It takes a lot for me to really look forward to a book or movie, but when I saw the trailer for Walden Media's Nim's Island (April 4, 2008), I was quickly anticipating this one. First of all, I love Jodie Foster, and second, she plays an eccentric author in this film.
The Restorer
The Restorer's Son
The Stones Cry Out
In Between
On the Loose 
Clear Blue Sky
Saving Sailor
Hollywood Nobody
I had the chance to ask a whole bunch of authors about their favorite Christmas memories, and let me tell you, they had some interesting ones! Some fun, some sad, some nostalgic, but all worth reading.
A couple days ago I typed the last words of my second novel. This is a book I've been working on for about three years, and it's a wonderful feeling to bring a story that's been in my head for that long to the page. I'm not finished entirely, however. There will be plenty of revisions to come. But at least the story is complete.
I've always been a little bit in awe of Karen Ball. After all, the woman developed the fiction lines at Tyndale, Multnomah, Zondervan, and now is hard at work on B&H's. She's edited some of my favorite authors. She's a novelist in her own right. And she's a huge dog lover like I am. :)
Brandilyn Collins and Donna Fleisher, which is interesting because she has edited one and acquired the other (thanks for setting me straight, Donna! :). The suspense is definitely a strong point to the series, but the family drama between three siblings makes sure character development isn't thrown aside.
No, not that kind of plot. The kind I'm talking about is much harder to find! When I last posted I talked about how after I finished my first novel I was desperate to discover the next story I was to write. I knew I had more than one book in me, and I was on a journey to find the next one.
Except on very rare days of structure, I'm a SOTP (seat-of-the-pants) writer. As I finish up my second novel I'm starting to learn that about myself. I used to bemoan this fact. I wanted to write with an outline. I wanted to have everything planned out in advance. But the more I've written fiction, the more I'm realizing that's not where my best writing comes from.
This week's CFBA blog tour is for Virginia Smith's Bluegrass Peril.
and her book:
Musterion (December 1, 2005)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jodi Cowles caught the travel bug when her parents took her on her first international flight at six months of age. Since then she’s been in over 30 countries. Along the way she’s gotten locked out of her cabin on an all night train to Kiev, helped deliver a baby in Indonesia, taught English in South Korea, gone spelunking in Guam, hiked the Golan Heights and laid bricks in Zimbabwe. Her interest in politics stems from hunting Easter eggs on the south lawn of the White House as a child. For her 30th birthday she ran the LA Marathon and promised to get serious about publishing. Jodi resides in Boise, Idaho and this is her first novel. 
When I finished my first novel I celebrated with dinner at Applebees, coffee at Starbucks and a stack of new novels at my local Christian bookstore. It was a great feeling . . . for about a day. Then the panic set in. I had worked on this particular book for years. I lived and breathed those characters. They were a part of me. To not share time with them was the strangest feeling in the world. I had to be writing! But I didn't have anything to write.
This week's CFBA blog tour is for Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet. A friend of mine who's an avid fantasy reader loved it. It looks tremendous to me, but I haven't yet had a chance to read it.
We left off with me adding 10K to my novel. I now had a 77k manuscript---a much more marketable length, albeit still a little short. (Check out my post here about the lengths of many published novels.)
The writing life can be full of ups and downs. One minute we're high in the sky because someone said something nice about our endeavors, the next we're down in the dumps because a rejection letter came in the mail. I think this is probably the bane of most creative types. We're often emotional people. We have to be. It's what allows us to dig deep into ourselves and pull out characters. We have the ability to literally feel what our characters feel.
Today I'm pleased to be a part of Tricia Goyer's blog tour for her novel A Shadow Of Treason. This book is Book #2 in her Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series. You'll also want to be sure to check out Book #1 A Valley of Betrayal (read the first chapter here).
Q:
A Shadow of Treason follows A Valley of Betrayal. This is the first time you've written books as a series instead of stand alone. Which way do you like better?
A: I love writing in series. It was great to continue with the same characters. In my stand-alone books I fell in love with these people and then I had to say good-bye after one book. It was wonderful to be able to continue on.
Q: In A Shadow of Treason Sophie must return to the person who betrayed her in an effort to help the Spanish people. It makes the book hard to put down because the reader has to know how Sophie's heart will deal with it. Why did you decide to make this an element of the book?
A: There are very few of us who go through life without giving away a part of our hearts to someone who didn't deserve it. Even though Sophie had the best intentions, she gave away her heart and she was hurt-not only that she must revisit those emotions.
