Go Fly A Kite.
Oh, come on. When was the last time you flew a kite?
Experience the freedom, the exhilaration. Play! Be a kid again!
You can't write about life, if you don't experience it.
We Have Winners
Don't forget to claim your Speedbo prizes. We've listed them here. You have 8 weeks to claim your Speedbo prize as well as this week's prizes per our UPDATED rules here. If we forgot a mailing, give us a nudge or a kick in the pants at our Seekerville address here.
Don't forget to claim your Speedbo prizes. We've listed them here. You have 8 weeks to claim your Speedbo prize as well as this week's prizes per our UPDATED rules here. If we forgot a mailing, give us a nudge or a kick in the pants at our Seekerville address here.
Love Inspired Historical author Janet Dean started out our week with her post on "The Nuts and Bolts of Novellas." Winner of Brides of the West, a compilation of novellas by Janet, Victoria Bylin and Pamela Nissan is Mary Allen.
Tuesday the Grammar Queen returned with"Using the right/write word at the right/write time." Winner of The Synonym Finder is Patti Jo.
"Funny You Should Say That, Part 2 ... Putting Humor in our Writing." Wednesday, Revell author Julie Lessman joined us for her continuing segment on the importance of implementing humor in our writing. Winner of a giveaway of any of Julie's books, including her upcoming release, A Love Surrendered is Joy Avery Melville.
Thursday, Love Inspired author Ruth Logan Herne shared, When Less Is More. Winners of a reader's choice of the Men of Allegany County or North Country series are Virginia Munoz and "Gigi" from 'hisgracemyfaith' blog.
On Friday, Love Inspired Suspense author Christy Barritt shared Should you E-Publish? She told us about her journey publishing Organized Grime (Squeaky Clean Mysteries Book 3).Winner of one copy of her e-book, Organized Grime is Vince Mooney.
Tuesday the Grammar Queen returned with"Using the right/write word at the right/write time." Winner of The Synonym Finder is Patti Jo.
"Funny You Should Say That, Part 2 ... Putting Humor in our Writing." Wednesday, Revell author Julie Lessman joined us for her continuing segment on the importance of implementing humor in our writing. Winner of a giveaway of any of Julie's books, including her upcoming release, A Love Surrendered is Joy Avery Melville.
Thursday, Love Inspired author Ruth Logan Herne shared, When Less Is More. Winners of a reader's choice of the Men of Allegany County or North Country series are Virginia Munoz and "Gigi" from 'hisgracemyfaith' blog.
On Friday, Love Inspired Suspense author Christy Barritt shared Should you E-Publish? She told us about her journey publishing Organized Grime (Squeaky Clean Mysteries Book 3).Winner of one copy of her e-book, Organized Grime is Vince Mooney.
Next Week In Seekerville
Monday: Love Inspired author Missy Tippens will be your hostess and will be giving away a print copy of her February release from Love Inspired, A House Full of Hope! If she had any idea what she would be posting about, she would tell us. But since she's clueless at this point, come and be surprised!
Tuesday: Love Inspired Historical author Jessica Nelson returns and she bring us a chat about CHOCOLATE, with appropriately enough, chocolate giveaway and a copy of her debut release, Love on the Range.
Wednesday: Love Inspired Suspense author Debby Giusti will bring us: "What I learned from John C. Maxwell’s book, Leadership 101." Debby will be giving away a copy (print or e-book) of Leadership 101!
Thursday: Seekerville is delighted to feature Jane Myers Perrine and The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek, with "Inspiration for the Oft Rejected" and a giveaway!
Friday: Desert Breeze author K. Dawn Byrd is our guest on Friday with "Making It Real by Pushing Boundaries: Writing for Teens." And she's giving away two downloads of Shattered Identity.
Monday: Love Inspired author Missy Tippens will be your hostess and will be giving away a print copy of her February release from Love Inspired, A House Full of Hope! If she had any idea what she would be posting about, she would tell us. But since she's clueless at this point, come and be surprised!
Tuesday: Love Inspired Historical author Jessica Nelson returns and she bring us a chat about CHOCOLATE, with appropriately enough, chocolate giveaway and a copy of her debut release, Love on the Range.
