Four Essential Blogging Questions

Veteran freelance writer Jennifer Brown Banks of Pen and Prosper joins us today in the final post for the Good Friends Old and New Blogoversary series. Jennifer is one smart lady, and I count it a blessing each time she shares her wisdom with us.

Before You Hit "Publish" - Four Questions Every Writer Should Ask

by Jennifer Brown Banks     
                                                        

“Knowledge is power.”---

Blogging blindly can be counterproductive and a waste of time for you and your potential audience.

And I should know. As someone who does a good deal of online surfing, daily, weekly, yearly, I encounter quite a few spots where I am convinced that some owners have no clear direction where they’re going or where they want to take their readers. And though I do enjoy the occasional “joy ride,” I don’t typically like it in my reading travels.

Unfortunately, when this happens, it sometimes comes across as if these individuals are more perfunctory than passionate in their blogging efforts. Or for some, perhaps it’s just the inability to objectively assess how posts are being received. Don’t make the same mistake.

Quality blogging is what we owe readers in exchange for their time, loyalty, and interaction. With a mind-boggling number of sites from which to choose, it really is a compliment when they spend time with us and our thoughts.

Blogging is not just about being “heard”; it’s about building connections. It’s about constructing a sense of community and facilitating lively discussion and debate.

With this in mind here are the four most important questions you must ask yourself before sharing your words with the world.

1. Who is the target audience? Some Bloggers make the mistake of trying to be all things to all people. Their topics are very broadly based with no real focus or consistency. Readers never know what to expect from week to week. There’s no real connection. Approaching blogging in this manner is akin to traveling far, unknown distances without a road map. Though you may ultimately stumble upon where you want to be, it will take much longer, and provide a lot of unnecessary detours on the road to success.

Are your intended readers baby boomers? Writers? Stay at home moms? Your out of town relatives? Your target audience determines your tone, language and level of intimacy. Identify it and embrace it!

2. What's your blog's image? How do you wish for your blog to be viewed? Is it serious? Playful? Spiritual? Persuasive? Professional or recreational? Your colors, design, theme, voice and presentation should reflect this.

3. What's your purpose? What is your contribution to the blogosphere? How would you like to be “received.” Is your purpose to entertain? To gain support for an important cause? To share your writing knowledge? To make money? To make a difference? Of course, on various days it could be some or all of these goals. But, the less confused you are overall about your intentions, the clearer your readers will be.

4. What's the take away value? At the conclusion of your post, what will readers take away as a “parting gift“? Will you leave them with deep thoughts to ponder? Resources to pursue? An answer to a plaguing problem? A smile to brighten their day? Make sure that their blog experience is complete by considering and addressing these key questions.

You’ll find that these four questions are applicable regardless as to your niche or theme. Keep them in mind and follow them as the ultimate blueprint for building a successful blog!

Jennifer Brown Banks is a veteran freelance writer, pro blogger, relationship columnist, and word nerd. She teaches classes at the Coffeehouse for Writers and blogs at Pen and Prosper. Her blog was recently chosen as a finalist for Write to Done’s Top 10 Writing Blogs in 2011.

Thank you, Jennifer! :)

What grabs your attention when you visit a blog? What's your most valuable tip for great blog posts?

Final call for the Blogoversary Giveaway! Deadline to enter is Friday, March 30 at midnight. Click here for details.

Happy weekend,

Karen

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Timeless Writing Tips

One of my first writing cheerleaders was found in an unexpected place. I met this inspiring lady about 24 years ago, and our initial connection had nothing to do with writing. I was seeking homeschooling info, and Nancy Plent was the "go-to" person; she ran the Unschoolers Network, New Jersey's homeschool organization.

Over the years we got acquainted through phone calls and emails (we lived 2 hours apart). Before long, I was penning occasional articles for the Network newsletter and working with their parent support services. Working with Nancy was a pleasure; she provided opportunities to write and build other skills. I am very grateful for the experience.

Nancy was the one who encouraged me to write a booklet for homeschool parents. She offered tips on content, formatting, and marketing. I would not have taken that step into self publishing had it not been for her support. It hit me the other day that her advice for the booklet applied to other writing, like blog posts.

What was Nancy's advice?

1) Be real.  Approachable and down to earth - people relate best to these qualities. Be authentic and conversational. Nancy's friendly and encouraging writing style taught me a lot.

