The Preacher's Bride Review & Giveaway

The Preacher's Bride 

by Jody Hedlund 

Bethany House Publishers

Do you want strong characters? An interesting story line? Seventeenth century history? Burning buildings? Love? A bit of action and intrigue? The Preacher's Bride supplies all of this and more. Immediately the reader is introduced and immersed into the world and challenges of Miss Elizabeth Whitbread. This young Puritan woman's convictions are strong, stronger than most of her peers in Bedford, England.

May 1659 brings the sad news of Mary Costin's passing, leaving her husband John and their children behind. Mary's infant son Thomas is not expected to survive, but Elizabeth is determined to intervene on his behalf. Elizabeth is soon hired as John's nanny and housekeeper and does her best to comfort the grieving children. John, nearly oblivious to his family in his grief, throws himself into his preaching and work to drown his pain. 

A series of misunderstandings between Elizabeth and John prevent them from getting off on the right foot. They come to an agreement, and Elizabeth will aid the Costin family till she weds Samuel Muddle, the local cooper. To further complicate matters, John experiences pressure from some government officials to cease the "unlawful" teaching of God's word.  This persecution extends to vicious rumors about Elizabeth and John's relationship and the threat of physical harm to...well, I won't give it away.

Elizabeth's marriage arrangement with Samuel is a practical one, for she has had no other suitors and desires to marry and have a family as is expected of all good Puritan girls. The arrangement with the Costin children is a matter of conviction; she feels called to help the grieving family. She doesn't expect to fall in love. With John.

What happens when Samuel forces Elizabeth's hand, making her choose between him and her call to help the Costins? Can she separate herself from John and the children? Is John even remotely aware of how Elizabeth feels? Will John's enemies succeed in silencing him?

I wanted to read this book for a number of reasons. When I saw that this story was inspired by John Bunyan's life, I was intrigued. Jody is a blogging friend, and I shared in her journey to publication through her posts. It was exciting to see her dream made a reality. And I love Christian historical fiction, so it was a given that this would make my wish list. Imagine my delight when I was able to become an influencer. 

The Preacher's Bride was excellent. Jody shares a compelling tale that captured and held my attention from beginning to end. Her ability to draw the reader into Elizabeth's world is truly a gift. This poignant story, based on real events, is one I will remember for a long time.


This book was provided as an influencer's copy by Bethany House. No compensation was received.

Interview on Thursday


Thursday's post will feature an interview with Jody Hedlund. Won't you join us? I'm excited also to share that Jody is offering a copy of The Preacher's Bride to one of my readers. Info is below; please note the details to ensure your entry.

Giveaway

To Enter:

• Leave a comment to this post, include your email address like so: karenelange(at)gmail(dot)com. Entries without email address are not eligible.
• Receive an extra entry by becoming a follower, or by reminding me that you already follow.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog, on Facebook and/or Twitter. Please be sure and comment telling me so.
• This is open to US residents only. For those of you who follow outside the US, I apologize.
• Deadline to enter is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday October 2, 2010. Winner will be notified via email and will have 36 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be announced in Monday's post.                                                                                                               

 What's on your reading list this fall?

 
Blessings,
Karen

Writing Compelling Characters

If you missed the info, here's the background on The Great Blogging Experiment:

Elana Johnson, Alex Cavanaugh, and Jennifer Daiker hosted the Great Blogging Trifecta a few weeks ago. They teamed up for The Great Blogging Experiment, where they invited bloggers to post today about "Writing Compelling Characters". The experiment? To prove that no two blog posts will be exactly the same. 

My first thought was that it didn't apply to me. After all, I haven't completed, okay, or really even started a manuscript. My WIP consists of copious notes, printouts, bookmarked links, images and scenes floating around in my head and a fair sized stack of research books. I don't have all the characters figured out yet, but figure I've got enough to call it a WIP, even if it is just the starting fringe.

But then I thought, why not give it a try? After all, Elana said that it would be interesting to see all the variations from this experiment. I've created characters for kid's stories, taught fiction writing to teens, and I know what kind of characters that appeal to me, so I signed up. 

Writing Compelling Characters


We need compelling characters for great stories. Setting is good, plot is important and a knack for writing is crucial too. But characters, whether people, animals, or something else - this is what the story is about. I've always thought that plot, setting, and conflict swirls around the characters. 

Five things first come to mind when I consider character development.

1) The power to draw the reader in. Love 'em or hate 'em, a character has to grab my attention. I want them to be interesting. An MC needs personality and depth. I need to see how and why they relate to the story. If not, I quit reading.

