We Have Winners
If you are a winner please read our legal page here. If you haven't received your prize in 8 weeks, drop us a line (we get busy with writing books and do forget). Please remember we don't contact winners -so please contact us at seekers at seekerville dot net
Last week's random winner from our fun with Seekerville coasters/jar openers is Jamie Adams. We've got a surprise package ready to mail to you.
Monday, Mary Connealy began a series on Creating Characters."Creating Characters One Layer at a Time-Layer 1: The Physical Must Reflect the Character." The winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card is Melissa Jagears.
Guideposts books debut author, Anita Mae Draper joined us Tuesday with her post, " Livening Things Up with Dead People." Yes. For real! Winner of A Cup of Christmas Cheer which is a 2-book set (Volume 1 and 2) is Cindy W.
On Wednesday, Loved Inspired author Kim Watters joined to shared tips on “Creating Your Fictional Town.” The winner of a copy of her latest release, A Season of Love is Marion Faith Laird.
Thursday, Audra Harders shared writing strategy she's garnered from watching the singing competition, The Voice, in her post, "Encouragement from The Voice." The winner of Cheryl St. John's new how-to book, Writing With Emotion, Tension and Conflict is Anna Weaver.
Debut author Bonnie Doran was our guest, on Friday, sharing "Six Tips to Try When Strangled by Fear." Winner of Dark Biology, which released last month from Harbourlight (Pelican Book Group) is CaraG.
 |
| Cara Lynn James, Lieutenant, U.S.N. |
Next Week in Seekerville
Monday: Join White Rose Publishing / Pelican Book Group debut author Terri Weldon as she shares her journey to publication in "Are You Rowing As Fast As You Can?" She'll also celebrate the release of her Christmas novella Mistletoe Magic with a giveaway!
Tuesday: Barbour and Abingdon Press author Myra Johnson hosts today with her post, "The Writer's Guide to Surviving the Holidays." Holiday decorations are not required!
Wednesday: ♫ It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ♫ ... at least today on Seekerville when Julie Lessman talks about the components that transform mere words on a page into the warmth and enchantment of a winter wonderland and a most holy night. From hearth-and-home holiday settings to magical mistletoe moments, Julie will demonstrate how she has “decked” the pages for her holiday scenes to bring joy to the world … or at least her readers, she hopes!! There will be a giveaway of any of Julie’s books, including a paperback copy of her Christmas novel, A Light in the Window, and the kick-off of a new contest where you can win a character named after you in Julie’s next book, a signed copy, and a $50 gift card.
Thursday: Join Ruth Logan Herne today as she talks about "Tying Up Loose Plot Threads: The Finishing Touch," a premise that marks the difference between a strong, memorable novel vs. a forgettable read. Come see how those finished edges put you a "cut" above and then tell us about your loose ends... maybe we can help you turn that hem of success! And because it's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Ruthy will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one amazing person leaving a comment.
Friday: Have a complete unpublished manuscript? Or one you want to have finished before the first of the year? Sure you do! Take your unpublished pages and spit-shine them to enter in the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest. Check out double Genesis semi-finalist Casey Herringshaw's post on Friday and enter to win a $40 voucher for the contest!
 |
| Specialist 4th Class Tina Russo, US Army Security Agency in O.D. Green (olive drab). |
Seeker Sightings
DO share you own news and sightings in the comments during the Weekend Edition. We welcome you to share your news (releases, contest finals and wins, book sales or free days, etc.) on our Facebook Page at any time.
Random News & Information
ATTENTION! What do Veteran's Day and Night Classes in the Village is have in common? Nothing. Just wanted to be sure you're paying attention. Be sure to check out our first two classes for the 2014 semester here.
Indie Success Story (The Passive Voice)
CreateSpace Now Offer Expanded Distribution for Free (The Independent Publishing Magazine)
A Writer's Check List (Novel Matters)
Amazon has a Kindle sale to hail new in-flight device rules (GIGAOM)
Pockets magazine is looking for Christian fiction aimed at children ages 6-12, with the theme of “laughter” for the July 2014 issue. Send your story of 600 to 1000 words that explores this theme. Payment is 10 to 14 cents a word. The deadline for submissions is December 1. For more information, go here. (Cindi Myers Market News's Blog)
MacMillan Publishing Group is launching Swoon Reads, a YA romance imprint which will publish both digital and print books, based on ratings and reviews from readers. Manuscripts that receive the most positive ratings will be in the running for a publication contract with a $15,000 advance and an option for the author’s next book. These should be love stories for readers 16 to 19 or 19-23, with happy endings, set in any time period and any sub-genre of romance. No erotica. Length: 50,000 to 70,000 words. Get all the details here. (Cindi Myers Market News's Blog)
With eBook Sales Flat, Is it Time to Experiment with New Models? (DBW)
Sales Ranking Chart (Theresa Ragan)
How to Sell Books on Amazon (webinar) (Writer.ly)
The Four Types of Authors in the World (DBW)
Frog Marching the Muse: Eighteen Tips to Get Words on the Page (Writer Unboxed)
A New Breed of Romance (Library Journal)
If you are a long time fan of Mrs. Mike by Ben and Nancy Freedman. Right now it is free for Kindle.
