Dry Bones Come to Life by Keona Tann

Please welcome guest blogger Keona Tann

I just love watching movies! Inside Out is a great movie! It addresses emotions and thought processes in a very creative way. There is a scene in the movie where the ‘personality islands’ turn grey and crumble into an abyss. Suddenly there is a very bleak and barren appearance. But eventually, from this desolation and disaster, bright vast complex islands are newly formed. As I watched the movie I was reminded of the story in Ezekiel 37:1-10 where the Lord showed Ezekiel the Valley of Dry Bones. The Spirit of the Lord set him in the middle of a valley full of many dry bones. He was asked “can these bones live?”, he replied “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” The story continues and the Lord said: “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”. So Ezekiel did as he was commanded commenting: “And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.”. So God then goes on to say to him: “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ”. Ezekiel continues: “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”. (NIV paraphrased)

How terrifying would that be! How astounding! I imagine that your mind simply couldn’t process what was happening!

The Valley of Dry Bones was very much how I was feeling prior to my healing. I felt emptied of everything! I felt as if I had no ‘life’ left in me! I was just a bunch of withering dry barren bones! So God HAD to breathe His breath of life into me, for me to come into a place of restoration!

I’m reminded of Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV): "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.". How wonderful is it that! God gave us Jesus for redemption and the Holy Spirit to refresh us! Our Spirit receives from God wonderful things – answers; hope; direction; assurance……

This is confirmed in Isaiah 43:18-19 where we are implored to: forget the former things; no longer ponder the past; to forget about what’s happened; stop going over old history. Instead we are to: be alert; be present; and listen carefully so we are aware. For God is about to do a new thing - something brand-new! He is making a road through the desert - through the wilderness! Rivers in the Badlands, streams in the wasteland, rivers in the desert will burst forth! (AMP, MSG & NIV versions paraphrased)

John 7:38 reminds us to believe in God, as the Scriptures have promised us that rivers of living water will flow from within! So believe; adhere to; trust and rely on the Word of God! Then from your innermost being streams of living water will continually flow! NCV & AMP paraphrased

WOW! Are you amazed at the great contrast that God offers? Dry bones can come to life! Deserts can become streams and rivers!!! Our life which currently feels dry and barren can be transformed! We can become something brand-new! It is so exciting!!!!!!

May you call out to God today and may He answer you! As you press into the great and wonderful promises He offers may streams of living water bubble up from within!

Keona Tann has lived most of her life in the beautiful Australian state - Tasmania. She has been married to her college sweetheart for over 20 years. Keona and her husband consider themselves extremely blessed to be raising 2 wonderful teenagers. They have also been long time child sponsors with Compassion. Keona's working life has seen her develop over 15 years of customer service experience. Health issues have plagued her for 28 years and over the past 2 years have been severely debilitating. Seeking direction from God her passion for writing was recently reignited. Writing the following mission statement: "I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding." she hopes to launch her new career soon.

Guest Post - Andrea Grigg & Melissa Dalley: Peeking Under the Covers

By Ian Acheson

We all know how important a cover is in attracting readers. After all, it’s the first thing they see on the shelf, be it online or in real life. Covers also happen to be a topic we all have an opinion on. But what makes a cover good? And not just good, but great?  

A few weeks ago on Australasian Christian Writers (ACW), author and friend, Andrea Grigg shared two posts on the subject. Interestingly, she interviewed her daughter, Melissa Dalley, who happens to be a Creative Design Manager, and the producer of a number of book covers including Andrea’s two novels.

The covers of Andrea's 2 novels

The response to the two posts was so positive I thought it would be great to share Melissa’s insights with the ICFW community. I’ve condensed the two posts into one. It’s a longer post than normal but I think it’s one we’ll be very interested in especially those of us who are moving in the self-publishing space

So please welcome mother and daughter, Andrea and Melissa to ICFW.

Andrea: Personal preferences aside, there are two basic principles with which I’m sure we would all agree: First, the image used needs to reflect the genre and relate to the story. Second, the title and author’s name must be easy to read (including the spine if the book is going to print)

But there’s obviously far more to it than that. What are the essentials for cover design?

