Find Your Genre…The Groundhog Way

with guest Meghan Carver.


What an honor to be a guest on Seekerville today! I feel like I’m sitting at the banquet table with the royalty of writing. I’ve been reading and commenting here for quite a while, but to actually guest post? What a thrill!

Happy Groundhog Day! Will it be six weeks of winter or six weeks of spring? Here in Indiana, it’s more like two days of winter, four days of spring, a week of winter, a day of spring…. Well, you get the idea. 


In case you need a reminder, Groundhog Day is the day that Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his hole in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with great pomp and ceremony. We’re talking men in tuxedos and top hats! If the groundhog sees his shadow and pops back into his hole, that means we get six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, then we get an early spring.

For some of us (ahem…me), seeking publication can be a bit like Punxsutawney Phil popping out of his hole year after year. I’ve flopped around from genre to genre until I discovered what fit best. (And I’m guessing it fits since my debut novel, Under Duress, comes out this month! )

My first pop out of my hole was to try children’s picture books. I have six children, so I was spending an extraordinary amount of time reading children’s books. I can do that, I thought. I set out to write a picture book for each of my children’s birthdays, each at the requisite thirty-two pages and illustrated by my then eleven-year-old. The children were thrilled, but it didn’t take much reading of writer and agent blogs to realize how incredibly difficult it is to find a publisher for children’s literature. Back into my hole I went.  

The next time I showed my head above-ground, I had written a legal suspense. My dream since grade school was to write a novel, and my dad, a lawyer, had hooked me on John Grisham and Scott Turow. I have a law degree, so I can do that, I thought. I pecked away at my laptop and finished my first novel. I did have an agent write that I had a voice that made him want to read on, but it was still a rejection. A couple more rejections later, I retreated into my hole.

My next pop out of my hole was with women’s fiction. I had always enjoyed women’s fiction, and I had a great idea for a series. I’m a woman, so I can do that, I thought. I completed Book One, entered a contest…then saw my shadow and popped back into my den. 

Time-slip novels. I like those! They’re a nice blend of contemporary and historical, not too much research but enough to keep it interesting. I can do that, I thought. I went to work in my den on a time-slip novel, this one relying heavily on the life of my paraplegic father. I tapped away until The End, edited, then submitted to contests and agents. A few rejections later, I retreated underground again, thinking I should just shelve that one as a tribute to my father’s unparalleled life.

Okay, what next? I scratched my furry little groundhog head and wondered what I could write that might hasten the advent of spring. Since speculative fiction was out for me, I was quickly running out of genres. Romance? Romance was popular, always is popular, but who wants to write kissing scenes? Eeew! (Says the writer with six children.) Well, at my first ACFW conference ever, the Lord brought into my life a sweet and encouraging Love Inspired Historical author who had just sold her first book. (Hi, Angel Moore!) I left that conference energized, thinking I can do that! I got right to work, but I never did pop out of my hole with that one. The Love Inspired editors announced a search for suspense stories. 

When I did finally pop out of my hole with romantic suspense, I knew I’d found my genre. With my second romantic suspense manuscript, the winter of waiting was over. 

So, what’s a groundhog to do while in the hole? How do we find the genre that fits us best? 

Read widely. Read lots of different genres to see which resonates with you. Which is most interesting? Which fits your voice? Your personality?

Pray. Seek God’s wisdom about the opportunities before you. He will guide you if you’ll listen.

Seek Godly counsel. Talk to friends, both writers and readers, who know your writing. 

Write widely. Try your hand at different genres that interest you. You’ll know best how much time to spend. It may not be an entire novel but a short story or flash fiction.

Study the industry. So much of what I’ve learned about writing and publishing (which really isn’t that much, despite my masquerading here on Seekerville as a guest) comes from reading blogs and attending conferences. You have a good start by being here at Seekerville! Agent blogs provide much education as well as editors on Twitter, and it’s hard to go wrong with time spent with your ear to the ground at a good writing conference.


