Author Janice Thompson on Writing and a Giveaway of Her Book: Fools Rush In

Posted by Tina Dee Books | Labels: , | Posted On at 12:08 AM

We have a great guest visiting today!

Author and writing teacher, Janice Thompson joins us to chat about writing and a little about grandkids.

Janice, you are one BUSY lady with online courses, webinars on writing, your own editing business and writing. You've written a lot of books, tell us what genres you've written and how many you've published/contracted.

Yes, I’ve written a lot of books! I’ll be signing a contract soon for book #62. Seems crazy, especially in light of the fact that my first book wasn’t published until 1999. I write in multiple genres: contemporary romance, romantic comedy, historical, historical romance, cozy mystery, suspense/thriller, non-fiction self-help, non-fiction devotion. 



Any genre you enjoy writing most?

Those who’ve read my most recent novels know I’m particularly tickled to write romantic comedy. This dates back to my days as a playwright. All of my stage plays are comedies. (There’s no greater reward for a writer than to listen to an audience roar with laughter at something you’ve written.)

Who was a favorite character you've written?

Ack. What a tough question. I love Aunt Rosa in the “Weddings by Bella” series, but I think I love Grandma Lenora even more. She’s the grandmother character in my upcoming “Backstage Pass” series from Revell. She’s an aging Hollywood star who’s stuck in the 1950’s.

I really want to take a moment here and highlight this, I think so many readers of this blog would also like to become writers but don’t know where to begin…Janice, you're very active in teaching ACFW's online courses, having free fiction writing webinars, and providing online courses for fiction writing. Please share with us more about what you offer in your online courses.

Thanks for asking. I’ve always been a teacher at heart. Back in the ‘90s, I taught drama and creative writing at a school of the arts. I also homeschooled my four girls and seven other students, as well. And yes, I’m active in the ACFW course loop. I’ve had such a blast helping other writers learn the craft.

Because I feel called to teach (and because so many writers come to me with the same questions/issues) I decided it would be easier to come up with actual lessons. Sending a lesson is much easier than repeating the same information over and over again!

I started with a course called “Becoming a Successful Freelance Writer.” It’s all about earning money with your writing. Each of the ten lessons in that course will become its own course. I’ve just completed the “Fiction Writing Master Course,” which I believe to be one of the most comprehensive, affordable courses available to fiction writers today.

To learn more about both courses, go to www.freelancewritingcourses.com.

Thank you, Janice. I’ve been there and there are several courses I’d love to take.

What would you say to the person visiting with us now who feels she has a book in her but doesn't know where to start, never written anything that wasn't a school assignment?

Learn the craft. I see far too many people dive in and write the book, not knowing the acceptable manuscript forms and writing styles. Learn, learn, learn. Then take what you’ve learned and apply it to what you’re writing. If you’re serious about selling that manuscript, figure out how to write a solid proposal.

Spend time checking and re-checking your manuscript for common problems like passive writing, and make sure you have a clear understanding of POV (point of view). I’ve seen more fiction writers shoot themselves in the foot because of POV than anything else.

What advice would you give a novice writer? What sort of support systems would you recommend also?

I would encourage you to do several things: join a local writing group, if you can find one. Get in a critique group. If you can’t find one, then join ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and asked to be put in an online group. Be willing to accept critique, both from critique partners and from editors and agents. Go to conferences if you can afford them. There, you will meet like-minded writers and others in the business. Finally, consider signing up for my online courses. As I said above, they are both comprehensive and affordable.

How can we find out more about your books and you as an author?

Easy! You’ll find me on the web at www.janiceathompson.com. I’m also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jhannathompson


How can we find out more about your online courses and where can we go to see when classes are starting?

The classes are audio/video driven and are a “work at your own pace” style, so they’re always available. Check out the information at www.freelancewritingcourses.com. For more on the fiction course, go here: http://www.freelancewritingcourses.com/category/fiction-writing

For more on the “Becoming a Successful Freelance Writer” go here: http://www.freelancewritingcourses.com/becoming-a-successful-freelance-writer


Any question(s) you wished I'd asked that I didn't?

You didn’t ask about my grandbabies!

Oh my goodness! That would be the best part of our interview! Please do tell us about your little sweeties!

I have six beautiful grandchildren: Madysen Lynae (3), Avery Rae (2), Peyton Renae (2), Ethan Ames (18 months), Boston Craig (four months) and Brooke Ryleigh (three weeks). Can you imagine six grandbabies, all in this age group? They’re precious and I love each and every one!

Thank you so much the visit and the writing advice and sharing where we can take your writing courses! And, thank you that you’ve kept them so affordable!

