Maureen Lang's Blog, page 12

Elizabeth Allen!

 

PunchTab, the wonderful service I used to help me with this contest (recommended by Tyndale House) has randomly chosen Elizabeth’s name as the winner of the Bees In The Butterfly Garden goodie box. I can’t wait to send Elizabeth the prize!

 

I just wanted to add a quick note to anyone out there wanting to do a giveaway. Punchtab didn’t ask me to do this, but my goodness I can’t let this opportunity go by without raving about how user-friendly and easy this contest was to set up. I did have a little surprise in the time zone for the contest ending (two hours later than I expected) but I must admit that was user-error. So check out PunchTab if you ever have the opportunity to put together a contest or promotional program of your own. They’re great!

 

So, without further ado, I’m off to check my email. Punchtab has already sent Elizabeth an email with the good news, so I’m hoping to work out the details as soon as possible.

 

Thanks again to all who entered! This was so much fun, I’m sure to do it again.

PunchTab will be choosing a winner for my contest today, Monday, at noon (Central Time). So if you haven’t already entered, click here and scroll down to the game card to enter. Somebody has to win, and it might be you!

 

And while we’re talking about winning . . . with the announcements of various contest wins and finalists and only a few days left before the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics, it’s hard not to take a moment to think about the whole idea of winning something. Of course my little contest is no comparison to working toward a goal, submitting yourself to competition, being at the mercy of judges who are supposed to be impartial. I’m not sure why any of us do it, except that competition really is the best inspiration for working hard and improving our performance. Unfortunately that comes with the possibility of disappointment. There’s a reason that old saying became so popular from Wide World of Sports: The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.

 

Truthfully I think more of us can relate to the agony of defeat, because even winners at one time or another have most likely felt that. So if there’s any comfort in vast and varied company, at least we can claim we’re not alone! I’ve also found that the older I get, contests are one more facet of life that takes on new meaning. They’re a useful marketing tool, but as with most of life they become less of a factor in defining how I feel about myself or my writing. God has placed enough people in my life to help me feel His love and better define what’s more important. Those Olympic athletes who don’t bring home the gold might not feel that way yet, but when they look back on life they’ll know they did their best and that’s all anyone can ask or expect.

 

So here’s to everyone who takes up a challenge, knowing sometimes the challenge itself is its own reward.

 

Check back later today when I’ll edit this post with the winner’s name!

The Mars rover has been on its way toward a historic landing since November of 2011, and is scheduled to land this August. That’s right, every day for a total of nine months, this man-made machine will have been traveling toward its destination. Every day, a bit closer. A “bit” as measured by the journey’s distance, but 1.8 million miles each day in in our terms. With a total of 352 million miles to travel, even the almost-2-million miles in a day doesn’t make the journey as fast as we’d think.

They named this rover, appropriately enough, Curiosity.

If you’re anything like me, in firm possession of a run-of-the-mill non-science mind, you’re probably picturing this satellite-type invention rocketing straight toward our nearest planet. According to my husband, that’s not the case. Curiosity has been put into an independent orbit circling the sun that will eventually intersect with its target’s orbit for a gentle parachute landing. Evidently that’s the only way to get there—a circuitous route that will likely take longer than it would if a cartoon-like straight shot were possible.

I can’t think of a more perfect example of so many things in life. We start out with a goal and make what feels like slow progress toward our destination. The rate of that progress is all in perspective, of course, and not easily visible from the space and time of our own orbit. And it’s rarely a straight shot—we have unforeseen diversions and obstacles (some good, some not so good). Eventually, if we’re persistent and up to the challenge, we make it to our destination. We realize the journey itself has brought us far more knowledge than we started out with, but the destination is yet another new beginning. One to collect and learn all kinds of new things—some we might have hoped or suspected, and others that will be a complete surprise.

So here’s to Curiosity! Both up there in space, and the kind we all carry around with us.

Don’t forget to join my contest here on my blog! Just scroll down to last week’s posting to enter on the Punchtab spot. The winner will be announced one week from today, noon Central Standard Time.

Happy Monday! This week, I’ll be having fun with a special new contest. I’m not only giving away a signed copy of Bees In The Butterfly Garden, this particular contest includes so much more.

If you like butterflies, this is the contest for you!

As you can see from the picture, I’ve collected a variety of items, which I’ll list below individually. I’ve had so much fun choosing what to include that my simple little giveaway has added up to a retail value of around $100. I never realized how easy it would be to start a collection of butterfly items until I actually started looking.

