Summer 2010 Tyndale House fiction

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Check out some of the Summer 2010 releases coming from Tyndale House. I can't believe I get to be at the same publisher as these authors! Aren't these some amazing covers? Which one grabs your attention?

Win a copy of Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins!

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I've just launched my very first website contest! You could win a hardcover copy of Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins (which is a fantastic book, btw).

So head on over to my website and play a book cover guessing game. That's all I'm saying...

If you'd like to read more about Riven, you can read my review of the novel or my interview with Jerry.

Thicker Than Blood wins Operation First Novel!

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I am so thrilled to announce that my novel Thicker Than Blood has won the 2008 Operation First Novel contest sponsored by the Christian Writers Guild and Tyndale House publishers. They announced the winner on stage Thursday night at the Writing for the Soul conference, and needless to say, I was incredibly nervous for hours beforehand. Then the moment came. Jerry B. Jenkins took the stage and first announced the winner of the Operation First Book contest for nonfiction. Mal King's Before the Last Leaf Falls took that honor. I had the chance to eat lunch with Mal and his sweet wife Regina. They were a delightful couple, and it was an honor to be in such good company with them.

When the time came for the Operation First Novel winner to be announced, Jerry asked the past winners attending to come up on the stage. Jennifer Erin Valent, Tom Pawlik & Jan Watson all did. Tyndale editors Karen Watson & Jan Stob followed. (The prize for winning is a contract with Tyndale House.)

(l-r: Karen Watson, C.J. Darlington & Jerry B. Jenkins. Photo by Cindi of Selah Studios.)

When he said my name, I was shocked! I can easily say this is one of the most exciting experiences of my life so far.

But one of the biggest thrills was seeing my book cover for the first time! They brought a poster of it out on stage, and I took one look and was instantly awed. It is beautiful! It perfectly captures the themes of the novel. I am so happy with it.

Here's a pic of me posing with the cover:

A Little Background

I was fifteen when I started the story that would become Thicker Than Blood. I finally finished the book when I was 23 and submitted it to the very first Operation First Novel contest in 2004. I was a semi-finalist that year. Then I began the process of submitting to editors---and I received rejection after rejection. Some editors were gracious enough to give me feedback, and over the next four years I tweaked and revised.

But I began to wonder if Thicker Than Blood was good enough to be published. I wrote a second novel and started a third. I was days away from giving up on it. But God always has a way of getting our attention. I was lying in bed and the thought hit me, "Wait a minute. I have a complete novel that's better than before. Why don't I submit it to the Christian Writers Guild contest again?" That was in September of 2008.

I hope my journey will encourage writers not to give up. After all, one of you might be next year's Operation First Novel winner! Visit the Christian Writers Guild website to find out how you can become a member.

And now, for the big unveiling... above is the official cover of Thicker Than Blood! Click to enlarge. The novel will be released in January 2010!

Working Summary of Thicker Than Blood:

Two sisters, estranged for 15 years. Their blood ties weren't enough. Only something stronger could bring them together again.

Christy Williams finally has her life on track. Her career as an antiquarian book buyer at the renowned used bookstore Dawson's Barn of Books is taking off. Hunter Dawson is teaching her the fine points of purchasing collectible books, and so far she's been able to keep her drinking problem from interfering. But when she discovers her ex-boyfriend, who also works at Dawsons, is stealing valuable books right off the store's shelves, she's unable to stop him for fear he'll expose the skeleton's in her closet.

Things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn't commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged family, especially her younger sister May, who she abandoned in their childhood after their parents' untimely deaths. Now the owner of a failing cattle ranch, May couldn't possibly want a relationship with her, the big sister who didn't even say goodbye all those years ago. Could she?

Soon Christy's fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could the Triple Cross ranch be the safe haven she's searching for, or will May's new-found faith give her sister even more reason to reject Christy? Will they realize before it's too late that each possesses what the other desperately needs?

Writing for the Soul photos by Cindi of Selah Studios

What's Your Idol?