So, let’s talk! What’s your genre? How did you discover it? What advice would you share for finding the right place in the publishing landscape?

By sixth grade, Meghan Carver knew she wanted to write. After earning a degree in English from Millikin University, she detoured to law school, earning a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University. She then worked in immigration law and taught Comp 101 at the local college. Now, she home schools her six children with her college professor husband. When she isn’t writing, homeschooling, or planning the family’s next travel adventure, she is active in her church, sews for her kidlets, and reads. 



Leave a comment today for an opportunity to win a print copy of Under Duress. Winners announced in the Weekend Edition.

Family on the Run

Criminals are trying to kidnap attorney Samantha Callahan's adopted daughter, Lily—and she has no idea why. So when bullets start flying, Samantha and Lily speed off in her car…and crash right into help. Ex-cop Reid Palmer is shocked when former law school classmate Samantha rear-ends his car and then climbs in with her daughter and begs him to drive. Now they are on the run, and Reid will do anything to protect them and figure out why kidnappers are after Lily. As they struggle to evade capture, Reid begins to realize that Samantha is more to him than just a woman in trouble. But with the enemies closing in and their motives finally revealed, will Reid be able to make sure justice is served?

God—You Want Me To Write What?!?

with guest, Jordyn Redwood.

Happy Birthday, Seekerville! Thanks so much for having me. I always enjoy the conversation when I’m here.  

When you get your first book contract—it is truly an amazing event in the writer’s life. An occasion to be celebrated. My agent said to me, “Congratulations! You’re on your way to a great writing career.”

Despite my hard work to drive sales of my debut medical trilogy and even after my first two novels got nominated for a few awards—well— I was met with the sound of crickets chirping. My follow-up proposal wasn’t picked up. 

This was followed by multiple announcements that authors dread hearing. Bookstores closing. Fiction lines being shut down. Well known and better selling authors were getting released from their contracts. 

As an ER nurse, in the words of the sage Survivor host Jeff Probst, I began to strategize. 

I decided to indie publish the books from the proposal that got rejected and started to write the first one. The main crux to do this was to have something for readers by this Fall—about two years after my last book, Peril, released.

I was very concerned, even doubtful, that I would see another traditional publishing contract and the financial reality of going indie and the work behind accomplishing that goal began to weigh on me. At the same time, I witnessed fellow nurses in their “prime” getting forced out—particularly if they didn’t have an advanced degree. 

These concerns and financial pressures led me to have a serious discussion with my husband about going back for an advanced nursing degree—which would seriously hamper building a writing career.

The very next day, I got an e-mail from Guideposts asking me to audition for a cozy mystery series. I auditioned for two—and washed out of both. 

I write thrillers. Edgy ones. Romance is not my strength. It pains me to write outside my comfort zone. But I felt God asking me to do just that. Looking back, I think the Guideposts auditions showed me that it was possible and I could even enjoy it.

I’d heard about Love Inspired’s Blurb to Book contest but didn’t consider myself a good fit for the line. One—the romance—let’s just leave it at that. I put it out of my mind. 

Then one night I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Seriously—I like my sleep so it was annoying. 

“Okay,” I mumbled to God. “I’ll check the guidelines because I’ll bet the deadline for submissions has passed.” 

No. Three days left. 

I’ll give it one day and if I’m still this restless then I’ll enter as a matter of obedience.
I’ve never felt like I’ve wrestled with God until those sleepless nights. I couldn’t figure out any other reason to feel this way about a book line I felt completely inadequate to write for. Kissing scenes?!? Please—I’d rather deal with a medical emergency.

I continued to not sleep so I put together an entry the day before it was due. God, I did as you asked. Now, let me sleep. 

Needless to say, I didn’t expect to move on in the contest. Then, I progressed to the second round where I had to write the plot synopsis and first three chapters. 

There, God. I did as you asked. I know you’re having fun with me.