2) Give people something they can use. Content must be user-friendly and have audience appeal. What info can my reader apply?

3) Use examples. Well chosen nuggets illustrate a point, and help readers say, "Yes, I can do this!"

4) White space is important.  A balance of text and white space is key for a pleasant reading experience. Clean, clear text is appealing; clutter and disorder distracts. It ties in with #5:

5) Employ digestible blocks of text. Large sections of text can overwhelm and potentially lose readers. Not that readers must be spoon fed with one or two sentences at a time, but, especially with how-to writing, it helps to offer text that is easy to read and process.


I am grateful for cheerleaders like Nancy, who take time to share and encourage. Nancy passed away in November of 2011, and I've been reminiscing and savoring the advice she lent over the years. I learned valuable lessons from Nancy, writing and otherwise. She touched the lives of many, and will be greatly missed. Thank you, Nancy. :)



Who are your cheerleaders? What timeless writing tips have you used today?


Blessings,
Karen
 
P.S. Don't forget my Third Blogoversary Giveaway. There's chocolate! :D   
Check out the details here.

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Interview with Carol J. Alexander

As part of the Good Friends Old and New Blogoversary theme, I'm pleased to share an interview with Carol J. Alexander. Carol is a talented author and blogger, and one of the first people I met through blogging. She's been a wonderful inspiration and all around supportive friend.

Carol is the author of several ebooks, so I thought it would be nice to hear about her experience with this process.

Karen: Welcome to Write Now, Carol, so glad you could stop by!

Carol: Thanks so much for asking me, Karen. I don’t think I’ve been interviewed before so this is a bit exciting for me.

Karen: I'm glad to host your first interview! It IS exciting. :) You have several ebooks under your belt. What made you choose this format?

Carol: First, I want to say that I am still finding my way in all this. I know what I know, but I definitely don’t consider myself an e-publishing expert.

That said, I chose electronic format for my books for several reasons. First, I was looking for something I could put together quickly to sell on my site to make money. Last year I made about $37; so this is not my idea of a get-rich-quick scheme. :) Secondly, my e-books are not full-length books, but booklets or workbooks; so I didn’t think the traditional publishing route made a lot of sense. 

Karen: It sounds like a smart move, given your circumstances and the popularity of ebooks now. Did you use any special format or software to create the ebooks?

Carol: Not really. I simply laid them out in OpenOffice and then converted them to PDF format. I used OpenOffice because the version of Word that I had last year said in big, ugly letters at the top of the screen “Non-Commercial Use” and that intimidated me. (As an aside, I found OpenOffice slow and cumbersome and do not recommend it for large files that include graphics and pictures.)

I have not gone the Kindle route so far for a couple reasons. Planning a Homeschool Graduation is a workbook with worksheets for a parent to print out and use in their planning process. When I put it together, I was told you could not print from a Kindle. More recently, I learned that you can, so I will explore that option more fully this year.

Lessons from the Seed Catalog and Lessons from the Hen House are booklets in their own right; but I have plans to make them chapters, or sections, of a larger work called Lessons from the Homestead. Just a few months ago I started the Lessons from the Homestead e-newsletter for parents that have trouble getting the chores and the homeschooling done. It is full of ideas and encouragement for them to use life on the farm as part of their schooling; integrating both lifestyles into one. I also set up a website for this product which includes a blog. The larger work Lessons from the Homestead will include chapters or sections titled Lessons from the Hen House, Lessons from the Dairy Barn, Lessons from the Tree House, Lessons from the Wood Pile, etc.

Each of these booklets will include at least 50 lessons that a parent can use in their schooling centered on the given topic. For instance, in Tree House: “Research the toxicity of different types of wood—pressure treated, oak, etc.—and the relative precautions for each.” And for younger children, “Take a trip to a hardware store and introduce them to hammers, screwdrivers, hand saws, etc. Ask an employee to explain the difference between a coping saw and a hacksaw, and a Philip’s-head and a flat-head screw driver for instance.” I envision a parent being able to purchase the appropriate chapters for their family, print them out, hole punch, and store in a 3-ring binder.

Karen: That Kindle info is good to know - I hadn't thought about that. As a former homeschool mom, your books sound like my kind of resource. (Note: I read Carol's Planning a Homeschool Graduation. I highly recommend it!) How long, on average, did your books take to write from start to finish?