Wednesday: Love Inspired Suspense author Debby Giusti will bring us: "What I learned from John C. Maxwell’s book, Leadership 101." Debby will be giving away a copy (print or e-book) of Leadership 101!
Thursday: Seekerville is delighted to feature Jane Myers Perrine and The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek, with "Inspiration for the Oft Rejected" and a giveaway!
Friday: Desert Breeze author K. Dawn Byrd is our guest on Friday with "Making It Real by Pushing Boundaries: Writing for Teens." And she's giving away two downloads of Shattered Identity.
Seeker Sightings
As always we encourage our Friends of Seekerville to share YOUR sightings, milestones and links to YOUR events with us in the Weekend Edition.
As always we encourage our Friends of Seekerville to share YOUR sightings, milestones and links to YOUR events with us in the Weekend Edition.
Myra Johnson is the featured speaker at the spring meeting of Carolina Christian Writers, Saturday, April 21, 1:00 p.m., at the Sweet Pickle Bakery & Delicatessen, Kannapolis, NC. The topic is "Unforgettable: Creating three-dimensional characters to bring your fiction to life."
Thursday, April 19th join Mary Connealy at Petticoats and Pistols.
Congratulations to Debby Giusti, The Captain's Mission is a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.
Debby Giusti is the GRW Featured Speaker at Georgia Romance Writers’ Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, Oct 2-5, 2012.
Random News & Information
Ditching “The Book Of Your Heart” for “The Book Of My Voice” (Julie Leto)
Improving Your Facebook Wall Posts... some marketing tips by Penny Sansevieri. (Healing Hearts)
Improving Your Facebook Wall Posts... some marketing tips by Penny Sansevieri. (Healing Hearts)
Facebook to Acquire Instagram; Why Writers Should Care(Galleycat)
Sourcebooks Starts Romance EBook Club (Publishers Lunch)
Check out Entangled Publishing
Sourcebooks Starts Romance EBook Club (Publishers Lunch)
Check out Entangled Publishing
Turn Your Tablet into a PC with Onlive Desktop
A Feast of Data to Interpret in New Pew Survey of Book Readers about EBooks (The Shatzkin Files)
(This is for those of you who think you are too old to sell a book) Herman Wouk to Publish New Book with Simon & Schuster (LA Times)
What Makes a Sympathetic Hero by Jason Black (Author Magazine)
Amazon vs. Apple And The Agency 5: Let’s Get The Facts Straight (The Passive Voice)
A Feast of Data to Interpret in New Pew Survey of Book Readers about EBooks (The Shatzkin Files)
(This is for those of you who think you are too old to sell a book) Herman Wouk to Publish New Book with Simon & Schuster (LA Times)
What Makes a Sympathetic Hero by Jason Black (Author Magazine)
Amazon vs. Apple And The Agency 5: Let’s Get The Facts Straight (The Passive Voice)
We leave you with photos from the 2012 Barbara Vey Readers Appreciation Luncheon. Save the date for Barbara Vey's next Readers' Appreciation Luncheon: April 27, 2013.
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| Barbara Vey & Debby Giusti |
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| Seekerville/Barbara Vey Bash Kindle Winners Joyce (L) & Heidi (R). |
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| Debby Giusti and her Readers Luncheon table. |
That's it. Have a great week, and BTW, it's National Kite Month, March 31 to May 6. So what are you waiting for? Go fly a kite! And then go to the movies, you gotta see Snow White!
Drum roll please.
ReplyDeleteT H E E N D
The tortoise just crossed the finish line!!!!!!!
In the course of writing this manuscript I had 7 out of town funerals (5 of them family) and 2 cataract surgeries. But I made it!
Now I’m going to take a break this next week. Visit the kids. Do some house cleaning. Paint my kitchen.
Then, let the revisions begin.
Oh, in my excitement I almost forgot the coffee. But now it's taken care of.
Helen
Great WE! Congrats, winners!
ReplyDeleteMy mom, sis, and I went to see Mirror, Mirror last Saturday. TOTALLY cute!