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I attended a conference this past weekend and was blessed to hear Jerry B. Jenkins speak. He talked about being a feeling writer and how we should make every effort to keep our hearts tender and able to respond to feelings. Sometimes it's easy in this writing journey to lose sight of that.

Being published has been a goal of mine for over a decade. I've worked toward it every year, and I've learned a lot. But through it all somehow my focus got skewed. I allowed myself to be consumed with all kinds of writerly things---research, blogging, connecting. They're all great and important. But they aren't going to do me any good if my heart grows hard, if I lose focus of what inspired me to start.

Jerry B. Jenkins is one of the most humble writers you could ever meet. You can just hear it in his voice, and see it in his writing. (Pick up a copy of Writing for the Soul for a taste of what I mean.) He's a hugely successful writer, but his heart is in the right place. I want to be like him. I want reaching people with the Good News, with hope, with stories of forgiveness and love to be what motivates me more than anything. I don't want to be ruined by being published.

When I pray about my writing, lots of times I'll pray about God opening doors, favor, and publishing opportunities. But maybe I'm praying the wrong thing. Maybe I should start praying, "Lord, prepare my heart to be a published novelist."

Something else to ponder. I came away from the conference realizing I've probably made getting published an idol in my life. Not a huge one, but an idol nonetheless. I'd lost a bit of the passion I had when I first started. I want that back. Lord, help me to focus on You above all.

What's your life's idol? I'd encourage you to recognize it and surrender it to God. He needs to be #1 in our lives, and I hope I remember that.

Why I've been quiet

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Hey, friends. I apologize for being somewhat quiet these days. I do have a good excuse! I've been hunkered over the computer every spare minute working on the new TitleTrakk.com website design. But now it's finished!!

I am very pleased to announce the new and improved TitleTrakk.com website is now live. We hope you enjoy it. This week we're featuring my interview with Jerry B. Jenkins, and my sister's interview with the band Fireflight. Plus tons of reviews.

Check it out if you have a sec, and let me know what you think. :)

Jerry B. Jenkins (Advice for Novelists, Part 21)

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I'm honored to include Jerry Jenkins in this series of blog posts. For those just joining us, I've asked editors, agents, publicists and authors to share their responses to the question:

"If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?"

We've heard a fascinating array of responses. To read them all click here, or click on the "Advice for Novelists" label at the end of this post:

Here's Jerry's answer:

What would I say to an aspiring novelist?

Develop a thick skin. A piece of published writing is not a solo but rather a duet between you and your editor. My 175th book will release this summer -- Riven, a novel about a death row inmate who chooses crucifixion as his method of execution -- and I still rely heavily on my

editor.

It seems our very lives and senses of self worth are on every page, but if we are writing for only admiration and acceptance, we should send our stuff to people who love us. If we want to be published, however, and see our best work reach the public, we must be open to that fresh second set of eyes on our precious words.

Sure it hurts, and we'd all like to think we can someday reach the point where what we consider our final draft is what flies from our screen to the printed page. A thick skin allows us to set aside our pain for the sake of a better finished product.

That said, never submit anything until you are wholly happy with it. There will still be plenty for editors to catch without expecting them to correct things you should have caught.

--Jerry B. Jenkins, multi-published author of Riven, The Left Behind Series, Hometown Legend, and many more.

Jerry is also the owner of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer's Guild which helps to mentor and train aspiring writers. Read more about them by clicking the logo below.

Jerry Jenkins Interview

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I recently had the privilege of interviewing best-selling author Jerry Jenkins. He had some great things to say! For example, when I asked him What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started writing?, he said:

"Interesting question. I have never liked knowing things in advance. I like to be surprised. I’m not a goal-setter but rather strive to do the best at whatever it is I have been assigned and see what happens. I write the same way: put interesting characters in difficult situations and write to find out what happens. Had I known how remote was the possibility of ever being published, I might have despaired. Instead, I just blithely went for it."

Check out the full interview over at TitleTrakk.com by clicking here.