Welcome to the Weekend Edition!
And the start of Week 3 of Speedbo!
If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes. Send to Seekers@Seekerville.net
Monday: Mary Connealy told us to use Speedbo to write a book because you can!
We have FOUR winners and ONE bonus giveaway.The winners: Cynthia Herron--Goals and Accountability Planner by *lizzie starr. Nicki Chapelway--Building Fiction by Jesse Lee Kercheval. Cindy Regnier--Caffeine for the Creative Brain. Sally Shupe--Long Time Gone. And a bonus winner, because she's having back surgery and may need books to pass the hours, a second copy of Long Time Gone goes to....Jackie Smith.
Tuesday: Keely Brooke Keith was here asking "What would you write if no one would ever read it." We have TWO winners today. The winner of The Writer's Book Launch Journal is DebH. The winner of The Land Uncharted is Laura Russell
Wednesday: Julie Lessman shared her insights on the path to publication and beyond in her blog entitled, "Back-Peddling on the Road to Success." The winner of one of Julie's e-books and a signed paper copy of Splickety Love's SPARK Magazine that includes Julie's flash fiction piece of an alternate ending for Gone With the Wind is Bettie.
Thursday: Ruth Logan Herne talked about Aiming High or Shooting Low. The winners of "Back in the Saddle" mass market edition are Tanya Agler and Laura Russell.
Monday: " A Foot in Two Worlds: Writing in Two Different Genres" with guest Dana Mentink. One commenter today will have their cake and eat it too! They'll win both, Dangerous Testimony and Sit, Stay, Love.
Tuesday: Myra Johnson asks the question, "When Did You Know You Wanted to Be a Writer?" If you're approaching a mid-Speedbo slump, it's an ideal time to rediscover the joy of writing as you recall why you chose this pursuit in the first place!
Wednesday: Debby Giusti offers motivation and Speedbo encouragement in her blog, "Dream Big!" Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for the first giveaway of her upcoming May release, Amish Refuge.
Thursday: Debut Harlequin Heartwarming author, LeAnne Bristow is our guest with her post, "Pressing on When Life Pushes You Back." Stop by to get a dose of Speedbo encouragement and you could win a copy of Her Texas Rebel.
Friday: Today we bring you another inspiring Best of the Archives post. This week from Sandra Leesmith who will present as promised, Show Don't Tell Part 2. Comments are closed on Fridays so we can catch up with our writing and reading.
VIDEO FOR LOVE AT ANY COST
AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, and CBD (79 cents)
It's true! All you have to do is take advantage of the FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Splickety's magazine, which provides the best flash fiction in the industry, by sending a blank email with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line to info@splickety.com. HAPPY READING!
Cover Reveal!
Myra Johnson's Flowers of Eden series continues with book 3, A Rose So Fair.
If you've been waiting to read the love story of spunky Rose Linwood and her longtime best friend, Caleb Wieland, the book will be out Tuesday, April 4, in both ebook and print! Ebook for Kindle and other e-readers available for preorder now!
Debby Giusti invites Seekerville friends to join her at Romancing the Smokies March 17 - 18. Knoxville, TN. A getaway weekend filled with authors, readers, books, yummy food and lots of fun!
Thanks for the link love!
The Five Best Guides on How to Self Publish a Book (Written Word Media)
Trick Question: How Long Did It Take You to Write Your Book (BookEnds Literary)
Ask BHP: Who Starts Trends? (Bethany House Fiction)
Should You Query a Young Agent (Janet Reid)
What Not to Do When Submitting to an Agent (The Write Conversation)
Debby Giusti invites Seekerville friends to join her at Romancing the Smokies March 17 - 18. Knoxville, TN. A getaway weekend filled with authors, readers, books, yummy food and lots of fun!
Thanks for the link love!