Mel: I’m sure most people think the essentials are the image and the font(s) you choose, the colours and balance of the artwork. But there’s something even more important, and that is knowing your primary target audience. Having this established sets the stage for everything else. I can’t emphasize it enough. It directly affects all further choices.

Andrea: You’re right, that wasn’t the answer I was expecting but it makes a lot of sense. And because it wasn't something I'd thought of myself, it made me realise there's a lot I don't know about the world of design. Which brings me to the next question. 

What other reasons are there for me to employ a graphic designer rather than attempt to create a cover myself?

Mel: There are many reasons, but for now I’ll give you three. 

The biggest one is time. What a designer can do in an hour would probably take you three to four hours. Wouldn’t it be wiser to use your time writing?  A designer has years of training behind them and have acquired a unique skill-set, just like a writer has a unique ability to write. I know people design their own covers to save money, but why not view the employment of a graphic designer as an investment in the lifespan of your book? Even to the untrained eye it can be obvious when covers are designed by someone without training. You want your book to stand out for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

Another reason is a very practical one, to do with the printing process.

In the design world, Microsoft Publisher and Word are equivalent to swear words! (Something I was told over and over during my training). Those programs are very limiting. They’re not pre-prepped (when you need to get everything set up for a professional printer). Some printers I work with won’t accept work unless done by a graphic designer. This is because errors can occur when working with Publisher and other programs not intended for professional printing and design. They’re not accurate enough and can become file corrupted. 

Thirdly, I'll address some excellent questions raised by an ACW member. She wanted to know if it was possible to have covers that wouldn't become outdated, and what to avoid in pictures and fonts to make them stay relevant and attractive. 

This all comes back to the designer you use and their knowledge of trends, having a well-communicated brief, and what you envision for a shelf life. For a designer to keep their job, they need to be up to date and know the latest trends. If you're not in the game then it's very hard to know these things.

Other covers Melissa has worked on

Andrea: Fair enough. So what can I do to get the best result from my graphic designer?

Mel: First, find one who’s not afraid to give you an honest opinion. 

Second, write the best brief you possibly can, explaining what you’re after. The content and research that goes into this is very important.

Third, send the top three images you’ve seen of other books in your genre that match your ideas and thoughts for your own. It will save you time and money with your designer. It will also stop you from looking like everyone else.

Andrea: Which rookie errors stand out the most?

Mel: That’s an easy answer. Fonts and their colour choices, and balance.

Andrea: Okay, so could you please expand on those?

Mel: Sure. As far as fonts are concerned, don’t use what’s automatically on your computer. It’s quite limiting and it shows.

Second, make sure you know which style fits with your genre. Swirly and flirty is great for romance. There are many modern styles available for non-fiction and Young Adult (again, depending on the genre), and some great creepy styles for mysteries etc.

Third, be aware that some fonts come with copyright issues. However, you can purchase fonts for use, often between $5-$500, (similar to images), and this gives you the legal right to use them.

I mostly use myfonts.com for purchase but there are Royalty Free and free fonts all over the internet. (Be aware the free types aren’t always that great – they can be cheap-looking). The most important thing is to read all the licensing and understand what the fine print means.

As far as balance goes, the text shouldn’t be too heavily positioned on one side, nor should the imagery. Balance is also about the reader not having to turn their head to see something. Sometimes it can be an automatic reaction and we want to avoid that!

  

Andrea: Great advice. Now, what can you tell us about images?

Mel: Obviously, the image you use must fit your genre. I generally buy images from Shutterstock and iStock. Their imagery is licensed for use on book covers. Again, the fine print must be read.

In my opinion, Photoshop is the best software for editing imagery and Adobe Suite is the best program for designing and editing for book cover design and imagery editing. It gives you more control and helps make sure your work is up to speed for printing specs. Someone asked about Gimp, but I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it.