Then I made it to the third round. 

WHAT?!?

Now I had to write the whole novel and edit it—in about eight weeks. 

Lord, you saw that vacation on my calendar? 

I made the deadline and wasn’t expecting to hear anything until August 30th. Then on July 29th, the day after I found out I didn’t get a nursing promotion, I got the call from Emily Rodmell that they were offering me a contract for my contest entry. 

WHAT?!?

I think what this year has taught me is that God has the writing life planned for me but not in the way I expect it might come together. Isn’t He funny that way? The things I said I would never write became the only things I could write with a traditional publisher. This year became about learning about God’s provision for my writing life even when I faltered and didn’t quite believe I could make the whole thing work. This year was about taking opportunities—even if they required me writing outside my comfort zone. It is possible—and it’s good to stretch those writing muscles. 

Be open to opportunities you normally wouldn’t consider. If God means for you to make a go of being a published author—it will happen. He will find a way. 

How have you seen God speak into your writing life?

 

Jordyn Redwood is a pediatric ER nurse by day, suspense novelist by night. She hosts Redwood’s Medical Edge, a blog devoted to helping authors write medically accurate fiction. Her first two medical thrillers, Proof and Poison, garnered starred reviews from Library Journal. Proof was shortlisted for the 2012 ForeWord Review’s BOTY Award, 2013 INSPY Award and the 2013 Carol Award. Poison shortlisted for the 2014 INSPY Award and the 2014 Selah Award. In addition to her novels, she blogs regularly at Redwood’s Medical Edge and the WordServe Water Cooler. You can connect with Jordyn via her website at www.jordynredwood.com. 

Seekerville loves that Jordyn sold to Love Inspired Suspense thanks to a contest. We love it so much that we're going to offer to critique the first TEN pages for one writer to prepare your manuscript for a contest. 

For one reader, a lovely assortment of inspirational romances.

Winner's of both giveaways announced in the Weekend Edition!

Writers Write.

with guest Cate Nolan. 

I remember seeing a craft book with that title and thinking how simple it sounded.

Some days writing is simple. Some days it’s even glorious. But some days it’s just plain hard work.

In preparing this post, I’ve been reflecting upon the seasons of this writing life.

We have those hopeful spring days when every seed of an idea is a beautiful story waiting to be nurtured.

Spring gives way to writing’s summer - long carefree days of playing with characters, splashing around in plot puddles, maybe chasing the fireflies of our dreams.

Glorious autumn yields a writer’s heart grateful for God’s bountiful harvest of words. We approach our writing each day refreshed, renewed, and with joyful anticipation.

But what about the bleak winter of a writer’s soul?

What about those days when you can’t string two words together without cringing? When your mind feels like that image of the writer’s trash bin full of crumpled paper.

How do we find motivation to keep pounding the keyboard when that bright and shiny beloved idea has become a problem child who refuses to cooperate? Those days you are absolutely convinced this creature will never come close to your hopeful imaginings? 

                                                        We can overcome.

I think, that as writers of inspirational fiction, we have a secret weapon to keep us going through those dark days. We have the knowledge that we are serving our God with our work.

It’s not always easy to keep that purpose in mind. I’m hoping, with this post today, to begin a conversation that will inspire us to remember the importance of our work - especially during those times when doubt prevails.

For a long time I hesitated to write inspirational fiction because I lacked the confidence to tackle something so important. Who was I to preach through my writing? The task was too daunting. Eventually, though, through prayer and conversations with other writers, I came to understand that the answer was simply that as a child of God it is my calling and my responsibility to share his love.

When I was writing Christmas in Hiding for the Killer Voices contest, I was teaching full time, tutoring after school, and trying to keep a husband and dog fed and happy.
I was also up against a hard deadline that at times seemed impossible to meet. I was ready to toss in the towel more often than I care to remember.

