![]() Why did you decide to become a writer? It’s more a matter of writing decided to embrace me, I think. As far back as upper elementary school, I was composing little ditties and couplets. By junior high school, I was writing multi-stanza poems and short-short stories. By about 10th grade, I was fully on fire with poetry and stories, had a couple of things published at the school, and even attempted (but never completed) a novel. By my senior year, I’d won some cash prizes in a regional writers conference and had a first place winning poem published on the front page of my hometown newspaper. So, I guess you can say, I’ve “always” been a writer. Do you have authors who inspired you to write? If so, whom? My dad was a writer. He wrote novels and plays (never published or produced), along with short stories and poetry. Some of his stories and poems were published and/or placed in contests. He and my mom were always very supportive of my creative writing. My older brother was also a big writer, having completed a novel while he was still in high school. He’s gone on to publish numerous non-fiction books and several novels, along with hundreds of articles in professional journals. Also, a friend of my parents – the famous novelist Walker Percy – lived nearby and he was (for a while) a member of the local writers’ group that my dad was involved with. What genre(s) do you write and what made you choose it (them)? Another tough question, because I think of my fiction work as being mostly “hybrid.” After I retired from my full-time library job, I shifted from non-fiction books, poetry, reviews, and articles… and felt led to try my hand at long fiction. I made a conscious decision to write fiction for the broader market that includes what people consider “romance” — though there are so many sub-genres and hybrid-genres within “romance” that it’s less of a category than a phenomenon. All that said, my fiction has romantic elements, along with humor, and usually an action sequence. Some titles have been suspense and some have been what people call “contemporary.” I have at least one ghost story and two of my novels have elements of science fiction. Several have been under the broader tag of humor — some of which are straight-out “screwball” comedy, while others are not quite that far out. What kinds of classes, workshops, organizations, groups helped you learn the craft of writing? I’ve never taken a writing class, other than the English courses in high school and college… in which there were always compositions and research papers to complete. I’ve been a member of Romance Writers of America since 2007, I think. In 2010 I joined the Chick Lit Writers of the World Chapter… which later was re-named Contemporary Romance Writers. Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how often do you meet? No. In the instances – earlier in my writing career – in which I shared poetry with other poets, I found that I put a lot more into my feedback about their poetry than they ever did about mine. [To put it one way, I was giving a dollar’s worth of effort and receiving back only a dime’s worth.] And, too often, I found some of their comments to be way less than helpful — at times even dismissive. Tell us about your first break into print experience. I mentioned, above, the poem on the front page of the local paper. Prior to that I guess my first time “in print” was during 10th grade when the faculty sponsor of the creative writing anthology selected my short-short story to run in that year’s issue. I was ecstatic, of course. After high school, I was on the staff of a college newspaper and saw my byline a lot. Later I was a full-time photo-journalist for a small-town daily and got many more bylines for articles and photos. After that, I moved to a small-town weekly where there many more bylines. In the military, I worked on three different base newspapers. As a librarian, my articles and reviews appeared in professional publications. My first real BOOK was a non-fiction work co-authored with my brother in 1988. It was released by one of the top three publishers of resources for libraries and librarians (at that time). We co-authored another book with them in 1991. My first novel – The Overnighter’s Secrets – was released in May 2012 by Astraea Press (since re-named Clean Reads). What’s one tip you’d share with other writers? Since I found this trait in my own early writing years, I assume it’s pretty common: the tendency to think of one’s first drafts as “ready” (and perhaps even “perfect” — ha). I feel confident in saying a first draft is almost never ready to go anywhere. Be willing to revise, re-draft, and re-think scenes. If something’s not working in your story, be willing to cut it — maybe it will find a home later, in another work. Always proofread… then proofread again. Try to find an insightful, honest beta reader whose own writing is of high quality and whose feedback you trust. LISTEN to what she/he says about your work. That doesn’t mean you have to adopt every single suggestion they make, but if they tell you Chapter Three bogs down horribly and loses the interest of the reader… they’re probably on to something. Re-do Chapter Three. Please share your most recent book title and the opening line. (Please include a buy link.) My most recent is Not Easy Being Android, released by TouchPoint Romance on Feb. 16, 2018 This is a good example of the hybrid genres I discussed above. It’s got romantic elements, along with a bit of a detective plot, some “sci-fi,” and an action scene. It actually begins with a teaser scene, but here’s the first line of Chapter 1: If the caller had not quickly mentioned my former faculty advisor, I would’ve hung up because I rarely converse with people from numbers I don’t recognize. Buy link: https://tinyurl.com/NEBAndroid Bio Besides 15 fiction titles, Salter has published non-fiction monographs, articles, reviews, and 120 poems... and has won 40 writing awards. As a newspaper photo-journalist, he published some 250 bylined articles or photos. Before working 30 years in librarianship, he was a decorated USAF veteran. Salter is the married father of two and grandfather of six. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ AuthorJLSalter Twitter: @AuthorJLSalter Blog: https://fourfoxesonehound. wordpress.com/
