Writer Wednesday with Deanna K. Klingel

Late again. The stomach bug hit me hard Monday and Tuesday. Today I am better, so here we are. Good thing it can't be transmitted cyberly. :)

Today A Bed of Roses...Thorns Included welcomes Deanna K. Klingel.


Deanna finds inspiration in a lot of places, but much of the inspiration comes from looking out her studio window into the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and her golden retriever, Buddy. They enjoy visiting around the southeast where their seven children live with their families. Deanna travels with her books while Dave and Buddy enjoy the dog park which Deanna operates in her community.

Writing Heroes

by Dianna K. Klingel

I’ll soon be starting my third nonfiction “hero” story for young readers. I’ll be interviewing a woman who worked with the French underground resistance as a teenager. My first hero story, Bread Upon the Water was about a Vietnamese boy who escaped as a boat person in order to follow his calling to the priesthood.  Rock and a Hard Place, A Lithuanian Love Story, released in March. This is a true story of a boy and girl growing up in free and prosperous Lithuania in 1930s. When Russia invaded their beloved homeland both families began their arduous journeys across Eastern Europe as displaced persons. Life would never be the same.

I enjoy writing hero stories. These aren’t heroes with capes and magical powers; these aren’t the faces on the covers of People Magazine. These are real people, ordinary people who do extraordinary things in difficult situations. Putting  one foot in front of the other, day after day, they do the best they can with what they have. Often their only tools are their faith and courage. These are very personal stories that involve more hours interviewing than actually writing. It’s intense. Sometimes it conjures up bad memories. All my subjects had bad dreams following some of their reliving of the memories. I don’t write these to exploit anyone, bring up bad memories or put anyone in an uncomfortable spotlight. Heroes are always private unassuming people who don’t enjoy the limelight. True heroes never seek fame. They have a true humility. My books honor their stories.

When these people agree to share their stories they give all of us and our grandchildren a wonderful gift of history that only they can give. It is my privilege as well as my pleasure to give their stories life, to share culture and important world history with our children and grandchildren.  The publisher of Rock and a Hard Place, A Lithuanian Love Story, calls it an important book, one she says she’s honored to publish. It’s important because it’s not just a personal story, it’s world history, in small bites. It’s one of many stories that need to be told, written, heard, and read. Those who can tell these stories have been named by Tom Brokaw “The Greatest Generation.” Time is running out to get their stories told.

Great spokesmen and spokeswomen have warned us for centuries if we don’t remember our history we are doomed to repeat it. If we don’t know our past, we can’t make a future.  Sadly, the very week Rock and a Hard Place released, I could have retitled it: "Rock and a Hard Place, A Ukrainian Horror Story." Ladies and gentlemen, our grandchildren must learn their world history. I have learned so much from the wonderful heroes whose stories I’ve written. They all share many of the same qualities: faith, courage, patience, endurance and a selflessness.

Blurb:

Historical events become personal when told by those who were part of the events. This true story, walking a narrow balance between history and romance, is the story of a boy, a girl, and the country they loved. What does the Russian invasion mean for Roman Catholic  children? What does it mean for Lithuania? Follow their heroic travels as displaced persons into war torn Germany where their lives intersect in divine and mysterious ways.


Her books at Amazon:
Bread Upon the Water
Rock and a Hard Place

Deanna can be found at her website-www.Booksbydeanna.com, or Facebook-Books By Deanna and Deanna K. Klingel

Thanks for joining us today, Deanna.

Blessings,
Ginger

Writer Wednesday with James Callan

James R. Callan is my guest today. Please help me welcome him to A Bed of Roses...Thorns Included.

After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing.  He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published four non-fiction books.  He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mysteries, with his sixth book releasing in Spring, 2014.

You can find James on the web:

Website: www.jamesrcallan.com

Blog: www.jamesrcallan.com/blog

Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/1eeykvG

Twitter: @jamesrcallan

The Story Behind A Ton of Gold

By James Callan

For several years, I had wanted to write a book where the protagonist was a researcher in computer science, particularly information retrieval.  I had done some research in this area when working on a Ph.D. in mathematics many, many years ago.  Also, I had a son who was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Melon University.  A couple of ideas had formed, but none jumped up and said, “Write me.”

One night, a couple of years ago, I wanted something short and light to read before turning out the light and going to sleep. I grabbed a collection of old Texas folk tales, flipped through and selected one at random. Of course, it was interesting. Folk tales usually are. It told of a wagon load of precious metal being pushed into a lake to hide it from the pursuing Mexican Army. There was no mention of it ever being recovered.

This one played around in my mind and even as I went to sleep, it stayed with me.  In the morning, I thought about it and dismissed it for what it was: a folk tale.

Over the next month, it kept coming back to me. And each time, I would remind myself it was a 178 year-old story and had no relevance today. But all parts of the mind do not always agree.  And one part of my brain started asking the question: how could such an old story affect the lives of people today? 

The two ideas of information retrieval and the old folk tale kept popping up in my mind and slowly began to weave around one another. Before long, the skeleton of a plot took shape, and I was ready to begin.  