For the THIRD YEAR, Seekerville will again be offering entry fee reimbursement to the 2014 Golden Heart Awards. With a twist!~This year we are narrowing that to the Inspirational Category entry only in an effort to keep the category open. And we are offering TWO reimbursements of the entry fee. 2014 RWA Golden Heart Awards. FROM RWA: The online entry form for the Golden Heart Contest will open at 9 a.m. CT on November 12, 2013.
 |
| From the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
That's it for this week!
As we salute our veterans, past and present, Seekerville welcomes you to post your Veterans Day Salute pictures on our Facebook page.
The coffee pot's set. Bring your own mugs.
ReplyDeleteGot some great links this week. I've got to go back and read some more of them.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
I was paying attention.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate our vets, but I won't make you stand up if you don't want to. My hubby hides in the church nursery on veterans day to avoid standing up. :)
LOL, Melissa. I just look washed out in OD green. Why couldn't it be a red uniform???
ReplyDeleteMelissa, my son is about as bad.
ReplyDeleteHelen, thanks for making the coffee. I don't thank you often enough.
ReplyDeleteLoving the coffee, Helen!!!!
ReplyDeleteTina and Cara, thank you for sharing the pics and super big hugging you both thanks for serving our country!!!! God bless you for your cheeky bravery and getting through BOOT CAMP!!!!!
And Tina, I think you look Hollywood movie adorable in your drab.... And Cara as a blonde is Hot, hot, hot!!!!!!!!!
Oh my stars, I just read "A New Breed of Romance" and I'm just thrilled about the sweet shout out they gave to Bob Mayer and hybrid authors!!!! The article is long but touches on lots of aspects especially from the library POV. Well done!
AND I ORDERED MRS. MIKE FOR MY KINDLE!!!!! My beloved childhood book (well, 7th and 8th grade, Understood Betsy was my first fave!) is on my Kindle! Oh, happy dancing for Kathy and Mike's beautiful love story!!!!!
And Deb Giusti, thank you to your family for their years of tireless service to our country. Deb and Tony are my go-to people for creating military heroes that fit today's profiles. God bless you all!!!
Love those pictures!! And great links. Loved the four types of authors. Also, the hybrid author article. I'd already read most of it, but not all in one place, written so clearly. Nice to see the progression of the industry!
ReplyDeleteThe indie success story article made me laugh. Love Passive Guy. And yes, why is it that it's considered a 'success' only if it ends in a traditional contract? Great comments, too.
Oh my gosh! I just say I won the 2 book set of A Cup of Christmas Cheer. I love Christmas themed books and I am SOOOOOO excited. Thank you all so much!
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate the links you leave us on the weekend. A lot of good information is found here.
I noticed you have the link for getting a free copy of Mrs. Mike. I downloaded it last night. I would highly recommend this book. I read it when I was 13 years old for the first time and again in my 20s. It is such a wonderful book.
Have a happy week everyone!
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
countrybear52 AT yahoo DOT com
I would also like to say I appreciate our men and women in uniform so much. I come from a military family. I was raised in the Air Force as my dad spent over 20 years in the service. My brother was Navy.
ReplyDeleteOur local Applebee's has decorated their entire restaurant in honor of all active and retired service men and women and are having a BIG free meal for them all on Veteran's Day. I think that is awesome!
Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy W.
Wow -- what an awesome WE! Loved those pics of Tina and Cara!!!! We have Remembrance Day here in Canada on the same day y'all have Veterans Day but I think you are much better at showing appreciation as a community than we are.
ReplyDeleteThe link that resonated most with me was A Writer's Checklist from the novelmatters blog. I wrote them all out the old-fashioned way so I can post them up on my wall. Simple things, but will really help me keep backstory in check (I hope!)
