I’m so excited to welcome author Pamela S. Meyers to Faith~Driven Fiction. Pamela is an agency mate of mine with Terry Burns at Hartline Literary Agency. I had the delight Continue reading
Tag Archives: Christian
Book Review – Grudges Not Included (Guest Blogger)
Have I mentioned how much I love novellas? Well, I’m not the only one. Today Precious Redhead is sharing her take on the seasonal story, Grudges Not Included by Shellie Neumeier. And you can find all of my reviews in the For Readers Section. Continue reading
How God Woos
I wrote this article a couple of months ago, but because of the volatile situation involved, I decided to delay the posting of it. This week following Thanksgiving seems the perfect time to hint at how the Lord blesses His people and draws us to Him.
I can tell you that the friend of whom I wrote is well on her way to full recovery – praise Jesus! Continue reading
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! Continue reading
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.
Interview with Kellie Coates Gilbert, Author of MOTHER OF PEARL
I’m so pleased to welcome Kellie Coates Gilbert to Faith~Driven Fiction. She’s an inspiring author, and a dear critique buddy. I’ve been so excited about this book! I hope you enjoy meeting Kellie!
When did you decide to become a writer? Continue reading
Interview with Historical Romance Author Keli Gwyn
I’m delighted to have Keli Gwyn visiting today. Her debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California has become one of mine and Precious Redhead’s favorites. There’s nothing better than finding a book you can share with your daughters, but I’ll expound on that another time. You can find my review of Keli’s book HERE. Continue reading
The Olympia Contest for Unpublished Writers!
Get Ready to Spar!
Clash of the Titles Unveils a NEW annual literary contest,
THE OLYMPIA
and it’s strictly for unpublished writers!
Also, you will no longer need to be a previous Clash Champion in order to compete for the crown.
Submissions open September 14, 2012,
As always at COTT, the outcome of the contest is in the hands of readers,
not industry professionals.
You’ve written the book of your dreams, now what do readers think? Enter the arena and find out.
Olympia 2013 Submission Rules
The OLYMPIA provides an opportunity for unpublished novelists to have the first two chapters (or 3,500 words) of their work judged and critiqued by readers that are well-versed in Christian fiction yet not a part of the CBA industry.
ELIGIBILITY: Any author whose novel-length work (30,000+ words) has not been previously published in ANY format is eligible for entry. That includes the manuscript being submitted as well as any other manuscript the submitting author has written. One entry per author. Co-authored entries accepted. The manuscript should not contain profanity, graphic sex, or other objectionable material. Clash of the Titles staff reserves the right to reject submissions not meeting this requirement.
FEE: $10 payable via Paypal
Paypal account: contactcott@gmail.com
If Paypal is not an option for you, please contact senior editor, April Gardner at contactcott@gmail.com.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: All entries must include a single-spaced one page synopsis of the manuscript immediately followed by the first two chapters of the novel. Word count limit is 3,500. Prologues are accepted, so long as the word count limit is not exceeded.
FORMAT: Manuscripts must be in Times New Roman, 12 pt font, double-spaced with pages numbered. One inch margins in Ms Doc (not Docx) or Rich Text Format (RTF). Insert a header which includes the novel’s genre and title, and nothing more. Judging is anonymous. Do NOT include your name anywhere in the document or in the title the document is saved under.
Entries not following the submission and formatting specifications will be returned. Entries may be resubmitted prior to the deadline. Entry fees for returned entries will not be refunded after the contest entry deadline has passed.
JUDGING:
Round One begins November 02, 2012. Entries will first be judged by Clash of the Titles staff, which includes published authors and writers experienced in judging. During this round, COTT staff will be looking for those excerpts which do not meet content standards listed in “Eligibility” above. Because COTT wishes to send only the best quality of writing to its judges, in addition to content eligibility, they will be reading for a higher level of experience in the craft.
Round Two begins November 30, 2012. By this date all entrants will have received an email notifying them whether or not their manuscript has moved on to Round Two. Manuscripts making it to this round will be read by a group of judges who are comprised of your average reader of Christian fiction and that are in no way associated with the CBA industry. This includes agents, writers, avid reviewers, publicists, editors, etc. They are, in short, your audience.
Round Three begins January 21, 2013. By this date, all remaining entrants will be notified of whether or not their manuscript will be moving on. Only three manuscripts will be chosen for this round. Finalist will be announced January 18. Judges pending.
Authors will receive an anonymous digital copy of each of their judge’s scores and comments. Under no circumstance should comments given by a judge be used for publicity or promotional purposes without the express consent of the judge.
PRIZES: One first-place winner will be chosen. He/she will receive a special feature on Clash of the Titles’ blog. A tour through COTT’s Blog Alliance. A dedicated page on COTT’s site for a full year. A podcast interview with author and CAG board member, Cynthia L. Simmons. A beautiful plaque. Additional prizes pending.
DEADLINES: Submissions will open Friday, September 14, 2012. All contest entries and fees must be received no later than 8:00 PM EST Friday, November 02, 2012.
All entries will receive a confirmation e-mail. If this has not occurred by 8:00 PM EST November 03, 2012, the entrant should e-mail COTT senior editor, April Gardner at contactcott@gmail.com.
The winner will be announced Friday, March 01, 2013
Stay tuned for updates by
HUGE Summer Reading Sale!
Clash of the Titles has a BIG week coming up!
Wednesday marks the beginning of our June Releases Clash, hosted by the lovely Gail Pallotta. She’ll introduce you to five amazing new books, so get your voting finger ready.