Janice is giving away a copy of her book:

Fools Rush In
Book one in the Weddings by Bella series


Visit Janice's blog to look over her Books page.

Come back here and tell us what 
top 3 titles sound like an great read to you.

Don’t forget to leave your email address in this format:  YourName[at]whatever[dot]com

This giveaway ends Oct 31, 2010
21 comments

Follow Pete Wilson Friday!

Posted by Tina Dee Books | Labels: , , | Posted On at 12:03 AM

Well, we have to have a little fun to cap off the work week (especially after my long absence from you all--have you forgiven me yet?) Before we do, I want you to know I'm reading and going through a study in Pete Wilson's book PLAN B. I got the book in exchange for a review, but this thing is so GOOD that I couldn't help but to go through the study.


Let me just take a brief moment here to tell you this--life can go haywire crazy, hopes can shatter like glass, and dreams can remain way off in the distance. Out of reach. And sometimes, the way we think things should have been come back to us and haunt us. The What Ifs and the Whys become loud clashing cymbals and drown out everything else. And God can seem so far away. But He's not. The Plan didn't fall apart, even if you feel like you have. I highly recommend PLAN B for anyone facing life with big questions and huge disappointments.



Plan B
by 
Pete Wilson
Available Now!

Okay, back to the fun--I saw this video on Pastor Pete's blog Without Wax--if you haven't visited Pete Wilson's Without Wax blog, you're missing out!

So, back to the video--which was actually from last weeks posts on Without Wax. Pete had a competition with his lovely bride, Brandi, to see who could hold their breath the longest. Silly, I know, but fun and so funny my stomach hurt from laughing so much.


We're a little late, but after you watch the video, click over to Pete's blog and answer the question he asked on his post. Com'n, let's go visit Pete! While we're there, let's check out the latest series there at Cross Point Church:  Empty Promises. There are a few vids to check out on that and you can watch the Sunday message feeds. Click here: http://www.WithoutWax.tv 

Enjoy your weekend!
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Special Guest - Carman Boley talks about her Christian Book Giveaways blog (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Posted by Tina Dee Books | Labels: | Posted On at 12:04 AM

Some of you know our guest, Carman Boley, very well from her blog Christian Book Giveaways. 

But for those of you who don't, you'll want to get to know her very well, especially if you enjoy reading Christian fiction! 

Carman is not a writer yet, but she does something fabulous for readers and authors and we thought you'd love to know about it.
Carman, you have a wonderful free service you provide to authors ~ please tell us about it.
 

On my first blog, A Sequence of Continuous Delights http://continuousdelights.blogspot.com/, I host author interviews and giveaways featuring one or more of the author’s books. It mainly helps get the word out about a new release and generate excitement about reading the book. I also do reviewing, which (I hope) is helpful to both readers and writers.





On my second blog, Christian Book Giveaways http://christianbookgiveaways.blogspot.com/, I post about giveaways that other people are having on their blog. This creates a site dedicated to helping readers find giveaways that interest them. This also helps bloggers get more traffic, and author’s books get more exposure.

It's wonderful! I know so many authors and readers appreciate what you're doing. So, how and why did you get into doing this?

It all started when I got a facebook. Weird, I know, but it’s true. I was really excited when I found out that a lot of my favorite authors were on facebook, so I added as many of them as I could to my friend list. On day I got an email from Jenny B. Jones asking if I would like to review her next two books that were about to be released. Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

I kept on reviewing and posting my reviews on places like amazon, borders, Shelfari, and other places like those. But, a few authors said that they couldn’t send a person a book, unless they had a blog to post their review on. That stunk but I still didn’t want to get a blog. (It seemed like way too much work and I was a little overwhelmed by the idea.) But then, I heard from Julie Lessman that you had to have a blog to review one of her books. Well, that sealed the deal for me. I had my first blog (SCD) set up by the end of the day.

For my other blog, CBG, it got started when I found the site, Sweepstakes & Contest List Directory http://theblackcell.com/blogs/. I loved the idea of the site, and I would go everyday and see the book giveaways going on at the time. But, I grew tired of sifting through those giveaways trying to find ones with Christian books. Not to mention the book covers of some of the books were not things I should be looking at. I thought it would be nice to make a place that dedicated itself to Christian giveaways. Then people could go there and find good books without having to mess with all the other ones. Now, I’m posting around 45-60 giveaways a month on my site with more coming all the time.

