THE IMPORTANCE OF A CHEERING SECTION

 

Sharon Dunn writes both humorous mysteries and romantic suspense. Her book Night Prey (Love Inspired Suspense) won a Carol award for 2011. Her first book Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves was a Romantic Times top pick and finalist in the inspirational Novel of the Year. Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, the second book in that same series (The Ruby Taylor mysteries) was voted book of the year by ACFW. Zero Visibility is her fifth Love Inspired Suspense with another one scheduled for release in March 2013 titled Guard Duty. When she is not writing, Sharon spends time with her husband, three children, two cats and a nervous little border collie named Bart. You can read more about Sharon and her books by visiting her website.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A CHEERING SECTION

I grew up in a home that, because of my father’s alcoholism and all the baggage that comes with it, I became what I called a self-contained unit. I had very little expectation of support, encouragement or advice free of judgment; I learned to accomplish things and make decisions in isolation. It never occurred to me how much more I could accomplish if I had a cheering section in my life.

Along with my husband, ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) has been the “cheering section” for my writing. If it hadn’t been for ACFW, I may not have continued to try to get my first book, Romance Rustlers, published. At one point, my first book almost sold; all the lights were green and it looked like the publisher would pick it up. Then after much waiting, they decided not to. I was devastated and I wanted to quit.

I went through all the usual stuff we Christians go through when faced with failure. Wondering if I was in God’s plan. Had I heard his voice clearly? I questioned why he would give me a talent and then not open doors for me to use it?

I’m not one who shares failure and pain easily. I posted what had happened to the ACFW email loop thinking it was mostly an exercise in me taking a risk and learning to share my feelings and my failure. The response I got was overwhelming. I had people pray for me and offer encouragement.  The thing that helped the most was that other writers who were now published shared their stories of the first books that almost sold. What is that old saying, that Satan’s greatest weapon is to make us feel like we are alone in our pain?

It might not be a writer’s group for you. It might be a support group for addiction or a weight loss group or a quilting group that is about way more than quilting, but all of us need places where we can take our masks off and share our deepest pain. And all of us need a “cheering section” in the stands. I encourage you to seek that out in your life.

 

 

THE LIFE I'M LIVING AND THE LIFE I'M OBSERVING

 

DiAnn Mills is an award winning writer who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She currently has more than fifty-five books published.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

THE LIFE I'M LEADING AND THE LIFE I'M OBSERVING

 

I’m a lot like you. Average in so many ways. I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, neighbor, friend ... and writer. Perhaps the last descriptor is what makes me different from most people. Yet the life I’m living and the life I’m observing are much the same.

I write suspense. That means I look at the world through the eyes of my imagination—and possible crime. Nothing is ever as it seems. People, events, situations all have the potential to leap onto the pages of a book. Story ideas jump at me like mosquitoes in summer. I hear part of a conversation twist it into a crime or a victim’s response. I see people interacting and wonder if someone is in danger. I focus on media reports, and “what-if” sparks a story idea.

I also believe in national and worldwide awareness. One doesn’t need to be a media junky to understand what is going on in the world, country, state, and local news. Developing a habit of diving into real happenings makes me a concerned citizen of this planet—and a better writer. When I talk to those in the world I’m living, I want to contribute to the conversation. When I write in the world I’m observing, I need accuracy.

My participation in the FBI Houston’s Citizens Academy has helped me blend the life I’m living and the life I’m observing. During seven weeks of seminars that showed the role of an FBI special agent and the various departments that prevent and solve crimes, I learned what goes on while the rest of us are busy with our own lives. Wherever I go, whether it’s the grocery story, the mall, church, or the Post Office, I’m more aware of people and their surroundings.

Now my family, friends, and neighbors do view me as a little quirky. I’ve also heard eccentric and bizarre. But I don’t mind. My husband often warns people to be careful what they say because it might end up in my next novel. And I hear the best dialogue at restaurants. Between my active imagination and the world around me, I’m creating stories for others to read. Not a bad swap.

Blending everything about my life makes me a better person and writer. What about you? Is the world you’re living and the world you’re observing different ... or the same? Take a look at the shopping scene below. It could be anywhere. Can you construct a crime in the making? In the comment section below, insert no more than three sentences of a possible crime. From your responses I’ll select a winner to receive a personalized copy of my new release, The Survivor.

 

 

www.diannmills.com

The Survivor - Zondervan

SECRETS ARE THE SECRET

“I have been in love with story all my life,” says Gayle Roper, the award winning author of more than forty-five books. “Give me a story with strong characters and a captivating plot, and I’m one happy reader. Or writer.”

Among Gayle’s awards are the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award, the Carol Award from American Christian Fiction Writers, two Inspirational Readers Choice Awards, and three HOLT Medallions. She has been a Christy finalist three times and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Book Report.

For her work in training Christian writers Gayle has won special recognition from Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, St. Davids CWC, Florida CWC, and Greater Philadelphia CWC.  She lives in southeastern Pennsylvania. She enjoys reading, spending time at the family’s Canadian cottage, gardening, and eating out every time she can manage it.

 

SECRETS ARE THE SECRET

We’ve been talking about red herrings, those false clues that are part of any mystery or suspense novel. We talked about the idea that red herrings are made much of to misdirect the reader while the more important the clue, the more subtle its introduction. We mentioned that clues are often hidden in a cluster of items, all but one of these items red herrings.