Carol: I spent the greater part of a year writing Planning a Homeschool Graduation. I interviewed a lot of parents that held graduation ceremonies for their children, or those that coordinated large events for their homeschool support groups. This booklet can be used by either the single family, or a group coordinator, and has worksheets and ideas appropriate for both. I also had several parents read it over and offer their feedback. This whole process took a lot of time.

I wrote the rough draft of Lessons from the Seed Catalog from my recliner with my family sitting around me in about two evenings. Many of the lesson ideas in this book came from my husband and kids. However, I took several weeks after that editing, tweaking, and doing the layout.

Karen: There's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes in the writing process, isn't there? What advice do you have for someone who is considering writing an ebook?

Carol: While working on both of these books, I was taking classes from Christina Katz and she gave me the best advice: pay for professional editing. I did, and I am so glad. My editor found little inconsistencies that I missed and had me looking at things at angles I had not thought of. I wouldn’t put out another book without her.

Also, marketing your book is a key to its success. I attribute my $37 profit last year to lack of marketing skills. Also, after spring both of those books were no longer “in season;” so I spent the rest of the year reading up on marketing techniques. Now, I’m timing my social networking posts and article writing to correspond with the season for these books. For instance, this spring I have an article coming out in regional parenting magazines about the learning opportunities found in your seed catalogs. In the bio after the article is a link to my blog where they can purchase their own copy.

Karen: I wonder if marketing isn't most writers' weakest area. Thanks so much for the insight and tips; I appreciate you sharing your experience with us. It's been a pleasure, Carol!

Carol: Thanks for asking me, Karen. I’m glad to have the opportunity to share what I’ve learned.

More About Carol: 

http://everythinghomewithcarol.com/

Freelance writer Carol J. Alexander has been homeschooling her children for 18 years, homesteading for 10, and still has enough energy left over to tell you about it. She has served as the leader of her local homeschooling support group and hosted homeschooling co-ops in her home. Her family has kept milk goats, chickens for eggs and meat, and pigs on their modest acreage in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. When she isn’t in the garden, Carol can be found writing on homeschooling and homesteading topics. Her articles have appeared in Home Education Magazine, The Old Schoolhouse, BackHome Magazine, Grit, Urban Farm, Hobby Farms, and various regional parenting publications. She is also a regular contributor to NaturalHealthEzine.com and ChristianPF.com.

In an effort to help homeschooling parents that struggle to juggle the farm and the family, Carol recently started a free e-newsletter, Lessons from the Homestead. This newsletter (with a blog of the same title) contains encouragement and tips to help parents find the learning opportunities a homestead has to offer so that they can spend less time in the textbooks. She’s also written a couple e-booklets with more than 50 lessons for math, language, art, science, and more—Lessons from the Seed Catalog and Lessons from the Hen House. Other titles in the series will follow.

You can read more of Carol's tips and encouragement on growing children and food naturally at her blog Everything Home with Carol.

Don't forget to enter the Blogoversary Giveaway - the prize includes chocolate! Need I say more? Check out Monday's post for details.

Quick reminder: The Coffeehouse for Writers classes begin March 26. Lots of great offerings including - Blogging for Profit, Basic Boot Camp for Writers, Character Development, SEO Savvy, Social Media, and more. Click here for more details.

Do you have any questions for Carol? Have you published an e-book? Have you considered it?

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Karen

Reflections

March, as you know, is blogoversary month here at Write Now, so I've been in a reflective mood. It's been three great years, and I can't thank you all enough for sharing in the journey. You've added rich, abundant blessings to my life; you are by far, the best blog followers on the planet! 

As a small token of my thanks, I'm having a giveaway (details below). I'd love to send you all some chocolate, but that is not feasible until my ship comes in. In the meantime, we'll have a random drawing to choose the winner, but know that I treasure each and every one of you.

I've also been reflecting on my writing. The catalyst? Reviewing a few old articles, and a booklet that I self published some years ago.  Yes, there's been a fair amount of cringing - I'm fairly sure I uttered things like, "I can't believe I was that wordy," or "Did I really say THAT? Eeesh!" 

Once I quelled my shudders, I realized that it simply means my writing has grown, and this is a good thing. It reminds me of something Lewis Carroll said:

If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can 

possibly find fault with, you will not do much.

I often aim only for the destination, when really, the journey, with its ups and downs (and lousy writing episodes), is what makes the destination what it is. Writing and life are that much sweeter through growth and lessons learned, don't you think? 

