The Writer’s Guide to Writing Weddings

with guest Lorna Seilstad.

Hello, Seekerville! I’m thrilled to be here with all of you today to talk about two of my favorite things—weddings and writing.
I’ve been doing wedding planning and wedding flowers for years. I usually help with one to three weddings a year for young couples at church, friends, or family. I don’t charge anything, and I’ve never wanted to be a professional wedding planner. I enjoy being a fairy godmother for a day, but I’m not sure I’d want to do it every weekend. I’m a master at the low-budget, high-appeal wedding. 

Writing a fictional wedding and planning an actual wedding have some important similarities and differences, so I want to give you the Writer’s Guide to Writing Weddings. Keep these points in mind as your heroine heads down the aisle.

1. Decide if your story really needs a wedding in it. Weddings are an often easy way to wrap up a romance, but unless the wedding is key to the storyline, figure out a more creative way to conclude. One way to look at it is to ask yourself, “Will the reader feel cheated if they don’t get a wedding?” Usually, I don’t think they need it. My books tend to end with a proposal or promise for the future. I think readers can imagine the wedding that will come soon for the characters.

If the wedding is part of the story’s catalyst like a forced wedding or a wedding of convenience, keep it short and simple. The real romance is yet to come.

2. If you do conclude with a wedding, remember weddings are all about the details. In real life and in the writing world, details make a wedding memorable. If you include a wedding in your novel, find a few special elements that will make it stick in the reader’s mind. It may be personal vows, the guests, or the location.  It can be when something unusual happens like rain in the middle of the ceremony and a mad dash for cover. In real life, my niece got married last year on the family farm in the pasture. She wanted natural looking “weed” flowers at the reception, so my friend and I went ditch diving to collect them. What a memory! Whatever details you choose, make them unforgettable.

3. Include family. Relationships are at the heart of all weddings. Naturally, there’s the relationship between the betrothed, but there’s also relationships between the bride and groom and his or her parents. There is a dynamic between siblings and grandparents, too. All of these are great fodder for you to create conflict (if wedding is early in the story) or reinforce the character’s growth during his or her journey. These relationships can be underscored with a tangible item like a mother passing down her mother’s cameo necklace for the bride to carry.

4. Make sure the wedding that you show would be a doable affair. Readers aren’t stupid, and if they have to suspend reality in order to buy into your wedding, it will pull them out of the story.  Is the wedding within the family’s financial means? Is there truly enough time to pull the event together? Is there something seemingly impossible occurring like a dead brother showing up? 

5. Make sure the wedding is historically accurate. If you’re writing a historical, make sure you research the wedding customs at the time your story is set. For example, white didn’t become a popular option for brides until 1840 when Queen Victoria wore a white dress. Up until then, red was a popular color for brides. Wedding customs, wedding attire, and even the time of day for weddings has changed over time. 

6. Simple, but significant sights, scents, and sounds. While a real wedding can be enhanced with everything from a scent machine to a horse drawn carriage, a fictional wedding only needs a few simple things to bring it alive. For example, a bride can sniff the roses in her bouquet and remember the first rose her groom gave her on a moonlit night. There’s no need to describe the wedding gown in intricate detail. In fact, since wedding dress styles often change, it’s probably a good idea not to.

7. Make dreams come true. For most brides, the wedding day is the one day a girl can be a princess. When I’m working with a bride, I always ask her, “What are three things would make this day perfect you?” One bride said it was an aisle runner lined with piles of rose petals. Since she didn’t have a lot of money, we went dumpster diving to get enough petals and made her dream come true. 

You can do the same thing for your heroine. What would make her dreams come true?
Below is a wedding conclusion from the first book in the Gregory Sisters series, As Love

Blooms, because I wanted to show the hero’s acceptance and encouragement of the heroine’s unorthodox desire to fly. Their surprise wedding took place in a hot air balloon, surrounded by family and friends. The balloon made her dreams come true. 

She blinked, then gasped. Before her stood the heavy wicker basket of a hot air balloon. Her eyes climbed higher, and she felt dwarfed by the huge, multicolored balloon overhead. Brother Molden waited for them inside the basket.