Here’s what you’ll win if your name is drawn in my Punchtab contest:

 

Butterfly Basket Goodies:

Signed copy of Bees In The Butterfly Garden

Butterfly necklace

Butterfly earrings

Butterfly tea mug from Lenox

My signature blend of tea from Adiago Tea Company

Honey, straight from some Illinois bees

Tea Filter

Butterfly scarf

Butterfly makeup bag from Clinque

Assorted stationery/notepads/sticky notes featuring butterflies

Springtime playing cards

Butterfly tote bag

Butterfly tear bottle*

*The tear bottle is perhaps my favorite item in the collection, and something I’ve been known to give others for a few years now. Technically each gorgeous little bottle, this time with a butterfly on top, is a perfume bottle. Throughout history little bottles have held precious items like expensive perfumes or exotic spices, but the Bible tells us God collects our tears as if they’re every bit as precious, and puts them in a bottle. Because of that, I’m reminded tears aren’t just tears—they’re precious to the God who created me. Is it because He know those moments can bring us to those places where His presence is most keenly felt? Perhaps. Somehow that makes my tears a little easier to bear, and I hope by giving a tear bottle as such a reminder will do the same for others. It’s small enough to sit nearly anywhere, and I keep mine on my desk next to my computer, where I can see it every day.

One last thing as I launch this contest, a few technicalities. As many of you know, I readily admit to being technologically challenged. This is the first time I’m taking advantage of the Punchtab contest help, so please bear with me if we run across a glitch or two, especially on this opening day. Thankfully this contest will run two full weeks, not only to allow maximum participation, but for me to be sure everything is in perfect working order. So I hope you’ll participate!

As with any contest, the odds are directly related to how many people enter, and there is no purchase necessary to participate.

So, let’s get started! To be included you’ll have to follow three easy steps:

A visit to my website, and a “Like” to each of my two Facebook pages. That’s it!

Start here:

As we celebrate this 4th of July, we might also be looking for a great summer read! Here’s the newest from my friend Cheryl Wyatt:

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Publisher: Love Inspired (June 19, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0373877544
ISBN-13: 978-0373877546

 

 

 

 

A Doctor’s Vow–When he fled Eagle Point years ago, former air force trauma surgeon Mitch Wellington left only broken dreams behind. Now he’s back with a new dream—opening a trauma center in the rural area and saving lives. He hopes to hire the quick-thinking nurse who impressed him during an emergency. But Lauren Bates lost her faith and doesn’t believe she deserves to help anyone. Mitch knows firsthand what loss feels like. And it’ll take all his devotion to show Lauren that sometimes the best medicine is a combination of faith, community—and love.

 

Eagle Point Emergency Series:

Saving lives—and losing their hearts—in a small Illinois town.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born Valentine’s Day on a Navy base, Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance. Her debuts earned RT Top Picks plus #1 and #4 on Harlequin’s Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists which included NYT Bestsellers. Cheryl loves interacting with readers. Sign up for her newsletter for yummy story recipes and other fun stuff exclusive to newsletter subscribers at www.cherylwyatt.com. Cheryl loves interacting with readers and can often be found plotting mayhem with them on her Facebook page, dedicated to readers: http://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor

 

BOOK PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Doctors-Devotion-Love-Inspired/dp/0373877544

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-doctors-devotion-cheryl-wyatt/1108266780

Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/the-doctors-devotion-cheryl-wyatt/9780373877546/pd/877546

 

 

FIRST CHAPTER EXCERPT LINK:

http://scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/2012/06/excerpt-doctors-devotion-by-cheryl.html

This past week my husband sent me the link to one of the articles he came across from IEEE (pronounced “Eye-triple-E” which stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Sound technical enough?). Now normally when my husband gets all Engineer-y on me, I smile and nod along until the conversation takes a more interesting turn. But amazingly enough that often happens in the midst of his engineering talk. I guess he’s known me long enough to choose his topics thoughtfully.

Anyway, this particular link was fascinating to me, titled Top 10 Ways To Screw-Up Your Engineering Career. Sounds grim, doesn’t it? Even more so when I realized it could apply to writers, too.