Thank you Tina and Cara Lynn for serving our country! I appreciate your service.
ReplyDeleteHappy Veterans Day!
I read the Amazon sale to honor the FAA rule about NOT powering down Kindles during take off article.
ReplyDeleteI always found that incredibly annoying. Sure, if you're worried about electronic interference...ask me to turn the wifi off, but power down the whole kindle? But...that's my BOOK. Now I can't read my book for the first ten to fifteen minutes of my flight and the last ten to fifteen minutes of my flight?
Very sad. Especially if I'm counting on the Kindle book to distract me from take-off and landing which I don't much enjoy on the flight!
So YAY
I totally get that Cara and Tina have been trained to kill.
ReplyDeleteI NEVER FORGET THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
In Nebraska right now there's a big fund raising effort right now for honor flights for Korean War vets to visit War Memorials in Washignton DC.
ReplyDeleteIt just really catches my attention because My dad was a Korean War vet and he's been gone now for over ten years. And while he died too soon for me....he lived a good long life really. So it's strange to see these Korean War vets and even WWII vets still going.
There are a lot of them.
Thanks Cara and Tina for your service to our country!
ReplyDeleteThanks to veteran Seekervillagers and their spouses! My dh was in the National Guard so not a vet by definition, but I'm thankful for all who serve and served.
Praying for our servicemen and women all over the world for God's protection.
Thanks for another outstanding Weekend Edition, Tina! Looking forward to next week's lineup.
Janet
Mary, I hadn't considered that Tina and Cara had been trained to kill. You may need to watch your step. LOL
ReplyDeleteJanet
LOLOL. Don't I LOOK like a killer in that picture?????
ReplyDeleteNo, Tina, you don't look like a killer. But those are the ones we should worry about.
ReplyDeleteI would love to enter the GH, but I'm no longer a member of RWA. Just ACFW.
Everyone have a great weekend!
Thank you, to everyone who served or stood by the stuff while family members served our country! I am very grateful for your sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteHappy Veteran's Day!
And happy long weekend to those that get one.
Thank you, Tina and Cara, you're both brave girls! :-)
ReplyDeleteA great big thank you to all the men and women who serve our country.
Tina, another good WE of information. I'll gift myself with several hours of reading time this afternoon.
And speaking of gifts... :-) I received a wonderful box from Amazon. It contained the gift I won for the 5th week birthday celebration from Seekerville. Wonderful! Lots of tea, cookies and other goodies!
I took pictures. My camera is built into my hand—anything exciting and it pops out and starts clicking! I can't help it! :-)
Thank you for the great weekend edition, TINA, and the tribute to our veterans. And thank you for sharing the in-uniform photos of our very own Seekers!
ReplyDeleteAnd a big thank you to all those who have served/are serving and those who have stood bravely by them.
Oh, I love hearing veteran comments and applause for our servicemen and women! Thank you all!!!!
ReplyDeleteOn a totally different writing topic: The very interesting article from The Passive Voice, a great story to encourage you to "read between the lines".
I'm not a conspiracy theory person. Mostly I don't care enough and don't have time to ferret facts.
But with some interesting and already rich people trying to make significant money off of new Christian authors by selling "Packages" to help them succeed...
This pull-herself-up-by-the-bootstraps girl is looking for the Kool-Aid jug in the room.
And it's okay to not agree with me, most intelligent people don't but for heaven's sake, GUARD YOUR MONEY, people.
That whole adage about a sucker born every minute??? I think it applies.
But then again, I submit to the Good Will Hunting school of education as he's addressing a stuffed-shirt Harvard post-grad: "For a dollar and seventy-five cents in late fees I could have the same thing at the public library."
I don't think there are any shortcuts to writing, paid or otherwise so BE CAREFUL. Don't be gilded by a name... or a look... or a profession of faith.
To thine own self be true, authors. You and God = a great package at no cost!
Love the pix, Cara & Tina! Thank you for serving your country!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to our winners for the week, and thanks for another great WE, Tina! You always come up with the most interesting links!
YAY--hubby is doing better every day with his new knee. He's being a good boy and faithfully doing his PT exercises. There is light at the end of the tunnel!
Thank you to everyone who has served or has a family member that has!
ReplyDeleteMyra, I'm sending get well wishes and prayers for your hubby!
Huge thanks to our Veterans for their service to our country!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cara and Tina!!!
God bless our military heroes!!!
Wow, Cara was a beauty!!! So pretty! And a lieutenant, no less. Wow.