If you intend using a photographer for a custom photo, you need to brief him/her as you would if a designer was creating your cover. Remember to ask about their rights for reproducing and marketing their shots.

A logo is another form of imagery used on a cover. I recommend a designer to create one of these as they can be tricky, especially when used on a spine. Again, give the designer a well thought out brief, and include examples of logos you’ve seen and liked.

There’s a stack of good counsel in Melissa’s comments. Please thank Andrea and Melissa for such an informative post and we look forward to receiving any comments and questions you may have.

Andrea Grigg was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but moved to Australia when she was in her mid-twenties, which now seems like an awfully long time ago. Andrea didn’t begin writing until the year she turned fifty and is glad she took so long to get started because now she has lots and lots of story fodder from all the people she has met. She has written two contemporary Christian romance novels, ‘A Simple Mistake’ and ‘Too Pretty’ and is currently working on a Christmas novella as part of a box set to be released as an e-book later this year. The best way to contact Andrea is by email: andreagrigg(at)live(dot)com.

Melissa Dalley has a degree in Marketing and eCommerce, and a diploma in Graphic Design and PrePress. She works as a Creative Design Manager for a well-known shopping centre group, is on the board for a charity as their marketing and creative adviser, and freelances designs for authors and small businesses. Not only that, she is a wife to Robb and privileged caretaker of two cats, Jimi and Scout. You can reach her at: melissadalley(at)live(dot)com

Introducing Elaine Stock and her debut novel: Always With You

I’m excited to be sharing the platform with Elaine Stock today. Many of the ICFW gang are good friends with Elaine and there will be a few others who know of her blog: “Everyone’s Story”. I first met Elaine in early 2013 as I started out on sharing Angelguard to the world. Elaine was kind enough to invite me over to her place at “Everyone’s Story”. Elaine is like most of us here: a lover of story and writing.

Elaine is also passionate about supporting authors at all stages of the journey and loves promoting “new voices” from all genres. She is a delightful host who spends a lot of time on each of her guest’s posts and actively promotes them over the course of the following week. Angelguard has found its way into a number of Elaine’s readers as a result of her diligence.

Enough of me, please give a hearty welcome to Elaine.

In a few sentences share a little about yourself

I’m a former Brooklyn, NY gal who has been living in rural upstate NY for more years now than my former city days. My husband and I call a 1850s railroad station (that we long ago fixed up) as part home and part piano restoration shop. I work too many hours in the dreaded-day-job but manage to squeeze in as many hours as possible on my writing, which keeps me glued together aside from my faith and friends.

Winter in Elaine's neck of the woods

Now tell us a little about your writing journey. What kind of stories do you write? How many manuscripts have you written to get to this point of being published?

I’ve been writing since my childhood days, although I didn’t take pursuing publication seriously until the loss of my mother when I was in my 20s. My mother loved reading and dabbled in poetry, but because of her mental illness never did anything with her talent and interests. Her death was indeed a wakeup call for me.

I started off writing romances because everyone at the time told me it was “easy” to break into. Not! I give romance writers a lot of credit! What I do write is contemporary fiction with a slant toward suspense and love-story elements. To some readers, my stories may at first appear a bit on the darker side because I enjoy exploring the hurting human psyche/spirit but then, with the help and grace of God, it’s truly possible that everyone has a chance for hope of better days.

Honestly, I’ve stopped counting the number of manuscripts that have helped lead me to the point where I am today. Several times, I’ve gone back and forth between stories. For instance, my current release of Always With You has taken many different forms before concluding in its current published form—it’s a story that would not let go of me.

Perhaps outline the process you went through to get an agent.

LOL—I think I should win some sort of prize for the number of queries I’ve sent out to agents through the years!