Tell us about the type of books you enjoy reading.
Mainly I like to read romance. I’m a romantic at heart and love Jane Austen, and the Christian fiction romance authors. I try to avoid reading secular fiction, and only read things that I don’t have to feel guilty about later. :) Also, I’ve lately tried to add in more non-fiction books to my regular every-day reading. They might not be the most FUN things to read, but they are important and they can help us to grow in Christ.

What was the most recent book you read that you'd highly recommend to others?
Hmmm… let me think. That would be “So Over It” by Stephanie Morrill. Actually that whole series is amazing. I know it is a teen’s story, but the lessons in it are truly uplifting and inspiring for all ages.

What's in your 'To Be Read' pile?
Oh gosh. More than I can count! LOL. I have around 400-500 books on my TBR list, but in the little pile I keep near me at all times… I have Angel Song (Walsh and Cushman), Heartless (Stengl), City of the Dead (Higley), and The Fruitful Life (Bridges). All of these authors are new to me, but I’m looking forward to reading them!

Have you ever thought about writing books? If so, what types of stories would you write?
My mom thinks I should write, but I’ve never wanted to. However, if that is what God wants me to do, then I’ll gladly try, because I know that if He calls me to do it, He’ll equip me for it. :) I would probably write CF romance novels. As to the time periods… anything really. I love learning/reading about any time period from ancient history to contemporary. (The funny thing is that I HATE learning history from a schoolbook, but I love reading about it in a historical fiction setting.)

Where can we visit your site on giveaways? Do you have a subscriber signup--for email notices of new giveaways posted, so we don't miss any?
Here is the link to my blog, CBG: http://christianbookgiveaways.blogspot.com/

Yes, I have that option for readers on both of my blogs. That really is the best thing, in my opinion, because that way if you forget or don’t have time to go to my blog to search for giveaways, you don’t have to. You’ll get an email with all the latest giveaways listed right in your inbox. The place where you enter your email address is in my blog’s sidebar.
A few fun things about Carman:

Favorite dessert
Um, just about anything with sugar. :P I’m a confirmed sugar addict. But, one of my favorite every-day desserts is homemade whipped cream with strawberries. YUM. It is fantastic.

Someplace, anyplace in the world you'd love to visit?
I’ve *always* wanted to go to Europe. See all the old places that I’ve read about, the palaces, the history, the people’s ACCENTS! It sounds wonderful. But, I’ve been very blessed with lots of family vacations and have seen many beautiful places.

Favorite music:
Just about anything. I like praise music, Christian rock, rap, dance music (gotta love that dance music), and, yes, even a few country songs. ;)

Authors you'd love to meet:
Too many to count!
Here are my favorite authors and I would just about faint from excitement if I got to meet any of them (listed in no particular order):

Michelle Sutton, Julie Lessman, Jenny B. Jones, Mary Connealy, Deeanne Gist, Jill Williamson, Roseanna White, Sarah Sundin, Susan May Warren, Erynn Mangum, Sharon Gillenwater, MaryLu Tyndall, Denise Hunter, Janice Thompson, Linore Rose Burkard, Cathy Marie Hake, Tracie Peterson, and Lynn Austin.

Also, I think it would be so fun to get to meet my fellow bloggers. I love all you guys!

Wow! That's quite a list of incredible authors! Carman, we loved having you and hope you'll join us again!

Thanks so much for having me Tina! It’s been fun. :D

You can get on Carman's email list to be 
notified of upcoming interviews and giveaways. 
Just sign up in the sidebar of her blogs.
 
Well, she may not be an author (yet!), but we've got...
a giveaway!

Speaking of Cathy Marie Hake 
as one of Carman's favorite authors,
we'll giveaway a copy of...

Texas Brides
by
Cathy Marie Hake

Go to one of Carman's blogs and from one of the books/author's she has listed, let us know what book sounds like a good read to you. Leave your answer here, along with your email addy.

This giveaway ends October 31, 2010


Now, please go back to Carman's blog and check out 
some of those other interviews and giveaways! 

33 comments

My Come to Jesus Moment by Billy Coffey

Posted by Tina Dee Books | Labels: , , | Posted On at 12:01 AM

Well, if you've been making yourself at home here, then you already know our guest is no guest at all. He's family.

That's because his writing comes straight from his heart to ours. And it's a God-given gift--his talent to tell a good story.

But before we head over there, I just want to take a moment to share the great news that Billy's book, SNOW DAY, is releasing SOON! So, head over to your favorite book store and reserve your copy, and be sure to tell a friend. And order a copy from your library and ask them if they'd display it on their front shelf of featured books. (THANK YOU!!!)

Snow Day
by Billy Coffey
Available: October 11, 2010!