Love that it's kite flying month. My manuscript kicks off in that time frame and there is a town kite + costume festival within a week of the book's start. :)
Thanks for all the links. Very helpful!
YAY HELEN!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWoot!!! Way to go, Helen!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!!!
A double espresso shot in your honor.
HELEN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love it! That's no tortoise if you had that many funerals and surgeries. That's the Energizer Bunny!! AMAZING!!!
Totally cheering for you and doing the wave all by my lonesome at the computer. *arms in the air*
Heyyyyyy, this Friday the 13th could NOT get any better! I won a Ruthy book!! I have to figure out which one to request, though, because I have the last two. Or, maybe I can request my favorite, signed? I think I got my Yuletide Hearts at Walmart but I'd be willing to part with it if I got one with Ruthy's scribble in it. :D
ReplyDeleteUpgrade!
Tina, you make me want to dig out the kite languishing in our basement and see if I can get it off the ground.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations winners! Fun photos from Barbara Vey's Readers Appreciation luncheon! Debby, congrats on the Gayle Wilson final!
Huge congrats, Helen, for typing The End, especially with all that going on. You rock!!! What color are you painting the kitchen?
Janet
Congrats, Helen! And great WE, Teenster :)
ReplyDeleteWay to go HELEN!
ReplyDeleteRaising a cup in your honor!
Way to go DEBBY!
Raising the flag in your honor!
Super WE, Tina.
Anyone remember that song - was it Mary Poppins perhaps?
Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring... up to the atmosphere, up where the air is clear... oh let's go, fly a kite!
Wow - a blast from the hidden files in the brain. Wshew.
May will be featured in dog at Dogapalooza today, in Cookeville, TN. If you're around, c'monnnn by! She'll have a toy, at the ready.
Yes! Do go see the new Snow White movie, Mirror Mirror, then get my Snow White historical romance coming out in August!
ReplyDeleteBTW, Zondervan is going to do a big reveal of the cover in June. (I hate waiting.)
Thanks as always for the great WE, Tina. Have a great weekend!!!
Congratulations, Helen.
ReplyDeleteAnd to all the winners.
Spring Cleaning is on the agenda for today. Hopefully I'll get some writing time later tonight.
Helen!!!! Congrats to you, lady!
ReplyDeleteWe should be serving YOU coffee!
Great WE as always Tina--thank you! CONGRATS to all the winners! And...I am absolutely THRILLED to win a copy of THE SYNONYM FINDER!!! I actually squealed out loud (almost waking the sleeping felines...almost!). Thank you SOOO much (and boy do I need that book--it will be put to good use, I promise). ~ Looking forward to this coming week, and since it's another gorgeous day here in Georgia, I just might go outside and FLY A KITE!!! Hugs, Patti Jo :)
ReplyDeleteYay, Helen! Good for you. Dancing in the streets tonight!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners. And to Debby, too.
Thanks Tina and to everyone for another great week in Seekerville. Blessings to all for a wonderful, peaceful weekend.
I love Deb's pics! Awesome, Chickie!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd HERMAN WOUK IS PUBLISHING A NEW BOOK!!!!
Ruthy is over-the-top thrilled to hear that, and kind of amazed that the only Wouk book she didn't love was "The Hope" the one the reviewer didn't love as well...
Which either makes me as smart or as jaded as the reviewer, your pick.
Can't wait to see this book. God bless him, 97 and writing. And looking good.
There's a dream come true.
Hey, I'm leaving food.....
Turtle food, flies and mosquitoes for HELEN!!!!! YAY!!!! We turtles might take our time but we get there in the end.
As long as we get there, right!!!!
Grinning, Helen.
Real food, now: Chocolate crinkle cookies.
And.... chicken salad for mid-day.
Must go paint.
Will return to annoy.
Thanks for the great WE!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way!! I forgot to send info on an appearance I'll be making. For anyone in the Bowling Green KY area, please come see me at the SOKY Book Fest!!! Sat. April 21st. 9am-3 pm!!
Woo hoo, Helen!!! So happy for you!
ReplyDeleteOh, and congrats to Debby!! I didn't see that news the first time around! Woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteHelen!!!! Woo-hoo! Happy Dancing for you today! You worked in spite of what life handed you.