My agent is the extraordinary Linda S. Glaz of Hartline Literary Agency. One day she offered a pitch-contest on her blog in helping writers prepare for pitching to agents and editors at conferences. My knee-jerk reaction (and I admit to having bad ones!) was not to enter the contest … woe is me … I’ve entered so many contests but never got anywhere. At the last second I did enter. I pitched on what’s now my WIP, which Linda loved and asked to see it. I told her honestly that it wasn’t completed, but did have another one if she’d like to see it. She was! And the full manuscript! I sent her Always With You (which subsequently has gone through additional editing). Linda read it over 1 wonderful weekend and offered to take me on as a client.

Moral of the story: don’t ever give up your dreams and desires, and learn how to shut up your inner negative voice.

Everyone's Story. Tell us how this evolved. Your passion is to share "new voices" in Christian fiction? Why is that?

While I do at times host new authors on Everyone’s Story, my emphasis is to uplift others through the means of story, though I also do occasionally host non-fiction authors.

I started the blog on April 19^th (interestingly, on my mother’s birthday). It had been drilled into my writing brain to jump on the bandwagon of getting my name “out there” and that blogs are a good venue. Yet, I seriously doubted anyone really wanted to read my “thoughts” and since I devour inspirational blogs I decided to hosts guests that would encourage others. I don’t have time to post the minimum of 3 times a week that’s generally expected so I stick to once a week, launching a new guest Friday evening and running that feature until the following Friday. It works well for me and seems to attract viewers. But, the best part for me is to see the amount of life-encouragement this little “community” offers each other.

Talk us through how you got your publisher?

Elk Lake Publishing was the first publisher that completely wanted my story, Always With You, though the story did make it to Committee at another publishing house. Elk Lake is a small publisher with a lot of wonderful connections (Book Fun Magazine, The Book Club Network, Inc.) and I feel very fortunate and honored that my agent submitted to them and that they wanted my story.

Yet, I can’t emphasize enough that I believe the major turning point (for me) that came right before Elk Lake Publishing received my submission was that I’d engaged an independent editor for input on my manuscript.

Why did you choose this path rather than say go Indie?

Many of my friends who have gone Indie were pushing me that route. I whole-heartedly respect their decisions to undertake that direction—their books are first-rate quality and captivating reads! However, call me old-fashioned … or perhaps stubborn (?) … but I wanted to see a traditional pub pick up my work. Maybe it took me longer to see my dream become reality, but it did happen.

Tell us about your debut, Always With You?

This is the story of a lonely, intelligent but a wee naïve young adult who falls in love with a young man who offers her everything she desires: love, faith in God (she’s from an atheistic family), and family. Against her dad’s wishes, Isabelle and Tyler fall in love. In blaming the group that Tyler is associated with, The Faithful, her dad ostracizes her. Now, Isabelle wants love, faith, and family even more and marries Tyler. Only when she’s pregnant does she open her eyes to the truth that her husband’s secrets may very well put her unborn baby in jeopardy if she stays or endanger her own life if she leaves.

What do you hope readers take away from it?

Twofold: A mighty big God can lead people to overcome evil in this world, and that this same powerful faith can help one to overcome past or current trials.

Indeed, our mighty God can! Hallelujah!

Elaine, thank you for sharing a little of your story with the ICFW community. I’m certain many will find it of great encouragement to persist in their own writing projects and to keep entering contests, querying agents and so forth.

Wishing you every success with Always With You.

Elaine’s Bio

A former Brooklyn gal, Elaine Stock lives in the Northeast with her husband where she enjoys spring, summer, autumn, and puts up with the winter. A member of several writing associations, she also is a contributing author to the international “Happy Sis Magazine.” In addition to Twitter  Facebook  and Goodreads  she hangs out on her active blog, Everyone’s Story  dedicated to uplifting and encouraging all readers through the power of story and hope.

Elaine is running a BookGiveaway Contest to celebrate her new website

Guest Post by Rachel McMillan - Write Where You Know

It's my absolute pleasure to introduce to the ICFW podium, a friend to many of us, Rachel McMillan. Rachel lives in Toronto and is soon (very soon, in fact)  to have her first works published. 2016 is going to be a big year for Rachel and her two lady detectives. Rachel has a great post to share with is, one that most of us can very easily relate to. In addition, Rachel and I will be chatting on the blog in 2 weeks so do come back.