The following is another favorite excerpt of mine. Billy's testimony. Loved it. I know you will too...
My Come to Jesus Moment...by Billy Coffey
You do stupid things when you’re seventeen. Things that maybe don’t make much sense later, but certainly do at the moment. It’s a scary age. You stand right on the pivot point of your life, teetering and tottering between the child you were and the adult you want to become. You try to find your balance, but more often just stumble and fall.
 
At seventeen, I stumbled and fell.

I referenced Allison in a post on What I Learned Today and the events surrounding her then-anonymous letter to me, and I alluded to what I considered at the time to be a one-way trip into the mountains above my town. At the time, I wrote only what I had to in order to put the rest of the story in perspective. But since so many of you wanted to know how I came to Christ, I’m going to do that right now.

Here’s the part I didn’t tell.

The sad thing about high school is that everyone from teachers to guidance counselors expects you to be able to plan the rest of your life. That’s just not possible. Being a senior in high school is all about living in the moment. The now. It’s enjoying what you have because you’ve realized you won’t have it much longer.

Me, I enjoyed my senior year for that very reason. I was leaving. Headed for either college or some major league farm system. So while my classmates crammed and studied and stressed over SATs, me and my motley crew of friends partied, fought, and chased girls. Looking back, I was being stupid. But at the time? 

Oh, it was magical.

But it’s usually when we manage to convince ourselves that we have the world on a string that the string breaks. Mine broke during the sixth inning of a baseball game. Not slowly, mind you. I didn’t hear it tighten, didn’t hear it strain. There was just one clean, violent snap.

My future was there, then it was not.

Then there was nothing.

Men define themselves by what they do. It’s one of the first questions we’ll ask when meeting another man for the first time. “What do you do for a living?” we’ll ask. Me, I was always going to answer “Ballplayer” to that question. That was all I had. All I was.

I was an awkward teenager. Never confident, never truly happy. But when I stepped between those lines I was both. It was the one thing in my life that brought me joy.

Also the one thing God took away.
.............................................................
It's just gets better friends.
Let's head over to Billy's blog porch to hear the rest. 
Click this link to meet me there: http://www.BillyCoffey.com

5 comments

Crazy Monday Recipe ~ Steak Pita Wrap

Posted by Tina Dee Books | Labels: | Posted On at 12:05 AM


Okay, this one has been on the list to share with you for a couple of months! But, you know how crazy life can get and I'm just re-entering my writing life again (YAY!)

There's so much to share with you, but we'll just ease into it all. So today, we're starting with our Crazy Monday Recipe and it's sooooo goooood!

And EASY-peasy!

You need leftover steak (ha, like there'd be any!) or any kind of leftover meat--hot or cold, baby spring greens salad mix, blue cheese or ranch dressing or tzatziki sauce (the Greek sauce with Greek yogurt and cucumber), and pita or, my preference, garlic Naan bread (it's Indian bread).

That's it!

1) Cut left over meat into bite sizes.

2) Baby spring greens salad mix

3) Dressing/sauce of your choice

4) Naan bread (or pita, but not as good as the break from India)

Stack it, give thanks to the One who provided for it, eat, enjoy!

You'll need a napkin. Aw, go ahead, just lick your fingers, I won't tell.

Yum! Did I say YUM? I'll say it again, YUM!

What about you? 
Tell us how you make your favorite sandwich.

P.S. - Stop by tomorrow and we'll hop over to Billy's porch for a great story!
1 comments

This week's line up

Posted by Tina Dee Books | | Posted On at 5:19 PM

How have you been?

I'm just popping in to tell you about the things going on this week, so come, make yourselves comfortable.

The weather has cooled - I'm welcoming my favorite season: AUTUMN!

Monday--on Crazy Monday Recipes we'll have a quick and easy steak pita sandwich.

Tuesday--we're getting our much needed dose of Billy Coffey.

Wednesday--we have a special guest, Miss Carman Boley, to tell us about her very popular blog Christian Book Giveaways.

Thursday--I'm praying, Chapter 7 of Love's Gamble (hope with me on this!) I didn't realize I've got a whole chunk missing from the last part of the chapter, the only thing there? Just the unintelligible scrawlings of my rambling mind.

Friday--we'll laugh with Pete Wilson on a video he and his lovely Mrs., Brandi Wilson, did--then go visit him at Without Wax.

Saturday--we'll enjoy some time with author Janice Thompson and learn about how you can become a writer too.

So there ya have it!

I also have a surprise, but I'm waiting for the okay to share it. I will, as soon as I get the go-ahead. (No, I wasn't offered a contract with a publisher...I wish!)

Have a blessed week! 
See you Monday!
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