But just when I needed it most, I heard a song that put it all in perspective for me. The TV show Nashville has a lot of great music, but one song in particular spoke to me - specifically these lyrics from the song It Ain’t Yours to Throw Away.

“What if you’re just a vessel, and God gave you something special? It ain’t yours to throw away.

 
The lyrics literally jumped out at me. Whenever I even considered quitting, I’d put that song on and keep writing. What if God had given me something special to say? What if by quitting, I was saying no to Him?

I’ll tell you, that thought was a powerful motivator!

More recently, I came across a quote by Sarah Young in Jesus Calling Morning and Evening Devotional.

She says: “There are no limits to what My great Power and Glory can accomplish!”

Think about that. There are no limits to what God can do through our writing - except those we impose upon ourselves.

Several weeks ago, I heard a reading from the Book of Numbers (11:25-29) The people were trying to get Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying. Moses responded, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”
So every time you think you can’t do it, every time you’re tired of rejection or bad reviews, remember that secret weapon. Remember that we write in service of an awesome God.

There was another song I had on repeat while I wrote Christmas in Hiding. I thought it was rather appropriate since it was the version from The Voice. Holly Tucker singing How Great Thou Art never failed to move me and I wrote the song into my story, giving it to my heroine, Callie to sing at the lowest point in her life.

The day before I got the call from Emily Rodmell, I was walking home from church when suddenly the church bells began to peal a song I’d never heard them play before. Yes, How Great Thou Art. I still get emotional remembering that moment. It felt very much like a sign of approval. I try to remember that feeling too when the demons of doubt assail me.

Last week Mary Connealy wrote about the cord of three strands and said, 

“I think Christian fiction can be so much more powerful than secular fiction. And it’s that third strand—Faith—that strengthens it… The underpinning of faith gives the entire Christian book a depth…And it makes for stories that are not easily broken.”

I’d like to add to that and say we write stories of faith and that makes us writers who are not easily broken. We have God on our side because we are telling faith-inspired stories. Through our writing, we are being his disciples. If we allow ourselves to be open and let his love and grace work through us, there are absolutely no limits to the stories we can tell and the light we can bring into this world.

  

Cate Nolan lives in New York City, but she escapes to the ocean any chance she gets. A devoted mom, wife and teacher, Cate loves to leave her real life behind and play with the characters in her imagination. She’s got that suspense writer gene that sees danger and a story in everyday occurrences. Cate particularly loves to write stories of faith enabling ordinary people to overcome extraordinary danger. 

Where you can find Cate:
 http://www.catenolanauthor.com/
Facebook
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AuthorCateNolan
http://www.yankeebellecafe.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/


 
Today Cate is giving away an autographed copy of Christmas in Hiding to one commenter. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Christmas In Hiding

CHRISTMAS IN WITNESS PROTECTION

 After her ex-boyfriend's murder, Callie Martin has no choice but to trade her quiet life as a kindergarten teacher for the witness protection program. It's US Marshal Jackson Walker's job to keep Callie safe, but the men who would do her harm just keep getting closer and closer. Either someone on the inside is betraying Callie, or she's lying to Jackson about her involvement. So he decides to go off the grid, spiriting her away to the remote Vermont countryside at Christmas. Jackson wants to trust her, but with danger dogging their every move, he'll have to use all his energy to keep her alive.

Day 12 of our Birthday Bash!!

Shine with a Steady Light

with guest Piper Huguley.

My mother’s favorite spiritual out of the many she knew was: “This Little Light O’ Mine.” It was a song that she learned as a child, but was her love of the song was no doubt reinforced by her participation in the Civil Rights Movement.  It’s a song that’s meant to reflect God’s purpose for us in the world as we serve him according to his will.  So, I meant to choose “SHINE” as my word this year, to reflect what I would hope would happen for me in calendar year 2015—when I released of my three “Migrations of the Heart” novels in a row, two months apart. The journey to this “hat trick,” as it might be called, was not an easy one. 