Please give Rachel a hearty ICFW welcome.

Last December I signed a contract with Harvest House publishers for three novels and three e-novellas featuring two trouser-wearing, mystery solving Sherlockian lady detectives in the Edwardian era. You’re thinking: this premise + the CBA…are you nuts? To add to the crazy, the proposed series was set in Toronto, Canada where I live.

We’ve all heard it: write what you know.  But I wanted to write about where I know. And in some cases, the where was a contributing factor to some of the rejections I received on my proposed manuscript. It wasn’t rare for my agent and I to receive an email pass that mentioned that their publishing program was invested in historical fiction set in America, even as the last few years have seen that landscape change providing readers stories from a variety of international locales. I even contributed a list to Novel Crossing called Beyond the Borders focusing on some of these international locations.

When I first talked to my agent about the international setting, I made sure that she knew that it was a deal-breaker for me to set at least part of the series in my beautiful Canadian city. When I met with editors at ACFW, I made sure that they knew it was hill I would die on, too.  While we were sure my high concept would provide buzz and capitalize on the steady growth of romantic suspense, I needed to make sure that I could keep my Canadian setting.

But, like any CBA author, I had spent time and research aware of the publishing world, focusing on things that would make my project saleable. Indeed, with the notable exception of Janette Oke, Canada isn’t always a setting prominently represented in the CBA. Because the majority of CBA publishers are located in America, the majority of books published are set in America for the vast number of American Christian readers.

I spent years as an enthusiast of CBA fiction, as a reviewer and influencer, aware of this climate and understanding of this climate.  I took the time to learn about the CBA  publishing spectrum and was able to make a case for my Canadian setting if it ever came time to discuss it.

While one rejection mentioned that the Toronto setting was “exotic” (which made me laugh a little, I confess), I made sure that my series was inclusive of the American readers and publishers noting that with difficult sales, it has become more important than ever for publishers to be able to look to projects that are saleable.

I had the high concept that made several publishers take several glances at my hook but I needed to make sure that said pitch reflected popular tropes in the CBA.

While I was crafting the three-book series ( and believe me, I know how rare it is for a debut author in this day and age to sell a 3 book series off the bat), I took into account what make American publishers  might take notice of.

I made sure that my second proposed novel had a prominent American setting: in A Lesson in Love and Murder by lady detectives are employed to help stop an assassination attempt on Theodore Roosevelt.   

But I also made sure that 1910s Toronto (which was still very much a British-influenced Colonial setting) reflected that which was integral to my country’s burgeoning culture: I introduce a Mountie (red serge and all) as a major character and I take the series in the Great War, where Canadians fought with Britain from as early as 1914.

If you are attempting to publish with one of the major US CBA publishers, it is important to recognize that several publisher’s programs (especially during this uncertain time  of book sales) will want to reflect the interest and location of their largest majority of readers---U.S. based readers.  In a climate of uncertain sales, this is quite logical.

But you, international author, should still ensure you are including something indigenous to where you are and infusing the expanding CBA landscape with something unique and fresh.

As international authors it is not as easy for us to visit our publishers, to attend conferences and maybe (despite the great ACFW efforts) easy for us to join a branch of the ACFW.  That being said, we have a great many things at our disposal: Social Media, Publisher’s Blogs, Twitter and Email.  Make sure that you read and learn about the fictional landscape you are approaching. Make sure that you have a specific reason why you are choosing to set your precious book in an area close to your heart and make sure that while you might have one or two fictional “hills you will die on” , that you prove malleable and teachable.

Now more than ever, the CBA is looking for fiction set in unique places and it is a prime time for you, fair author, to take the reins.

Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theatre.

