A blessing for the New Year

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Awesome Announcement!

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for my essay in the 'Fifty Greatest Authors You Should Be Reading' contest. I'm thrilled to announce that I am a winner! I couldn't have done it without you, the voter! These past few months were a bit of a patience test for me. I had to learn not to wish each day away faster so I could see whether or not I'd made it to the next round at the beginning of the next month. Below is a seal I 'won.' Again, thanks ever so much for taking the time to vote. I really do appreciate it. :) 

Does it take away?

A lot of books have been made into movies over the years. Such as L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz. The Note by Angela Elwell Hunt, or even more recently, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Some people would argue that the movies are better than the book, and others are argue still that the books are better than the movies. Sometimes, when a movie is made based off a book, certain 'scenes' that are in the book are not put in the film to save on time, or they not don't make it into the 'final cut' for other reasons. When this happens, for those who have read the book and know what's going to happen, and don't see it played out on the big screen, does that take away from the storyline? Does it ruin the movie entirely? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

Writing similarities

I was reading a Nancy Drew mystery the other night and I noticed a few similarities between the way Carolyn Keene wrote her stories, and the way I write the Crystal O'Mally mysteries. The main correlation between our writing styles is both of us have broken the fourth wall at one point or another in our stories. 'At that moment only Fate knew the answer, which was to be revealed in "Password to Larkspur Lane." What was to be Nancy's part in this strange mystery? And that is something which all of us, who are also Nancy's chums, are wondering about ourselves' (The Sign of the Twisted Candles). '"I just investigated it and found out those diplomas your husband has on his office wall at the police station are as phony as instant coffee." (No offense to you coffee lovers out there!)' (The Diamond Caper)

I didn't even know we had similar writing styles until I'd read The Sign of the Twisted Candles. I honestly wasn't trying to copy anything, or anyone, it's just great minds think alike. :)

Have you found out something cool like that? Where you have a similar writing style as one of your favorite authors without trying to copy them?

  

Funny Marketing Story

Marketing, an aspect of being an author I didn't quite know existed. Okay, I think I had some idea of it, just not quite sure of how to go about it. I learned by trial and error, what to say and what not to say when making a sales pitch. Whether it was to a book store clerk when asking if they'd carry my book, or to someone who wanted to buy my book at a book signing. So, after a year of polishing my 'marketing plan,' I calmly called a bookstore the other day to see if they'd carry my book. Remember, I said I'd been doing this for a year, and I'd come become an 'expert' at it, in my own eyes. Well, I fumbled around and said everything wrong, and the harder I tried to save myself, the worse my pitch became. So I finally paused, took a deep breath, and told the lady, "I'm sorry, this isn't the best sales pitch I've ever made." She laughed and that made me feel better. I learned you can never be too sure of yourself in that area, and there's always room for improvement.

December

Hey, everyone! It's December and boy is it cold outside! Be sure to keep checking back for more updates over the next few days.