Glow

I have thought about where I might fit in the publishing world for a long time.  After my mother-in-law died a few years ago, my family went through some difficult times in the aftermath.  That’s when I decided to revisit my writing—something that I missed doing while I was raising my son. I had long thought of the historical as a possibility. I always wondered why there were few stories on the market that told the truth as I knew it. I wanted to read stories like those of my great-aunts as modern-day super heroines who had faith enough in God and themselves to seek opportunities for themselves and their families in another place. Their stories resonated with me like Christian immigrant narratives like Siri Mitchell’s A Heart Most Worthy or of women who went west despite marriage difficulties like Serena B. Mitchell’s The Measure of Katie Calloway. I knew my five great-aunties to be women of faith. Was I up to the task of telling their stories as Christian women?  

When I looked back on the path of my life with my education and historical interests already in place because of my job, I knew that I was. I felt that I might have something unique to bring to a larger audience who might also be ready to hear these stories of strength and courage and so the “Migrations of the Heart” series was born. 

Only….

I didn’t understand that within the publishing industry, that when something is not there on the market, there is a reason why it is not there.  I tried to trace down the truth of why there was, in effect, only one inspirational historical romance like mine that had been published way back in 2001 with African American characters.  It had been received with great critical claim and attention that made me think that there should have been others, but no one could tell why there wasn’t.  I thought of this as an error. Someone in some marketing department was mistaken and that surely they would see reason, if I would but provide the means. 

Glimmer

I knew I would have to find the way to seek my audience.  Social media performed that function.  I became comfortable with two platforms: Facebook and Twitter. I also decided to develop a blog that traced my writing journey and also sought to have interested readers learn about the history that I hoped to feature in my stories.  I knew that the reach of my audience would be one that liked to learn new things. Coming to my blog, which I first called “All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes” in honor of my migrating aunties, would be fine with them. The blog also served the function of having a home place on the Internet where publishing officials could be in touch with me—just in case they were seized with the need to publish my story at any instant.   I used to blog every week, but then I saw how that frequency cut into my writing energy, and I cut back to twice a month on the second and fourth Sundays. This schedule has worked well for me. 

On Facebook I targeted groups I thought might be interested in my stories: Christian reading groups, genealogy groups, history buffs and other writers.  Some of this targeting was rather hit or miss, which I’ll get to in a minute, but this start allowed me to have a meaningful number of followers and friends. Such a list might help in spreading the word about my publishing endeavor.  Let me make clear, that at any time, I never formed what some call, “a street team.”  These individuals are my friends and followers.  I am not anywhere near ready for a street team just yet.  

With these I had these social mechanisms in place, I felt confident enough in my writing to enter contests.  I was able to get some attention with a contest win, my two Golden Heart nominations, and my quarter final placement in the Amazon Breakthrough contest. What I never expected was that it was because of social media that the next part fell into place. 

Sparkle

The changing nature of the publishing business meant that when I found a publisher (as I needed to because of my job), it was my connections on social media that put me in the right place and the right time. 

Facebook and Twitter.

Not the query letters, conferences, pitches, or any of that.  Social media. 

This is one of the ways that I believe the publishing industry will have to come to a new understanding of how people relate to one another and find book titles and information.  
There were three publishers who were all at the starting gate with my work in February, 2014. One was a recently started secular company.

One was a recently started Christian company.

The other was an established secular publishing house. 

I selected the established secular publisher because they knew how to conduct business and had a presence in the publishing industry.  Experience mattered for me at this point.  They also promised to get my titles out in a time frame that meant that I could capitalize on the publishing credits that I needed for my job. 

I made the right decision. God was by my side because shortly after I made my decision, the editor who loved my work at the small Christian publishing house?  She left. 

The editors from the new secular publishing house? They didn’t contact me until a year and some later. 

So the audience changed from one I thought I was to have to the one I was meant to have. I am grateful for them.  They look forward to my releases and connect with the points I’m seeking to make with the history.  Some in my audience also say that they have never read an inspirational romance—and they enjoyed it.  Mission accomplished.