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2/22/2018 2 Comments Interview with Kandi J Wyatt about her Steampunk Biblical retelling of an Old Testament classic![]() Steampunk and the Bible is an unusual combination. What gave you the idea to write Esther's story as steampunk? Yes, steampunk and the Bible is an unusual combination. Even though I have another Biblical retelling published, this was my first attempt at it. Hayao Miyazaki gave me the inspiration for this blend. I love Castle in the Sky and Howl’s Moving Castle. So, they became the impetus for the background. Since as far back as I can remember I have loved the story of Esther. The court intrigue, absolute irony, and the story of a woman who stands for what’s right has made me return to the story to read it over and over again. With Hayao Miyazaki’s worlds floating through my mind and the inspirational music of Joe Hishaishi ringing in my ears, the story of a young girl forced into circumstances she has no control over came to be. That’s so cool. I love Howl’s Moving Castle and many other books by Diana Wynne Jones. But it was my grandsons who introduced me to Hayao Miyzaki's animated movies. For my readers who aren't familiar with them here's an interesting interview. Kandi, how long did it take you to write this book? That’s a good question. I had to go search an old art account where I had uploaded it to remember when I had started it. According to my comments there, it was started for National Novel Writing Month in November of 2011. The last upload, Chapter 9, lists May, 2012 as the submitted date. The book sat unfinished on the site; in fact, I don’t know if I have any other backup of this story’s origination other than there. This past summer, I realized my original plan of having my Ancient Egypt Biblical retelling ready by March wasn’t going to happen. The Ancient Egypt story had grown from a stand-alone to a trilogy, but I didn’t have the second and third books written. That left me needing something to publish in March. I wasn’t ready with the fantasy trilogy I have going, so I went looking for something I could do. That led me to the art site where I found Saving a Race—the original title for To Save a Race. From the middle of July through August, the rest of the story came into being. I sat down and focused on writing. To my amazement, I was able to sink into Nubbikford and the duke’s castle. Do you have any other Biblical retellings planned? I have published The One Who Sees Me, a Biblical retelling of Hagar. That was also a National Novel Writing Month story. It’s considered a historical fiction since it’s set in a medieval castle. Besides that, I’ve written book one of an Ancient Egypt Biblical retelling. Unlike The One Who Sees Me and To Save a Race, this story takes place in Biblical Egypt during the plagues. However, instead of being from the point of view of an Israelite family, it’s the story of a young Egyptian scribe and his family as they deal with the upheaval of their lives by the plagues. I honestly wanted to finish the tale with the last plague, but God had other plans. Our Sunday School class studied Exodus through Deuteronomy. That led me to realize there were too many other lessons to tell. This means that I’ll have to kill off some characters—the exact reason I didn’t want to make this anything more than a stand alone. Are you a plotter, pantser, or a combination of both? I’m definitely a little of both. When I write Biblical retellings, I have a basic outline which really helps, but I find there are some characters that just come in no matter what. I enjoy the free-flow of my fantasy writing that enables me to fly by the seat of my pants, but even there, I find myself writing down notes and planning a bit—things like names, main ideas, etc. When did you first realized you wanted to become a writer? I’ve enjoyed writing since I was young. During high school my teachers elected me to go to my first writer’s conference. The better question would be “when did I first realize I wanted to be an author?”