I wanted to include this element-to delve into the topic that emotions are sometimes as big of a trap as any physical cage. Emotions are real and they guide us -- even when we don't want to admit it. Poor Sophie, not only does she have to deal with a war around her -- she also has to deal with a war within herself. It's something I've battled, and mostly likely others have too.
Q: There is an interesting element that arises in this book and that is Spanish gold. I know you can't tell us what happens in this book, but can you give us a brief history of this gold?
A: Sure. When I was researching I came upon something interesting. The Spaniards, as we know, had taken much Aztec and Inca gold during the time of the conquistadors. Well, at the start of The Spanish Civil War much of this gold was still held in Madrid. In fact Spain had the fourth largest gold reserves in the world at that time. The Republican government was afraid Franco would take the city and the gold. They had to get it out of Madrid and this included transporting priceless artifacts. The element of gold does make its way into my story. It was great to include this little-known (and true!) element into my story.
Q: Another historical fact I learned about was the Nazi involvement during this time. Not only were the Germans active in Spain, but they had spy networks busy around the world. How did you find out about this?
A: I love reading tons of research books. Usually I find one little element that I dig out and turn into a plot line. This is what happened with my plot-line for the Nazi pilot, Ritter. I dug up this bit of research of Nazi involvement in Spain -- and the United States -- because a lot of people aren't aware of the Nazi involvement prior to WWII. The truth is they were busy at work getting the land, information, and resources they needed far before they threatened the nations around them. The Germans knew what they wanted and how to get it. And most of the time they succeeded!
Q: A Shadow of Treason is Book Two. When will Book Three be out? Can you give us a hint of how the story continues?
A: Book Three is A Whisper of Freedom. It will be out February 2008. The characters that we love are all still in the midst of danger at the end of Book Two. Book Three continues their stories as we follow their journeys in -- and (for a few) out -- of Spain. It's an exciting conclusion to the series!
Read an interview I conducted with Tricia awhile back here.
A Shadow of Treason, Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War #2
By Tricia Goyer
(Click to purchase at Christianbook.com)
I've been a big fan of James Scott Bell for years now. His latest offering, Try Dying, is the first in a series featuring lawyer Ty Buchanan.
I just got back into the office from an extended weekend off. There's something to this vacation thing, folks. Seriously. You know what it's like. You have a million e-mails to respond to, a million books you want to read, a million words you have to write, a million things to do around the house, not to mention your day job ... and only 24 hours in a day. Doesn't seem fair, does it?
It's challenging to write about a journey you're still on. That's the way I feel about my writing journey so far. The last time I wrote, I had just started submitting my manuscript to publishers. I could go on and on about this leg of the trip.
The CFBA blog tour this week is for Robert Liparulo's Deadfall.
I don't know about you, but my TBR pile (aka the "To-Be-Read-Pile") is constantly growing these days. There are just so many amazing books out there! Christian fiction used to mostly be made up of prairie romances and Biblical epics. Not anymore. There's something for just about anyone, and the quality continues to rise. This is a wonderful thing for a book maven like me who loves great fiction but doesn't want to fill my mind with some of the junk out there in secular fiction. This isn't to say there isn't some great stuff out there in the mainstream, but I think you know what I mean.You know how it is when you find a new book you love and you just want to tell everyone you know about it? Yeah. That's what Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson has been like for me. I started reading the first page and couldn't stop. I love that about a book.
everything together. There are mysteries to her life she wants answers for. They aren't what she expects. (Hint: a twist at the end completely got me!)Q&A with Lisa Samson
Q. What inspired you to write Hollywood Nobody?
A. NavPress approached me at a publishing conference about writing YA fiction. They felt my writing voice would transition naturally into YA. Well, that day, I was sitting in my car in Opryland's parking lot, and the idea just gushed out. Nav loved it, and here we all are, me, Nav, Scotty Dawn and her fabulous readers.
Q. What message would you like readers to take away after reading Hollywood Nobody?
A. Be yourself and don't think the grass is always greener "over there." Chances are, somebody's looking at your yard thinking you've got it made.
Q. What does faith mean to you?
A. Faith means trusting God even when you have no idea what's going on around you, or what lies ahead. Faith means that somehow, somewhere, the bad stuff will be turned into good, even if that seems impossible.
Q. Can you describe what a "normal" family means to you? Did you grow up in a "normal" family?
A. Honestly, I don't think there is such thing as a "normal" family. We're all odd in our own way. Sure, some families look normal from the outside, but we're all weird in our "own special way." Of course, some families' abnormalities are dark and painful, and I just hope and pray that Hollywood Nobody will provide young women in those situations with a little bit of escape and encouragement.