As I wrote, interesting characters presented themselves and demanded to be included in the story. Of course, I said yes, come right in and add your own flavor to this book. And in developing the back story for the protagonist, a very interesting subplot arose.

The end result was the 94,000 word mystery/suspense novel A Ton of Gold.  The protagonist, Crystal Moore, is a researcher in information retrieval. The old folk tale comes to the attention of some greedy and not too bright thugs.  This eventually leads to murder, arson and kidnapping.  And in the midst of this, the man who almost destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming back.  This time, he can ruin her career.

Crystal will need all the help she can get from a former bull rider, a street-wise friend, and Crystal’s feisty, seventy-five year-old grandmother.

Set between Dallas and the piney woods of east Texas, A Ton of Gold answers the question can old folk tales affecting people today. And the answer is a resounding YES.  They certainly can.  Just ask Crystal Moore.

More about A Ton of Gold (a contemporary suspense novel):

Can long forgotten, old folk tales affect the lives of people today? In A Ton of Gold, one certainly affected young, brilliant Crystal Moore.  Two people are killed, others threatened, a house burned and an office fire-bombed – all because of an old folk tale, greed and ignorance. 

On top of that, the man who nearly destroyed Crystal emotionally is coming back.  This time he can put an end to her career.  She’ll need all the help she can get from a former bull rider, her streetwise housemate and her feisty 76 year-old grandmother.

A Ton of Gold is available in paper and digital editions at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.   

Amazon, paperback http://amzn.to/UQrqsZ

Amazon, Kindle http://amzn.to/12PeHJb

Barnes & Noble Nook http://bit.ly/1kM7p1M

Another of James' books, Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel, can be found here: http://amzn.to/13ADvF3

Thanks for joining us today, James, and telling us about why you wrote A Ton of Gold.

I'm not a prolific folk-tale reader, so tell me, my wonderful readers, what other folk-tales do you know that spark the imagination?

Blessings,

Ginger

Writer Wednesday with Mary Ellis

Running a little late this morning. I'm not sure why I forgot to get this done yesterday. I guess my mind is in too many places.

Today, please help me welcome Mary Ellis.

Mary Ellis has written twelve bestselling novels set in the Amish community. Before "retiring" to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. Living in Harmony, book one of her last series won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction. Love Comes to Paradise won the 2013 Lime Award. She is currently working on a three-book series of historical romances set during the Civil War for Harvest House Publishers. The Quaker and the Rebel released in January. Her current release is A Plain Man. She can be found on the web at:  www.maryellis.net  (Where you can also sign up for her newsletter.)

www.maryeellis.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236

What I Learned About Newsletters 

by Mary Ellis

Every author wants to know the best way to reach potential readers. After a dozen years in the business I have come to the conclusion, there isn’t one correct way. Each author must try a variety of ideas, and then return to those which have the best results. Many industry professionals feel newsletters are an effective way to reach your audience. This month my publisher, Harvest House, released my twelfth Amish romance, A Plain Man. Soon I will send out my spring newsletter to help spread the word. Recently I organized what I’ve learned about newsletters into one concise list from a variety of sources. Keep in mind some of these “rules” I personally abide by, some of which I sometimes follow, and some of which I flagrantly ignore. Decide for yourself what works for you and good luck.

~ Newsletters should come out every two months

~ The best day to send: first day of the month

~80% should be content to benefit your audience, only 20% should be news about you (I don’t follow that exactly)

Each newsletter should contain:
1)    a feature article 500 words or less which should help, inspire, or entertain
2)    an extra “value” section, such as frequently asked questions or recipes
3)    A brief bio with your value statement (what your books intend to accomplish other than entertain)
4)    An endorsement from a name that your targeted readers would recognize (I’ve never done this)
5)    A calendar of your upcoming speaking or book signing events (usually I just insert a link to the calendar page in my blog)
6)    Your current featured release (now you get to talk about current book with blurb, cover, trailer, and if it’s on sale yet somewhere)
7)    Contact info: your email, website, blog, Facebook, and other media links (but don’t go overboard with this)
8)    Should have a professional layout  such as a banner across the top
9)    Give them something for free (like an article you’ve written or chapter one of your book. (These would be links readers can click on)
10) Mention your upcoming contest. (Twice a year I give away 10 signed copies of my current release to newsletter subscribers.

Thanks it! Now you know everyone I know about newsletters. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

More about A Plain Man:

Though Caleb Beachy tried the Englisch world for some years, he is a Plain man at heart. But when he decides to return to the Amish lifestyle, he discovers there’s more to embracing his faith and reconnecting

with the community than merely driving a horse and buggy and giving up his Levis.

Josie Yoder was just a girl when he left. All grown up now, she gives Caleb hope for the future and reminds him that while his faith may have wavered, God never left his side. But will past mistakes end up destroying their fledgling romance before it really has a chance to begin?

Delight in the story of a wounded heart finding joy, health, and healing in God’s infinite grace.

I have this novel sitting in my to-be-read pile. Arrgghh, now I want to read it all the more.

Time where art thou?  LOL

A Plain Man is available at Amazon and other fine retailers.

Blessings,
Ginger

PS. Mary has graciously agreed to give away one copy of A Plain Man to one person who comments below.