She turned to Lincoln. “We’re getting married in there?”

“It seemed like the appropriate place for my Hello Girl with dreams of flying. Do you like it?”
“Lincoln, it’s perfect.”

He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the basket. After setting her inside, he climbed in, and the balloonist released the tethers.

The balloon began its ascent, and Hannah could scarcely breathe. She waved to her sisters, Rosie, Pete and Elise, Jo, and Aunt Sam. Walt was there with his parents. They’d brought George too. 

“Are we ready to begin?” Brother Molden asked.

Hannah nodded, and Lincoln took her hands. “Yes, sir, I’d certainly like to make this lady my bride.”

Brother Molden grinned. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered up here . . .”

She didn’t hear most of what the minister said. She said her “I do” in the right place, repeated the vows, and exchanged the rings, but her mind was focused on the feelings exploding inside her. Like the rising balloon, her heart swelled with love until she feared it might burst.

“Lincoln, you may kiss your bride.”

And there, amid the swooping hawks and the billowing clouds, she felt the fan of his breath on her lips. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, he kissed her with a tenderness that filled her heart.

Love had called, and she’d gladly answer it every day for the rest of her life.


So friends, let’s talk wedding rings and other things. Do you like books to end with weddings? Have you read any good weddings lately? What makes a fictional wedding resonate with you? What are some of the most memorable weddings you’ve attended? 

Lorna Seilstad brings history back to life using a generous dash of humor. After her first child was born, she quit teaching and became a professional wiper. She says she wiped noses, tears, and skinned knees, but at nap time, she wrote. Today, she writes from her home in Iowa where she lives with her husband and three children. Find out more at www.lornaseilstad.com or connect with her on Facebook and on Twitter.

Lorna's 2014 release While Love Stirs is a 2015 Carol Award finalist in the Historical Romance Category!


Take one lovely young woman.
Add two ambitious young men.

Stir . . . and stand back.







Leave a comment today for a chance to win a copy of While Love Stirs and As Love Blooms. Two winners announced in the Weekend Edition!

Using Birth Order in Character Creation

By Lorna Seilstad

Are you a take-charge first born? A peace-making middle child? Or the attention- seeking youngest of your family?

Study after study shows birth order has a profound and lasting effect on a person. When we look at our families, it’s easy to see this, but have you considered using the information we know about birth order to create depth to your characters?

But why is birth order important in fiction? Can’t we make characters do whatever we want? Not if we want to connect with readers. To reach our readers our characters must ring true on every level. When you say a character is the oldest in a family, but then give him or her qualities of a youngest child, something about the character hits the reader the wrong way. The reader might not be able to put their finger on what seems off, but there is still a disconnect.

In my current series, The Gregory Sisters, I turned to birth order to help me bring the three sisters to life. I wanted each of the sisters to not only be individuals, but also to be so real that readers would say, “Oh, she reminds me of my sister.” In order for that to happen, I used some of the research available on birth order.

There are many factors which can affect birth order such as the size of the family, parenting styles, gender, and distance between sibling’s ages, and when you’re creating your character you need to take those things into account. For example, I’m a second born, but my brother is eight years older than me. Because of that, I have some oldest child and some middle child characteristics.

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In my Gregory Sisters Series, the three sisters promise to help each other achieve their dreams. The scene below is from my current release, While Love Stirs. As you read it, see if you can guess which sister is the oldest, the middle, and the youngest.

Bubbles surrounded Charlotte. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and let the warm water ease her aching muscles. Ah, heaven.

She felt someone staring at her. Opening her eyes, she found Tessa sitting on a stool with her elbows propped on her knees. “What was worse—the tornado or being stuck with Dr. Brooks all night?”

“Tessa!” Charlotte sat up, splashing water out of the tub. “Joel was a perfect gentleman.”

“Joel?” Hannah stepped into the bathroom and placed a fresh nightgown on the hook behind the door. “You’re on a first-name basis? I wasn’t aware you and the doctor had become friendly.”

“I wouldn’t say they’re friendly.” Tessa sat back. “They fight like Grant and Lee.”