ReplyDeleteTina, you look cute, but you look like you're wearing your father's clothes! I want to see a pic of you in your dress uniform! :-)
Happy Veteran's Day!!! Thank you for your service!!!
Love the photos of Cara and Tina. Thank you for your service.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to all my family of veterans who served. My dad=WWII,my brother= Vietnam, hubby= Taiwan Straights and Cuban crisis, hubby 's dad WWII and prisoner of war in Korean War. All my nieces and nephews who served in the armed forces.
Well said, Ruthy.
ReplyDeleteAnd I find it rather ironic that their "indie publishing success story" was convicted of fraud and fined over a million dollars in restitution.
Well, he had money to buy that fancy vanity publishing package from Thomas Nelson, obviously. :D
I see a lot of smaller presses, too, springing up under well-known author names. Some are really guiding the writer, and some are just offering banner services... nothing useful. I peeked into one under a famous person's 'series' and the entire first page was a mess. No punctuation, typos, and run on sentences were rampant.
Not sure what services were provided with that 'small press' but it certainly wasn't editorial.
GREAT WE, TEENSTER!!! Soooo grateful to learn about Sandra's freebie because definitely want to promo that!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Julie
GREAT WE, TEENSTER!!! Soooo grateful to learn about Sandra's freebie because definitely want to promo that!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Julie
Oh, and DUH ... meant to tell you how much I LOVE the heart header picture in this post -- SO very cool, especially in honor of Veteran's Day.
ReplyDeleteMy prayers and thanks go out to every veteran out there, including you and Cara!!
Hugs,
Julie
Tina, you look adorable in uniform! Great pic of Cara as well. Thanks to all out veterans and their families for protecting our freedom.
ReplyDeleteMelanie. I was Army. We actually worked in the Army.
ReplyDeleteThat was my go to work outfit.
Shift work. Sit at a desk and listen to morse code on radios. For hours.
Hours.
Upon hours.
Army doesn't have time to wear no stinkin' dress uniform.
ReplyDeleteGreat WE, Miss T, and CONGRATS to all the winners!
ReplyDeleteLove those photos of Cara and Tina in uniform - - Thank you for serving our country. I appreciate our Veterans so very much, and hold a great amount of respect for them.
Am later chiming in today, because I just got home from a wonderful day-trip with my family to the north GA mountains!! Such a fun time (and Missy Tippens, I thought about YOU as we drove past the Woodstock exit!). :)
Hugs, Patti Jo
Sorry, Tina! Don't get mad at me! Mary reminded me that you are trained to kill! And listen to Morse code! Gosh, that sounds really boring. Did they ever send jokes over Morse code? I'm guessing not.
ReplyDeleteMelly, I listened to Russian troops. So when they did tell jokes it was in Russian. So I had to call for a linguist.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the winners! And thank you for your service, Tina and Cara. Y'all look great in your uniforms. :)
ReplyDeleteMy fiancé is Air Force, and is actually deployed til March, so if you'd keep him in your prayers, we'd sure appreciate it.
Happy Veteran's Day!
Tina... are you good at languages?
ReplyDeleteI ask because people with prodigious linguistic skill usually are very good cryptographers... and Morse code qualifies.
How fast did you understand the copy in your head? I knew a guy in college who said he could translate it at 50 words a minute, but... he might have been yanking my chain.
And a friend of mine said that they were taught Morse code by ear because they realized that it took twice as long to teach people Morse code when you used your eyes. It seemed that the dashes and dots really were confusing, but the sounds were easier to learn. But then, that's probably the same for all languages.
I think the old style of texting with how we had to select a letter from the series of three on the button was a sort of code, honestly. People I knew could text without looking, which meant they were actually remember that 'B' was two presses of the first number on the keypad, etc.
Melanie is only brave enough to be sassy because of GEOGRAPHY.
ReplyDeleteShe thinks many large states separating her from Tina will save her.
And they very well might.
All I remember about Mrs. Mike is their children die.
ReplyDeleteThere is other stuff, right?
Anna, praying for your special hero!!!
ReplyDeleteThank him for his service! We're proud of him and you!
I only know English and cursing in Italian and Morse.
ReplyDeleteYes. Absolutely, that is how you learn Morse code. You do learn the dots and dashes.
Di dah is Alpha. But it's the sounds that really click.
But as far as linguistics. When you are copying Morse code you are copying a set group of letters. They do not mean or say anything.
It's send out to establish a location from one troop to another. As a user you learn to recognize the characteristics of your user or radio guy.
It's all done by computer now, sending and receiving.