Q. How did that help you?
I was always encouraged in the arts. My Dad played boogie-woogie for pocket money in college, and painted when he came home from his practice at night. My Mom worked at our church, was involved in other causes, so I became aware of my social responsibilities through her.
Q. In Hollywood Nobody, Scottie really struggles to find authentic relationships due to her nomadic lifestyle and the pervasive Hollywood influence in her life. What do you think Scotty would say to Britney Spears or Lindsey Lohan if she had the chance?
A. She'd say, "Are you kidding me?!" :-)
Q. What book is coming up next? Will Scottie find out who is chasing her?
A. The next book is called Finding Hollywood Nobody and yes, she will figure out who Biker Guy really is!
Q. What book(s) are you reading now?
A. Right now I'm reading, Growing Up Hard in Harlan County and Jesus of Nazareth.
Q. If your book were turned into a movie, who would play the main character(s)?
A. Amanda Bynes with a dark, curly wig. Adam Brody would nail Seth Haas. Charley could totally be played by Kelly Preston.
Q. Which one of your characters is most like you? Why?
A. Well, Scotty thinks a lot like I do. But I don't think any of the characters in this book resemble me. I am 43 dontchaknow. :-) Scotty, however, is an awful lot like my 17-year-old daughter Ty. I really felt like she was whispering in my ear as I wrote the book.
Q. What do you want your readers to know about you?
A. I guess I hope they know I remember how awful being a teenager could be! I'm not the person who says, "This is the greatest time of your life. Just be happy." I wouldn't go back to High School if anybody paid me to do it. It's a hard gig.
Q. There are many references woven throughout Hollywood Nobody to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Is this a favorite book for you? Why did you choose it as a backdrop for Scotty?
A. Yes, The Great Gatsby is a favorite of mine. I chose it because I was re-reading it when I started writing the book. There are a lot of parallels between the two storylines. Unrequited love, the outsider looking in, wanting what we can't have. Beyond that, I wanted Scotty to be the literary type and to encourage the readers of Hollywood Nobody to venture out into something more classic than my book!
Q. Are you a vegetarian like Scotty or her mother?
A. I've tried it a time or two. And I wish I could stick with it. But usually it's fried chicken that knocks me off course every time. (I love fried chicken!)
Q. Scottie struggles with defining faith and how it fits into her life. Can you describe your experience coming to faith?
A. I've been in church all of my life! When I was three I remember asking Him into my heart. But faith isn't just a nice little formula, it's embracing Christ and God's faithfulness, day after day after day. Honestly, each day I hope I come to Christ a little more, hoping to draw closer to Him, to be more like Him, to love Him more.
Lisa Samson is the author of twenty books, including the Christy Award-winning Songbird. Apples of Gold was her first novel for teens. Visit Lisa at www.lisasamson.com
As you will recall, my goal was to submit my novel to the Operation First Novel contest put on by the Christian Writer's Guild. This was the first one they did several years ago. What the contest gave me was a deadline. I don't know about you, but it's harder to write without one.
Acclaimed music producer Matt Bronleewe has recently made the jump into novel writing. His first book Illuminated (Thomas Nelson) can be found on bookshelves everywhere!
I'd known about the CFBA for quite some time, but now I can happily say I'm an official member. The alliance features a new Christian novel every week, and members talk about it on their blogs. Just take a look at their upcoming December schedule of books:
$50,000.
It was just a college composition textbook, but Pearl Hogrefe's The Process of Creative Writing made an impact on me. I bought it at a local used bookstore for .$50 and got excited just reading the introduction.
These sort of things fascinate me. A couple months ago, Bethany House publishers had a survey about which cover to use for Ann Tatlock's Every Secret Thing.
My last post on my writing journey mentioned something memorable happening when I was fifteen. No, it wasn't earth-shattering, but I look back now and realize, "Yeah. That's when it all began."
I have a review up on TitleTrakk.com of F.P. Lione's novel Clear Blue Sky. I'm excited to help spread the word about the Lione's books. To read an interview I did recently with them, click here.It's October 1st, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and his/her latest book's FIRST chapter!
Tosca Lee received her BA in English and International Relations from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She has also studied at Oxford University.
I just had to pass this along. Angie Hunt blogged about it, and it was fun. Test your reading prowess and come back here and let me know how you did. I got 9 out of 13. I haven't read a single one (I'm sorry to admit) but you know how writing how-to books often give great first lines as examples? I've read a LOT of those! Check the quiz out here.
The Monthly DART.
It was an epiphany moment. I still remember it.