“She’s exaggerating, Hannah.” Charlotte scrubbed her face with a washcloth. “Dr. Brooks and I have talked a little. That’s all. And for your information, Tessa, except for the tornado, we had a pleasant evening.” Charlotte flicked suds at her sister’s cheek.

“You know this means war.” Tessa scooped up a handful of suds and let them fly in Charlotte’s direction. She fired another handful at Hannah.

“Hey, what was that for?” Hannah held her hands out in shock.

“Payback.” Tessa giggled.

“For what?”

“Pacing insufferably until Charlotte came home.”

“Why, you little—” Hannah gathered a handful of suds and aimed them at Tessa. The suds war was on.

Did you peg Hannah as the oldest? She is the care-taker, the one bringing in the fresh gown and hanging it on the back of the door. The youngest? I’m pretty sure you had no trouble assigning that role to Tessa. She’s fun, disrespectful, charming, and wants to know everything. The middle sister Charlotte, who stars in While Love Stirs, is the peacekeeper.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that we know about birth order. Remember, these are tendencies. They are not set in granite.

Only Children tend to:

Create imaginary companions

Struggle with frustration

Want freedom

Spiritually want to settle issues of right and wrong

Strengths—demonstrative, organized, clarity of purpose, stable, academically successful, self-confident

Weaknesses—sullen, reluctant to share, not street smart

Gets mad when being intruded on

Qualities—prefer to work alone, extremely responsible or very helpless, stubborn, comfortable being the center of attention, stays on the beaten path

Oldest children tend to:

Wait for attention instead of demanding it

Struggle with guilt

Want love

Spiritually desire a loving church community

Strengths—agreeable, visionary, leadership, compromise, responsible, academically successful

Weaknesses—obnoxious, bossy

Gets mad when shown a lack of respect

Qualities—ambitious, achievers, trailblazers, conservative, people-pleasers, authoritative, leaders, plunges into things  and gets into difficulties

Second born children tend to:

Be perfectionists about what they care about

Struggle with inadequacy

Want emotional connections 

Spiritually wants everyone to be committed

Strengths—friendly, self-discipline, attention to detail, consistency, diplomatic, creative

Weaknesses--critical

Gets mad when criticized

Qualities—sensitive, verbal, social,  competitive, more risk taking than oldest, more adaptable to change, mediators, avoids confrontation, watches for trouble when moving forward

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Third born children tend to:

Be emotionally strong

Struggle with fear

Want protection

Spiritually wants to gain strength through prayer

Strengths—sympathetic, compassionate, imaginative, practical, can be outgoing, fun to be around

Weaknesses—aggressive, disorganized

Gets mad when being putdown

Qualities—more cooperative than competitive, easy to get along with, social, manipulative, demand attention,  can be charmers, can be rebellious, will risk to help others

Fourth born children tend to:

Not listen to themselves

Struggle with anger

Want to belong

Spiritually wants a personal relationship with God

Strengths—empathetic, thinking, understanding, ambitious, life of the party, not people pleasers

Weaknesses--anger

Gets mad when being blamed

Qualities—not taken seriously, manipulative, adaptable to change, risk-taker, attention seeker, charmers, demand attention, impatient, often rebellious, goes against the flow

Did you know two first-borns seldom marry? And if they do, they often struggle with power issues? Isn’t that great fodder for conflict? The most compatible marriages are between two third-borns and the most common are between an only and a second.

Birth order affects everything from the way we drive to the way we parent to the job we choose, so it’s vital that we consider the birth order of our characters so that they ring true with the reader.

How do you see using birth order can help you with your current characters? Have you considered this aspect before? As a reader, have you ever noticed when a character’s action didn’t seem to fit the person’s position in the family?

Leave a comment for a chance to win one of two copies of While Love Stirs.

Here’s a little bit about While Love Stirs:

As a graduate of Fannie Farmer's School of Cookery, Charlotte Gregory is thrilled to have the opportunity to travel, lecture, and give cooking demonstrations on the very latest kitchen revolution--the gas stove. And she certainly doesn't mind that the gas company has hired the kindhearted Lewis Mathis to entertain at her lectures. 