Saturday, we’ll announce the three finalists in the 2012 Laurel Awards. Our judges have been raving about the books, saying they wished they had more than just the first two chapters. Remember, this year’s judges are readers like you, who have no connection with the writing or publishing world. You could be one of them! If you’re interested in being a judge for the upcoming Olympia Award, please email us at contactcott(at)gmail(dot)com.
Our current judges are still sending in their score sheets, but by Saturday, we’ll have the final tally!
In the meantime, we’d like to pass along that Astraea Press is having a HUGE Summer Sale. Almost all of their stock is available for $.99 on Kindle and Nook. To whet your appetite, here are five titles from their Inspirational line. The sale lasts until the end of July, but get your e-books today, before you forget!
JUST A LITTLE FAITH by Amy Norris
Contemporary Romance
Paxson Taylor’s recent relocation to St. Louis leads her to a life different from what she’s experienced in the past. Through her work with a small charity, she meets and attracts the attention of professional baseball player, Sebastian Quinn. Flattered, Pax tempers her desire for the handsome playboy with her need to serve her God—a God Seb doesn’t believe exists. Through unspeakable tragedy, they grow closer and with disappointment, drift apart. How can two people from opposite ends of the faith spectrum reconnect when they need each other most?
LIZZIE AND THE GUERNSEY GANG by April W Gardner
2012 Selah Award winner in youth fiction
Middle grade historical/adventure
Lizzie Browning loves nothing more than her tiny, island-home of Guernsey, but when German troops invade, she knows it will never be the same again. For Lizzie, younger brother Andre, and Cousin James, the time to escape is now, and they know just how to do it. With the right tools and a little help from a boat named, Trina, they’ll be off the island in no time. When things start going wrong, Lizzie wonders about God’s plan. From the looks of it, He might expect them to live under Nazi rule…forever.
THEN SENTENCE by Elaine Cantrell
Contemporary Romance
How could he do it! How could her father bring into their home the guy who burned the church? Yeah, it was an accident and her dad’s a minister, but if he wanted to save this man’s soul, why didn’t he go to the prison to do it? And no matter how cute the criminal is, no matter what anyone says, she doesn’t watch him all the time. Nice girls don’t fall for guys like Clint. Do they?
THE MULLIGAN MAN by Monique O’Connor James
Short Story
When six kids are at a party, partaking in a little too much fun, one of them is killed. The Mulligan Man, a character straight out of folklore appears offering them the chance to fix all the wrongs. In order to complete the deal, the teenagers must find out the truth of what happened, perform a random act of kindness, and become friends.
If they meet these stipulations, he will allow them to bring their friend back from the dead. In the process they learn not to judge, to stay away from drugs and alcohol, and that love can bridge even the boundary of death.
THE PECULIAR PRINCESS by Christina Graham Parker
Romance
Sent back four hundred years to reclaim her birthright as Princess of Dresdonia, Lexy Newberry discovers the only thing harder than living without electricity is guarding her heart from the perplexing Lord Lukas Reynard.
FOR MORE CLEAN FICTION IN OTHER GENRES SEE ASTRAEAPRESS.COM
Finding Your Path
| TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; |
| Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, |
| And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. |
| I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost – 1916 (public domain) |
Have you experienced the ecstasy of being in exactly the right place? Completing a task that fit your talents and passions perfectly? Ahhh. You know you’re where you’re supposed to be. You know what you’re supposed to do. The satisfaction encompasses everything else.
Nothing beats that feeling. For those who strive to follow the Lord’s leading, I’m convinced this contentment confirms His will. Likewise, the opposite is true when His will isn’t confirmed.
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4. When I’m focusing on bringing Him honor. When my whole purpose is to please Him, then He lets me know what He wants me to do. He puts the passion in my heart, stimulates my imagination, and stirs the enthusiasm.
Then sometimes, I find myself trying to force something to be His will. I try to make what I’m doing fit, like a piece from the wrong puzzle, and end up with nothing but frustration. God uses that, too. Likewise, the restlessness I feel bleeds to all other parts of my life. When His hand isn’t on my activity, not only am I gonna be miserable, but the activity won’t be blessed by my involvement and the person who should be in my place has to wait until I move.
For instance, only two people are needed to teach 5th-grade Bible Study. Say I’ve got one of those spots with Anna, but I don’t like the job. My stomach clutches every Saturday night as I plan the lessons. I’m desperately relieved every time one of the lessons end. And when asked why I do it, my answer is that I’m needed there.
Wrong.
Either I’m not serious about trying to follow God’s will, or I’m not needed in that place. If I’m not following, I need to re-evaluate my purposes for everything I’m doing. If I’ve got that step checked off, then I have to remember what delight feels like. Contentment. Peace. Confidence. If my activity is missing those blessings, then all I am is busy.
See, what I don’t know is God’s plan, though He’s trying to help me see it with physical reactions. I don’t know that Bette is looking for her first opportunity of service, or that she longs to spend time with kids since she can’t have any of her own. And meanwhile, I also don’t know that the perfect opportunity, something that I can sink my creative talons into and get excited about, dangles to the point of failure because I’m not there.
I hang on to the wrong ministry for the right reasons, but the reasons aren’t good enough when I’m ignoring what God is trying to tell me. IF I’m serious about working for Him, He DOES tell me when I’m on the right path, and consequently the wrong one.
What is He telling you?
Marji Laine 