Rachel can be found in the following places on the web:

Website: www.rkmcmillan.com
Bookish Ramblings: A Fair Substitute for Heaven
Twitter: @rachkmc
Instagram: @rachkmc
Facebook: rachkmc1

Rachel's first novella and novel are available for pre-order. Here are the links:

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder 

A Singular and WhimsicalProblem (releases Dec 1)

To Be or I Am

 By Iola Goulton

One of the most famous Shakespearian quotes is ‘To be or not to be, that is the question’. It’s from Hamlet, which I’ve never read so don’t really know the context, but I know that line. And I guess most of you have heard it as well. I read it recently, as part of a blog post, and it struck me that the world spends a lot of time living in the TO BE.

We ask children, ‘what do you want TO BE when you grow up?’ We ask their parents what they want their children TO BE.

In job interviews, we’re asked ‘where do you want TO BE in five years?’

TV advertising tries to tell us to use their product in order TO BE richer, prettier, more handsome, more clever, more … the list goes on. We even hear it in church. We’re asked if we want TO BE a Christian, which shows TO BE isn’t always bad … except when we focus on it too much.

And it’s easy to focus too much on the TO BE. As writers, we’re forever being told what we ought TO BE doing. Writing, promotion, revising, building a platform, editing, social media, reading craft books, marketing, reading books in our genre, more marketing, reading marketing books, reading books outside our genre … Sound familiar?

In grammar terms, TO BE is future perfect tense. TO BE is always talking about the future, about becoming something different. It seems TO BE (ha!) that the purpose of TO BE is to motivate us to try harder, to achieve more. But this always wanting more, always seeking more, always striving for more … TO BE often leaves us overburdened, stressed, dissatisfied, and looking for some way to ease the strain.

As Christians, we know the answer is the One Way, Jesus.

Jesus is the I AM. He says:

I AM the bread of life. 
I AM the light of the world. 
I AM the good shepherd. 
I AM the way, the truth and the life.
I AM not of this world. I AM the resurrection and the life.
I AM the vine and you are the branches. 
I AM in the Father and my Father is in me.

I AM is different from TO BE.

I AM is present perfect tense. I AM is now. I AM is resting in God. I AM is a relationship with Jesus. I AM is knowing the Holy Spirit is always here. We don’t have to wait. Waiting is TO BE, not I AM. I AM isn’t reaching, striving, seeking, trying TO BE counted as good enough against a standard we don’t understand and can never reach.

We don’t have to do any of that, because Jesus did that on the cross. Our role is to accept that gift. I AM reminds us we need to wait—not TO BE but to quiet ourselves so we can hear the I AM and be reassured and restored in Jesus.

Our role is to rest in the I AM, to accept the gift of IAM, to seek God’s will today and be obedient to that. Not to worry about the TO BE of tomorrow—God has the TO BE of our future under control, and it will all work out according to His plan … as long as we can focus on the I AM of today.

I hope and pray this thought encourages you today.

IOLA GOULTON lives with her husband, two teenagers and cat in the sunny Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, between Hobbiton and the Kiwifruit Capital of the World. She holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting and freelance editing, is active in her local church and plays in a brass band. 

Iola is a reader, reviewer and freelance editor who is currently writing her first novel, contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist, and her first non-fiction book, which aims to help first-time authors navigate the changing world of Christian publishing.

Connect with Iola at www.christianediting.co.nz and www.christianreads.blogspot.com

Iola's brand new website www.iolagoulton.com will be live shortly. 

Introducing Andrea Grigg - a new Aussie author

About three years ago, I received an email from Andrea Grigg. After introducing herself. She wrote, “I've had a dream about writing a Christian romance novel for years and finally got around to starting it back in March of this year.”
Our contact since then was spasmodic until twelve months ago when I met her at last year’s Word Writers Fair in Queensland and discovered she is a truly beautiful woman inside and out! I have been privileged to read her manuscript, A Simple Mistake, she has been working hard on and am thrilled she has now signed a contract for it to be published. I have discovered that besides writing, Andrea is a woman of several talents and I have asked her to share with us a little about herself and especially her writing journey so far.

So, do tell us what keeps you the busiest these days, Andrea.

I wish I could say it was writing, but it’s not! I teach part-time, and when not in the classroom, preparation and marking take up a good portion of my week. Great job though!