Shine

I’ve only been with my publisher for two months, so I don’t know what they think of my books, but I’ve been pleased.  I nearly sold out of A Virtuous Ruby at the Decatur Book Festival, but one copy. People are contemplating teaching in my Migrations of the Heart series.  I don’t really know what’s ahead for me in terms of my series or for my indie published series. I’ve chosen to believe that it’s my purpose to present my stories of faith featuring characters who pulled through difficult circumstances by relying on God’s hand.  That sounds like a lot of inspirational fiction to me, but maybe not to others not so much. 

Warning: Do not dim the light!

The disadvantage of social media is that we can hang on to friends and followers even when they become less useful and supportive.  I’ve prayed about these moves that I’ve made. Even though I’ve had to make certain moves in times of duress, there are still some who have not been supportive.  There are some who will respond to the shine in you as if it burns them.  

If that happens, it’s best to move away from all of that. Those who would seek to dampen your shine are not friends and may need to tend to their own inner light.  I’ve learned the hard way to protect the light for myself.  It is my sacred duty to shine for Him. And only Him. 

Does dimming your light help to fulfill your purpose? 

Piper Huguley, named 2015 Debut Author of the Year by Romance Slam Jam and Breakout Author of the Year by AAMBC, is a two-time Golden Heart ®finalist and is the author of “Migrations of the Heart,” a five-book series of inspirational historical romances set in the early 20th century featuring African American sisters who move from Georgia to Pennsylvania during The Great Migration. Book one, A Virtuous Ruby was published in July 2015. The second book in the series, A Most Precious Pearl, was published in September 2015. The third, A Treasure of Gold, will be published in November 2015.

Huguley is also the author of the “Home to Milford College” series. The series follows the building of a college from its founding in 1866. On release, the prequel novella to the “Home to Milford College” series, The Lawyer’s Luck, reached #1 Amazon Bestseller status on the African American Christian Fiction charts. Book one in the series, The Preacher’s Promise was named a top ten Historical Romance in Publisher’s Weekly by the esteemed historical romance author, Beverly Jenkins.  


She blogs about the history behind her novels at http://piperhuguley.com. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son. 


Today Seekerville is giving away an ecopy of any one of Piper's Migration of the Heart releases to one commenter.  (A Virtuous Ruby, A Most Precious Pearl, or a preorder of her November release, A Treasure of Gold.) Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.


And look!  Piper's release, A Virtuous Ruby is featured on the cover of the November RT Book Reviews that just arrived in subscriber's inbox.

 

Coloring Outside the Lines

with guest Rachelle Dekker.

I have never been a “rule-follower.” I don’t always break the rules, but I do find myself bending them from time to time. Part of it may be the rebel in me that always has to learn the hard way, but part of it comes from the constant creative flow that works its way through my brain. The question of Why? that follows me like a shadow. It dares me to wonder if things have to be done by the rules, and tells me that if I’m brave enough to color outside the lines my experience might be greater. I may unlock secrets others are too afraid to find. 

This part of me is loudest when I sit down to write. Getting published is difficult. There are many steps, many channels and people that have to buy into the story you’re essentially selling. And one of the major questions everyone is chasing is: What’s hot in the market right now? What rules do we need to follow so people will buy the books we’re selling? 

There’s nothing wrong with these questions—publishers and agents should be looking at them. They want to do right by their authors, and frankly, authors have to sell books in order to continue writing. So what happens then, as a writer, when the story you need to tell is out of fashion, by all accounts? Or when it doesn’t fit into the mold that people are comfortable with? 

In the seven years I’ve been actively working on getting published, I have been faced with this problem more often than not. My stories are too edgy, too different, too risky. I want to write religious fiction, but in a secular way. I don’t want my heroine to be saved by a man. I don’t really want to write romance. Why can’t I write about an assassin? Why can’t I write about vampires? Why can’t I write dystopian? The answer to these questions was always the same. Because that isn’t what sells. (Note: I’m talking about the Christian market here.)