Blogoversary Giveaway Details

 
The prize package includes a handy bound notebook and pen and a delectable chocolate bar. No blogoversary celebration would be complete without chocolate! 

 

To enter, please note the following details:

• You must be a follower and leave a comment, with email address, on this or any post through Friday March 30.
• Gain bonus entries (+1 each) by posting this on Facebook, your blog, and/or Twitter. Please include link with your comment where applicable.
• Open to residents of the United States.
• Deadline to enter is midnight EST, Friday, March 30, 2012. Winner will be notified via email and have 36 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be announced Monday, April 2.

Thanks again for being a great support to me!

What are you reflecting on? Read any of your old writing lately? Is it any different from your current writing?

Happy writing,
Karen



Photo Credit: azjack2008 at Stock Exchange

The Right Purse?

Today's feature for my Good Friends Old and New blogoversary theme is a post graciously shared by Rhonda Shrock of The Natives are Getting Restless. No doubt about it, Rhonda is one busy and talented lady. In addition to raising four boys, she's a blogger, columnist, and all around fun and supportive friend. Her writing reflects her down to earth sense of humor and a heart that desires to encourage others. She is one of the sparkling gems I've found through my blogging adventures.


All I Want is the Perfect Purse!

by Rhonda Shrock

You girls will understand this.  You know how it is.  There you are, digging in your handbag, unable to find the thing you want.  It's in there (you know it is), but you just.can't.wrap your fingers around it.

For me, it was the Chapstick.  That's all I wanted, rummaging there in my purse.  Oh, that purse...

"I need a new one," I'd said to The Mister months ago as he dropped me off at the department store.  "I'm determined to find just the right one."  I think he sighed, feeling helpless in the face of my handbag issues.  And he wheeled away to park somewhere and Google something manly (like national news or basketball scores) on his smart phone while I plowed through purses.

I thought I'd found it.  Looking, comparing, judging colors, sizes...to strap or not to strap, loaded questions all, then finally settling on a black one.  Which, as I learned later, would complicate my life.

Now, standing there in the dark, scrabbling around for that goofy tube in a bag that was clearly too small, this is what the poor Mister heard from the bowels of the closet:  "I'm ready to throw this thing in the English Channel!"

From the bathroom sink came a chortle, which he quickly smothered, and then this in a smooth, bass voice, "Lord, help her find the perfect purse!"  I hadn't thought it possible to pray in a "roll-of-the-eyes" tone, but by cracky, if he didn't nail it.

I laughed (what else?), finally emerging, triumphant, green tube clutched in my hot little hand.  "So you're not planning to go over there and drop it in after all?" he queried, peering at me with those blue eyes.

"I'm waiting 'til spring," I said, shooting him a look.  "Then I'm getting a new one...something bigger."  He sighed, looking pale, and headed for his favorite spot on the couch to Google the latest polls on his phone.

Yup.  I'm going to gut it out with my black, too-small handbag until spring.  Once the crocuses start showing up, though, all bets are off, and Mama's going out.  In last summer's darling pewter flip-flops, of course.

All I want is the perfect purse, one that will let me find the Chapstick and get to my phone.  That, and it'll save me a trip to the English Channel with the old one.

Rhonda Schrock lives in Northern Indiana with her husband and 4 sons, ages 22, 18, 13, and 5. By day, she is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist. In the early morning hours, she flees to a local coffee shop where she pens Grounds for Insanity, a weekly column that appears in The Goshen News, so named for her love of coffee and her boys. She is an occasional guest columnist in her hometown paper, The Hutch News.  She’s also blogged professionally for her son’s school of choice, Bethel College; contributed to a humor blog; contributes to a parenting website; and maintains her personal blog, The Natives are Getting Restless. She is a writer and an editor for the magazine, Cooking and Such: Adventures in Plain Living. She survives and thrives on prayer, mochas, and books.  

Thank you, Rhonda, for sharing this with us! 

Ladies - can you relate to the great purse quest? How do you define the perfect purse? What was the last item you unearthed from its dark depths?

Gentlemen - I am sure you can relate in some way. My husband has been my chaperone on many a purse hunting safari. (His exact and kindly spoken words, I believe, were, "What are you looking for?") Have any related shopping adventures to share?

Details regarding a little blogoversary giveaway will be up on Monday :)

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Karen

Photo image: Stock Exchange

Got Creativity?

