Writing - the ups and downs

My latest book! Dear Writer:  Writing a story is somewhat similar to building a house. Or not! Remember this: when we give a piece of our story to someone to read - we expect them to see the whole. It's like building a house and offering a single piece of lumber to another builder. “Here, see the house I'm building.” SOME CAN SEE IT AND SOME CAN’T. Here's the thing: MOST CAN'T. This step is as necessary to me as breathing.  I need to give you single boards as I create them. AND I expect you to be a visionary and say, “Why yes. I see.”   I need you to see how special the piece of lumber is that I'm using and to see that eventually I'll add more pieces to make the whole.  Choose people to read your work who like the kind of stories you write.  There are as many kinds of stories as there are houses to live in. If you give a brick ranch to someone who only appreciates a cape cod then he'll have a hard time fitting hims...

Elizabeth says, "Reading and writing have been part of my life since I was a child. I've published several short stories in magazines, four non-fiction books, and a collection of stories called Young Patriots: Inspiring Stories of the American Revolution. My latest book is Pairs at Nationals, a sequel to Pairs on Ice. After Jamie and Matt's coach is injured, they travel to another rink to train and find hostility and pranks. Jamie wonders if it's worth the struggle." So begins the interview: I’ve never done an author interview before, but I thought I’d start with my friend Barbara Whittington, who just released her second novel, Missing: Sweet Baby Jame s.  Barbara and I met many years ago when we both lived in the Cleveland, Ohio, suburbs and joined the same writing group.  We bonded over our love of writing, and that shared interest led to a true friendship.  Barbara, who grew up in small-town West Virginia, began her writing career with...

Finally - New Release is out! Available now in paperback and kindle version. On Amazon. Since we last visited the fictional town of Shady Creek, West Virginia, Vada Faith and John Waddell have welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Sweet Baby James. Their world shatters one afternoon when eight-month old James is missing from his play pen on the front porch of their old Victorian home. Is it a real kidnapping or is it a hoax? Duke Cobb, the town’s only police officer, determines to get to the bottom of this mystery. As the hours pass, Vada Faith’s trust in God wavers. She fluctuates between praying for her son’s safety and making bargains she isn’t sure she can keep. At a candlelight vigil in the park, Hope and Charity plead for the return of their baby brother. At the same time, two elderly sisters manage to knock the small town off its axis. Missing: Sweet Baby James is an unforgettable read, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Click the link below to go to Amazon and check o...

This piece has been revised from an earlier version. Apologies. What was an alabaster box or jar? Alabaster jars were often made from a precious stone found in Israel. This stone resembles marble, and were extremely expensive. These jars contained ointments, oils and perfume. The thick stone prevented the aroma from escaping and kept the perfume from spoiling. The shape of the jar often had a long neck and a sealed top. The top had to be broken to open, which allowed it to be used only once.  Some believe that women who owned these jars were usually prostitutes who used the smell to lure in men, or to cover up their own odor. However, several women owned many different types of perfumes. Sources for water were limited, so they used these oils and ointments for daily hygiene.  The story from Luke 2:27 is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. Jesus was having dinner with a pharisee (Simon) and a lowly woman came to him with her alabaster box of expensive...

This is a blog from five years ago. It's relevant to me today. Hope you enjoy! My friend Liz and her husband recently stayed two nights with us while on vacation in this area. I pulled a dozen or so books from my shelves to share with Liz - who is also an avid reader and wonderful writer. (She writes as Elizabeth Vollstadt and has various books and stories in print, including YOUNG PATRIOTS: Inspiring stories of the American Revolution- which she co authored with friend, Marcella Anderson. It's for children but I love this book!) THEN, Liz unloaded the books she'd brought to share with me. (She'd also brought a gift for me - a book, what else!) While she was here there were books stacked on the coffee table, the end tables, the dining room table, and the kitchen bar. A few books more than my usual stash covered every available surface. I'd catch her reading as I puttered in the kitchen, or at night we'd have tea and then she'd head off to be...

My new story (fiction) is available on Amazon as a Kindle ebook for $1.99. Dear Anne will probably never be in book form as it's too short to stand alone. However, the love letters are part of a novel, and I decided to make the letters into a short story. Thus, Dear Anne was born.  The larger work is still on the back burner, waiting to have more scenes written. Dear Anne has had some positive reviews so far and I'm delighted with the reception it's getting. It's a romance and set during the heat of the Vietnam War. I hope if you have time to read the love story about newlyweds Anne in WV and Rob in Vietnam, you'll leave a review on Amazon. Reviews help in so many ways. Not only do they help get a story noticed but it helps the author's other books get recognition as well. My goal is to move up in the ranks and have more and more readers. I don't care if the readers are from free books or Amazon sales. A writer wants his or her work read and apprec...

So ready for Spring I know when one writes a novel and puts it out there for the public to read, the writer is open to criticism, both negative and positive. I expect that. I've been writing and publishing long enough to have developed a tough skin. I've learned with my own books that for every negative review I get - I get ten glowing reviews. I'm not bragging, I'm just mighty proud. I've worked long and hard at my writing career. It's all about ups and downs. An author has to roll with the punches and know the public is not going to like every single project he or she puts out there. That's life. I'm still growing as an author. Each time I start a project, I can tell I'm getting better as a writer, at plotting and characterization, at organizing material, being a better editor. Am I perfect? No way! But am I growing and willing to accept honest criticism? You bet! My suggestion to anyone choosing a book is to take a few minutes before pur...

                                                         Happy Heart's Day                          First ever look at the romantic side of the characters in my book Ezra and Other Stories! There's a bit of romance in even the oldest character, Ezra. Happy Valentine's Day to my characters!  Check this out. Curl up in an easy chair and enjoy the romance, suspense, and humor in this collection of short stories. Here’s just a sampling: in award winning “Mabel and the Garage Sale,” Mabel’s house rests in the path of a proposed highway. As Mabel sorts her things to move, she recalls those c...