Lewis encourages Charlotte's work, especially her crusade to introduce fresh, appetizing, nutritious food to those convalescing in hospitals. But young hospital superintendent Dr. Joel Brooks is not convinced any changes should be made--especially by this outspoken young woman.

When Charlotte and Joel are coerced into planning a fund-raising gala for the hospital, will this combustible pair explode?

Follow the second Gregory sister as she looks for true love and makes her way in a rapidly changing world in this breezy, lighthearted love triangle that will keep you guessing. 

~*~*~

Lorna Seilstad brings history back to life using a generous dash of humor. After her first child was born, she quit teaching and became a professional wiper. She says she wiped noses, tears, skinned knees, and baby bottoms, but at nap time, she wrote. She is the author of the Lake Manawa Summers Series and the Gregory Sisters Series. She and her husband have three children and call Iowa home. Find out more at www.lornaseilstad.com

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Get a G.R.I.P. with Guest Lorna Seilstad

Do you remember your first paint-by-number set? The dab of oil paint in each of the tiny plastic tubs which bore the all important numbers on top. Can you recall the scent of paint thinner sitting in a glass to the side? And who could forget the painting itself? With each crevice marked with a number, you carefully added the prescribed color with the enclosed paintbrush. If you filled the whole picture in exactly as you’re told, you, too, produced a Rembrandt.

If only writing fiction were as simple. Instead, a writer must mix plot, character, pacing, editing, sentence variation, and much more and create something the reader will be so enamored with that they can’t wait to turn the page.

While I can’t give you a paint-by-number for fiction, I can give you four things you can count on to  G.R.I.P. your reader in your opening chapter.  

4 Ways to G.R.I.P. Your Readers

The first page of your book has to grab the reader and not let go. The first chapter serves as emblem of the book as a whole. Readers will often give a reader the first couple of pages to decide if they’re going to continue. If you’re lucky, they’ll give you the first chapter. However, in today’s world, where a reader can change to a different book on their Kindle or Nook with the click of finger, gripping them is even more important than ever.

 Any study of first pages and chapters tells us that this can be accomplished in a number of ways. However, the most effective methods can be simplified to four basic ideas, the first letters of which make up the word “GRIP”. Using one of these can offer a great start. A combination can make a book impossible to put down.

1.  Generate an emotional response. One way an opening scene can grab the reader is by making them feel an emotional connection to the character. For example, the reader might find themselves sharing the grief of a character, relating to a character’s joking about his or her weight issue, or sharing the terror of the character as they run from danger.
In my books, I want the reader to laugh on the first page. It’s a sort of promise of what’s to come.

Here’s the opening of Making Waves, the first book in the Lake Manawa Summers Series.

If forced to endure Roger Gordon for five more minutes, Marguerite Westing would die. Dead. Gone. Buried. Six feet under Greenlawn Cemetery.

Her parents would need to purchase a large headstone to fit all the words of the epitaph, but they could do it. Money wasn’t an issue, and after bearing this unbelievable torture, she deserved an enormous marble marker complete with a plethora of flowery engravings. She could see the words now:


Here lies Marguerite Westing.
Only nineteen, but now she’s resting.
Strolling through the park with Roger Gordon,
Once full of life, she died of boredom.


2. Rock the reader’s world. Mary Connealy says she tries to start with a bang and this is exactly how she rocks the reader’s world. A writer can do this in any way that surprises the reader and shakes up what they expect. 

This is a great way to get the reader’s attention. As soon as possible, though, you’ll need to show the depth of the character and the context.

Remember, our goal in the first chapter is to introduce not just conflict, but a character that the reader cares about. Rocking the reader’s world works so well for Mary because she also draws amazingly engaging characters.

3. Ignite their sense of justice. There’s nothing like a little righteous indignation to make the reader hang on to every word of the scene. We naturally want things to be fair, good, right, and true, and when we see they are not, we read on. We are instantly on the character’s side.
In When Love Calls, I wanted to create this sense of injustice, but in a humorous way. Here’s the opening.

Did she dare?

Hannah eyed the wheeled grocery store ladder resting against the shelves. If she went up that ladder again this week, she might give poor Mr. Reilly heart failure.