ReplyDeleteDebby--congratulations on your final!
Congratulations to all the winners this week! Great prizes. :)
Tina, appreciate the WE, as always. The article on creating sympathetic heroes was good. Have a great weekend, all!
Debby!! I missed that news!!!
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS!!
I don't know what a chocolate crinkle cookie is but I'm munching on a fistful in honour of Helen's The End!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to Debby too!
Great WE -- loved the hero article. It's got me thinking...revising really, in my head as I dodge crankly pre-exam students at the college. :-)
Bridgett Henson, new photo love it.
ReplyDeleteMunching on the turtle food here--flies and mosquitos. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteToday is oldest son's birthday. Got a German chocolate cake baked, but still have to frost it.
Congrats to all the winners....and Debby and Helen!!
ReplyDeleteThe End, The End, beautiful words Helen.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners. It is so fun isn't it?
Great Seekerville sightings. Kept me up later than I intended last night, I read them all and copied parts from the sympathetic hero post. Good Stuff.
Helen;
ReplyDeleteAgainst multiple odds to the negative, you've shown the rest of us what perseverance really is all about!
Congratulations!
oh oh oh oh! I ACTUALLY WON A BOOK OF JULIE'S???? REALLY????!!!!
I can hardly wait to read it!
Ok - MUST get this current WIP to THE END so I can REWARD myself with A LOVE SURRENDERED in October - then I'll just HAVE to brag it up on fb and my blog - it will be so fun!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Haven't been commenting in recent months, but have been stopping by. Best spot to be inspired is here. Congrats to Helen. Take that break with your kids. You deserve some fun. Enjoyed catching up today. Congrats to all last weeks winners.
ReplyDeletePat
Pat! Always a treat to see you and don't forget to share what you've been up to in the writing world!@!!
ReplyDeleteI still have to connect to my ending, but I do have news from this week.
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday I signed a publishing contract for my first novel. It will come out in 2013 and I'm SO excited. Here is a link to the website I started for it. It needs a lot of work, but there's time to do that. And a Facebook Page where you can ask questions and tell me what kind of info you would like to see.
Charity!!!!! Wooooohooo!!!! Congratulations coming your way!!!!!
ReplyDeletep.s. BIG CONGRATS to Helen, Debby, and Charity! And Helen, please don't feel you have to share those flies and mosquitoes, LOL. ;) PJ
ReplyDeleteHelen, congrats on typing THE END!!! You rock, girlfriend! And Happy Birthday to your son. German Chocolate cake? Lucky boy!!!
ReplyDeleteCharity!!! Whoo-hoo!!! Congrats on the contract! More info needed. Pretty please!
Thanks for all for the kind words about the Southern Magic final. A nice surprise, for sure!
Go fly a kite? Actually, I flew a Barbie kite yesterday! True story! So much fun!!!
Tina, thanks for posting the pics of Barbara Vey's Readers' Appreciation Luncheon! Everything Barbara does is so much fun! I had a ball and came home with a suitcase filled with books. TSA searched my carry-on. Who knew books look like explosives on the airport screening machines?
ReplyDeleteHi Helen:
ReplyDeleteKudos on getting to “The End”.
I think you should get bonus points for persistence. You’re an inspiration. I have not been doing very much on my romance WIP since Speedbo ended. I still have half a romance to edit. I need another Speedbo. I think if you live by external motivation, you die by external motivation.
I need to get to work.
After taxes are done! : (
Vince
Great Experience
ReplyDeleteChristy Barritt in yesterday’s post gave some sources for book cover artwork. I checked out
Thinkstockphotos.com for photos of mountain cabins and I must have looked at over 1000 of them this morning. A few were by a high mountain lake – just beautiful! Now I think I’ll add the lake to my story. I also now know exactly what the cabin looks like. I also know what cabins in the mountains look like all year round.
I think designing a cover for your WIP right at the start can give you many great writing ideas. You can download the photos just to look at (they have a copyright mark on them) while you are working on your book.