At the bottom of this post I’ll provide the link to the original article, written by Jim Anderson. I’m sure he’s given lots of great advice to engineers, and I’m very grateful to him for the inspiration behind this post. I’ve tweaked some the actual tips to fit, but they’re actually more similar than you’d expect if you never considered writers to have much in common with engineers.

So here they are, 10 ways to mess up your writing career:

#10: Don’t Go To College / Don’t Finish If You Do Go / Don’t Expand Your Knowledge of Writing

Mr. Anderson recommends college as a place to learn how to think, and I wholeheartedly agree.  The idea here is that formal education is important, but perhaps not for the reasons you think. Participating in formal training is vital to train your brain to be open to new ideas and concepts and how to use them.

#9: Be The Best Problem Finder That You Can Be

Engineers may be the best qualified people on earth to identify a problem, but in order to succeed they have to figure out how to solve those problems. For writers, we may be the best person to identify a brand new twist on a tried-and-true plot, or identify the one kind of book that hasn’t been done to death. To identify a hole in the market that needs to be filled—just make sure you come up with the story that’s the right one to fill that hole. Identifying the need is only half the battle.

#8: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

What Mr. Anderson is saying here, I think, is if you don’t sweat the small stuff, someone else who does will be the one to succeed. Ignoring even the mundane rules—even publishers have them for freelancers—is a good way to be passed over next time. So pay attention to the rules out of respect for those who set them, because there are plenty of other writers out there who would be eager to take your place. So when your editor changes some usage or grammar item that might not be your first choice, but they have a house rule for consistency, go with what they say instead of fighting a battle not worth fighting. Pay attention to that small stuff by going with what your employer—your publisher—prefers. The small stuff . . . does it really matter? It can.

#7: Bee A Reel Fast Tiper

In this day and age everyone—everyone—types. You may want to respond to an email to a colleague or editor in record time, but speed isn’t the most important thing in life. Mr. Anderson recommends counting to ten before pushing send, in other words giving yourself a moment to re-read and digest what you’re about to communicate. I heartily agree to be careful about your communication, no matter whom you’re communicating with.

#6: Fall In Love With Your Employer

This anti-tip was probably the hardest for me to accept, because I admit to being at least a little bit in love with my employer. However, Tyndale is my second publisher and I was also grateful and excited to be working with my first publisher. All publishers are in business, and by virtue of its very nature a business cannot love you back. Yes, even if it is a Christian business. Publishers cannot stay in business if they make unwise business choices, so keep that in mind as you shape your career.

#5: Only Be Nice To the Important People

This one should be obvious for those of us who follow Christ, but it bears repeating in this context. I often say when I go to writer’s conferences that we need to be open and friendly to everyone we meet, because we really don’t know who might be the one to inspire us in the future, to give us a tip, provide an introduction or other networking help that could allow us to move up to the next level.

#4: Let Your Work Speak for Yourself

This might have been the most interesting anti-tip, particularly for us as writers. After all, shouldn’t our work stand on its own merit? Well, evidently even in engineering the engineer is supposed to tell others about the uniqueness of their work. For us, that means . . . yes, marketing. We have to talk about ourselves and the uniqueness of our work so it will draw notice.

#3: Always Use Email for Everything

I thought this would be challenging to engineers and introverted writers alike, because e-mail works so well. Why go face-to-face if e-mail will suffice? The fact is we all get inundated with email, so if possible it’s nice to connect in person. I’ve recommended for years that a writer visit their publisher in person if possible when they get a new contract, just to connect a face with a name. Oh, and it also helps with #4, about shoring up the way your work can be noticed (even within your publisher’s office).

#2: Never Make a Decision Without Having ALL of the Facts

I thought this was interesting, too, particularly coming from an engineer and directed to other engineers. I mean, aren’t engineers all about the facts? Mathematical foundations for everything, after all, and you don’t argue with math. However, Mr. Anderson makes a great point—we don’t often get all the facts, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes our decisions must be made on estimates. For writers that might mean for every acceptance we get so many rejections, so be prepared to send out more proposals than we might hope. Or for every plot that works we may follow so many bunny trails that won’t. For every reviewer who loves our work, we get so many who don’t. In a business that revolves around people—readers—we often have to make our business decisions based on estimates, trends, markets. Not concrete facts.

#1: You’re published, now you’ve made it!

Mr. Anderson’s most important point is to always learn and grow, and that’s the essence of this point as well. Once a writer is published, even if they win awards or make best seller lists, if they don’t continue growing (i.e. learning) then they may as well kiss their career bye-bye.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my take on these engineering anti-tips. It appears making the most of creativity is universal, no matter the domain.