Despite the risk of Mr. Reilly’s demise, Hannah wrapped her hand around the ladder’s rung. If the little man had a conniption, that was his fault. He should have kept his shelves better stocked or at least offered to help her. After all, she’d been waiting for nearly five minutes, and her sisters were home waiting for dinner.

One can of stewed tomatoes, and her meager grocery shopping list would be complete. From its position on the upper shelf beyond her reach, the can taunted her with its flashy red label and bright green letters. It practically goaded her to come and get it.

Her gaze darted to the plaque hung from a nail on the center shelf: “Please Let Us Assist You.” She’d be happy to if Mr. Reilly noticed anyone in the store besides the customers with money. As it was, she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

Hannah glanced from the sign to the stout, long-nosed grocer. Behind the counter, he continued his chatty dialogue with the banker’s wife, turning a blind eye as her five-year-old son skipped around the mercantile like a child at the fair.

It’s a small injustice, but most of us can relate to a time when we felt we were being treated unfairly because of our lack of money or how we looked. I’m counting on the reader to connect with that feeling of injustice when they read this.

4. Provide a cause to fight for.  If a writer can give his or her reader a cause to fight for, they are well on their way to providing a great reading experience for the reader. Done well, you give the reader a reason to join the character in his or her fight.

For example, when you give the reader a man fighting to find his wife’s killer, a doctor who leaves a big medical practice to works in low-income clinic, or a family who’s fighting the railroad to keep their farm, then you give your reader a reason to join your character’s fight. 
I just started reading Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley’s new release, The Dance. In the first chapter, the wife leaves her husband. Dan and Gary do an excellent job of making us want this marriage to survive right from the start. That’s our cause, and we’re willing to fight for it right along with the characters.

When we are able to G.R.I.P. the reader, we are reaching them on an emotional level. Whether we make them laugh, cry, or shiver in fear, they are connecting with the reader in the most powerful way possible on a gut and heart level. We allow the reader to make an investment in the character and what happens to him or her.  

It may not be a paint-by-number picture, but these four ways to G.R.I.P. a reader will have you well on your way to creating your own masterpiece.


 What are you using to  G.R.I.P.your reader in your current manuscript? What emotional level are you trying to connect with the reader on? What books have gripped you from the first chapter and not let go?

 Bio: A history buff, antique collector, wedding coordinator, and freelance graphic designer, Lorna Seilstad is the author of Making Waves, A Great Catch, and The Ride of Her Life. A former high school English and journalism teacher, she has won several online writing contests and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Lorna lives in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with her husband. They have two children in college and one still at home.

Visit her at www.lornaseilstad.com, on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on Twitter. 

When Love Calls

Hannah Gregory is good at many things, but that list doesn't include following rules. So when she is forced to apply for a job as a telephone switchboard operator to support her two sisters, she knows it won't be easy. "Hello Girls" must conduct themselves according to strict--and often bewildering--rules. No talking to the other girls. No chatting with callers. No blowing your nose without first raising your hand. And absolutely no consorting with gentlemen while in training.

Meanwhile, young lawyer Lincoln Cole finds himself in the unfortunate position of having to enforce the bank's eviction of the three Gregory girls from their parents' home. He tries to soften the blow by supporting them in small ways as they settle into another home. But fiery Hannah refuses his overtures and insists on paying back every cent of his charity.

When one of Hannah's friends finds himself on the wrong side of a jail cell, Hannah is forced to look to Lincoln for help. Will it be her chance to return to her dreams of studying law? And could she be falling in love?

With historic details that bring to life the exciting first decade of the twentieth century, Lorna Seilstad weaves a charming tale of camaraderie and companionship that blossoms into love. Readers will get lost in this sweet romance and will eagerly look forward to championing each sister's dreams.


Today Lorna is generously giving away a When Love Calls gift box full of fun stuff including a print copy of When Love Calls and a $10 Starbucks gift card (Hannah Gregory loves coffee).

Just comment and also let us know you want to be entered in the giveaway. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

Please welcome Lorna Seilstad-And The Five Love Languages

Making Your Reader Fall in Love with Your Hero

If you spend any time reading about characterization, you’ll soon read about making sure your characters are memorable, believable, and three-dimensional. All those things are important, but if you’re writing a romance, you’d also better make sure your hero is...

