Writing...and Living With Integrity (And a Giveaway!!!)

With historical author, Amanda Barratt!

First of all, I am so excited to be back on Seekerville! A huge thank you and lots of hugs to Ruthy for inviting me! This blog, and the many talented writers who participate, have been so instrumental in my journey to publication. We all are pressed for time, but if I could only read one blog every day, it would be SEEKERVILLE!!

All of us as writers and creators are deep thinkers. I’m no exception. Lately, as I launch into the world of publication, several topics have been turning over in my mind. One of these has been the topic of integrity. How can I represent myself with integrity while promoting my book, interacting with readers, and communicating with industry professionals? Or, when I’m sitting at my computer, trying to make sense of my characters and the situations they face? Plus, my goal for integrity should not only be as an author, but as a person as well. At home and at work, and with friends and family. So I figured if I’m contemplating this topic, others might be also. Hence, my decision to share with you wonderful Seekerville readers, some ways to practice integrity, in our lives.

Four Ways to Practice Integrity:

Integrity to Our Readers - While I absolutely adore weaving stories, I don’t do it for me. I do it for the busy mom who reads late into the night while the kids are asleep, the college student reading on their tablet for a few minutes between classes, the people who bring their books with them into hospital waiting rooms, and other difficult situations. As authors, we should be incredibly blessed that readers would choose our stories to brighten their days or teach them some truth. We owe it to them to write the best work we possibly can, stories that are honorable and show life from a different perspective than what they see every day. Also, when they seek us out on social media, or through handwritten notes, we should never be too busy to respond. Granted, life happens, but we need to make time for genuine interaction. Do the best for your readers. They deserve nothing less.

Integrity as Writers - The same thing goes when we sit down to craft our stories. Most of us are writing about things others have experienced or endured. For example, a book set during the Civil War, a story about a military veteran, or a novel dealing with tough issues like abuse and adoption. In honor of the people who have lived through what we’re writing, we need to check our facts, read widely on the subject, and paint our stories as truthfully, and yet, graciously, as possible. Our characters should be like real people, so those who read our stories can empathize with them.  As authors we need to allow ourselves to be transparent, drawing on our own emotions and life events to pen words that ring with truth. And, it goes without saying, every word we write should be for the honor and glory of God.

Integrity with Friends and Industry Professionals - This is perhaps the toughest of all. Writing is a competitive business, with everyone vying for the few slots available. So easily, this competition can tear apart relationships, and breed jealousy when someone other than ourselves wins that award, gains that contract. Yet is it truly worth it? Is success more important than people? There will always be those more successful than us and better known than we are. We are at whatever stage we are in, for just the right reason, and placed there by God Himself. In His time, He will advance us. But until that moment, choose to worship in the waiting, embracing your individuality and the gifts God has given you.

Integrity to Ourselves - So often, to-do lists overwhelm me. Some days I feel like a marathon runner, racing to see how many items I can check off. It’s easy to feel defeated when things don’t work out. Often I wonder how others can accomplish so much, how some people get so many “likes” on social media, and how such-and-such thought of that beautifully rendered sentence. But when I get caught up in these thoughts, I need to remember what I have accomplished. The sentences I’ve written. The stories I’ve created. The lives I’ve touched. My pastor likes to say, “Don’t worry about the hundred dollars you don’t have, just take care of the ten bucks you do have.” This is true in every area of our lives. We all are a beautiful creation, gifted with special stories placed upon our hearts by God. So rather than wishing you could become someone else, concentrate on telling your unique story. It’s sure to be wonderful!

Amanda Barratt is a historical romance author with two novellas releasing in 2015 with Barbour Publishing. She fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote her first story - a spinoff of Jane Eyre. Since then, she's penned novels set in Regency and Victorian England, and the Gilded Age. 

A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, she lives in the woods of Michigan with her fabulous family, who kindly put up with the invisible people she calls characters.

These days, Amanda can be found reading way too many books, watching an eclectic mix of BBC dramas and romantic chick flicks, and trying to figure out a way to get on the first possible flight to England. 

You can connect with her at: amandabarratt.net and on Facebook at: Facebook.com/amandabarrattauthor

The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection

Meet nine men from bygone days who have all the qualities of a true hero and who all the single ladies wish to court—though some are unassuming and overlooked until their worth is revealed. The socialite, the architect, the doctor, the masked vigilante, the missionary, the postmaster, archaeologist, the wealthy widower, and the heir, can have their pick of brides, but which one will they choose?

Leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a copy of The Most Eligible Bachelor Romance Collection, complete with a bookplate signed by ALL nine authors! (Winner will be announced in the Weekend Edition.) And since this is Seekerville, let’s get this party started with an elaborate spread of elegant breakfast treats – scones, muffins, eggs Benedict, coffee (of course) and hot chocolate. 

The Curious Thing About Vanilla Ice Cream

with guest Suzanne Woods Fisher

My husband, Steve, is a serious Ice Cream Maker. Actually, Steve is a serious guy to begin with, and he takes his ice cream very, very seriously. Especially vanilla ice cream. He reads textbooks about ice cream making, drives long distances to find just the right vanilla beans, compares his products to others, spends extra money on organic dairy products from small farms (keep in mind, this man comes from Dutch stock). Friends who come to dinner are automatically roped into a focus group to analyze dessert. They are given spoons, paper and pencil, and small scoops of ice cream for blind tasting. All this as Steve eyes them carefully, watching every bite, trying to discern subtle reactions. It’s a wonder they keep coming back.   

Recently, Steve attended Ice Cream School at Penn State. After the first day of class, he called me the first night to check in. “Today I learned that the American public has been lied to!” he said in holy outrage.

“About what in particular?” I asked politely.

“About the content of air in ice cream!” 

Oh. That. 

This ice cream thing is starting to get a wee bit ridiculous. Steve returned from Ice Cream School with brochures of ice cream machines that cost more than a new car. Now he’s hinting for a kitchen remodel to include space for this behemoth machine. 

Not a chance.

But! I digress.

    Steve does make delicious ice cream. He’s experimented with all kinds of flavors: salted caramel, dark chocolate with a hint of orange, wild strawberry, lavender honey, chai, rose tea. With the exception of rose tea, which tasted like perfume, he’s been pleased with the results. But not with vanilla. As of this writing, he’s on vanilla recipe #56 (no exaggeration!). He won’t stop until he’s made the equivalent of Haagen-Daaz’s premium line of five ingredients, called “Five.”

    You might think it sounds bland, but a good—really good—vanilla ice cream is intricate, with depth and richness. Here’s the curious thing: it is foundational to all other ice cream flavors. Get it right and you’ve got your base. 

Getting it right, though, is hard work. Vanilla is so pure that it reveals mistakes and inconsistencies. Strong flavors like chocolate and coffee can mask them, but not vanilla. Small things affect its quality. Vanilla has utmost integrity.

    Sometimes I think we writers need to be more like vanilla ice cream. Our walk needs to match up with our talk—on-line and off-line. We need to beware of gray areas. Nothing harms the kingdom of God more than hypocrisy. Just like with vanilla ice cream, small choices add up and affect our integrity: gossip, envy of other authors, grumbling about a publisher or agent, taking shortcuts in our work, not delivering the goods. 

In the early church, the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy, his spiritual son in the ministry, to “...keep himself pure” (1 Tim. 5:22, niv). Timothy’s integrity mattered to the young church. It matters to our modern world. Paul was reminding Timothy that he was responsible for his daily choices, and those choices would be noticed. We are faced with choices every single day—some big, but most small. Those choices might seem benign, unimportant, but they add up. They affect the quality of our witness. 

Integrity isn’t easy. Not with us, not with vanilla ice cream, either. (Why else would it take my husband fifty-six tries… and counting?) It’s all about choices and intention. But if you’ve ever had amazing vanilla ice cream, well, the product speaks for itself. 
 

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling, award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction about the Amish for Revell Books. She hosts a blog, Amish Wisdom, and has a free Amish Wisdom app that delivers a daily Amish proverb to your iPhone, iPad or Android. In between ice cream tastings, she can be found on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

 In honor of Suzanne's visit to Seekerville we thought about giving away ice cream, then decided it might not mail well. Instead we are giving away any Suzanne Fisher book available in Kindle format and one in print. That's TWO different winners announced in the Weekend Edition. Let us know in the comments if you want your name in the bonnet! 


Coming July 1st.

 The Revealing (The Inn at Eagle Hill Book #3)


 Naomi King, soft spoken, loyal, and easily overlooked, has a gift. She sees what others can't see. Intuition, she calls it. Others in Stoney Ridge don't know what to make of it and dismiss her hunches and inklings altogether.

When a young woman arrives at the Inn at Eagle Hill with a shocking secret about Tobe Schrock, Naomi fears the worst. She can't ignore the feeling that something sinister is at work-- something more than a threat to the tenuous love begun between her and Tobe.

As signs mount, they begin to point to Jake Hertzler, the elusive mastermind behind Schrock Investments' downfall. Soon, events spiral hopelessly out of control and Naomi must decide whether to listen to her head or her heart.