. That happened somewhere about five years ago. I had my Dragon Courage series written and wanted to publish it for my kids. While I considered this, I went with my two middle children to a local writer’s conference in 2015. A presenter indicated that her publisher was accepting submissions. I debated, but out of fear, I didn’t tell even my husband when I hit submit that weekend. Three weeks later, I had an acceptance letter! However, even then, I didn’t consider myself an author. It wasn’t until after the fourth book was published and my publisher went out of business, that I made the conscious choice to be an author. What authors have inspired you? Michael Phillips was a big inspiration to teach through an engaging story. I love his Secret of the Rose series which had a lasting impact on me, not because he preached at me but because his characters’ lives were such wonderful examples of Christ-likeness. Where and when do you write? The majority of my writing is done in my bedroom. I have a recliner that my husband picked up at a yard sale for him. I love sitting in the recliner in the mornings and writing. Since I’m a school teacher, the majority of my writing is done during the summer or on school breaks. Who encourages you in your writing? I think my biggest encouragement comes from the Fellowship of Fantasy group. They’re a group of clean, indie, fantasy authors. As for people around me, my parents and my husband are the ones who keep me going. My kids are always interested in what’s going on. My youngest was the one I wrote for at the beginning. What’s one tip you’d share with other writers? Keep writing. Don’t let the reviews get you down. Realize the right reader is out there. You just have to find him or her, but when you do, you’ll have a fan. A brief summary of Kandi’s book To Save a Race When Duke Callon divorces his wife and decides on an uncanny way of choosing his next duchess, Arianna's left with little choice. Faced with the intricacies of politics, Arianna struggles to find her place. Just as she thinks she has her footing, a decree, issued with the blessing of her husband, calls for the extermination of her entire race. A young innocent girl, a capricious duke, and a decree that will change everything. What will it take to save a race? Follow along in this one of a kind Steampunk Biblical retelling of an Old Testament classic by Kandi J Wyatt. The book comes out March 6th. However, it’s up for pre-order. Check it out here: https://www.books2read.com/u/49PG5k Thanks for sharing with me, Kandi. This was very interesting. Kandi's Bio Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that's her own five or the hundreds of students she's been lucky to teach. When Kandi's not spinning words to create stories, she's using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership. Website: www.kandijwyatt.com ![]() Why did you decide to become a writer? I didn’t day dream about being a writer or ask for notebooks and pens for Christmas growing up. I was a convert. Grief over the loss of my parents as well as entering a new stage of life compelled me to write. Declaring my thoughts in a way that I could see them helped me to identify and deal with the fireworks in my mind. Parallel to using words to sort through troubling questions, I began writing morsels of understanding that God pointed out to me from the Bible. When others who were hiking similar paths read my essays, they identified with my thoughts and urged me to share my insights. At the same time, I felt God pressing me to give away the nuggets that He had entrusted with me to build up others. I am excited and humbled to be useful in my writing. Do you have authors who inspired you to write? If so, whom? I love Elizabeth Goudge’s descriptive style of writing. We both delight in God’s creation, it its beauty, diversity, and reflection of God and His joy. Oswald Chambers’ timeless devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, and Mike Mason’s, The Mystery of Marriage, are the kinds of writing that urge readers to underline phrases or bracket paragraphs. Their writing, I aspire to attain. What genre(s) do you write and what made you choose it(them)? I write creative nonfiction in the form of Christian essays, blogs and journal articles. I write these, because my mind roves in nonfiction and fascination with the physical and spiritual worlds. What kinds of classes, workshops, organizations, groups helped you learn the craft of writing? I earned my MLIS (Master in Library and Information Science), which afforded me a job as a reference librarian. Through this career, I read across several genres and learned to appreciate different styles of writing and to distinguish great writing. I took an EdToGo online Beginning Writing course, which helped me with writing basics. I also attended a writers’ conference with breakout sessions and critiques. Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how often do you meet? I consider it a great honor and blessing to belong to WriteOn! Pensacola, an invitation only writers’ group. The group of published authors chooses to remain small so that each member can read a piece and receive feedback. We meet monthly but have recently added a weekly writers’ quiet retreat for anyone to attend. The “retreat” is a room in a local church where we gather to write with the motivation of others working silently beside us and where we cannot get up from writing to switch the loads of laundry or sweep the floor. Tell us about your first break into publication experience. My first article published surprised the socks off me. In graduate school, before I thought of myself as a writer, I took a government documents class in which we wrote a research paper using primary government documents. My professor encouraged me to enter my paper in a national contest to be published in Documents to the People. My article won the front cover. I jumped up and down when I found out, despite that I was in the library working at the time. “A Hidden Story,” Documents to the People. Winter Issue 2012, Vol 40, No.4. https://journals.ala.org/dttp/issue/viewIssue/593/349 What’s one tip you’d share with other writers? What keeps me writing is knowing why I write. God gifted me with insights and words, and no matter the size of my readership circle, I work at it with all my heart, because I work for something greater than myself. God will use it to move people in the directions he chooses. When discouraged, I remember I Peter 4:10 which says, ”As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Please share your most recent book title … My book is an Easter devotional, Running to the Empty Tomb: Finding the Joy in Easter, (with an accompanying Bible Study coming out in the new year) and can be found on Amazon. The first 3 lines are, “The birds sing every morning in our neighborhood. Most of the time, my brain filters this reoccurring sound so that I don’t register the birdsong as I fetch the paper. Only when I pause and listen am I aware of the music surrounding me.” Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Running -Empty-Tomb-Finding-Easter Bio Ten year old Suzanne fidgeted on the pew, yawning and commiserating with her growling stomach, when a thought pierced her, “God loved the world enough to send His Son, but I don’t love Him back.” As the congregation bowed in prayer, Suzanne prayed, “God help me love you.” God invaded her life and swallowed her whole. She began writing by penning intimate prayers then expanded to essays aimed at making spiritual sense of difficult things. She infuses readers with warmth from God’s tender love and wonder at God’s creative genius. He seems to give Suzanne spiritual glassed which reveal insights and His fingerprints all around us. Though a former science teacher and reference librarian, Suzanne now devotes her time to writing in answer to God’s strong pull. http://suzannedmarshall.com https://twitter.com/suzanneorsuzy (@suzanneorsuzy) ![]() Why did you decide to become a writer? I have always loved stories and some of my earliest memories are of my parents reading to me. I grew up in a house filled with books, always reading, and soon I wanted to create my own stories. My first “published” story was a children’s book I wrote in sixth grade for a class project, which I also had to illustrate. We were required to read our books to the younger students. The kids loved my book and after that I was hooked. I have been writing ever since. Do you have authors who inspired you to write? If so, whom? I loved Madeleine L’Engle’s books as a child and she was a big inspiration to me. Still is. Of course I read every horse book that was published, especially Margaret Henry’s books and The Black Stallion series. I wanted to write books like that when I was young. In the world of non-fiction, as an adult I admire Patsy Clairmont and her humor-filled inspirational books. I read so many different genres that it’s hard for me to list all of the authors who inspire me! What genre(s) do you write and what made you choose it(them)? My first two books were inspirational Christian non-fiction. The first one is about a difficult period in my life and how my faith got me through. I had a story and felt that God was leading me to share it. It was hard to write because I had to remember some difficult times I had gone through, but I have heard from so many people about how it has touched their lives that I know God is using it. I have a book out about writing, called Six Steps to Successful Publication. I wrote that because I teach a lot of writing workshops and wanted to give people something to refer back to. I also write inspirational fiction/romance and chick lit. My latest book, which came out on Nov. 14th, is called Mrs. Chartwell and the Cat Burglar. It’s a romantic mystery and I hope readers have as much fun reading it as I had writing it! What kinds of classes, workshops, organizations, groups helped you learn the craft of writing? I can’t stress enough how important it is to find a group of writers to hang out with. I have learned so much over the years from my local writer’s group. We meet once a month and share ideas, and admittedly sometimes we just visit, but I always come away inspired. I also have a critique group that I am in, where I share my work. Formally, I have a dual degree in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. I also worked as a journalist for The Ann Arbor News for many years. As a journalist, you are edited daily, have some pretty intense deadlines, and have no time for writer’s block. I think this practice helped to hone my skills and taught me to focus in a busy newsroom. Now I can write anywhere! Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how often do you meet? Yes I do, as I mentioned above. It’s wonderful! There are only three of us, and we meet once a month. Before we meet we send out our latest work for critique and are ready to discuss each other’s projects when we get together. It’s a blast and I get to hear what others think of my work in progress. I take notes and use them when I go back to rewrite/edit. We all write different genres, but we are avid readers in all genres so that helps with our critiquing. Tell us about your first break into publication experience. That was a God moment! I went to a women’s business dinner with a friend, just for fun, not as a writer. There, I met a publisher who just happened to publish Christian non-fiction, and I had a manuscript sitting in my drawer waiting for me to have the time to send it out. I had a new baby at the time so was pretty busy with him. She asked to see it and after reading it, accepted it. It was really fun to work with her publishing company and the book sold pretty well. It’s called Why Is There a Lemon in My Fruit Salad? How to Stay Sweet When Life Turns Sour. What’s one tip you’d share with other writers? It