There were many times when I thought about just doing what they asked. Giving in and writing what was popular. Now, please hear me when I say I have nothing against what is popular in Christian fiction. It’s beautiful and fantastic and I enjoy reading it! The only problem is that my heart was always pulling me in another direction, and in order for me to write authentically I had to follow my heart. So every time I heard, “This is fine, but I’m not sure it’s what’s right for the market,” I stood at a crossroads. Follow the advice of those who probably know better than you, or follow your gut. 

The decision wasn’t easy, because I really wanted to be published, I really wanted to write and make a living doing it. But I couldn’t ignore the calling in my spirit to be brave and follow the path less traveled. So I continued to write stuff that was outside the box and trusted that the leading in my spirit wouldn’t guide me astray. 

For me it was all a lesson in faithfulness—and trust. Trusting that if I was faithful to my calling then whatever purpose my calling was meant to have in the world would unfold, but I had to be faithful even in the hardest of times.  

Thankfully, I eventually found a publisher that was brave enough to jump off the ledge with me! I remember one of the first times we were at an event together, me and several representatives from my publisher. We were seated around a large round table, listening to the keynote speaker. She was an esteemed figure in the literary world, a top-ranked expert, and she said, “Don’t write or buy dystopian fiction; it’s on its way out.” I’m paraphrasing, of course, but it was something very similar to that. Fear exploded in my chest. I had just sold a novel fitting this exact description to the people sitting around me. I braved a glance at them and I was immediately encouraged. Their faces said, Don’t worry, we’ll prove her wrong. And I was thrilled to have continued to practice faithfulness in my craft. 


Write what your heart is telling you to. Follow the path even if you’re walking it alone. You never know where it will lead you, but if you are faithful to your calling, then you are exactly where you should be. 

What is your calling? Does it ever feel like the world is telling you there’s a right way to follow that calling, but your heart is leading you down another road?

The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat Blair. 

Visit her online at www.rachelledekker.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelledekkerauthor
Twitter: @RachelleDekker

Instagram: @rachelle_dekker


Rachelle is featured in the current Christian Fiction Online Magazine too!

The Choosing (A Seer Novel)

Like all citizens since the Ruining, Carrington Hale knows the importance of this day. But she never expected the moment she’d spent a lifetime preparing for―her Choosing ceremony―to end in disaster. Ripped from her family, she’ll spend her days serving as a Lint, the lowest level of society. She knows it’s her duty to follow the true way of the Authority.

But as Carrington begins this nightmare, rumors of rebellion rattle her beliefs. Though the whispers contradict everything she’s been told, they resonate deep within.


Then Carrington is offered an unprecedented chance at the life she’s always dreamed of, yet she can’t shake the feeling that it may be an illusion. With a killer targeting Lints and corruption threatening the highest levels of the Authority, Carrington must uncover the truth before it destroys her.


Leave a comment for an opportunity to win a copy of The Choosing (which releases TODAY on Amazon!) Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

What Our Stories Teach Us

For Such a Time is the title of my novel. It also summarizes my writing journey. 

Hi, I’m Kate Breslin and honored to be a guest blogger on Seekerville today. I’d like to talk about that journey and how God—through my story—helped to change its course.

First, a bit of background: My writing career started early, consisting of childhood poems and short stories. With adolescence I graduated into more heady prose and creating song lyrics to accompany my guitar. Novel writing came much later, when as an adult I discovered my passion for reading romance. Once I’d exhausted my supply of novels written by my favorite romance authors I decided to try and write one of my own. It certainly wasn’t as easy as it looked! I’ve worked many challenging jobs, but I must say novel writing is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done…and the most rewarding. 