What is the accomplishment you are most proud of?

My three children – all grown-up now. Two girls and a boy. They are wonderful people, and my husband and I love spending time with them.

Tell us the range of the kind of books you enjoy reading.

Women’s fiction, various genres, but they all need to have an element of romance to keep my interest.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was at primary school. I would write stories at home, just for the fun of it and ask my teacher to read them – it must have driven her mad! I can remember having an awful lot of ‘and then’ in them.

What is the problem with writing that has so far been your greatest roadblock, and how did you – or are you - overcoming it?

Apart from having enough time you mean?
I’m a ‘plotter’, not a ‘pantser’. If I was a ‘pantser’ (someone who flies by the seat of their pants) I could just sit down and write and write. Because I’m a plotter, I like to have it all sorted in my head before I start typing. I have to tell myself that I can’t go back and edit a blank page, so just get on with it. I’m getting there.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Read lots of books in the genre you’d like to write in.
Have fun creating your characters and getting to know them.
Write about something you’re familiar with (my first protagonist is a teacher, like me).
Get in contact with a writers’ group and/or have some book buddies to read your work and encourage you.
Just start writing!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

 I like to use what I’m familiar with, so I can get the atmosphere right. I tend to use Sydney, or Auckland (where I’m from originally) and the Gold Coast (where I’ve lived for 26 yrs).The details are the creative part, like what type of house my characters live in etc. That often comes from junk mail, glossy magazines, places I’ve visited, or images off the internet.

Do you have another story waiting to be told?

Too many! My major problem is I keep thinking of new plots and characters. I’ve got about nine folders on my computer, complete with character profiles, a story plan, and several thousand words each. My husband tells me I’m doing what I used to do with my knitting – I’d get bored with a project and start another. But guess what? I always finished them eventually. I’ve got enough to keep me going until I’m ninety but I’m worried I’ll think of some more!

What would you like to tell folk about the manuscript you once sent to me?

It was my ‘baby’ and I was sending it to a very qualified someone for inspection! Scary yet thrilling. I knew it was too big, (originally it was huge!) and it was wonderful having someone help me to hone and shape it into something I’m now very proud of.


I understand how you felt about a published author reading your manuscript, Andrea, as I have experienced that many times over the years and still do when I know one is reading one of my books! I am thrilled to have been able to help you a little on your road to being published.

And to tease readers, here is more about A Simple Mistake, an inspirational romance which has been contracted by Even Before Publishing and for release next year.

Nick broke Lainey’s teenage heart when he left to embark on his music career – despite his promises to keep in touch, she never heard from him again.
 When she runs into him while playing her violin at a wedding and Nick asks to see her again, Lainey is wary but thrilled. And when they discover the truth about why their relationship ended, everything changes.
 What’s a girl to do? Nick is an international celebrity, and she’s just a school teacher; his faith in God is minimal while she’s a dedicated Christ-follower. Not only that – now they’ve met up again, she must tell him her secret, the one that could rip them apart, the one Nick has every right to know…
Lainey can feel her life spinning out of control.
Andrea is on Facebook and you can find her on my Friend's list there - or the photo above of course!. With the help of a clever daughter, she is working hard on getting a blog up and running. Stay tuned. We are going to hear a great deal more from this very capable new Australian author!

And I already want to read the sequel to A Simple Mistake, Andrea, so get writing - in between church, family and teaching responsibilities of course!
I know she will be encouraged by any comments you'd like to share.

Mary Hawkins is a best-selling inspirational romance author. A Queensland farmer’s daughter, she became a registered nurse before going to Bible College. She and her minister husband have three adult children and five grandchildren, enjoyed over 46 years of ministry including church planting in Australia, two years in England, three short term mission trips to Africa and now live in Tasmania, Australia's island state. Her 19th title, Justice at Baragula, was released May, 2011

Read more about Mary's writing journey, her husband Ray and his devotional books on their blog from the website: http://www.mary-hawkins.com/