No matter what kind of schooling you had, it's likely that there are gaps in your education. Perhaps you were absent the day they discussed the 21st president (Chester A. Arthur), or when the chemistry class learned a key formula. Or perhaps you missed out on the more creative classes, like art, music, or creative writing.

Well, no need to be sad about what we missed. There is good news - we can do something about it. We can take classes, read books, scour search engines, and use other means to learn and foster creativity. Filling in the gaps is easier than ever, don't you think?

I'm pondering this because a friend recently shared an article by Michael Michalko entitled:

Twelve Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking

Mr. Michalko contends that we do not have to have the official title of "artist" to be creative. He makes excellent points about creativity - how to nurture and stretch it. If that's not enough food for thought, he cites notable personalities like Walt Disney, who was fired from his first newspaper job because "he lacked imagination". Did Mr. Disney let go of his creative ideas? No. And neither should we.

The article made me reflect on the creative encouragement injected into my formative years. Two things stand out - my Mom and my English Literature teacher. They both told me I was a good writer. While I didn't take their comments and write a Great American novel (yet!), I do think their support lent a subconscious boost that still resonates in my head today.

If you have a moment, I urge you to read the article. I'm curious as to whether you agree with Mr. Michalko's thoughts.

Did you have creative encouragement or mentors while growing up? What do you do now to boost your creative genius?


Happy writing,
Karen

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Good Friends Old and New

It's official. I've decided that the theme for March, my third blogoversary month, is:

Good Friends Old and New

Not that you need a theme for a blogoversary, but hey, why not? I've met so many great people through blogging, I thought it would be a good opportunity to celebrate wonderful friends. So this month I will include a few special features from friends old and new.

Allow me to introduce you to author Naomi Dathan. Naomi emailed me and asked about doing a guest post. I decided the post she offered would be a good fit for Write Now. Naomi's thoughts apply to fiction and nonfiction writers, so, without further ado...

Six Ways To Get Your Writing Moving Again

by Naomi Dathan

“Aaaaauuugh!” screeched an author friend.  “I can’t write!  Why can’t I write?”

We’ve all been there.  A tired brain, too many distractions, burn out, or that niggling worry that every word you write will end up on the trash heap before you’re done.  You’ve got your story arc figured out, and maybe you even know where you’re headed in this scene.  But the words clog up in your brain before they can filter down to your fingertips.   What can you do?

Here are six things you can do to unclog your writing synapses:

1.       Invoke the Two Sentence Rule.  Write two sentences.  Just the next two.  They might be stilted or sound ridiculous.  Write them anyway.  Now, does a third sentence come to mind?  No? Take a minute, go look out the window or pet the dog.  Then come back and write two more sentences.  Repeat until the writing juices are flowing rapidly and smoothly, causing your phone to ring and your child to storm into the house with a skinned knee and a stray, one-eyed cat.

2.       Decide to write badly.  If you take your writing vocation seriously, you won’t wait for moments of inspiration.  You’ll accept the drudgery that comes with every calling, and you’ll say what you need to say badly, until you can figure out how to say it well.

3.       Come at it from another direction.  If the words aren’t coming, mix it up.  If you’re writing in the third person, switch to the first person for three paragraphs.  Yes, you’ll have to fix it later.  But maybe it will give you fresh insight into your character.  If your characters seem to be going through the motions, toss something new and random at them.  Have a baby crawl on set.  Stage a short earthquake that changes everyone’s perception.  It doesn’t matter if you ultimately keep this part, because you already agreed in Step Two to write badly.  Somehow writing always leads to other writing.  Stay mindful of your goals and work your way back.

4.       Try a new method.  Sometimes just breaking out of your routine is enough to get your story moving again.  Employ family members to act out the unwritten next scene with you (this will involve a sugary bribe).  Try recording instead of typing.  Story-board the next scene and jot dialogue into bubbles.  I met my deadline for one book by buying software that transcribes as you speak into the microphone.  Fascinated by the this new technology, I wrote over 6000 words in a day.  Yes, all of these methods take up time that could be better spent writing.  But stalking past your computer giving it hard looks as you go for another bowl of ice cream doesn’t really count as writing anyway.

5.       Employ positive or negative reinforcement.  I know of two sites designed for writers who are mired in story mud.  The cutest one is www.writtenkitten.net.   Set your word goal at, say, 100 words.  You type into the left half of the screen, and every time you accumulate another 100 words, an adorable kitten photo appears on the right side of the screen.