Clues can also be hidden in the secrets your characters have. One of the most effective means of keeping the tension taut in a story is to give everyone a secret, knowing that each character will go to great lengths to protect his or her secret. Lies flow in the cause of self-protection, even if they make someone look guilty of the crime around which the book centers.

A past affair, an arrest in college for DUI, a child born out of wedlock, a business failure, a scandalous family reputation, a tarnish on one’s own reputation, a job loss, a jail sentence, a poor education, an abusive childhood—the list of possible secrets is as long as your list of characters.

The list of reasons for keeping these secrets is also long, but every reason rests on what your character perceives as devastating consequences if the secret is revealed.

If people knew about a past brush with the law, they wouldn’t want you as pastor.

If people knew about the child you had at sixteen, your moral authority in the family would be ruined.

If people knew about the false accusation of sexual harassment made by a disgruntled ex-employee, you’d never get tenure.

If people knew about the foolish financial decisions you made day trading and how broke you really were, they’d never allow you to marry their daughter.  

The secret to a successful skeleton in the closet is matching the deed and the reasons for keeping the secret to the person.

Take the child born outside marriage. For an older character, say the family’s grand dame, such a thing might be an embarrassment, a cause of constant guilt, a deep regret, a part of her life she wants to make believe never happened. If the family knew, they’d never respect her again, and because of her past failure, their esteem is vital to her.

On the other hand for a modern kid of sixteen, an unwed pregnancy might be a badge of honor, an inconvenience, a hiccup in her life’s plans, but not the distressing moral flaw of her grandmother’s generation. This kid needs another secret, one whose revelation she feels would damage her in the eyes of others. Perhaps she’s on probation for shoplifting. Perhaps she’s secretly seeing a boy her family considers unworthy. Perhaps she’s planning to run away for reasons she can’t bear to talk about because they’re so ugly.

As the mystery progresses and the secrets are slowly revealed, don’t squander the information without the story gaining something substantial in return. When Grandmom’s moral lapse of forty years ago is revealed, make sure it affects the family significantly. Perhaps knowing she was human after all allows a rift between her and her daughter to be healed. Perhaps learning of this now-adult child reveals another person who deserves a cut of the inheritance, much to everyone’s distress. Perhaps there is now another suspect for the role of murderer.

Create secrets and use them wisely because…

Secrets lead to lies.

Secrets lead to moral dilemmas.

Secrets lead to confusion.

Secrets lead to false clues.

Revealed secrets move the story.
 

 

Want to find out what the secrets are in Gayle’s book Fatal Deduction? Leave your email address for a chance to win a copy.

 

HOUSTON - THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE U.S.

 

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books published.

 

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.

 

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

 

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

 

 

HOUSTON - THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE U.S.

 

 

 

 

I love Houston. It’s home, and that makes it the most special place on the planet. Oh, I know you’re thinking of cowboys and oil wells, Texans and Astros. And those things are true. But Houston appeals to many people groups. According to the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, Houston ranks as the most ethnically diverse city in the US, surpassing New York and Los Angles. We are filled with cultural diversity from Anglos, Latinos, Asians, and African Americans.

Consider the gifted and talented people. The spirit of Houston is rich with those reaching out to achieve their hopes and desires. When those who seek the best for their communities rise, we find museums, festivals and parades, historical celebrations, medical facilities, various religions, learning centers from preschool to colleges and universities, small businesses and high rise buildings, and always the opportunity to fulfill worthwhile dreams. It’s amazing and exciting. All I need do is look around at the array of smiles, and I see a city that cares about its citizens.

 
But with this enthusiasm for unity and a blending of culture comes differences. Some of those differences are not easily solved. Injustice steps its ugly foot into what could be beautiful. Crime rises. This is true for every city in our country. Gangs fight for control of the streets. The greedy look for ways to steal and betray. Prostitution, drugs, fraud, and every conceivable crime snake through our neighborhood creating fear. When men and women who are powerful in business and government take advantage of people, justice must be served there too. If a community doesn’t seek appropriate relief, chaos can take over. This is not where we want our children to play. And criminals are not acceptable role models.
        
When innocent people face overwhelming odds, I see the beginning of a novel where good triumphs over evil, even when a situation looks bleak. At times the bad guys gain momentum. Neither in real life nor in the story world can that be allowed to continue.
        
I write about brave men and women who refuse to accept defeat. Sometimes my characters are trained professional crime fighters. They choose to keep the city free from crime, and they are trained to make sure the job gets done. Sometimes my good guys are unlikely men and women who are determined to find the needed skills to bring an end to crime. All put themselves in danger for a greater cause.
        
The key characteristic for my heroes is passion for a cause. Add bravery, intelligence, and determination and I’m up all night twisting a plot. Houston is an amazing part of the country, and it’s all because of the diversity of its people. Read my stories, and you’ll agree this is a city filled with hope.
         

 

I’d like to hear about where you live, whether it be a big city or a ranch in Wyoming. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered in a drawing to receive a personalized copy of The Survivor.

www.diannmills.com

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HE IS RISEN!!!!

Sunday's Coming...