2) They need to be believable. Unless I'm reading fantasy, I want to see real people. I want them to think and feel and have all sorts of emotions, actions, struggles and consequences.

3) They need to be consistent. They can't be having jealousy issues in chapter one and suddenly become unjealous in chapter two. (Is unjealous a word?) Growth and change through a story is great, but it's got to be natural.

4) The presence of physical characteristics. I want enough description of the character to be able to visualize them. A good writer, I think, paints images that enhance the reading experience. I'm not talking elaborate or lengthy, particularly with flash fiction, just enough to complement the rest of the story's elements.

5) They need to be memorable. Main characters should be memorable. For example, I just finished reading The Preacher's Bride, by Jody Hedlund. Over the course of the past week, I kept thinking about the book's MC, Elizabeth Whitbread. Her tenacity to do what she thought right was inspiring, and I will replay her comments, actions, and emotions in my head for a long time.

There you have it. My two cents on Writing Compelling Characters. Once my WIP is finished, I'll share what I've learned. :)

If you'd like some tried and true advice, check out this Writer's Digest link featuring quick tips for developing characters.

What do you think makes a character great? What tips do you have for writing compelling characters? 


Please join me next week when I review The Preacher's Bride. This special feature will include a giveaway and interview with Jody. Happy Weekend!

Blessings,

Karen










 

 


























Blessings and Happy Weekend!

Karen


Image credit: bulleTT  http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1248121

Tomorrow's Post

The Great Blogging Experiment

Instead of my regular Thursday post, I'm posting on Friday, September 24. This is why:

Elana Johnson, Alex Cavanaugh, and Jennifer Daiker hosted the Great Blogging Trifecta a few weeks ago. Posts featured their thoughts on what makes a good blog. (It was a helpful and informative series. If you like, check it out by clicking on their names.) These three are teaming up for The Great Blogging Experiment, where they are inviting bloggers to join them in posting on September 24, 2010. The topic - "Writing Compelling Characters". They want to see each blogger's personality reflected in their posts, and expect that no two blog posts will be exactly the same. For details or to sign up, click here. 

I'm participating, so will you join me tomorrow?

See you soon!

Karen

 

Good Books?

Three Questions

We are writers. We like books. We like to read these books. So here's three questions for you:






1) Are there any books that you cannot live without?

2) What is your favorite work of fiction?

3) What is your favorite book for writers?

Just wondering. :)

Have a great week!

Blessings,
Karen


Photo credit: lusi http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1166435

Advice for Young Writers

It's that time again. The fall session for the teen online writing classes have begun. In addition to the lessons and assignments, I like to post helpful tips from writers I know on our co-op forum. Since most of you are writers or the creative type of another kind, I'd be grateful for your input.

Published or not, you are all in this because you feel the call to write or share your creativity in some way. I'd love to hear what you have to say to young writers. Some will go on to become writers like us, and others will use this experience to polish their communication skills. Either way, your advice can be an encouragement and perhaps a spark that lights a writing fire for the future.

What kind of advice am I looking for? Anything that has to do with writing or all things creative. For example, when I asked Brian Ianieri, reporter for the Atlantic City Press, what his advice was, he shared several things. The first thing he mentioned was to use good resources like The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. His closing thought told them "to have fun" with writing. 

Ok, now that you know what a fabulous influence you can be, what IS your advice? Please share liberally if you are so inclined. Let me know, too, if I may share your name or if you'd rather remain anonymous. Any input you have is greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch!

Happy weekend:)

Blessings,

Karen

Image credit: dimitri c http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1107725

Miscellaneous Monday & Texas Roads Winner

                                   Photo courtesy of Rebecca Lange at Inside Out.


The Winner is...

The Texas Roads winner is Ann Lee Miller. Congratulations, Ann! I hope you enjoy reading Cathy's book. Thanks to everyone who participated, and thanks to author Cathy Bryant for her generosity!

(Note to Ann - I emailed you Sunday. Kindly get back to me at klange61(at)hotmail(dot)com asap with your mailing address. Thanks!:) 

Coming soon!

Two milestones are nearly upon us. I have almost reached 150 followers (yay!) and will publish my 200th post soon. I think that calls for a celebration. How about a giveaway? Details to follow.

Great Giveaway Sites

Carman Boley, at Christian Book Giveaways shares links featuring the latest book giveaways. From historical to contemporary, there's something for everyone. I love to hop over and see what she has posted each week. Be sure and say hello to Carman when you stop, I'm sure she'd appreciate it!

Many of you are already familiar with Lynda Schab's writing blog, On the Write Track. But have you been to her other one? Great Christian Book Giveaways shares listings of nifty book giveaways. It's worth a peek if you're in the mood to enter a contest.