Click here to the original link to Jim Anderson’s excellent post.

Before you go, don’t forget to check back mid-week for my New Fiction Wednesday, and then next Monday with details about my contest kick-off!

In celebration of my newest release, Bees In The Butterfly Garden, I’ll be visiting a number of other blogs and answering various interview questions about the book and about my writing life in general. I always have fun doing this, mainly because each blog is so unique to the host! Several sites will offer contests to win a free book, too, so you’ll have these opportunities plus my own contest which starts on July 9th.

 

Have fun!

 

Here are a few if you’d like to stop by different blogs on the dates listed to visit:

 

 

 

Margaret Daley’s Blog

Margaret’s Blog

Week of: June 25, 2012

Link: http://www.margaretdaley.com/margarets-blog/

My Interview posts Thursday, June 28th but various interviews are going on all week.

 

Tiff Stockton

A Fictional Life

http://amberstockton.blogspot.com/

June 27, 2012

 

Debbie Lynne Costello’s Blog

The Sword and Spirit

http://www.theswordandspirit.blogspot.com/

June 28, 2012

 

 

Salena Stormo

Through His Eyes Blog

http://throughhiseyestoo.blogspot.com/

June 30, 2012

 

 

Lena Nelson Dooley’s Blog

A Christian Writer’s World

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

July 15 2012

 

Casey Herringshaw

Writing For Christ

http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/

July 16 2012

 

Have fun blog-sailing!

Have you ever wondered what God sees in you? The Bible tells us God loves us more than we can imagine. Sometimes when I’m worshiping or reading about his love in the Bible or working on a book when everything comes together, or even just admiring His creation, I feel that love.

But that doesn’t really tell me so much about me—rather it reveals more about His capacity to love. Recently I’ve been reminded that we don’t always see ourselves quite accurately. Sometimes we’re too critical of ourselves, other times we’re too . . . well, let’s just say the self-esteem movement in America is alive and well. Many times we see ourselves a bit better than we are.

Not long ago I had a discussion with an aspiring writer. It’s not uncommon for some new writers, at least ones who have a passion for story telling but somehow not so much for reading, to put on paper the essence of their story but miss a few of the finer details about writing. Everything from easy-to-fix structural things (like where quotes go, and the split between paragraphs) to passively telling a story rather than bringing characters alive so the reader can step into their shoes.

When I pointed out the difference in the brand new writer’s work and that of a seasoned writer’s, this particular aspiring writer saw no difference between his newly minted story and the work of someone who’s been at it for forty years (that wold be me). I wasn’t really sure what to say to his assessment, except that it almost instantly made me wonder whose eyesight was worse: mine or his. Perhaps neither one of us were seeing our work the way God sees it.

Another occasion that reminded me my vision of myself might not be accurate is a time I set out on a brisk morning walk in my neighborhood. This was pre-doggie days, so I was on my own. I recall setting as fast a pace as I could, and eventually hearing voices behind me. A pair of neighbors—although they were ones I did not know—were also taking advantage of the nice weather and doing their own morning walk. Briefly, I calculated how long it would be before I’d have the sidewalk to myself again. Would I be turning off at the end of the block, or would they?

I needn’t have asked such a question. In amazing speed, these two women (while having an animated conversation to boot) passed me by so quickly and easily I hardly had to share the sidewalk more than a few moments. Sigh. I thought I’d mastered such a brisk pace, when in reality I moved like a turtle. (I console myself with the fact that they were much taller, and therefore had longer strides . . .)

And so today when I took my walk with my dog, thoroughly enjoying the cool morning air and shuffling favorite tunes through my iPod, a wonderful song from Sara Groves came along. I admit it starts a bit sadly, about a woman about to give up, but in it she was asking basically the same question I’ve asked. To see in herself what God sees. The song doesn’t really answer what God sees, but it hints He sees more value than we might occasionally see ourselves.

I went on to YouTube and found it so you can see what you think!

Sara Groves, This One Place

Before I sign off for today, I wanted to mention that I’ll be doing a contest to celebrate the release of my newest book, Bees In The Butterfly Garden. The contest will run from July 9 through July 23rd. I welcome you back to participate! Here is a picture of what one winner will receive (approximately $100 value). When I give the details of how to enter, I’ll offer a complete list of what’s included. It’s certainly been fun collecting the items!