LOVABLE.

                I’m not talking the cuddly, teddy bear type. I’m talking about making your hero someone with whom your reader can fall in love right along with the heroine. Everyone loves reading that first kiss in a story. We love writing it, too, but you can deepen the romantic relationship so much further than just a kiss.  We can actually write things in our story which will make it easy for your reader to fall in love with your hero.

                According to Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages, there are five ways we communicate and receive love. You may have read the book. If so, good for you!

The five love languages are: quality time, receiving gifts, words of affirmation, physical touch, and acts of service. Everyone uses these five basic love languages to give and receive love, but usually two are dominant. These are our primary love languages, and we tend to love others like we liked to be loved.

                Do you know what your primary love language is? The best way I know to quickly determine this is to ask yourself what you’d like your spouse or significant other to do for you when you’re sick. Hold your hand? Physical touch. Bring you flowers? Receiving gifts. Bring you a glass of pop? Acts of service. Tell you you’re still beautiful? Words of affirmation. Leave you alone? Quality time. (It’s a gift of time.)

                If our significant other wants us to feel loved, then they must speak our primary languages. However, when it comes to our stories, our readers may have any one of the five as their dominant love language. In order to make every one of our readers fall in love with the hero, we must have him speak all five languages more than once before the heroine realizes she’s fallen in love. Then, we have to add more of these experiences to deepen the love between the two characters.  

                So how do we work the five love languages into our stories. Let’s look at each of them.

Quality Time. This might include making eye contact, meaningful conversation, undivided attention, shared activities or sacrificed time.

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In The Ride of Her Life, Nick, the hero, washes the dishes with Lilly, takes her and her son to the zoo, and they have long talks. He has to take out of his schedule to do these things, which makes it even more meaningful.

Receiving Gifts. This might include a surprise or a meaningful gift. The idea is it says I love you enough to get you this.

In The Ride of Her Life, Nick is a roller coaster designer and Lilly’s son is fascinated with the one he’s building. Lilly doesn’t want her six-year-old son to ride it, so Nick painstakingly makes a toy wooden roller coaster for the boy. Here’s an excerpt.

Levi squealed when he saw the replica of Lake Manawa’s Velvet Roller Coaster. “It’s my own roller coaster?”

“It sure is, and you can give your bugs a ride anytime you want.” Nick slipped his arm around Lilly’s waist.

“It’s amazing, Nick.” Lilly leaned in closer to get a better view. The tiny trestles, all mounted on one larger board, matched that of the large coaster perfectly, and even the cars had been painted with the same red paint with yellow curlicue designs. “You must have been working on this for weeks.”

He grinned. “Some of the boys helped. Especially Sean.”

“Can I take it back to the diner?” Levi let the first car go at the top of the lift hill and watched it follow the track, up and down, to the end.

“You better. I can’t keep it here or Sean might sneak in and start playing with it—again.”

Levi grabbed Nick’s legs, squeezing so hard Nick held on to Lilly’s shoulder to keep from toppling. “Easy there, Levi.”

“This is the bestest present ever.”

Lilly caught Nick’s gaze and smiled, hoping he could see the smile in her heart as well. Being people who believed toys were unnecessary, the Harts had refused to indulge their grandson’s fancies except for a few items like the wooden blocks. How many times had she watched her son eye the toys in the department store and wished she could purchase him one?

She laid her hand on Nick’s arm. “Thank you hardly seems adequate.”

He winked at her. “Then you can thank me personally—later.”

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Words of Affection. This includes any sincere words which build the other person up. It might include compliments, notes and cards, encouragement, hearing “I love you” and the reasons behind it.

In  Making Waves. Trip, the hero, tells Marguerite, “I love you, Marguerite Westing. I love how you make me laugh. I love your determination, and I love your spirit. I love how you make waves wherever you go.” How can you not love a man who says something like that?

Physical Touch. I think you’re probably aware of this one already, but it might include a neck or backrub, a hug on a hard day, a spontaneous kiss, or the hero draping his arm around the heroine in the movie theater. We use this one a lot while showing the blossoming love, so look for some unique ways to show it whenever possible.

