Interview: Kathleen Maher & Carrie Fancett Pagels

I’m so excited to have not one, but TWO authors here on Faith~Driven Fiction today. Kathleen Maher and Carrie Fancett Pagels are both involved in a series of novellas set during the Cival War. And we’ve got something extra special! Carrie is giving away a copy of her just released Return to Shirley Plantation! Kathleen also has a giveaway, but because her book isn’t available for another few weeks, she’s got a special Irish gift to go with the setting of her story, Bachelor Buttons, which comes out on May 1. Both gifts will go to one reader on Friday. Check below to find out how to enter. And make sure I have a way to reach you! Winner will be announced on Friday, April 12.

No Foolin’ – We have a WINNER!

Monday was so much fun! If you didn’t get the chance to join us, you’ll have almost as much fun reading back through the stories and comments as we did when they first popped up.

Why Do You Do What You Do?

A few weeks ago, Lena Nelson Dooley interviewed me on the Blog Talk Radio program, The Gate Beautiful. A recording of the program is at the link, and you can find an article about it here. During our chat, she asked me why I write the way I do.

You’ll See, or Hear, the Truth to My Claim

I’m so flattered that Lena Nelson Dooley asked me to join her on her internet radio show! I’m so excited and you’ll get a chance to hear for yourself just how much of a hick I am when you listen to the recording!

Did I ever tell you about my trip to Mexico a couple of decades ago? Oh, that’s a story!

Review – Submerged by Dani Pettrey

A new favorite!

Seriously – my current all-time favorite!

Dani Pettrey’s Submerged grabbed hold of me, forcing me into my deepest fears. Tweet This!

Review of Mama B. – A Time To Speak

I have had the pleasure of critiquing with Michelle Stimpson on parts of Mama B. over the course of the last year, so when the grand lady finally hit Amazon, I scooped her up fast.Growing up in the south, regardless of your race, you’re going to have a Mama B. in your life. Mine just happened to also be African American, my babysitter and mother figure for many years, Gladys.

Book Review: Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson

The solution to this mystery, and the evasion to the danger that threatens, lies deeply emeshed in the history of a beautiful old house full of secrets.

Can you tell I loved Refuge on Cresent Hill? Here’s the back cover information from Melanie Dobson’s website.

Book Review – Peril (And A TREAT!)

I spent the most delightful weekend with my girls, chilling and reading a book that I’d wanted to read for some time. Peril, by Suzanne Hartmann had a delicious mystery mixed with suspense, and a setting that I drool over: NASCAR races!

From the back cover:

Twitter Hashtags – 2 Suggestions

Twitter is a great tool for writers and a great place to connect with people who share like interests. I’ve chatted about how it needs to be more social than billboard-ish. I’ve even mentioned how hashtags can be used to promote your tweets.

But I’m going to share about them again. Mostly because I keep seeing them misused. I did plenty of misusing myself when I first started, so the message remains needed. Lately, I’ve seen some very clever twitter buds who would use the hashtags as the punchline of what they were saying.

Clever yes; useful no. Unless you think #mycatthrewuponme has a good following. I read a blog the other day about marketing and one of the quotes has a direct correlation to the use of hashtags on Twitter. (I SO wish I could remember where I got this note. Please leave me a comment if you know who said it so I can properly quote and credit the saying.) Find out where your audience is, then go stand in front of them.

1. First Suggestion: Find Your Audience.

That’s what hashtags are all about. #mycattrewuponme is a lousy use of space because no one will be watching that grouping of words. No one uses the hashtag, so why would anyone watch for the words to come across? Spelling it out: no audience. On the other hand, #Catjokes works! Hot hashtags include #avengers, #castle, #psych; all have quite a following of people who watch for the posts with those words and comment/share what they see.

Let’s say you aren’t a writer. How about you’re a camera nut and you want to see what other photographers are saying or thinking, or you want to find some informative blogs about becoming a professional. #photo #photographer #photography. You can do a search on Twitter and find all the recent tweets that people have made using the hashtags. Watching them and interacting with the tweeters places you within a loosely defined group of people who like photography. (BTW, #cameranut is a strikeout.)

The same can be said of any number of hobbies: #scrapbook #NASCAR #Olympics #Labradors #homeschool are a few of mine. Those are the places where I find folks to connect with who are interested in things that I’m interested in. In fact, I love being on Twitter during a NASCAR race because everyone comments on what they’re seeing. Even some of the things the drivers are saying to their crews get tweeted by their teams. What a fun idea!

