What Were Your Summer Good Reads?

This weekend, I had the pleasure of doing beta-reading duty for one of my critique buddies Patricia PacJac Carroll.

Can I just say that the pioneer historical is the best thing I've read all summer, and I've read some amazing books!

You'll hear about it more, but since she's only just starting her publishing journey, it will be awhile. I'm hoping to pick her brain next week, about her path.

Since I haven't read a book I could review this week, I wanted to clarify my recommendations. I've read 13 Christian Fiction books this summer and found something

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Peace

I've been inhaling blogs on the craft of writing lately. It's truly generous of these experts to share their secrets with aspiring authors and I'm grateful to Jody Hedlund, Katie Ganshert, Elizabeth Spann Craig, Rachel Hauck, Susan May Warren and others for their offerings!

One of the things I've learned in the realm of suspense is the balance between tension and peace. A good
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Favorite Blog Postings

I had such a good time wading along the blog shore this week. So many different topics and so much amazing information.  Now, I would have had ten favorites except I highlighted two of them in an article earlier this week inspired by Jody Hedlund and Elizabeth Craig Spann entitled Literary Contortions.

I'm so indebted to these talented folks for their wisdom, insight, and the inspiration they are generous enough to share.  Please hit the highlighted words for links to the specific articles. When you visit, make sure you follow or comment to support the authors and share the love! 🙂

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Book review – My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

I don't read romance very often. See I have this terrible problem with Christian romances – they make me cry. I know, I know! A tenderhearted story is one of the draws to Christian romance, but I could do without it! Seriously!

I wrote a song several years ago that starts out "I long for heaven and no more tears." This crying thing isn't just a little issue with me.  I'm not joking when I tell people that a good McDonald's commercial can leave me teary-eyed. I never saw Titanic, or the Notebook, and don't plan to.

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Characterization Success!

I've been having trouble with character. Isolationism, timidity, meekness, cowardice, etc. No, not me, my protagonist. See she needs to be withdrawn from her community as part of her journey, but she's not timid or meek, and she's even pretty reckless, but I hadn't really thought about her in such deep terms.

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Undercover Pursuit by Susan May Warren

Undercover Pursuit by Susan May Warren had me intrigued from the first page. I examined it along with several other books I recently downloaded, just looking through the first few pages for their hooks, the ways that they connected with the reader. Wow, did U.P. ever connect! From the get-go, I had trouble putting it down.

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