Physical touch is especially fun to add in an unexpected way like in this is an excerpt from A Great Catch. In it, Carter, the hero, is teaching Emily how to shoot at a shooting gallery.

When she didn’t move, he turned her. “Emily, you need to spread your, uh, stance and stand more like a man.”

She shifted her feet wider apart. “This isn’t very ladylike, Carter.”

“But it will help you hit the little squirrels.”

She flinched.

“Let me guess. You like squirrels.”

“And bunnies.”

He chuckled. “Now, put the butt of the gun against your right shoulder.”

“Like this?”

“Sort of.” He stepped behind her and raised the gun to the correct position, his large hands covering her own.

Her back pressed against his chest, and she felt every breath he took. Emily’s stomach warmed and lurched all at once. Never before had she been this close to a man.

“Relax,” he whispered in her ear.

She jerked and fired a shot in the air. The bullet pinged off the ceiling, and the rebound threw her against Carter.

He caught her and turned her around to face him. “Emily, what are you doing?”

“I—I—”

Mr. Hawkins roared with laughter. “I think a better question is what were you doing?”

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Acts of Service. An act of service is anything that eases another’s burden or responsibilities. A hero might make the heroine dinner, change the oil in her car, or fix her leaky roof.

In Making Waves, the hero, Trip, bails the heroine’s father out of jail. In A Great Catch, Carter quiets a heckler while Emily is speaking at a suffrage rally, and in The Ride of Her Life, there’s a kitchen fire where Lilly works. Nick comes over early in the morning and cleans up the charred pans so she doesn’t have to do it and paints the smoke-stained ceiling. All of these are examples of how I used acts of service to give both the heroine and the reader a reason to love the hero.

I want every reader to find my hero not only dashing and kissable, but lovable by making sure ALL of the five love languages appear often. My personal goal is to use each love language five times in each book. Some, like physical touch, happen much more than that. I also try double check and make sure there more than one example of each love language BEFORE the heroine realizes she’s in love. If it’s not there, I know there will be readers who find the romance unrealistic or forced.

Lorna's launch party for Making Waves with
Mary Connealy and Judy Miller there to celebrate with her.

So, what do you think your primary love language is? When you think about the most memorable heroes you’ve encountered in books, did they do something that matches your primary love language? Please share your insights with us. Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win a copy of The Ride of Her Life.

http://www.lornaseilstad.com/

http://inkspirationalmessages.com/

Excuses! Excuses! by Lorna Seilstad

I am thrilled to be invited to Seekerville today. Thank you so much for having me! All of the Seekerville authors and guests have taught me so much.

Moses and I have a lot in common. Oh, I haven’t led any Egyptians out of bondage, but I have looked at the path God laid out for me and rattled off excuses like the great spiritual leader himself.

You’re probably familiar with the story. God gets Moses’ attention with a burning bush, and then when He begins to disclose his plans for Moses’ future, the excuses start.



(Paraphrase below is obviously mine.)

“Moses, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt.”
“Me?”
“I’ll be with you.”
“Who says I can do this?
“I do.”
“But God, what if they won’t believe me? They won’t listen to a word I say.”
“I’ll make sure they do.”
“But I’m not a good speaker.”
“Moses, I made your mouth! I know what you can do!”
“Please, Lord, send someone else.”
“Fine. I’ll send your brother with you. I’ll give you the words to say and teach you what to do.”

Did you notice Moses’ excuses? He doubted himself, he was scared of the reaction of others, and he even begged God to not put him that position. Finally, God gives him a partner. We humans do like backup.

Now, how Moses-ish have I been in my writing? A bunch. About three years ago, I realized that God wanted me to take the passion He’d placed within me for writing onto a new level. I’d been writing fan fiction on a wonderful site for several years, but I felt a tug that it was time to work toward publication.

My prayers mirrored Moses’. “What if I can’t do this? What if no one wants to read it? What if I fail?” and I felt God’s answers just as surely. He even sent me dear friends as backup. Finally, I had to come to a point where I said I didn’t care if I never became a published author, I was going to write because that was what God wanted me to do. I developed a new mantra of “God’s words. God’s will. God’s timing.”

