Guest Star Elizabeth Ludwig on Fun Friday

Today on Fun Friday I've got an extra special guest, and her hair looks way better than mine.

Hope for the Hurting

When the going gets tough 
(and if it's not yet, it will):

• you receive the final rejection from the last prospective publisher
• you're hit upside the head with a cruel review
• your personal life takes a nearly fatal blow
• one of your dearest writer buddies passes away
• your hard drive crashes and years of work is lost because it wasn't backed up
• fill-in-the-blank with the disaster of your choice

Hang on to this...

But He said to me, 

"My grace is sufficient for you, 

for my power is made perfect in weakness." 

(2 Cor. 12:9)

God promises His grace is sufficient. Not will be sufficient or is in an amount that will just barely get you through, but IS sufficient.

That's where I'm pitching my tent today. How about you?

Stretching Your Wonder Muscles

Amidst all the busyness of yesterday (waiting-in-line to vote, sending off one of my guests, teaching two classes, yada-yada), here's what I accomplished for NANOWRIMO: a whopping, big, fat zero words. 

I hope that's an encouragement for those who didn't pen any new prose either. But today is a new day. It's time to move on. 

If you need a little inspiration to jumpstart your creative juices, I came across a very interesting site that made me go, "hmmm." 

It's a collection of photographs and narrative about a recently discovered stash of suitcases in the attic of a closed insane asylum. Hold on. I hear you. Am I crazy myself? That's debatable, but honestly, just take a peak at this: Abandoned Suitcases Reveal Private Lives of Insane Asylum Patients and see if that doesn't make you wonder outside the walls of your usual box. It just might give you new insight into one of your characters and add an extra dimension to them.

Do Your Civic Duty

Today is the day you can effect the twisty-turny plot of the United States. Which character will you vote for? 

Make sure to take some time away from writing to GO VOTE!

Lunch with Elizabeth

Elizabeth who? Ludwig, of course, though I call her Lisa...but I already had a Lunch With Lisa post. So allow me to more formally introduce one of my critique buddies who came to visit me this weekend, Elizabeth Ludwig. She's got a fan-freaking-tastic trilogy in the works (the Edge of Freedom series), and the first book just came out in October. NO SAFE HARBOR is historical romantic suspense at its finest. Stay tuned for a blurb at the end of this post.

As we chatted over tacos yesterday, I asked her to impart some writerly advice to wannabe authors. First off, she recommends you take the time to learn the craft. Find out what the rules are and follow them. How do you find out? Read craft books. Attend writer workshops. Go to conferences. Or even network with more seasoned authors.

Secondly, she recommends you also take the time to learn and apply yourself in the social media arena. Her top 4 picks are:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Goodreads

Yes, it will cut into your writing time. The trick is to be disciplined. Don't get sucked into those sites for hours on end. Set a timer if you have to.

And be sure to check out No Safe Harbor. Here's a blurb:

Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh.

Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.

Honestly, Lisa is one of my favorite authors, so if you like historicals, be sure to pick this one up. And don't forget to check out Lisa's blog: THE BORROWED BOOK

Surviving National Novel Writing Month

Don't let NANOWRIMO overwhelm you. Here's my secret for surviving...

And The Lucky Winner Is...

Today's the big drawing for a free signed copy of UNDERCURRENT. Who will it be? Well, whoever it is better email me their address so I can mail it out!