February 2017 Big, Bad, Wide & International Report (Author Earnings)
Trick Question: How Long Did It Take You to Write Your Book (BookEnds Literary)
A Writer's Faith (Writer Unboxed)
The 11 Most Common Questions Authors Ask BookBub (BookBub Partners)
Ask BHP: Who Starts Trends? (Bethany House Fiction)
What Not to Do When Submitting to an Agent (The Write Conversation)
Happy Weekend everyone! Looks like I'm the first to comment. Continuing to plug away with my 1000 words a day, 10 days in a row now. I have a fairly free weekend--no work--so hope to get more done. I am glad to be done with subbing for the week. Tired of teenagers! :)
ReplyDeleteHope everyone is doing well with Speedbo!
SANDY, THAT'S AWESOME, GIRLFRIEND!!! You're doing better than me, sweetie!
DeleteTired of teenagers??? How can that be! ;) It reminds me of what my mom always used to say. She said it would be so nice to ship your teenagers (she had 13!!) to an island on their 13th birthday, and not let them come back until they turned 20. ;) Now there's a plan ...
Hugs,
Julie
Wow, Sandy. WAY TO GO. Keep up the progress. I don't know how you regularly write but having 10,000 extra words is such an accomplishment!!! If you do that for FIVE WEEKS you've got an LI.
DeleteGreat SPEEDBO progress, Sandy! Congrats!
DeleteThanks. I am continuing the book I started two years ago in Speedbo. I have 70,000 words total in the book now, although if you took out all the useless adverbs and other boring words it is probably only half that!
DeleteHope you all have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteMyra, that's a stunning cover!!
Thank you, Missy!
DeleteThat is so beautiful, Myra. I'm signed up for your newsletter and saw it a day or two ago. Wow, your publisher is doing so well with this series. (uh, well, you too, of course, you WRITE IT after all) :)
DeleteLove the red-haired beauty on the cover, Myra! Oh my gosh! Folks will be fighting each other to grab a copy as soon as the book hits the bookstore shelves!
DeleteSadly, Franciscan closed their fiction line just before this book would have gone to editing, so I'm self-publishing. But I was able to hire my same editor from the first two books, which gives me confidence the quality will be consistent.
DeleteHi Myra:
ReplyDeleteSince 2008 my favorite romance cover has been "Courting Miss Adelaide" and I'll always love her but the cover on "A Rose So Fair" has the most beautiful heroine I believe I've ever seen on a romance cover! I'm in love already!
Thank you, Vince! She was definitely my favorite of all the photos I had narrowed my choices down to!
DeleteHappy Weekend, Seekerville. I've tortoised in some areas and rabbitted in others. Much cross that finish line! Keep moving!
ReplyDeleteMYRA!!! Love your cover. Congrats. Did you design it yourself??
Thanks, Tina! No, I used Killion Group and asked them to coordinate with the design of the first two books as closely as possible. They did a super job!
DeleteThey did do a great job...but you provided the pics, right? Outstanding!
DeleteI sent several I found on stock photo sites to give them ideas. I was definitely leaning toward the model they chose, though. They did have to "dress" her more appropriately for the 1930s.
DeleteI am adding depth to my story by using the snowflake for the first time. Yay Speedbo!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!
Laura
Laura, how cool that it's helping you. And adding it to the Speedbo writing effort, you'll have something great to show for the month.
DeleteI like the Snowflake model! Good luck!
DeleteGood morning Seekerville! Congrats to all the winners. Everyone is a winner who's participating in Speedbo! I'm feeling great as I turtle along. Thanks for the challenge and the great prizes. Have a great day writing and reading.
ReplyDeleteHey, Turtles are people to! (sez the grandma who participated in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Birthday party this week!)
DeleteCongratulations to all of the winners.
ReplyDeletePraying for Jackie and her upcoming surgery. I've been down that road in the past, so I know what she's going through.
Myra's cover is beautiful!
Thanks for the great WE, Tina!
Thanks, Jill!
DeleteCongratulations to winners! It has been a good week with some inspiring posts.
ReplyDeleteI am chugging along on my Speedbo project and am happy where I'm at. It is below zero in NH today and I will probably stay indoors and try to write a couple of scenes, although my husband and I also have to Do Our Taxes. #bloodbath
KB
Myra, I am looking forward to reading the story of Rose.
ReplyDeleteKB
Thanks, KB! I hope you'll enjoy it!