God should have just said, “Hold on! I’m going to take you on the ride of your life.”

Shortly after that decision, I found Seekerville. I decided it was going to be my college course in writing. It didn’t take long to realize even if I taught high school English, I didn’t know anything about writing. POV is not first, second, and third? You’re kidding? GMC’s –synopsis--one sheets--hooks. I had a whole new language to learn.

I took all the wonderful things I learned and applied them immediately to my work. When Mary Connealy said to get rid of back story in the first chapter, I chucked several pages. When she said to give the character someone to talk to, even if it was the dog, I did.

From Julie Lessman, I learned about upping the romantic tension. (Although my scenes still don’t sizzle like hers.) I read everyone’s posts, including the archives. From guest blogger Gina I learned about writing a synopsis, from Camy about voice, and Tina’s reminder about the Genesis contest changed my life.

No. I didn’t win.

But I did find ACFW, and through that, I found a mentor and friend. When I went to my first conference in 2008, I didn’t expect to land a contract, but I did feel prepared. I had my one sheet in hand, proposal written, and pitch polished. And I’d prayed so hard I was afraid God was tired of hearing from me.

I stepped up to Andrea Doering, Revell’s senior acquisitions editor, and introduced myself at my editor meeting, praying she didn’t see my legs shaking. Then, the worst thing happened. I forgot every word of my pitch.

Blank. Empty. Gone.

What popped into my head was a Seekerville post by Myra Johnson. She’d explained that she often handed her one sheet to the editor and sat quietly while they read it. After all, she said, they were used to making decisions on what they read. Bless you Myra! That’s exactly what I did.

When Andrea finished the one sheet, she asked me a few questions and then asked to see my chapters. I again sat silently while she read two of the three chapters. Thank goodness she laughed at the right places. I knew I was in trouble if she didn’t.

She then set it down, complimented me on my fresh voice, and asked me to send a full of it to her.

Seekerville now failed me. No one had ever covered how to stay in your chair at that moment.

But when Andrea asked if I could come up with two more book ideas in a short period of time, I came back here, whipped out Cheryl Wyatt’s Plotstorming Form, and wrote two book synopses in two weeks. Within the year, I had a three-book contract with Revell.

I’m so glad that God didn’t take my excuses any better than He did those of Moses. God had a plan for me, but fear almost kept me from realizing it.

Are you letting excuses keep from reaching your goals?

Today, I encourage you to give them up.

Now for a sneak peek at Making Waves.

Council Bluffs, Iowa 1895

If forced to endure Roger Gordon for five more minutes, Marguerite Westing would die. Dead. Gone. Buried. Six feet under Greenlawn Cemetery.

Her parents would need to purchase a large headstone to fit all the words of the epitaph, but they could do it. Money wasn’t an issue, and after bearing this unbelievable torture, she deserved an enormous marble marker complete with a plethora of flowery engravings. She could see the words now:

Here lies Marguerite Westing. Only nineteen, but now she’s resting. Strolling through the park with Roger Gordon, Once full of life, she died of boredom.

Marguerite giggled.

Roger stopped on the cobblestone path of the park and frowned at her. “I don’t see anything funny about my uncle Myron’s carbuncle, Marguerite.”

“I’m sorry. My mind wandered for a minute.”

“You do seem prone to that. Perhaps you should work on your self-control.” He patted her hand, lodged in the crook of his arm, like a parent would an errant child.

And perhaps you should work on making yourself more interesting than milk toast. She bit her lip hard to keep the words from escaping. Good grief. What did he expect when he was talking to her about a boil?

~~~~~

Don’t forget to leave comments for a chance to win Making Waves, hot off the press! Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.


Lorna's Bio:

Lorna Seilstad has called Iowa home her whole life. She received her B.S. in education from Lubbock Christian University. After her first child was born, she quit teaching and became a professional wiper. "I wiped noses, tears, skinned knees, baby's bottoms, and counter tops every day. But at naptime, I wrote." Today, she writes historical fiction with a generous dash of humor, and lives in Iowa with her husband and three children--ages 18, 16, and 11.


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