If you aren’t moved by adorable kittens, try www.writeordie.com.  Set your word goal and your punishment level and start typing.  Stop, and you’re punished – anything from an abruptly screaming siren (embarrassing in waiting rooms) to kamikaze level, which starts backspacing until you’re back on task.  This one is brutal.  I use it often.    Be vigilant about saving your documents with these, and, in fact, I always select and copy my text before closing the program, just in case.  I’ve made some costly mistakes.

6.       Get by with a little help from your friends.  No one “gets it” like another writer.  Your writer friends will sympathize, brainstorm with you, and make horrible story suggestions that your brain will reflexively reject by generating better ones.  Your truest writer friends will also bring you chocolate, but won’t stay to chat.

Naomi Dathan is the author of Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go (Kirkdale Press).  Visit her website here.

Thank you, Naomi, for sharing your insight. These are great tips for getting the wheels turning again. :)

When your writing stalls out, how do you get it back on track?

Have any fabulous weekend plans?

Happy writing,

Karen 

Image credit: Stock Exchange

What Would We Do Without Words?

Words. We cannot write without them. If you think about it, they are pretty amazing things. As writers, we artfully place them just so, and before we know it, we've created ideas, stories, and other wonderful things. Even on those days when we don't feel like we've placed them so artfully, we still have something we can revise, don't we?

Words roll off our tongues, rattle around in our heads, place images in our mind's eye, and fly from our fingertips on to a computer screen. They can soothe, encourage, and minister. What a wonderful gift from our creator!

I include an assignment in the Coffeehouse for Writers class that requires students to create a log of interesting, emotionally charged, or unusual words. They are encouraged to separate them into categories such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, phrases, quotations, puns, names, places, and emotions.

For example, I once happened across the phrase a riot of autumn color, and can still picture the scene that the book spoke of. Words like odoriferous and babushka made my list too.

If one is so inclined, a list like this can be expanded each time a new item is discovered. It's a great way to fuel writing ideas, don't you think?

Got a minute or two to spare? :)

I invite you to hop over to Marja Meijers' blog where I'm being interviewed today.

Blogoversary!

I'm working on a little giveaway and a few other features for my third blogoversary this month. Details will follow soon!


Do you keep a log of interesting words, phrases, or quotes? Share one or two with us, won't you?

Happy writing,
Karen


Copyright 2012. No part of this post may be copied without written permission from the author, Karen Lange.

Image credit: Stock Exchange

Blue Moon Promise Blog Tour

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble                             

About the Book

Book Number One in the Under Texas Stars series

A love like Lucy and Nate’s only comes along once in a blue 

moon . . .

Lucy Marsh's worldly resources are running out, but she's fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father's recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for.

Nate Stanton always hoped he'd marry someday, but running the family ranch meant he had no time for romance. When his father deposits Lucy Marsh—a city girl—on his doorstep, with two siblings in the bargain, he expects ranch life will send her running on the first train out of town. But Lucy is made of tougher stuff than Nate imagined. When danger moves in, Nate finds he'd give anything to protect Lucy and the children he's grown to love. Even if it means giving up his ranch.

  
About Colleen                                   

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, ACFW Book of the Year, RWA’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has nearly 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

For more about Colleen and her other books visit www.colleencoble.com

My Review  

I’ve read a handful of Colleen Coble’s books, and enjoyed them all, so I was glad for the opportunity to read and review Blue Moon Promise. Ms. Coble’s other books contain an element of intrigue – and this one is no different. Coble artfully draws the reader into the conundrum that Lucy finds herself in after her father’s death. 

I could relate to Lucy – her need to control every facet of her life reminds me of myself sometimes. I appreciate the truths that surfaced through the book’s characters and events. Real, relatable characters and an interesting plot take the reader on a rich journey that can reveal a lot about life and relationships with God and each other.

Ms. Coble is a wonderful and engaging storyteller. This is the first book in the Under Texas Stars series; I look forward to reading the next one when it is released.

Buy Blue Moon Promise here.

For more info on the Blog Tour, click here.

Sign up for the Facebook Party and Kindle Giveaway here, or click button on sidebar.

  
Note: I received this book free of charge for review purposes.

Do you like to read mysteries? Have you read any good ones lately? 

Have a great weekend,

Karen