Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Uh-oh: "Serious Flaws" Reported
Yikes! Yesterday, I received some bad news from the main editor at Kregel regarding my novel project. I had completed the first round of revisions, working with another Kregel editor, by the end of February. She gave me lots of little things to fix and asked me to add a couple scenes. It took me a month of Saturdays to meet their deadline due to my regular work schedule.
I had an understanding that a different editor would evaluate the novel again and say whether a second round of revisions is necessary. After all the work I did for the first round of revisions, I couldn't image that I would have much more to do. But this editor apparently reported "serious flaws." Another Kregel is currently evaluating this editor's critique to discern whether these flaws are as serious as he says they are. At this point, I'm not even sure I understand what "serious flaws" are. The plot was nailed down, reviewed, and approved ages ago.
"What is certain, Adam," the main Kregel editor wrote, "is that you still have quite a bit of work ahead of you before the manuscript is publishable quality. You've already shown the desire to publish a quality book, so I'm sure you will rise to the occasion." Later, he said, "This e-mail isn't mean to alarm you; I simply want you to be prepared. Within a couple of weeks we will contact you again, and you'll need to be ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work!"
Okay, well, I guess my work isn't over yet. The editor who recommended the first round of revisions was so thorough that I can't imagine anything serious getting past her. I guess I'll wait and see what's up. This isn't news I wanted to hear, but God is still good and has a plan in all of this.
Betrayed by Jeanette Windle
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ABOUT THE BOOK
Fires smolder endlessly below the dangerous surface of Guatemala City’s municipal dump.Deadlier fires seethe beneath the tenuous calm of a nation recovering from brutal civil war. Anthropologist Vicki Andrews is researching Guatemala’s “garbage people” when she stumbles across a human body. Curiosity turns to horror as she uncovers no stranger, but an American environmentalist—Vicki’s only sister, Holly.
With authorities dismissing the death as another street crime, Vicki begins tracing Holly’s last steps, a pilgrimage leading from slum squalor to the breathtaking and endangered cloud forests of the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere. But every unraveled thread raises more questions. What betrayal connects Holly’s murder, the recent massacre of a Mayan village, and the long-ago deaths of Vicki’s own parents?
Nor is Vicki the only one demanding answers. Before her search reaches its startling end, the conflagration has spilled across international borders to threaten an American administration and the current war on terror. With no one turning out to be who they’d seemed, who can Vicki trust and who should she fear?
A politically relevant tale of international intrigue and God’s redemptive beauty and hope.
Purchase the book.
Monday, March 24, 2008
For Pete's Sake by Linda Windsor
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Maryland author Linda Windsor has written some twenty-nine historical and contemporary novels for both the secular and inspirational markets, but she is most noted for delivering “The Lift of Laughter and Spirit” in her modern inspirational romances.A Christy finalist and winner of numerous industry awards, Linda has written for Multnomah Publishing (historical fiction and contemporary romances), Barbour Publishing (romcom novella), and Westbow Press (the Moonstruck romantic comedy trilogy). Wedding Bell Blues the first book in her new The Piper Cove Chronicles series, is featured on Avon Inspire's launch list.
In addition to writing and doing fiction-writing workshops at conferences across the country, Linda continues a music and lay speaking ministry started by her and her late husband, and she is a part-time financial analyst. She also works on “as desperately needed” home improvement projects on the 18th-century-plus house that she and her husband began restoring in 1986. Wallpaper and paint are definitely in her near future.
Jack's Religious Gift Shop
701 Snow Hill Road
Salisbury, MD 21804
2:00PM
The Gospel Shop
800 South Salisbury Blvd
Salisbury, MD 21801
11:00 AM
ABOUT THE BOOK
For Pete's Sake is a remarkable story about the unlikely live between a grown-up tomboy and the millionaire next door.Ellen Brittingham isn’t sure true live exists until she contracts to do the landscaping of the estate of the sophisticated widower next door, Adrian Sinclair. Adrian has it all—at least on the surface, He’s engaged to a beautiful woman who helped him build a successful business and he’ll soon have a mom for his troubled son Pete.
Yet, from the moment Ellen rescues a stranded Adrian on her Harley, his well-ordered world turns upside down, cracking his thin façade of happiness and revealing the void of faith and love behind it. Even more, his son seems to have his own sites set on Ellen – as his new mom.
As Ellen’s friendship grows with Pete, she realizes that his father is about to marry the wrong woman for the right reasons. And despite her resolve to remain “neighbors only” with the dad, the precocious boy works his way into her heart, drawing Ellen and Adrian closer. Close enough for heartbreak, for Pete’s sake!
But how can her heart think that Adrian Sinclair is the one when he’s engaged to a sophisticated beauty who is everything Ellen isn’t. When Ellen’s three best friends see she’s been bitten by the love bug, they jump into action and submit her to a makeover that reveals the woman underneath her rough exterior and puts her in contention for Adrian’s love.
But Ellen must ask herself whether she’s ready to risk the heart that she’s always held close. Will Ellen be able to trust that God brought this family into her life for a reason? Or will her fear of getting hurt cause her to turn away from God’s plan and her one true chance at love?
Here is more information about the book.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Interview with James Scott Bell
Check out this interview with James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Christian legal suspense.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Contentment (Phil. iv.II)
William Cowper (1731-1800)
Fierce passions discompose the mind,
As tempests vex the sea,
But calm content and peace we find,
When, Lord, we turn to Thee.
In vain by reason and by rule
We try to bend the will;
For none but in the Saviour's school ,
Can learn the heav’nly skill.
Since at his feet my soul has sat,
His gracious words to hear;
Contented with my present state,
I cast, on him, my care.