The Great Blogging Experiment

Elana Johnson, Alex Cavanaugh, and Jennifer Daiker hosted the Great Blogging Trifecta last week. Posts featured their thoughts on what makes a good blog. Good stuff! I highly recommend checking out the week's posts.

These three are also conducting The Great Blogging Experiment, where they are inviting bloggers to join them in scheduling a post on September 24, 2010 about "Writing Compelling Characters". The idea is that they want to see each blogger's personality reflected in each post; they expect that no two blog posts will be completely alike. Matter of fact, Elana is willing to bet a kidney that they won't be. So for her sake, we ought to participate, don't you think? For details or to sign up, click here.

You don't need to be an expert on character development to join in. I'm not, but I think it will be an adventure. I'm in, how about you?

Are you thinking about joining the experiment? What other writing adventures are on the list for this week?


Happy writing!


Blessings,
Karen

Cathy Bryant Interview & Giveaway, Part Two

Welcome back! Cathy's full of wit and wisdom, so I hope that you will enjoy the balance of the interview. I know I did!

Click here if you happened to miss Part One.

Don't forget, Cathy has offered a copy of Texas Roads for our giveaway. Details follow the interview.


Karen: What do you think are some of the key elements for writing success?

Cathy: I can only answer based on my own experience, but for me the biggie is my relationship with God. He gives the creative spark, the spiritual lessons, the characters, the storyline. He also sends opportunities and helpers that push me along the path.

I'd also add the importance of studying the craft of writing, either through books/articles, conferences, online classes, or all of the above. While I've picked up lots of helpful information in each of these places, for my personality type, my best teachers have been books and articles. And then of course, you can't neglect the act of writing itself. You can't be a writer if you don't write, and you'll never improve unless you keep at it. Finding other writers to partner with has made a huge impact on my writing as well.


Karen: Just for fun - here are some quick and random questions:
           
Favorite color?


Cathy: Okay, I'm a design nut, from landscaping to clothing to homes, so choosing just one is impossible for me. (Sort of like asking a bibliophile to name their favorite book...) I'd have to say that I'm most partial to blue.


Karen: Favorite place to visit?


Cathy: Anywhere in the Rocky Mountains, especially when the summer heat climbs to 100+ and decides to camp out for a month or two. Second on the list would be an uncrowded beach.


Karen: Hobbies?


Cathy: Reading, Bible study, gardening, home improvement, walking/hiking, canoeing, reality TV, movies (Love to analyze them for story structure - poor hubby!), scrapbooking, painting.


Karen: Chocolate or vanilla?

Cathy: Chocolate, of course! =)


Karen: Coffee or tea?

Cathy: I once could say "no" to both equally, but since I've started writing, coffee has become a necessity.

Karen: Favorite book about writing?


Cathy:I have lots of favorites, but the two (...sorry) that have been the most helpful to me are Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon and Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass.


Karen: What's the next title in the Miller's Creek Series? Can you give us a sneak peek?

Cathy: Thanks for asking! Book Two in the series of novels is entitled A Path Less Traveled and will be out in the Fall of 2010. Dani, Steve, and Mama Beth are in this book, too, but only as minor characters (along with the old geezers and quirky residents of Miller's Creek). The heroine of the story is Steve's sister Trish, and the hero is Andy Tyler, Dani's hunky attorney friend in Texas Roads. 

Here's the back cover copy:

                                                                                                    
Trish James is tired of being rescued. When a spooked horse claims her husband's life, she's determined to blaze a path for herself and her traumatized son without outside help. But will that mean leaving the place etched on her heart?


Andy Tyler had to struggle for everything, and starting a new law practice in Miller's Creek, Texas, is no different. Though prepared for business challenges, he's not prepared for falling in love - especially with yet another woman who will probably abandon him for her career.


Will Andy and Trish be able to see past their limited human understanding to a path less traveled?

Karen: A Path Less Traveled sounds interesting! I think I may need to pick up a copy. :) What do you want your readers to come away with after reading your books?


Cathy: First and foremost, I hope readers glean God's goodness and grace from every page. I'd also like them to see the characters as good friends and Miller's Creek as vaguely familiar and a place they'd like to stay for a while. I hope the spiritual thread of the story resonates with them and helps them through this crazy journey we call life, and I also want them to enjoy the story.


Karen: How can readers contact and find more about you and your books?

Cathy: My website is www.CatBryant.com and my blog is www.WordVessel.blogspot.com.
I also frequently hang out on Facebook and Twitter.

