New Kids on the Blog!

On November 1, 2009, the first post went live for a brand new blog we named International Christian Fiction Writers. We were twenty-one authors, both published and unpublished, from around the globe, writing everything from romance, to sci-fi, to suspense, to women's fiction. But we all shared one thing; a passion for writing fiction for His glory with an international flare. 

In the months and years that followed we shared interviews, book reviews, stories of our writing journeys, cultural items, news, photos, giveaways, and much, much more. We put together an international cookbook, brought more authors on board, celebrated book contracts, and learned about other cultures. We want to thank each one of you reading this post for being apart of our journey.

Today, I'm so excited to share another change that is about to take place on our blog as we welcome members from American Christian Fiction Writers--Beyond the Borders. To tell you more about what this means, I want to introduce to you Sara Goff who is going to share exactly who they are and what this means! So a huge welcome and Sara and everyone at Beyond the Borders. We're thrilled to have you on board and can't wait to hear from you in the coming months.  -Lisa Harris

And now from Sara Goff. . .

Wow, it's great to be here, and I say that for all of us at Beyond the Borders (BtB). Our primary aim at BtB is much like yours. We travel the writer's journey together, encouraging, guiding, and promoting each others' work. We urge one another onward through prayer and the unique inspiration each of us brings to our writing. We know we can't do this alone. 
For example we do on line workshops:

How to Make Your Very First C.H.E.A.P 

but Pretty Book Trailer!

by Christine Lindsay

Our range of experience spans from multi-published authors, many of whom you know already, to members who are new to the writing process, talented writers whom you will get to know on the blog. We each do our part to foster a useful and vibrant group, and we are eager to extend our efforts to ICFW!

Here's the lineup of our first bloggers on ICFW:

June 3 -- Nicola Furlong

June 25 -- Sara Goff Interviews Marcia Lee Laycock

July 21 -- Karen Rees

August 11 -- Sara Goff Interviews Autumn (AJ) Macarthur

Specific ways we like to promote and celebrate each others' successes are by writing book reviews, driving traffic to our websites through comments and social media, and voting for our authors in contests. Our more experienced writers often fill the shoes of a cyber mentor to our newbies by giving advice, hosting workshops, and perhaps even opening doors when the time is right.

We get behind our authors' new releases:

The opportunity to contribute to ICFW's blog certainly combines these responsibilities and benefits. When we made the decision to expand beyond a yahoo group, legitimate concerns were raised that as writers/bloggers/marketers/mentors, we sometimes feel overwhelmed by the time and work required of us. While contributing thoughtful blogs to ICFW pushes us further, we are putting our trust in God to work through us.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, THEN You knew my path. Psalm 142:3

The chance to make new like-hearted friends is exciting, but only God knows the miracles in store for us all! If you have any blog ideas to suggest for our new members or if you have any questions for me, feel free to jot them down in a comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Sara Goff runs a global charity she founded in 2010 called Lift the Lid, Inc., which supports underprivileged schools and encourages the students to write personal essays and poems. In her late twenties, she walked away from her seven-year career as a fashion buyer/merchandiser in New York City to pursue her passion for writing and to somehow make a difference in the world.

Since then, Sara has published on Crosswalk.com, Christian Fiction Online Magazine, and in Epiphany literary journal and the SoHo Journal. She was accepted into Sewanee Writers’ Conference and received two fellowships to Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nairobi, Kenya. While living in Manhattan, Sara was a writing instructor at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen Writers Workshop, founded by author Ian Frazier, and for The National Arts Club’s creative writing program for students. She’s spoken at several inner-city high schools and at Saint Francis College in Brooklyn about the writing process and the power of the written word.

Sara is currently living in London with her Swedish husband of 14 years, their two sons, ages 0 and 5, and their sweet little girl…a Yorkie named Pia. Her first novel, a New York City story about homelessness and unconditional love, will be released by Choose NOW Publishing on February 1, 2015. www.saragoff.com. www.facebook.com/sarajgoff