Inspire:

Inspire Christian Writers to Host Award-Winning Author Sharon K. Souza

Hello Writers,

 

The Inspire Christian Writers Group

Proudly announces a special guest appearance by

Award-winning author Sharon K. Souza

On Tuesday, September 29 at 7pm.

 

Please join us at

Warehouse Christian Ministries,

9933 Business Park Dr., Sacramento

For more info contact

Beth Thompson at 916-607-7796.

 

Sharon is a gifted story-teller with a remarkable ability to create characters that whisk readers away to another time and place. She is coming to share her experience and expertise with us. She is optimistic, encouraging and a deep well of wisdom.

 

Sharon’s first book, A Heavenly Christmas in Hometown (which was also adapted as a play) was followed by two novels published by NavPress in 2008: Every Good and Perfect Gift and Lying on Sunday. Her newest project is titled Unraveled. To learn more about Sharon and her writing, you can visit her website and follow her on Twitter.

        

Plan to attend this fun Inspire Christian Writers’ event. And bring your writing friends. There is no charge for admission for this event. However contributions toward an honorarium will be accepted..

I’ll look forward to seeing you then.

 

Gratefully,

 

Beth

 

 

Photo Shoot, Food and Fellowship Event

Photo Shoot, Food &Fellowship

The Inspire Christian Writers Groups, The Sacramento Christian Writers and the Amador Christian Writers are joining forces for an exciting event on August 15 from 10am-3pm. You won’t want to miss this!

 

Our groups have made it possible to update your headshot. We have two fantastic photographers who will capture your best looks for business cards, press passes, marketing and social networking.

 

We will print your press passes on-site and help you order business cards online. You will also receive your headshots on a CD to use for blogging, marketing and social networking purposes.

 

What to wear:

Bright, solid colors. No white, beige or cream.

Make-up suitable for photographs. (There won’t be time to do your makeup at the event. Come prepared.)

 

What to bring:

A salad, finger food or dessert item to share.

Pressed powder compact and any touch-up makeup you may want.

A toothbrush.

A credit card to order your business cards. The cost will be minimal: $5-20.

Information for your business cards. See below.

 

In addition to having our headshots taken, we will fellowship and network with members from other local Christian writing groups.

 

This event will be held at my home in Elk Grove. There will be writers carpooling from Ascension Church, from Placerville and from the Roseville/Rocklin area. Please email me (inspiregroup@comcast.net) if you have any questions or need directions.

 

I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity and join us for this extraordinary day.

 

Gratefully,

 

Beth

 

Information to be included on business cards:

Full Name

Address, City, State, Zip

Phone

Cell phone

Email

Website or blog address (if applicable)

 

Tagline (A few words that tell us about you/your writing)

 

A Double Dose of Book Signing Fun

Mark your calendar for a great book signing featuring two Inspire writers.

Greg Cochran and Dee Aspin will be signing books on June 27 at

Borders 2030 Douglas Blvd, Roseville, CA 95661

 

Greg will be signing Saving Grace, an engaging story of Jake Brody, a man transported back in time to solve a string of missing children’s cases and end the evil perpetrated against children. Saving Grace is rapid-fire reading.

 Greg says, “In our lives, we encounter good and evil every day. Often, evil masquerades as good, and offers instant reward. Recognizing evil, and making the correct choice is really what Saving Grace is about.”

To learn more, visit Greg’s website: http://www.gregcochran.net/

 

Dee’s book, Lord of the Ringless, is a devotional book and study guide for single Christian women. It encourages women to seek God first in their quest for a mate. It provides heart-warming stories of how others have overcome the pitfalls of dating and waiting and found contentment with Jesus Christ as the center of their lives.

You can learn more about Dee and her book at www.lordoftheringless.com

I hope you will join us at Borders!

Gratefully,

Beth

 

Get Your Novel Past the Slush Pile: Audience with an Agent Contest

Would you like to get your novel past the slush pile and into the hands of an agent? Of course you would and here’s your chance. Stop by Novel Matters for details about the Audience with an Agent Contest.

Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Agency will receive the six best entries and review them for possible representation.

Get those manuscripts finished and polished and submit them. You might just win an Audience with an Agent.

Gratefully,

Beth

Guest Blogger: Chris Pedersen of Paws and Ponder

40^th Annual Christian Writer’s Conference Recap

 

The Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference is about increasing our knowledge, improving our writing skills, making new friends and exposing our best work to critique so it can one day be read by others. I came away realizing it was a “You had to be there!” experience. However, here are the highlights from my perspective.

First, Mount Hermon is truly a slice of heaven. To drink in the beauty of the location, raise our hands in song and prayer to the Lord with all walks of denomination and have the common call of writing for His glory is sheer joy.

 

Second, the talent available to learn our craft is staggering. I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Mona Hodgson who has written multitudes of children’s books and articles. I learned more about the details of writing for children, including the nuance of manuscript submission for the genre, in nine hours than many months of self-education. I am armed with all I need to write and submit the next best-selling children’s book.

Lastly, the conference provided every opportunity to have my work critiqued. I submitted two manuscripts and had each one critiqued by two different faculty members. I was very encouraged to hear I write well, provide engaging dialogue and grab the reader’s attention. I also submitted my picture book manuscript for editorial review by Nick Harrison at Harvest House Publishers. Although it was not a fit for their house, he liked the story and referred me to other publishers where the fit was better. I also pitched two article ideas to Jesse Florea of Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. for Focus on the Family and he liked them.