I joined Romance Writers of America as a young and aspiring author, hoping to publish in the general romance market. I wrote my first novel, a 156,000-word Scottish historical that I still affectionately call my “everything but the kitchen-sink” book. After many rejection letters and much revising, I entered the manuscript into RWA’s Golden Heart contest and became a finalist. I was thrilled—all those years of hard work had paid off! I didn’t win, however, and went on to re-revise and resubmit to agents and editors. My stack of rejection letters grew. I began to despair, feeling crushed and wondering if I was even supposed to be a writer. 

Still, I wasn’t quite ready to give up. I finally buried that Scottish book in a drawer and began writing another story then another. I’d heard it said that successful novel-writing consisted of 10% talent and 90% determination, and however realistic those percentages might be, it was sheer tenacity that often kept me at the keyboard. I experienced a few hits and misses with agents, yet nothing came of it so I continued on. During this time, I also began to return into my Catholic Christian faith, and as a Prodigal daughter, I was reading the Bible for the first time and attending church. I started to question my secular pursuits, and briefly considered writing for the inspirational market. But I wasn’t yet spiritually in the right place, so I remained intent upon my own course while ignoring the little Voice inside that told me otherwise.

I believe now God had His hand on me when I got the idea to write For Such A Time. I was reading the Book of Esther from the Bible when I found myself comparing the wicked Haman’s annihilation of the Jews with Hitler’s Holocaust of WWII. I considered setting Queen Esther’s story into that more modern venue and began my research, trying to imagine my characters. Would my heroine, Hadassah, hiding behind false papers in the midst of a Nazi concentration camp, ignore God’s call to salvation? Would she remain helpless to save her people behind Theresienstadt’s walls…or would she take that leap of faith? Did she have a queen’s courage to stand up to her fears and accomplish the task set before her? 

And what of my hero, Aric? Would he, like King Xerxes, listen to the voice of love? Would he see the truth, taking up the call to decency? Or as with many kings in the past, did he consider his position of power and sense of duty more important?

As I wrote my characters, I found their struggles with faith, fear, and uncertainty resonating with my own. After all, I’d been at this writing business for what seemed an eternity, without success. I’d rejected God’s influence more than once and often considered giving up. Was this obstacle course I’d set myself upon His intention for me? 

Yet as I finished writing For Such A Time, it felt right. I felt right. And through the process I’d come to more deeply understand God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. I couldn’t say that about the other novels I’d written. 

But were those earlier stories a waste of time? For nearly twenty years I tried publishing in a market that wasn’t me. I expended reams of paper, gallons of ink, and cried buckets over a mountain of rejection letters. Yet while that Scottish novel may never again see the sun, it, along with my other works did help me—to hone my craft, improve my skills, and simply grow as a writer. Those stories got me ready for the one that really mattered. Through them, I’d come to be exactly where God wanted me—For Such A Time. 

What story changed your journey? How did God call you for such a time as this?

Today, Kate is generously giving away a copy of her debut release to one commenter. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

More about For Such a Time.

In 1944, blond and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric's secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz. 

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy. 


Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp's prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself? 

~~~~~

A Florida girl who migrated to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Kate Breslin lives with her husband, John, and a very spoiled cat named Coco. Kate has written several travel articles, published award-winning poetry, and her first manuscript, a Scottish historical romance, was an RWA Golden Heart finalist. FOR SUCH A TIME is her debut novel. Kate’s writing journey has been one of faith as well as success; after years spent writing novels aimed at the general romance market, she finally heeded God’s call to write stories of how His love brings two hearts together. When not plotting her next novel, she loves spending time with author friends, reading from her mountain of books, or watching anything Jane Austen on BBC. Kate’s also an avid gardener and enjoys taking long walks in Washington State’s many forests. A traveler as well, she’s toured most of the country at one time or another and also been abroad–Paris, Munich, Rome, Pompeii, Athens, even a day trip to Turkey. She’d love to hear from you so please stop by www.katebreslin.com and say hello! 

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8:28 (NRSV)