Find some groups who will respond to the book you’re writing. Is it historical? Try a hashtag for the era like #Civalwar, #Regency, or #Medeival. Does it interest a special group of people like #Trekkies or #military? Try to find some hook, some common category that people who will like your book might congregate near. I have a problem with this because mine’s contemporary romance/suspense. The hashtags of romance and suspense are used a LOT, along with Christian and fiction. I’m still working on it though and hope to come up with some ideas.

#faithdrivenfiction is a great tagline, but on twitter, it’s where the crickets convene. And it goes back to my point about not using a hashtag as a punchline. #slickerthansnot might be the perfect ending for your tweet, but it won’t get you any extra views. If you want to be seen, usually the point of twitter, then use hashtags that people look at.

And if you’re wanting to connect with other writers, (I use these hashtags when I’m posting about anything to do with the life of a writer) you could use #amwriting #writetip #pubtip #writer. You could also use special group hashtags, like #mywana or #ACFW, but only if you’re a member of the groups.

2. Second Suggestion: Visit the Hashtag BEFORE Using!

You will get fussed at for using #hashtags incorrectly. Yes, I’ve been there!

Having seen the label #wordmongering, I assumed it was another general writing group and used the hashtag on a blog article that I wrote about writing. Sure, they want to read it, right? … Um … notsomuch. See, #wordmongering is a challenge group of writers who use the hashtag to encourage each other to keep writing through half-hour sprints. I received a very nice note from the gal who created the hashtag and an invitation to do some word mongering, which I’ve enjoyed immensely. But I don’t post my blog ads there!

Oh and I must share a great article – short and sweet – about gaining followers on Twitter. http://aheartforgod.blogspot.com/2012/01/10-ways-to-get-more-followers-on.html I swear the image looks like a magazine cover and I was totally inspired! So cool!

Your turn! What are some hashtags you’ve used or some that you watch?

Historical Romance at its Best!

I stayed up way too late last night finishing debut author, Keli Gwyn’s, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California. What a delightful story; three crying opportunities! LOL!

This book is propelled by its characters. And such characters! A widow/single mom with bull-dozing determination insists on proving her capabilities. A fastidious widower harboring a guilt-filled secret refuses to revisit the vulnerable position in which affection places him. An adoring mother whose meddling ways instigate complicated interaction. A talkative nine-year-old with the sincerity and wonder of one much younger, but the intellect and daring of one much older.

A Bride Opens Shop follows Elenora Watkins to the rather new California town of El Dorado where she finds disappointment, unwarranted suspicion, and discrimination. Rather than allowing the attitudes to defeat her, Elenora used them to strengthen her resolve to prove to the townspeople, and maybe more to herself, that she has the capabilities to accomplish her goal.

What I loved most about this book was the consistency of the characters. Not that they remain the same, both main characters complete a satisfying arc. But as they adjust and redirect, they stayed true to their personalities. For example, only a desperate emergency would persuade the always well-dressed Miles Rutledge to disregard his appearance.

In fact, Elenora stays so true to her character, she builds up regrets about it. I must say, during a special contest, I had hopes that she would step down rather than risk injury to someone else, but true to form, she can’t seem to shrink from a challenge.

These people seemed so real in their reactions, they make the reading easy, the changes believable, and the story an absolute gold mine, worthy of the name El Dorado! Five hearts! ♥♥♥♥♥

From her bio: Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the 1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful characters, and adds a hint of humor. A California native, she lives in the Gold Rush-era town of Placerville at the foot of the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, set in the heart of the Gold Country where she lives is currently available.

When Keli’s fingers aren’t hovering over the keyboard of her newfangled laptop, she enjoys strolling past stately Victorian houses in her historic town, burying her nose in reference books as she unearths interesting facts to include in her stories, and interacting with other romance readers. Her favorite places to visit are her fictional worlds, the Coach factory outlet store, and Taco Bell.

Website and Social Media Links

Website – http://www.keligwyn.com
Facebook Timeline – http://www.facebook.com/KeliGwyn
Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/KeliGwynReadersGroup
Twitter – http://twitter.com/#!/KeliGwyn
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5411901.Keli_Gwyn
Title: A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California

The story is a sweet romance with hints of humor that readers of Margaret Brownley, Erica Vetsch, or Karen Witemeyer’s work might enjoy.