can be a practical how to tip or an inspirational/encouragement tip. Write! It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people talk about writing, attend writing workshops, read about writing and never write! I call it the BIS rule: Butt in Seat. You must make writing a priority or it will never get done. Write every day if you can. Even if you only write one page a day, in a year you will have 360 pages and that is a book! Set a goal – 10 minutes a day, 300 words a day, whatever – and stick to it. The only way you get better at something is to practice and writing is no exception. Each book will be better. Each day you will grow more confident. Write! Please share your most recent book title and the opening line. (Please include a buy link.) Mrs. Chartwell and the Cat Burglar: a Romantic Mystery Mrs. Abigail Chartwell filed away the last document in her stack and prepared to go home for the evening, but the gentleman at the counter kept talking. Buy link Bio: Pamela Gossiaux is a humorist, inspirational speaker, and the author of the books Good Enough, Why Is There a Lemon in My Fruit Salad? How to Stay Sweet When Life Turns Sour, and A Kid at Heart: Becoming a Child of Our Heavenly Father, as well as the highly anticipated inspirational romance, Mrs. Chartwell and the Cat Burglar. Pamela has been writing and working with writers for several decades. She has a dual BA degree from the University of Michigan in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature, and over 20 years of journalism writing experience. She teaches writing workshops and has been the editor for published books in a wide variety of genres, both fiction and non-fiction, including best sellers. She has self-published a book on writing called Six Steps to Successful Publication. An avid horse enthusiast, she enjoys being outdoors and working in her garden. She also loves chocolate, and prefers to curl up with a good book in her downtime. Pamela lives in Michigan with her husband, two sons, and three cats. Visit her website at PamelaGossiaux.com. Twitter: https://twitter.com/pamelagossiaux Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamelaGossiauxAuthor/ 11/28/2017 0 Comments Why Did Carol Roberts Decide to Write?![]() My pen-name is Carol Roberts, and writing is the outcome of a long journey. When I left school I was interested in psychology, and I would have studied that, had I not decided to travel first. As was, I left my birth place of Vienna at the age of 18 and never returned to live there. I travelled through South America and Asia, indulging my interest in culture and tradition, whenI met my husband-to-be in India. He was a photographer from New Zealand who was working for an agency, and his idea of travelling was a lot more intrepid than mine. We ended up in places that were so distant and remote, that I can still remember the feeling of eternal timelessness that took ahold of me in such locations. I was completely fascinated; what were those people’s stories, what did they preserve in terms of their mythology? I took a lot of notes about places and people, and by the time I settled in New Zealand, I had a firm plan of compiling a non-fiction book about stories and myths from all around the world. What kinds of classes helped you learn the craft of writing? And tell us about your first break into print experience. I took classes in Basic writing and Composition, Article writing and Creative writing, and started to experiment with freelance articles about our travels. Some of my work was picked up by a couple of magazines, but since my husband had allowed me to use some of his excellent photography, it’s shared credit. Writing articles satisfied my interest in non-fiction, the book about mythology was never written, and I was ready to move on to fiction. What genre(s) do you write and what made you choose it(them)? I dabbled with poetry, then with short stories, and when I finally decided to write my first full length novel, I was drawn to write a mystery. I chose Atlantis as a setting, because it perfectly fitted the type of speculative story I wanted to tell. Myth is often based on a real event that is important enough to have survived the ages, yet it transcends the event itself as symbolic and meaningful. Translated into genre, it’s fantasy/mystery. What’s one tip you’d share with other writers? Being a new author, I am still getting my head around the concept of self-promotion. It’s one thing to compile non-fiction articles, but it’s an entirely different thing to share and stimulate interest in one’s own creativity. So my tip (to myself as well) is that if you have written that first story, don’t be shy to connect with it. Please share your most recent book title and the opening lines. ATLANTIS by Carol Roberts “And that is all I can tell you.” The big, leather-bound book closed with an air of finality, as if to never again disturb the dust particles that resettled on the ancient, worn cover. You can find the book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0777J2MC8/. Bio Carol Roberts is a freelance writer with particular interest in cultural myth. Originally from Vienna, she has spent all of her adult life in the Far North of New Zealand. Her passion for stories that tell of origins took her to several different countries, where she researched oral traditions of the oldest creation myths. Atlantis is her first full length novel, and her second novel Tower of Babel is also complete. Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/app/pages/preview/jb2ug Twitter link: https://twitter.com/authorRobertsC ![]() Why did you decide to become a writer? I’ve always had a healthy imagination. Back in elementary school, 4th grade to be exact, a senior high girl came to our classroom after lunch each day and read from a variety of age appropriate books. My favorite stories were from The Camp Fire Girls by Margaret Sanderson. Until then, I’d only read textbooks and you know how boring those can be. Then, for the first time, I found myself in the middle of the story. I felt the chill of the wind, the heat from the campfire on my skin when dusk drew near, heard the flutter of bird wings flapping overhead, and smelled the damp muskiness of the pine needles as we walked through the forest (I say ‘we’ because I felt I was there with the other girls). I was hooked. My senses came alive with each new adventure and I promised myself that someday, I would be an author telling my own stories. Do you have authors who inspired you to write? Obviously, Margaret Sanderson, author of The Camp Fire Girls, but over the years authors like Fannie Flagg, and Day LeClair have had a huge influence on my writing style. What genre(s) do you write and what made you choose it(them)? I write southern contemporary romance with a sense of humor. I like happy endings and there’s more than enough troubled and sadness in the world. Everyone needs a good laugh sometimes. What kinds of classes, workshops, organizations, groups helped you learn the craft of writing? As writers, we never know all we should about writing. My first venture was to take a Creative Writing Class with Long Ridge Writer’s Group. Over the years I’ve attended Writing Conferences and taken workshops online and in person. There are tons of sites on the internet which offer free articles about writing and marketing. I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, and Heart of Dixie RWA. The writers at Heart of Dixie have been a tremendous help in my writing career, offering help and advice in any way I need. Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how often do you meet? Unfortunately, there isn’t a critique group close enough for me to attend. I belong to an online writer’s group called Scribophile where I’ve met some incredibly talented writers, some published and some pre-published. We critique each other’s work. Sometimes it’s one chapter at a time, but I prefer to read several chapters in a row so I can get a feel for their writing style. Tell us about your first break into print experience. Nerve-wrecking, to say the least. It was a short story was about my older brother’s life as a blind man and the incredible things he’d accomplished. I’d written the story as an assignment in my creative writing class and had no intention of anyone reading it outside our immediate family. It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer that I found the courage to submit the story to a local magazine for publication. The editor immediately accepted the story and it appeared in their next issue (Tombigbee Country Magazine). Thinking the magazine had a small circulation area, I was pleasantly surprised when I got phone calls and letters from readers located in other southern states telling me how much my story had inspired them. What’s one tip you’d share with other writers? It can be a practical how to tip or an inspirational/encouragement tip. Never give up. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I’ve yet to meet a writer who started a novel one day and became a best selling author overnight. Please share your most recent book title and the opening line. RIGHT TIME FOR LOVE Thunder rumbled, rattling the windows of the old, two-story house. Buy Link: AMAZON Bio From the first reading of The Camp Fire Girls to her 4th grade class, Jannette Spann knew she wanted to be an author. She admits her aspirations were almost shattered when English grammar proved to be her toughest subject in school. As it so often happens, her childhood dreams were pushed aside as life led her in other directions. The dream faded, but never went away. In the early nineties, she began writing short stores for her grandchildren and the dream of being an author sprang to life again. After completing a creative writing course, she wrote her first full-length novel which to this day remains in the back of her closet. More stories came to life in her imagination and in December of 2012 she decided the time had come to get serious if she wanted to fulfill her childhood dream. In August of 2013 she published her first full-length Inspirational Romance Novel Hidden Hills, with Astraea Press. Two years later she released her 2nd novel with the same publisher entitled Right Time for Love. Both books are available for purchase on line in e-book and paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Jannette is a member of Heart of Dixie, the North Alabama Chapter of Romance Writers of America. She believes when God gives you have a dream, you should go for it. Chances are He’s given you the ability to succeed, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.” Website: http://www.jannettespann.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jannettespann Note from SM Ford: Margaret Sanderson’s Camp Fire Girls series were written 100 years ago! So cool! |
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SM Ford writes inspirational fiction for adults, although teens may find the stories of interest, too. She also loves assisting other writers on their journeys. Archives
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