I feel blessed by the whole experience. God had prepared me with a teachable spirit. I am grateful for that. It was very exciting to have such talented authors show such sincere interest in my work. Now I am ready to get back to work.

Chris Pedersen lives with her husband and a chocolate lab named Brandy in the beautiful Sierra foothills in California. With two grown children and three grandchildren, she has turned years of writing mostly technical material into writing for children. You can learn more about Chris by visiting her blog: Paws and Ponder.

 

 

Fatima's Fate by Dana Sudboro Releases from White Rose Publishing

Congratulations to Inspire’s own Dana Sudboro on the publication of his novel, Fatima's Fate.

Fatima Dede has only thirty days before her visa expires and she must leave the United States. If she returns to Mauritania she will have to submit to an arranged marriage to a Muslim or die as a martyr to her newfound Christian faith.

She begs her pastor to help her find a husband so she can stay in America.

He suggests three candidates: Stuart, a practical-minded widower with two children; Amir, a self-styled playboy who loves to spend his father's money; and Barry, who drops out of the running when Fatima shows up late.

Time and circumstance introduce a fourth candidate: Chad, a secret admirer who finally works up the nerve to ask Fatima out. He knows nothing of her crisis, and she's afraid to tell him, lest this serendipitous chance of romance fly away. Will Fatima find the courage to reveal her plight?

Fatima’s Fate is now available through White Rose Publishing.

To see the book trailer, go to White Rose Publishing

Or order  Fatima’s Fate in eBook format.

Watch for more exciting news from Dana Sudboro and the other Inspire writers.

Gratefully,

Beth

Book Review and Give-Away: Turning the Paige by Laura Jensen Walker

Are you a Laura Jensen Walker fan yet? If not, you will be after reading Turning the Paige, her latest novel in the Getaway Girls series.

Okay, I admit it; I was already a fan before reading Turning the Paige. But I must say it is one of my favorite titles from this talented story-teller. (My other favorite is Reconstructing Natalie, the 2006 Women of Faith Novel of the Year.) Here's my take on Laura's latest novel:

Paige Kelley is a people-pleaser with a huge problem setting boundaries, especially with her medically fragile, emotionally manipulative and controlling mother. As a dutiful daughter Paige struggles to meet all her mother's needs at the expense of living her own life. When she realizes her extreme devotion is causing her to miss out on the things she wants most, marriage and a family, she decides to set boundaries and step out of her mother's shadow and into the light of her own life. Paige discovers an inner strength as she places the demands of her heart above the demands of her needy mother. And she will need that strength as she embarks on a new relationship with her estranged sister and opens her heart to the possibility of love.

If you have ever struggled to find a balance between fulfilling your duties and pursuing your dreams, you will enjoy Turning the Paige.

If you would like to win a copy of Laura Jensen Walker's Turning the Paige, head over to Writing Fom Home and leave me a comment describing your dream and one small step you are taking to make it a reality. I will choose a winner next Friday, March 27.

Gratefully,

Beth

 

Writing Unto the Glory Writer’s Workshop Coming to Redding

 

For more information go to: http://tinyurl.com/aklmw9

Inspire Writer Greg Cochran Holds Book Signing

 

On Saturday, March 14, Greg Cochran held a book signing at The Bible House of Elk Grove. It was a fun event and I am excited to finally have a copy of Greg's book, Saving Grace. Even though The Bible House had light foot traffic, Greg had a very successful event. Most of his books sold within the last half an hour. He enjoyed interacting with readers and signing their books. I enjoyed meeting Greg's family (Hello Edie!) and listening to him and my husband share stories of growing up near San Francisco.

From the back cover:

While visiting his hometown, Jake Brodie encounters and angel, who sends him back to 1938 to complete an unknown task. While there, Jake meets his great grandparents, his father as an infant, and comes to blows with his grandfather. Jake discovers that his task is to stop a man from killing any more children. His task is completed by Susan, a young Asian widow who falls for him, which poses a problem since Jake is happily married.

Doesn't it sound intriguing? If you would like to purchase a copy, it is available through Amazon.com. Or you can visit Greg's website for more information at www.gregcochran.net.

Check back for more exciting news from this novelist.

Gratefully,

Beth

Inspire Writers Attend Christian Writers Seminar

 

Here we are leaving for the 2009 Christian Writers Seminar:

 

Dee Aspin, Kris Lindsey, Me, Beth Self and Lori Sinclair just before we climbed into my car for the drive to Castro Valley. Half the fun of attending a conference with the Inspire group is the lively conversations along the way.

James Scott Bell encouraged us with "Every hour you spend writing is an hour you don't spend worrying about your writing."

He also urged us to continue writing during these tough economic times, to provide encouragement, hope, escape and entertainment to a world in need of our words.

Me, Joanne Kraft, Lori Sinclair, Kris Lindsey and Beth Self at the beginning of the final keynote session.

Other great quotes gleaned at CWS:

"If you build a house and no one moves in—it is incomplete. Similarly—writing is incomplete without a reader." Cindy Martinusen Coloma

"The last sentence needs to go KA-BOOM! It should not trail off into the wind." Ken Jones

"Articles must always answer the 'So what?' question." Lynne Thompson

"Set realistic goals so you can feel the satisfaction of reaching them instead of feeling like a failure for falling short." Cindy Martinusen Coloma

"Always give God the glory." James Scott Bell

 

Kris Lindsey, D. L. Huckabay, Beth Self, Me, Joanne Kraft and Lori Sinclair. The Seminar has just ended. Now if we can just apply everything we learned!

Watch for information on several upcoming conferences. We would love to have you join us.

Gratefully,

Beth