But when they send plain text they are talking to each other as friends. Happens rarely. New Years Eve, Christmas. When it happens we can tell the pattern is different and it starts to LOOK like real words. We call a linguist.
They don't tell us what they are saying because...WE DON'T HAVE THE NEED TO KNOW.
Which is how security works. Top Secret Clearance. You only have the clearance to know what you need to know.
But off the record the lingies would tell us, they're just talking about their girl friends and wishing each other Happy New Year.
Fascinating though.
Yeah, that Melly is really brave. Fortunately she doesn't know I never hit the target with my M-16. BUT I could clean it and put it back together faster than your momma can lace her combat boots.
ReplyDeleteAnna, praying for your guy even if he is NOT Army. Good news. He isn't Navy.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, Tina, you always struck me as more the BAYONET type.
ReplyDeleteCara, now her yeah, M-16. I totally can see that.
No bayonets provided. Sorry to disillusion you.
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia:
United States
The American M16 rifle used the M7 bayonet which is based on earlier designs such as the M4, M5 and M6 models, all of which are direct descendants of the M3 Fighting Knife and have a spear-point blade with a half sharpened secondary edge. The newer M9 has a clip-point blade with saw-teeth along the spine, and can be used as a multi-purpose knife and wire-cutter when combined with its scabbard. It can even be used by troops to cut their way free through the relatively thin metal skin of a crashed helicopter or airplane. The current USMC OKC-3S bayonet bears a resemblance to the Marines' iconic Ka-Bar fighting knife with serrations near the handle.
Lovely WE with the salute to veterans!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the winners.
I also express my gratitude to those Seekers, Villagers and their family members who have served and do serve our country. Blessings!
That is really fascinating, Tina! I tried to learn Russian when I lived in Ukraine for a year. It was too hard! Or I was too lazy. Or both.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Mary's right. I'm only brave because I live so far away! :-)
Isn't it nice to see all the flags flying everywhere in honor of Veteran's Day? When I drove into town yesterday, there were small flags stuck in the ground lining the entire lengths of several main streets, flags hanging from front porches -- and did anyone see the coverage about the honoring of the surviving Doolittle Raiders?
ReplyDeleteAnother great WE, TINA. The article about the new breed of romance was particularly interesting. And boy is there more reason than ever before to check and double check and then check again when someone offers 'help packages' for self-publishing authors.
Oh! Congrats to the winners ... and thanks to Cara and Tina :-)
Nancy C
Oh my gosh, thanks TINA for alerting us to the free download of Mrs. Mike. I remember being so impressed with that story -- maybe the free download will bring it to new readers' attention.
ReplyDeleteNancy C
TINA, there is something so Private Benjamin about that picture of you :-)
ReplyDeleteNancy C
"TINA, there is something so Private Benjamin about that picture of you."
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY, NANCY. The scene where she is marching in circles in the rain.
EXACTLY.
Tina, thanks for a fantastic WE.
ReplyDeleteThanks also to you, Cara and Debby and hubby for serving our country as well!
Ok, so the Morse was in code... beyond the code?
ReplyDelete*pop*
That was my brain.
I though that the Morse code peeps sat and translated the messages... but you're really just handling code.
SO interesting.
And I would die of boredom if that were my job. I do love conversation.
Russian was the first non Western European language I ever learned. Polish is harder. Ukrainian looks hard, but is easier than both of those. Bulgarian is like the Spanish of Slavic languages. They have hardly any cases. People in my classes achieved conversational fluency in months.
Congrats to the winners!
ReplyDeleteOur pastor read this poem in church this morning and I just had to share:
It's the soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion.
It's the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It's the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest.
It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It's the soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It's the soldier who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows to protester to burn the flag.
~Charles Michael Proince, US Army
Thankful for our veterans! ~Stacey
That's supposed to be "the protester"....
ReplyDeleteYep, Virginia. It was pretty boring. We had super long cords so we could wheel all over the room and still stay on the radio. So you learn to have fun.
ReplyDeleteBowling with pop bottles. Practical jokes. Whatever got you through a shift.
Thanks for sharing that, Stacey!
ReplyDeleteTina Radcliffe said...
ReplyDelete"TINA, there is something so Private Benjamin about that picture of you."
EXACTLY, NANCY. The scene where she is marching in circles in the rain.
EXACTLY.
-----
"I think they sent me to the wrong place ... See, I did join the army, but I joined a *different* army. I joined the one with the condos and the private rooms."
:-)
Nancy C