DeleteStay warm! (Nothing like doing taxes to raise your temperature, huh?)
Great WE edition! Thanks for the links, Tina.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all of the winners.
Myra, what a gorgeous book cover. It is captivating! I know the story is great, too!
Julie, an alternate ending to GWTW? Wow! Congrats!
Have a great weekend everybody. Today we tackle our garage and try to find some of the missing boxes. Ha!
Yep, Jackie, it was a dream come true to be asked to write an alternate ending to one of my favorite classics, so NATURALLY I chose GWTW!! Sooooooo fun!!
DeleteGood luck finding those missing boxes, my friend!
Hugs,
Julie
Thanks, Jackie!
DeleteOh, joy--moving! Always "fun" trying to figure out which box contains the ONE thing you need RIGHT NOW!
Thinking of you, Jackie! Unpacking is always hard!
DeleteCongratulations to the winners! Thank you so much! Speedboing on!
ReplyDeleteGreat WE, Tina. I enjoyed some of the articles, especially the one about trends. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all the winners!
And Myra, I agree with Jackie. Your cover is beautiful!!
I love it, too, Jeanne! Thank you!
DeleteMYRA, love, Love, LOVE that cover, my friend!!
ReplyDeleteAnd, Debby, I don't know if I have ever told you this before, but your author photo is one of the best I have ever seen. Not only do you look GORGEOUS, but you LOOK like an author, too! A definite NY Times Bestsellerish appeal. :)
SUPER CONGRATS to all the winners and to all the Speedboers, fast or slow!
Happy Weekend, all!
Julie
Thanks for the cover compliments!
DeleteOh, yes, I have to agree with you about Debby's photo. Stunning, and so authorially professional.
Thank you, ladies!
DeleteDid Julie mention NYT? If only...
Ruthy checking in from the no internet land of WNY!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm at my son's house, waving. Had to pay some bills and we might not be reconnected for a while, but we have power back and a woodstove, so we're doing all right.... but what a crazy week.
Keep folks in your prayers, shelters are up and running, single digit temps and thousands of folks with no power.... We had 30 people (family and friends and kids) at our house the first day... and almost 15 overnight, so it was a crazy house.... We stoked up the fire and cooked on the gas stove, and we were grateful for both!!!
Must go.
Kittens are arriving as we speak.
Midwife Ruthy!!!!
No power, and kittens on the way? Wow! Fun weekend, huh? ;-D Stay warm!
DeleteWow, Ruthy! You always seem to have a lot on your plate. Praying for the power to be restored and people to find shelter. Good luck with the "special deliveries".
DeleteRuthy, I don't know how they do it in New York, but in Nebraska our cats are NOT electric. They do everything (like give birth) without a power cord OR batteries!
DeleteWow! Glad y'all are okay.
DeleteRuthy, didn't I see that even more bad weather is headed to the NE? Like mountains of snow! Praying for the safety of all. Glad you're providing shelter in the storm. Oh, for a gas stove...
DeleteMyra, I agree that your cover is lovely! Tina, thanks for another great WE and Congratulations to all of the Prize Winners. I consider all of us who participated this week to be winners :-)
ReplyDeleteConnie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you, Connie! Rose's story was definitely one of the most fun to write, too!
DeleteHappy Weekend everyone. congratulations to all the winners.
ReplyDeleteMy laser surgery went great. It is amazing how brighter everything is.
Wondering how much snow we'll get tonight. I was looking forward to church tomorrow. They are calling for 3-6 inches of the white stuff.
I have been successful in writing every day. As of last night I had 9,212. If things keep up I should shatter my goal.
Myra I love your cover!
Happy Writing everyone,
Thanks, Wilani!
DeleteGlad your eye surgery went well! We're expecting about an inch or so of snow here in the morning, but hopefully it won't mess up the roads too badly, as warm as it's been this past week.
Glad all went well, Wilani! Continued prayers. How's your vertigo? I heard someone went gluten-free and their vertigo improved. Just an FYI.
DeleteI will have a test where they put water in my ear to make me dizzy. I will find out the results on March 31.
DeleteCongratulations to all the winners!