“Art thou a sinner, soul?” he said,
“Then how canst thou complain?
How light thy troubles here, if weigh'd
With everlasting pain!
If thou of murmuring wouldst be cur’d,
Compare thy griefs with mine;
Think what my love for thee endur’d,
And thou wilt not repine.
’Tis I appoint thy daily lot,
And I do all things well:
Thou soon shalt leave this wretched spot,
And rise with me to dwell.
In life my grace shall strength supply,
Proportion'd to thy day;
At death thou still shalt find me nigh,
To wipe thy tears away.”
Thus I, who once my wretched days
In vain repinings spent;
Taught in my Saviour's school of grace,
Have learn’d to be content.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
WaterBrook Press (March 18, 2008)
by
Andrew Peterson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Artist Justin Gerard has illustrated several children’s books, including The Lightlings storybooks for young readers by R.C. Sproul. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, and works as the chief creative officer for Portland Studios.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Once, in a cottage above the cliffs on the Dark Sea of Darkness, there lived three children and their trusty dog Nugget. Janner Igiby, his brother Tink, their crippled sister Leeli are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice and pursue the Igibys who hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.
Andrew Peterson spins a quirky and riveting tale of the Igibys’ extraordinary journey from Glipwood’s Dragon Day Festival and a secret hidden in the Books and Crannies Bookstore, past the terrifying Black Carriage, clutches of the horned hounds and loathsome toothy cows surrounding AnkleJelly Manor, through the Glipwood Forest and mysterious treehouse of Peet the Sock Man (known for a little softshoe and wearing tattered socks on his hands and arms), to the very edge of the Ice Prairies.
Full of characters rich in heart, smarts, and courage, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness presents a world of wonder and a tale children of all ages will cherish, families can read aloud, and readers’ groups are sure to discuss for its layers of meaning about life’s true treasure and tangle of the beautiful and horrible, temporal and eternal, and good and bad.
“So good–smart, funny, as full of ideas as action.”
–Jonathan Rogers, author of The Wilderking Trilogy
“A wildly imaginative, wonderfully irreverent epic that shines with wit and wisdom–and features excellent instructions on how to cope with Thwaps, Fangs, and the occasional Toothy Cow.”Andrew can be reached through the Contact link on his WebsitePurchase the book here.
–Allan Heinberg, writer/co-executive producer of ABC’s Grey's Anatomy, and co-creator of Marvel Comics Young Avengers
“Totally fun! Andrew Peterson, a natural storyteller in the oral tradition, has nailed the voice needed to translate a rip-roaring fantasy tale to the written page.”
–Donita K. Paul, author of DragonSpell, DragonKnight, DragonQuest, and DragonFire
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
First Round of Revisions Finished
Whew! The first round of revisions on my upcoming novel are finished, and I sent the updated manuscript off to Kregel on Feb. 28. Now it's time to wait and see if my improvements are enough. A second round of revisions may be forthcoming. For those unversed on how these revisions work (I was until I actually began going through the process myself), let me explain what revisions are. I wish someone had told me more about what's involved before I began the process, so I hope this information is helpful.
When a publisher accepts a novel for publication, they accept the big picture of the novel (the plot, the message, the characters, etc.). But that doesn't mean there aren't little loose ends here and there that need to be tied up. The revisions process is one of the first steps along the way before someone actually holds a copy of the novel in his hand. Basically, the revisions stage is all about typing up those loose ends. It's about clarifying details that may be confusing or adding more emotional nuance where a scene is lacking. Another author has said that a novel is never completely done. There's always something one could add or change, but at some point someone needs to draw a line in the sand and say, "This is when the novel is done." The publisher makes that call. After all, their name goes on the book too, so the product must represent them and their reputation. They decide when the novel is where they want it to be. If they feel a scene isn't as powerful as it ought to be and needs more work, they ask the author to change it.
For example, one character in my story appeared in a few scenes but didn't seem to connect to the main protagonists of my story as strongly she should have. She needed either to become more connected to the story or be cut out altogether. (I can't imagine the work needed to cut her out.) I needed to make her more involved in the story and with the main characters. She needed to have a bigger reason for being in the story other than a conversation or two. So I made her more involved. I integrated her into more scenes. I tied her relationship to the female lead more clearly. Another scene simply didn't seem necessary and didn't contribute much to the story, so I cut it in half and made it more important.
Other changes included clarifying police procedure details, fixing other details that were unclear, fixing boo-boos where my mind crossed the river without building a bridge, adding more emotion to a couple scenes, making dialogue feel more natural in a few spots. I welcome these changes because I realize I can't see everything by myself. Writing a novel is daunting enough. Keeping track of all the little details, especially in a shifting-viewpoint novel with lots of action and several plot threads, is next to impossible without the help of a committee. My attitude, therefore, is "I'm all for it to make the novel the best product it can be."
Hopefully, one round of revisions and a month of Saturdays are enough. But if another round of revisions is needed, I'm up to the task—all in the desire to make the novel even better. I'll keep you posted on what happens next.
I can announce that the novel is currently going through a title change. I won't lie about my initial dismay at receiving this news; my heart was so set on Now You See Him. But apparently (and amazingly) another suspense novel came out in January with the same title. So Kregel's marketing department and I are considering new titles. I'll let you know what the final title will be.
Another announcement: Kregel will officially announce the novel in August, and the release date will probably be in September. I have so much to do: set up my official author website, join the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers, http://www.acfw.com), write the Reading Group Guide for my novel, write my own questions and answers for possible interviews, etc. May the Lord receive all the glory!
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