it:)

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photos above courtesy of Renee Smith

This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes contemporary and romance Christian fiction with a focus on the homeless population and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Great APPs for Writers

Photo by samuiblue
freedigitalphotos.net

You know it happens. You are in the carpool line and you think of a great scene...or a fabulous line...and you have no pen and paper anywhere! What to do? You don't want to lose the awesome words swirling amid your brain cells.

Well, I have some help for you. I did a little research and came up with some smartphone APPs that might help you out. I did not try out all these APPs, as some cost money and it is not yet pay day, if you know what I mean!

PLAIN TEXT
For editing text on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. PlainText is a simple text editor with an uncomplicated, paper-like user interface. Unlike the default Notes app, PlainText allows you to create and organize your documents in folders and sync everything with Dropbox.com. (FREE to download)

EVERNOTE
Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders--and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go. (FREE to download, but can pay a fee for more storage)

iA WRITER
A very popular APP that uses the iCloud with folder accessibility, as well as Drop-box enabled. It also has the ability to focus on just the words, by limiting the view to 3 written lines. This APP costs $.99 to download. 

STORY TRACKER
Story Tracker makes keeping track of your submitted stories, novels, poems, scripts, and articles easy. Never wonder again where or when you submitted your work. The information is all right there on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch!

** Note: This is the free Lite version of Story Tracker. The Lite version is almost identical to the full version, but only allows you to store up to 5 stories, 5 markets, and 5 submissions. It also includes database backup and export over WiFi (but not restore/import), allowing easy upgrade to the full version. The full version has no such limitations. ** (Full version costs $7.99 to download.)

EASY WRITER (for iPad)
This looks to be an excellent APP for writing and syncing with Dropbox. There is a paid version that gives you much more options and features, but this is a popular APP for iPad users.

DROPBOX
Dropbox lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Access any file you save to your Dropbox from all your computers, iPhone, iPad and even the Dropbox website!  (FREE for download)

DROPVOX - Voice Recording 
DropVox records audio and sends it directly to your Dropbox account in quality M4A format. Dictate your scene into DropVox and save for typing up later!  (FREE for download)


What APPs do you use that help you as a writer? 

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.