ReplyDeleteWILANI, I'm glad your surgery went well!!!
MYRA, I love your cover!
Happy Weekend Seekerville!
Thank you, Caryl! Happy weekend!
DeleteThanks Caryl
DeleteMy Speedbo report: Closing in on the final scenes of my wip. Hope to wrap up the first draft in the next few days and then put it aside to get busy on my next proposal.
ReplyDeleteNOT looking forward to a c-o-o-o-o-l-d week ahead! We were enjoying 60s and 70s for the last several days, but only in the 50s today and snow predicted for early tomorrow morning. Then lows below freezing for at least half of next week!!!
MARCH IS JUST PLAIN MEAN!!!
Myra, we too. I could call the book done, but I need to polish the ending, probably add one more short HEA chapter. But right now I'm so ready to start the next book. We might be finishing together.
DeleteLIKE A RACE.
Have you found endings can be harder to write than even the "sagging middles"? Just trying to tie up all the lose ends and make the HEA meaningful and memorable--such a challenge!
DeleteHappy Weekend to all!! Congrats to the winners!! Joining all those who are pressing onward with Speedbo! Just a little behind in my goal, but here comes the weekend!!
ReplyDeleteMyra...Your cover is stunning!! I'm sure it will attract those readers who haven't read your lovely stories yet!!
Julie...I'm anxious to read your alternative ending!! I've always pretended Rhett and Scarlett finally got back together...??
Ruthy...we've hunkered down without power and cooked on our woodstove too. No kittens born, only baby calves! We didn't have a crowd like you have....Are you able to squeeze in some time to write? Praying for all!!
Wishing everyone a deliciously wonderful writing weekend!!
Thanks, Kathryn! Hope you're right!
DeleteSuper WE, Tina!
ReplyDeleteMyra, I had a sneak peek of that cover in your newsletter and was impressed by how lovely it is ... very nice choice of colors. Congratulations on your latest release!
Congrats to all you winners. And "way to go!" for you Speedbo-ers.
Special thanks to you readers for cheering for the Speedbo-ers :-)
Nancy C
Thanks, Nancy! What's not to love about a red, red rose? :)
DeleteSo Ruthy, will this experience show up in an upcoming book? :-) Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteNancy C
Myra, that's a gorgeous cover!
ReplyDeleteSo far Speedbo is going well--I've even built up a little buffer on top of meeting my daily word count goal!
Thanks, Rachael! Glad your Speedbo is going well! Nice to have those buffers for when the unexpected interrupts the flow.
DeleteHappy Saturday, all!
ReplyDeleteMyra...love your cover!
Praying for anyone without electric or undergoing surgery.
SPEEDBO update (Good thing I edited. I almost said Speedo update. Yikes!)
I just hit send on my December Love Inspired Suspense. Up to 20,000 so far.
Thanks, Dana! Gotta love autocorrect! I don't know how many times I've had to tell it NOT to mess with my Speedbo spelling!
DeleteMyra, love the cover! I know I'll love the story too!
ReplyDeleteYoungest daughter just finished the DC Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon! Lots of snow forecast on Monday when she's flying home. Hopefully the snow hits after her plane takes off! :)
We've turned cold in GA, but no snow forecasted here, which is good! Stay warm, everyone!
Thanks, Deb!
DeleteHow'd your daughter do in the half-marathon? I could maybe make half a mile . . . walking. ;)
She had a great time! The temp was in the 20s, and the race organizers were warning the runners to take it slow due to the cold. They had warm up buses available at the end of the race where runners could change out of their wet-clothing and into something dry.
DeleteBrrrrr!!! A friend of ours did a half-marathon in Branson this weekend and sent photos of the snow. Cannot even imagine! I am totally a warm weather beach-y person!
DeleteHappy Weekend! Congratulations to our winners. I'm looking forward to next week. Always inspiration and fun in Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteJanet
DEBBY, a weekend in Knoxville with writers and readers sounds wonderful. Have a blast and while you're at it, celebrate St. Patrick's Day, too!