I have not looked yet but I think I can probably find a photo for every other scene in my WIP. I’m wondering right now what the inside of the cabin is going to look like. I think I’ll go photo shopping. : )
Vince
P.S. Be sure to download Mary’s cozy mystery. I did and so now I’m going to find out what a cozy mystery really is. Do you think ‘cozy’ means the same as ‘warm and fuzzy’? Does this mean there are 'cozy' murders? I'll just have to find out. : )
Vince, here is another, very affordable site for stock photos.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.crestock.com/
WOW
ReplyDeleteI won a book that I really want to read right away and I didn’t even know a free book was being made available. That’s a double surprise. Congrats to all the other winners. It’s so fun to be a winner! : )
Tina: I’ll check that site out now. These photos are very helpful for ideas.
Vince
Vince:
ReplyDeleteYou don't have your taxes done?????
Come on, boy, get those papers together and move'em out.
:)
Thanks for your warm words.Right now I'm feeling almost euphoric. Writing "The End" is a high like no other.
Only writers understand. Right?
Helen
I especially like the Jason Brown article! Thanks Tina for all the articles. Where do you find them all?
ReplyDeleteSo many weekend goodies! Thanks, Tina. And there's even a free cosy mystery from Mary for weekend reading. :) I'll be back in a moment ::heading off to Amazon:: Okay, I'm back.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all this week's winners, to Debby, and a "woohoo!!! yay!!!" to Helen.
Now I'm going to check and see if I can find a long lost kite in the basement. I haven't tried to fly a kite since ... oops ... no way can I admit to that many years!
Oh! Oh! I missed one comment. Just found it as I read through them again. Huge congratulations to Charity, too!!! That's so exciting!!
ReplyDeleteCharity!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is SO exciting!!! I just love hearing that kind of news!!!!
I'm going to head off to check that link...
For my LI book coming out in Nov 2012... I got the first round of edits in the mail and have started making changes. I think I have 5 or 6 'needs a stronger chapter ending' note. *blank look of horror*
Yay for you Charity! Go girl!
ReplyDeleteAnd Virginia, looking forward to the new LI. *smiling face of glee* ;)
Hi Virginia,
ReplyDeleteLI editors always want strong end of scene and end of chapter hooks. Remember you can pull from the internal or external conflict, the romance and/or the faith element. Often I'll just keep typing and get lots of ending ideas strewn together. Then, when I revise, I can cut and hone in on the one or two phrases that pack a powerful punch. The reader should be left thinking the romance/suspense/faith journey will never work out...so he/she turns the page and begins reading the next scene or chapter, hoping for that HEA.
Actually end of scene/chapter hooks are fun to create. If the scene ends upbeat, that hook can bring the reader back to a reality check that things aren't always as they seem or as good as they seem or in spite of how much she thinks she loves him, he could never love her or God answers prayers but not hers...
I'm much too long winded today...plus, you already knew everything I said. I think I'll fly a kite!
Hugs!
Helen! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteDebby! Congratulations!
This week's winners! Congratulations!
Charity! Oh. My. Gosh. How cool!
Hope everyone's safe from all the storms this weekend ...
Now I must go replenish my supply of exclamation points :-)
Nancy C
P.S. The links are wonderful .. . Especially (1) the sympathetic hero and (2) the book of your voice. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNancy C
Debby, I read that three times and then pasted it into a document. I probably SHOULD know it... but I don't. I know it when I read it, but it's really tough to make it happen on the page. (And I've just described the entire 'frustrated writer' life in one sentence.)
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!
P.S. NATALIE
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like the coolest opening! I love kites and can't imagine a kite festival...
Beautiful kite pics! I can't recall the last time I flew one of those! Congrats to all the winners!
ReplyDeleteYay, Helen!!! What exhilaration you must be feeling to have finished despite all the life complications during the writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the updates and info, Tina. There's so much here it's going to take me more than the weekend to absorb it all. I love seeing all the photos, too. :)
I want to repeat my thanks for my Speedbo prize. It was a synopsis critique from Julie Lessman, and Oh. My. Goodness! It was ever so helpful!!! The Seekers have given so much to us here. You're all such a blessing!