Karen: Cathy, thank you for spending time with us and sharing your thoughts! You're an inspiration.

Cathy: Thanks again, Karen! I enjoyed the interview! =)

Texas Roads Giveaway Details

To Enter:

• Leave a comment to this post, include your email address like so: karenelange(at)gmail(dot)com. Entries without email address are not eligible.
• Receive an extra entry by becoming a follower, or by reminding me that you already follow.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Please be sure and comment telling me so.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link with your comment.
• This is only open to US residents. For those of you who follow outside the US, I apologize.
• Deadline to enter is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday September 11, 2010. Winner will be announced Monday, and notified via email, and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Questions?

Thanks for joining Cathy and I for this interview! We are planning another special feature later this fall when A Path Less Traveled is released. Cathy has agreed to elaborate further on her publishing journey. For those of you just joining us today, Cathy started her own publishing house to publish her books. You can read a bit about it on Monday's post.


So, will you help us out and share your questions about it? What would you like to ask Cathy regarding her publishing venture? Stay tuned, we'll share the answers in the coming weeks. Thanks and blessings to you all!

Happy weekend,
Karen

Interview with Cathy Bryant

We have an exciting treat for Labor Day! Cathy Bryant, author of Texas Roads, shares her thoughts in the following interview. Join us for Part One today, and on Thursday for Part Two, won't you?

Giveaway!

Cathy has also graciously offered a copy of Texas Roads, Book One in the Miller's Creek Series, to one of my readers. See details below.





Karen: Thanks so much for joining us at Write Now!

Cathy: It's my pleasure, Karen! Thanks for the invite!

Karen: What inspired you to begin the Miller's Creek Series?

Cathy: I reached a point in my life where I had the opportunity and the motivation to test the writing waters. It was something I'd wanted to do for a long time. I see writing as an opportunity to share the gospel and encourage other Christians and I wanted to incorporate the spiritual lessons God entrusted me with into my writing.

When I was a young wife and mother, I longed to find a place to call home. But just about the time we'd start to put down roots in one place, God would yank us up and transplant us in yet another small Texas town. Though it was excruciatingly painful, God used this time in my life to teach me that no place on this earth will ever be home because I belong to Him. He's the only one that can fill that perfectly home-sized hole in each of our hearts. That became the spiritual lesson for Dani in the first book in the Miller's Creek novels, Texas Roads.

I've often heard it said that you should write what you know. Since I've lived in small-town Texas my entire life (and therefore have a pretty good grasp on what they are like - good and bad), the setting of a back roads Texas town was a given. I originally only had one novel in mind, but as I wrote the town of Miller's Creek in Texas Roads, and fell in love with it and its quirky residents, I knew I wasn't ready to "move on" to another place. So now, there will be at least three stories set in Miller's Creek.

Karen: I recently finished reading Texas Roads. I enjoyed getting to know the characters Dani, Mama Beth, and Steve. What did you draw from to create these characters?

Cathy: Thanks! So glad you enjoyed the characters! Dani came to me one day when I was working in my garden. A car drove by very slowly and the lady driving the car stared at me the entire time. (Made me feel like a zoo animal on exhibit.) Anyway, the incident left me a bit irked. As I examined my feelings, I wondered how a city girl, who'd never known the lack of privacy that sometimes accompanies life in a small town, would react.

Mama Beth is a mixture of wise women that I've known - my mom and grandmothers, a Sunday School teacher - women that I've looked up to and tried to emulate. I pray that one day I'll be as wise and wonderful as Mama Beth.

For Steve, I wanted a cowboy. I mean, how can you have a book about small town Texas and not have a cowboy? I wanted him to be a leader in the community, with a heart for God, but also gun-shy around women, especially city women. This set up an immediate conflict in the story, and helped address the issue of how we all make snap judgments about others.

Karen: Texas Roads is published by WordVessel Press. Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?
                                                                                                                                                          Cathy: WordVessel Press is my own imprint. When I set off on my writing journey, I NEVER planned on going the self publishing route. In fact, it was so not an option, Texas Roads was being considered by two different traditional publishers when I felt God telling me to launch out and self publish the book. And as usual, when I feel led to do something I don't wanna do, I fought back. And also as usual, God won. *Sigh* When will I ever learn? =)                                                                                                                                       

Anyway, I did my research and learned that it's much more cost effective to start your own publishing company than it is to go with a subsidy publisher. I highly advise authors NOT to take the subsidy publishing route. Yes. it's a lot more work to start your own publishing company, but it's well worth the extra effort and you won't spend thousands of dollars you won't be able to recoup.

Karen: Are you a plotter or pantster?