ReplyDeleteJanet
It's going to be so much fun! There's an Emerald Isle get together Friday night with a Spin Dating type event where authors chat with readers at various tables for a certain time period and then move on to the next table. We're all bringing special SWAG just for the FRI night event. Then more giveaways for the luncheon. Love Inspired sent copies of Amish Refuge that everyone who attends will receive. :)
DeleteMYRA, your cover is gorgeous! All of them have been. I'm eager to read Rose's story.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Thanks, Janet!
DeleteBeautiful cover, Myra. Can't wait to read it
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy!
DeleteChecking in! I've been diligently working on my Speedbo goals for March, so have had my nose to the grindstone almost daily.
ReplyDeleteMYRA... love the new cover! So pretty!
Thank you, Pam!
DeletePLEASE WELCOME, SPEEDBO PARTICIPANT #122 JANA VANDERSLICE!!
ReplyDeleteWooot!!!!!!!!!!
YAY, JANA!!!
DeleteWaving to Jana!!! So glad you're doing SPEEDBO! Hope Mom is well.
DeleteHugs!
Jana, Glad you are doing Speedbo
DeleteThus far I have been able to keep my minimum Speedbo goals, but it doesn't look like I will be able to reach my streeeetch goal of writing 20,000 words this week. I've only made it to 17,559 words which means I still have 2,441 words left to do, and less than an hour to do it. Who knows, I'll certainly try to get those last 2,441 words done, but family game night starts at 7:00 and I've still got to shower and clean up the kitchen from dinner...
ReplyDeleteP.S. Myra your cover is so pretty!
DeleteThanks, Nicki! And great going on your Speedbo goals! 17K in a week is really amazing!
DeleteThanks for the great WE, Tina! Congratulations to all the winners, and those with good book news and updates! Myra I love that cover! So far, so good on my Speedbo goals. Thanks, Seekers and Villagers, for all the encouragement this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura!
DeleteWhew! I just finished writing 5,500 words today. My new total for this month is 14,750. Now my dizzy body is begging me to get ready for bed.
ReplyDeleteAmazing, Wilani! Congratulations!
DeleteLittle late in getting my comments posted. Unexpected company for the weekend, so no writing on Saturday, or this Sunday until we say goodbye to them this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the Speedboers who managed to meet their goals and more.
Temps here for this weekend were in the 80's plus. anyone who needs a warm-up, come on down!
Marcia (who is powering up for an awesome Make-up week of Speedbo!)
Happy Weekend, my friends!! :)
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS to all the winners, and YAY for JANA joining in on SPEEDBO!! :)
Am in awe of folks who run marathons in frigid weather (like DEBBY G's daughter!!) and folks who write tons of words in one day (waving at WILANI!).
As the Scripture says, I press on!! :) Am having so much fun with my Speedbo story and learning more about a (fictional) royal family. ;)
Cannot wait to read JULIE'S alternate ending for Gone With The Wind!! And super excited about MYRA'S 3rd book in her series - - LOVED the other 2 (especially Castles in the Clouds!!).
For those who need a sweet snack and aren't sick of my peach desserts (LOL) please enjoy yet another Georgia peach cobbler with extra cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. Yes, there's also vanilla ice cream and whipped cream if you'd like. ;)
Back to SPEEDBO!!
Hugs, Patti Jo
Yum, peach cobbler from Patti Jo! I'll take mine warm from the oven with a steamy cup of decaf. Need a little warm-up during our March cold snap! At least our overnight inch of snow is already almost completely melted.
DeleteReaching for Patti Jo's wonderful peach cobbler. I'll take the low-cal version! :)
ReplyDeleteHugs!
There are NO calories in Seekerville! Didn't you know that? 😉
DeleteYou're right! Thanks for the reminder, Myra!
DeleteLove the scripture for this week! I will press on. Needed to hear that.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to all the writers. I will read and pray for for words for you.
Becky
Hey there, Speedbo peeps! I feel kinda bad because I haven't started working on my Speedbo word count, but I plan to do so this week! I've been editing my 3rd Regency, but I'm almost done! Woot! Then I get to start on my Aladdin story, which I'm soooooo excited about! Yesssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete