Guest Blogger: Debut Author Meg Moseley!

Missy Tippens, here. I'm thrilled to welcome friend and fellow member of my very first critique group Meg Moseley! And before I give you Meg, I have to give her a shout out. Her debut novel, When Sparrows Fall, got 4.5 stars from Romantic Times and was named a Top Pick!! Meg, we're thrilled for you.


And now, Meg Moseley...

I’ve been thinking about the name of this blog. Seekerville. Those three syllables hold a lot of meaning. The name implies that those who participate here are involved in a community—an online village, if you will—as they pursue whatever it is that they’re seeking.

Because this is a blog for writers, it’s probably safe to say we’re all seeking publication of some kind, whether for the first time or the fifteenth. Being part of a writing community, whether it meets online or in someone’s living room, is a crucial part of the quest. We need each other for many reasons.

I’m indebted to many published authors who’ve taken the time to give good, thoughtful critiques of my entries in writing contests. I’m indebted to authors, agents, and editors who’ve taught me at conferences, online, in how-to books, and even in rejection letters. I’m also indebted to writers, published and unpublished, who’ve become my friends along the way. No doubt about it, a writing community is invaluable.

And yet . . .  a writing community can also distract a writer from her quest. It can be a safe little cocoon that keeps her from trying her wings.

On “The Writers View” a few years ago, someone made a comment about all the people who spend years attending conferences, reading how-to books and talking about writing, yet without moving past that preparatory stage. J. Mark Bertrand, author of the Roland March mysteries Back on Murder and Pattern of Wounds, had an interesting response. Mark kindly gave me permission to quote his comment here.

“Could it be that, in some sense, the ‘conference culture’ encourages this kind of stasis? It gives aspiring writers the affirmation they crave (which could ordinarily be found only in print), while at the same time reinforcing the idea that they're not ready yet, that they still have so much to learn. Critique groups can have the same effect. Sometimes you have to disengage from the support structure to move ahead.”

Mark’s answer gave me some much-needed courage during a time when I felt isolated. Without an agent, without a regular critique group, and without the funds to attend writers’ conferences, I was on my own. For a while, it was just God, me, and my computer, alone in the wilderness, and it did me a world of good.

Because I wasn’t entering contests, I didn’t tweak the story to make it more palatable for judges. Because I wasn’t swapping critiques on a regular basis, I didn’t worry about how a critique partner would see my choices. I didn’t even worry about making a good impression on an editor or on my future readers. For a while, only the story mattered. I felt like a student who’d been turned loose to learn for the joy of learning instead of studying just to pass tests.

But a writer can’t be isolated forever. After a while, I re-engaged with the support structure. I started swapping critiques again. I signed with an agent who also offered great direction and critiques. I got involved with a local writers’ group. I found my way back to the “ville” part of the equation—the village—but I came back with new confidence in my purpose for writing. I knew what I was seeking.

When Multnomah bought When Sparrows Fall, the book I started writing during my self-imposed isolation, I was thrilled to learn that my editor completely understood my purpose in writing it. She knew how to improve the story, but she didn’t try to change the heart of it. She didn’t even mind that it was a bit of a genre-straddler, hard to categorize. “We prefer books that don’t fit in boxes here,” she told me. To me, that was another confirmation that finding my identity as an individual writer was the key to finding my place in the writing community


*****

Meg has generously offered to give away a copy of When Sparrows Fall today. When you leave a comment, please let me know to enter you. Check the Weekend Edition for the winner!

From RT Reviews: “Debut author Moseley writes a compelling story. Miranda’s will to fight oppression is heartfelt and Jack’s incessant need to be, well, Jack is both frustrating and charming. As the characters grow throughout the story, readers will embrace them and never want to let go.”

Summary of When Sparrows Fall: Miranda Hanford, an isolated homeschooling widow, needs to break her ties to a cultic group. Jack Hanford, her estranged brother-in-law, is an outspoken professor who helps in her hour of need but challenges her choices at every turn. Miranda wants safety and security for her children; Jack values freedom above security but doesn’t understand that breaking free may cause Miranda to lose everything, including her children.

When Sparrows Fall, from Multnomah Books. Release date: May 3, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-60142-355-9

Meg's website: www.megmoseley.com.

Meg Moseley is still a Californian at heart although she’s lived more than half her life in other states. She formerly wrote human-interest columns for a suburban section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and home schooled for over twenty years. Meg enjoys books, travel, gardening, her three grown children, and motorcycle rides with her husband Jon. They make their home in northern Georgia.