I’ve had the opportunity lately to visit a variety of other blogs to talk about my newest book, Bees In The Butterfly Garden. Believe it or not, such interviews come with a challenge many people are surprised by. Sometimes I have trouble recalling certain things about my book. I should know it by heart, but by the time the book releases it’s been quite a while since I worked on it (usually about a year). I’m also immersed in another project, and so my new characters are far more fresh in my mind.

I once saw an old movie with John Wayne (Without Reservations) where the heroine, Kit (played by Claudette Colbert) was a best-selling author headed to Hollywood where they were about to cast the hero for the movie version of her book. Along the way she meets John Wayne and decides he would be perfect for her hero. At one point on the journey to Hollywood, she goes into a store (actually to buy Wayne and his soldier buddy some liquor, but it’s not a wild movie, honest!). The clerk at the cash register happens to be reading her book, of course, since it’s sweeping the country. When she asks to buy more than the limit on the liquor, he initially refuses—until she confesses she’s the author of the book he’s enjoying. She then goes on to prove it by asking what scene he’s reading then she quotes, word for word, what’s coming next. He’s so impressed he lets her buy as much as she wants.

I’ve often said Hollywood almost never gets the facts straight, and this is a great example! I can barely remember my character’s name from book to book, let alone be able to quote long passages verbatim.

And so today I thought I’d do a very brief interview with Meg, my heroine, just to remind myself of her and to introduce her here now that the book is being shipped out to stores and distributors.

ME: So, Meg, you’re about to meet a number of new people beyond just me and my editors. How do you feel about people reading your story?

MEG: I suppose I should be somewhat embarrassed about everyone knowing I once aspired to be a thief. But if a lesson can be learned through me, then let it be.

ME: Why don’t you tell the readers why you wanted to become a thief? Perhaps that might help alleviate some of your embarrassment.

MEG: When I think back to it now, I wonder if I had any choice but to go through what I did? I needed to resolve my feelings about my father. I can’t blame him for my own bad decisions, but the truth is I wanted to prove him wrong for shutting me out of his life—in many ways abandoning me. Yes, he made sure I was raised in luxury, to learn all the ways of a lady. But without a hint of his love or approval, I lived a very lonely life. That was bound to create some repercussions . . . wasn’t it?

ME: It sounds like you still have some issues with your memories as a thief.

MEG: Yes, I suppose I do. And yet . . . without a memory of all we’ve been forgiven, would the gift God gave us still seem as sweet?

Hmmm . . . once again, one of my characters has me thinking . . .

I’ll leave you with that brief peek into Meg’s character, and end with another snippet about New York from Pete Hamill’s inviting book, Downtown. When I visited New York City while writing Bees In The Butterfly Garden, I was thrilled to see so many familiar places. Among them, Wall Street. I was struck by how close it is to one of the oldest churches in the city. Trinity Church faces Wall Street, and Mr. Hamill puts it eloquently to say it’s a symbolic crossroad of God and Mammon.

This week I’m pleased to tell you about my friend Gail Gaymer Martin’s newest book from Love Inspired, A Dream of His Own. Here’s a little about the book:




Trust and giving of talent, time and treasures opens doors to God’s love and a love neither expected.





From the back cover:

The only thing philanthropist Quinn O’Neill wants is to forget the accident that took his wife and son. He doesn’t expect a fender bender with a lovely stranger to change his life in a major way. Struggling single mom Ava Darnell and her teenage son have their own hardships.



What better way for him to lend a hand than through the Dreams Come True Foundation? But helping Ava means earning her trust…and having faith that dreams of healing and family just might become reality.


Reviews

Touching finale. 4-1/2 Stars from Romantic Times



A Dream of His Own was everything I was hoping it would be another sweet and sentimental book that speaks of the love that can be found even in the heart of someone who has known great pain.  I loved this book just as much as I have loved this entire series.  I highly recommend it!  from Carly Bird’s Home







About Gail: Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Love Inspired and has written for Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has sold over fifty novels with three and a half million books in print. She is the author of Writers Digest’s Writing the Christian Romance. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Christian Authors Network, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and a workshop presenter at conference across the US. She was named one of the four best novelists in the Detroit area by CBS local news. Gail lives with her husband in a northwest Detroit suburb.

Purchase where all books are sold or at online bookstores. Available on Kindle and other ebooks.  Order Here