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Shared WIP Tag IV: Questions on Writing

Congratulations to my Grand Prize Winner, Charlene Lutes, who won a Hattie doll and an autographed copy of Hattie On Her Way; and to Connie Saunders who won an autographed copy of the book. Thanks to so many of you who entered this giveaway. Make sure you check out Clara's blog for a wonderful writerly giveaway! *********** I… Continue reading Shared WIP Tag IV: Questions on Writing

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The Emotional Wound Thesaurus + Three Stories of Perseverance

Today I have a special post as part of the Writers Persevere event that authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi are running for the next few days to celebrate their newest book, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. This book looks at the difficult experiences embedded in our character’s backstory which… Continue reading The Emotional Wound Thesaurus + Three Stories of Perseverance

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You Heard it Here First–Linda Phillips' Second Novel Finds a Home!

As many of you know, I enjoy featuring my fellow writers' accomplishments. In that vein, I bring you news from my dear friend, Linda Phillips. Just for the record, Linda and I met 18 years ago when Fran Davis, the regional advisor for SCBW (there was no I back then) asked us to put together… Continue reading You Heard it Here First–Linda Phillips' Second Novel Finds a Home!

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Re-Vision

Congratulations to Joan Edwards who won a critique from Gayle Krause from last week's blog. ******* You pick up a book at the library or bookstore and start reading it. Maybe it catches your interest, maybe it doesn't. But one thing is for sure, if you're not a writer, you have no idea how much… Continue reading Re-Vision

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Aaron Moments: A Tribute to Friendship

Congratulations to Joyce Hostetter who won the autographed copy of "The Great Call of China" on last week's post. Trust me, her winning was independent of this post! A Bible Lesson The ancient Israelites had a problem. In a battle with their enemies the Amalekites, Moses and Aaron noticed that whenever Moses held up his hand,… Continue reading Aaron Moments: A Tribute to Friendship

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Linda Phillips: On Marketing, Celebrating Mental Health Month, and a FANTASTIC Giveaway!

Congratulations to J.Q. Rose who won a 1000 word, pitch, and query letter critique from Joan Edwards on last week's blog.  This week we're hearing from Linda Phillips who is a familiar face to many of you. Her book CRAZY, came out in 2014 and she's still marketing it--although this maybe a "novel" idea for… Continue reading Linda Phillips: On Marketing, Celebrating Mental Health Month, and a FANTASTIC Giveaway!

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Kiss of Broken Glass: A Review and a Giveaway

Image-driven poetry.  A serious mental health issue.  Deep point of view.  Madeline Kuderick's debut novel, Kiss of Broken Glass, reminds me of another beautifully written novel-in-verse, Linda Phillips' book, CRAZY. Or to put it simply, if you liked CRAZY, you'll like Kiss of Broken Glass.  When a "friend" finds fifteen-year-old Kenna cutting in the school bathroom… Continue reading Kiss of Broken Glass: A Review and a Giveaway

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2016 Challenge: Focus!

Congratulations to Judy Penz Sheluk who won the second critique from Joan Edwards. Thank you to everyone who left comments. *********** Raise your hand if you remember this commercial: If so, then you may understand how I felt three weeks ago when my mentor, Rebecca Petruck, wrote:  Omigosh, I'm really liking the look of this outline!… Continue reading 2016 Challenge: Focus!

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Mark Every Milestone

Congratulations to a new blog reader, Chris Hoerter of Chapel Hill, NC, who won the autographed copy of The Nine Pound Hammer. He attended John Bemis' class at Central Carolina Community College last year and now will have one of his books! ********* Warning: Reading this blog may get the tune, "Climb Every Mountain" the the… Continue reading Mark Every Milestone

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SCBWI Florida Workshop Part IV- Marketing Yourself and Your Work

This is my fourth blog post from the 2015 Florida SCBWI young adult workshop. Erica Rand Silverman is an agent with Sterling Lord Literistic and Jacquelyn Mitchard is a prolific author as well as an editor-in-chief at Merit Press. Click here for Part I  (Why Write Young Adult); Part II (Querying), and Part III (Pitches). ********* "Connect-Be Authentic-Be Creative-Give Back-Enjoy" by Erica Rand Silverman Connecting means finding… Continue reading SCBWI Florida Workshop Part IV- Marketing Yourself and Your Work