Did you know that April 1 through Mother's Day, May 10, 2009, is National Card and Letter Writing Month?
National Card and Letter Writing Month is an annual effort intended to promote literacy and celebrate the art of letter writing. What a great idea! So consider writing a letter, or sending a card or postcard to someone you haven't talked to in a while.
At Gifts in 24 you can win books and a $150 gift certificate for doing what comes naturally for writers. Check out their essay contest which runs through May 1, 2009.
We Have Winners!
Artist James Griffin created the beautiful cover for Courting the Doctor's Daughter, the second book in Janet Dean's Courting series, a Steeple Hill, Love Inspired Historical. Check out his visit to Seekerville last Monday. As promised Janet has drawn a book winner. Congratulations to Carrie Turansky!
Congratulations to Mindy Obenhaus who won a copy of Debby Giusti's latest release from Steeple Hill, Love Inspired Suspense--Protecting Her Child. If you missed Debby's Wednesday post, A Checklist for First Chapters, check it out here.Monday: Contest Feedback Glossary, brought to you by Steeple Hill, Love Inspired author, Missy Tippens.
Tuesday: Ready-Made Family author, Cheryl Wyatt is up today.
Wednesday: Steeple Hill Love Inspired, debut author, Glynna Kaye on The Timer Is Your Friend (time permitting of course).
Thursday: 2009 Golden Heart finalist, Cara Slaughter takes the spotlight.
Friday: Seekerville is delighted to welcome, Barbour author, Kaye Dacus.
extravaganza!
Congratulations to Debby Giusti who DOUBLE finaled in the Wisconsin Write Touch Contest with her Love Inspired Suspense releases, MIA: Missing in Atlanta and Countdown to Death.
More KUDOS to Debby Giusti:Protecting Her Child got a 4 1/2 stars from Romantic Times Bookreviews Magazine.
Courting Miss Adelaide is a finalist in the Best First Book category of the National Reader's Choice Contest. Woo hoo to Janet Dean!
Save The Date:
April 29, 2009 RITA finalist, Judy Duarte
April 30, Agent Natasha Kern
May 5, Character Therapist, Jeannie Campbell
May 6, RITA winner, Linda Goodnight
May 12, We've rescheduled Jeane Wynn, of Wynn-Wynn Media for a Media Day.
- Check out a great essay in the April 12, New York Times, About That Book Advance...
And you thought eharlequin.com was the only (free) publishing
social networking site around...
Check out these:
- Authonomy: From HarperCollins
- Mills & Boon Community
- Book Marketing Network located at NING
- JacketFlap for Children's Book Writers
And since it is a slow news weekend, we leave you with something to think about:
Kurt Vonnegut: Eight rules for writing fiction:
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
-- Vonnegut, Kurt Vonnegut, Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 1999), 9-10.
Ah, the art of letter writing. I used to send e-cards to my sisters for their birthdays, but it felt so impersonal. Too easy. Now, I still send them an e-card, but I always follow it up with a real-live, hold-in-your-hands-and-smell-the-paper card. I feel good doing it, and they always appreciate it. I'm officially the "letter-writing" sister. Yay!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all you marvelous contest-winning Seekers!!! You're constantly impressing me.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is with that Rule #1? Someone want to explain to me what that has to do with fiction writing? Maybe I'm just dense, but it went right over my head.
And I don't know how to make coffee. Sorry. Never drink the stuff. But I can make tea, hot or cold. Southerners who have lived in Eastern Europe can make it hot or cold.
Don't be jealous. It's my gift. :-)
Melanie, you sound so much like Mary it scares me.
ReplyDeleteI made coffee..no worries. Tea is for sissies.
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
I believe he means engage the reader. Did you ever go to a movie and afterward think: Well THAT was 2 hours of my life I will never get back. That is what Mr. V means.
Elizabeth, good morning.Great book cover btw.
Okay, Tina, that makes sense now. (The light bulb is on.)
ReplyDeleteYes, tea is for sissies, sissies like me. I admit it. I don't want what I drink to grow hair on my chest.
And I appreciate the compliment. :-)
I love Mr. V's number 7 --
ReplyDeleteWrite to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
Reminds me of a crit group I belonged to a long time ago. Ohh, I still get the shivers : )
Thanks for the WE, Tina.
How's the moving going? Are you sludging through slush??
Hi Seeker Friends, I am excited to see I won Janet's new book! What fun. I will look forward to receiving it. Thanks very much to you all and to Janet.
ReplyDeleteblessings,
Carrie
carrie (at) turansky (dot) com
I had no idea about letter writing month - thanks for letting me know! Not that I need an excuse to send a letter, but maybe it'll encourage someone else to send ME one :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Seekerville, Karin.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations again Carrie. I just got my own copy of Janet's book and am excited to read it. Love the cover art.
Thanks Tina for giving us a peak at the great line up this week in Seekerville! Can't wait to soak up the wisdom and fun.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Debby!! I didn't know about your RT 4 1/2 Star rating and double contest final! You rock!
Let us know what you're wearing to meet the Nebraska press, Mare. Again super congrats!!
Thanks to all those who left a comment on Monday's post. Wish you could all be winners, but then I'd go broke. :-) I'll be sending a copy of Courting the Doctor's Daughter to winner Carrie Turansky.
Janet
Thank you for all the great info, Tina.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to all our contest finalists!!!!!
Yea for me! I can't wait to read Debby's new book!
ReplyDelete