Cathy: P.L.O.T.T.E.R. Big Time! =) I'm too big of a chicken to just sit down and start writing. I get soooo lost if I don't take the time to map out the story ahead of time. Even with mapping it out, the story sometimes takes a twist that I don't see coming, so I don't feel like it stifles the creative process at all. Who knows though? Maybe one of these days I'll try the pantster route just to see what happens! Hmmm...then again...maybe not!

Karen: What time of day do you consider to be the perfect time for writing? Why?

Cathy: For me, there's no perfect time to write. Every day comes with its own set of special challenges, so I try and fit writing in whenever I can. Sometimes that's early in the morning and sometimes it's late at night. Summer months are good for me because I'm not teaching, but there also seems to be a lot more travel that cuts into my writing time. But I have learned that I must have at least one day a week where I don't write at all. That one day off gives my imagination a much needed boost.

To be continued...:)

Texas Roads Giveaway Details

To Enter:

• Leave a comment to this post, include your email address like so: karenelange(at)gmail(dot)com. Entries without email address are not eligible.
• Receive an extra entry by becoming a follower, or by reminding me that you already follow.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Please be sure and comment telling me so.
• Receive a bonus entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a link with your comment.
• This is only open to US residents. For those of you who follow outside the US, I apologize.
• Deadline to enter is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday September 11, 2010. Winner will be announced Monday, and notified via email, and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Be sure and join us on Thursday for Part Two. If you like, in the meantime, stop by Cathy's blog. I'm sure she'd love to see you!

What are you reading this week?


Happy Labor Day!

Karen

Speaking of Cross Training

Thanks a bunch!

Thanks for all the great feedback on Monday's post on cross training for writing. My blogging gang always gets a good conversation going. If you didn't get in on things on Monday, feel free to leave a comment today telling us how you like to stretch your writing muscles.

While we're on the topic of cross training, Coffeehouse for Writers' workshops begin September 6, 2010. Offerings include Blogging for Profit or Pleasure, Creating Character, Writing for Children, Stress Management for Writers, Writing for Magazines, and Historical Fiction. For more details, visit their site.

Oh, and just in case you wanted to know, I'll be teaching a workshop for the Coffeehouse in October. It's called Back to Basics Boot Camp for Writers and will include a refresher on the mechanics of good writing. I'm excited about it; maybe I'll see you there. :)

Special Labor Day Celebration Week

Be sure and stop by next week for a special two part author interview and giveaway!

Have you taken any writing courses or workshops lately? Are there any areas of grammar that you could use a bit of a refresher? What are your plans for the holiday weekend?

Happy Labor Day!

Blessings,
Karen

Image credit: dubock http://www.sxc.hu/photo/960016

Cross Training

                                                                                  Essays and Exercise

I'm writing lesson plans for the teen online writing classes I teach. This new session will cover how to write the essay. Not a popular topic with teens perhaps, but a good skill to learn whether college bound or not.

How does this relate to exercise? Well you see, it's part of my cross-training plan for writing.

My students are encouraged, through lessons and assignments, to stretch their writing muscles by trying different types of writing. Exposure to and the practice of different types of writing, I believe, is one key to growing as a writer.

How does this factor into the lessons? For the essay session, in addition to the standard assignment, I'll include exercises that provide a twist on writing the "serious essay". I might have them take the lesson's topic and put a humorous spin on it by having them write a paragraph that includes tall tale-like details. Or, we might try a Hemingway six word story, using the topic as a guide. The goal is to make students think, make it fun, and then have them write to stretch or cross train those muscles. Learning to write well is essential for good communication, but students can learn and be stretched in interesting and non-traditional ways.

And the point is...?

How does this relate to our writing? It reminded me that we need to engage in cross training exercises periodically in order to stretch and grow as writers. How? By dabbling in a different genre, doing a writing prompt or free writing, attending a conference, taking a writing course, or just taking time to play with words.

Have you done any cross training with your writing lately? What ideas do you have to stretch those writing muscles?

Speaking of Essays

So now that I've got you considering this cross training thing, here's a potential assignment. The 9th Annual Funds for Writers Essay Contest is looking for submissions. This year's theme is When Writing Made a Difference. There are two entry options, one with a $5 entry fee, and one with no entry fee. Prizes range from $300 to $20, depending on the entry choice. Deadline is October 31, 2010.

I entered the contest a few years ago, and while I didn't win, it was great practice for polishing and submitting a piece. Plus I still have the essay, and plan on submitting it somewhere eventually.

Don't forget to share those cross training ideas with us. Happy writing!

Blessings,
Karen
Photo credit:  pawel 231 http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1272846