Maureen Lang's Blog, page 23

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On Friday morning I received an almost unbelievable phone call from RWAs Liaison for the RITA contest who told me my book, Whisper on the Wind, is a finalist in this year's national contest. The RITA is like the Oscars of romantic fiction, one of the longest standing and most recognizable contests in the industry. Needless to say, it's quite an honor! So Friday and much of Saturday morning were spent between Facebook and email, basking in friendly notes of congratulations.

On Saturday afternoon, I had a book signing at the Johnsen & Taylor Bookstore in Wheaton, IL. Pictured below are several of the reasons I love writing for Tyndale. From left to right, Babette Rea, my Marketing Manager; Beth Sparkman, my cover designer; me; and on the far right is Maggie Rowe, my Publicist.

Believe me, these are not just people with dream job titles in a writer's life, these are dream people to work with! The event was like a party, all of us chatting and laughing. I did sign some books, but in between that Beth filled me in on many details I didn't know regarding my covers. For example, I didn't know the hat and brooch my heroine is wearing on the cover of Springtime of the Spirit actually belonged to my marketing manager's grandmother! And the pin in the hair of my heroine on Whisper on the Wind (pictured in the photo that's inside the front cover) belongs to my publicist. The books my heroine is holding in Look to the East, books representing ones she brings to the hero in hiding to help his days go faster, are old books from Beth's personal collection. Who knew? It was such fun to get a little behind-the-scene glimpse of how the covers are put together under Beth's creative direction. Of course, she extolled the talent of the Tyndale photographer (Stephen Vosloo) who did the shots and also took the background pictures in Europe. But it's Beth direction that puts the entire look together—from the lettering to the images. To me, she's a writer's hero! (Heroine!)

Another heroine who visited on Saturday was my line editor, pictured here at another event. (We were too busy chatting to remember to take more pictures!) My acquiring editor was out of town or she would have been there as well, making it a true Tyndale family affair. And reminding me how blessed I am to be working with so many people who love their job as much as I do. Great editors like these can make an author's work really shine – enough to final in the best contests!

This week is spring break, so that means limited uninterrupted time for me to work on my current novel. But with memories of a weekend like this, I think I'm inspired enough to get some work done anyway. My family already knows what it's like to have a writer in the house . . .

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At church this weekend my pastor spoke from Psalm 139. This sermon was actually part of a series concentrating on how overwhelming God's love is for us, a topic making this Psalm a longtime favorite of mine.

As usual, my pastor's take was insightful and unique. He cited a story told by astronaut and engineer Jim Irwin. Evidently Colonel Irwin had been raised in a Christian home, but it wasn't until actually walking on the surface of the moon that he became personally aware of the presence of God in his life. Colonel Irwin is quoted as saying he sensed an overwhelming delight that comes with the presence of God—something he felt the entire time he worked on the moon.

I obviously have no clue what it's like to walk on the moon, since only a dozen men have done so (and with the closing of the space program it doesn't appear that number will grow any time soon). What must it have been like to have all of their knowledge and training, preparation and hard work find fruition in a successful endeavor that the whole world would watch and learn from?

Colonel Irwin was one part of the team, but from the moment he stepped foot on our moon's surface he was nearly overwhelmed by a sense of delight so profound he felt it could come only in God's presence. As it says in the Psalm, if we go up to the heavens (into space), God is there. There is no place in heaven or on earth where we can be separated from the presence of God.

It's sensing God's presence in delight which resonates with me, and should sound at least a little familiar to anyone who has found what God wired them to do and is able to do it. I believe that in God's extraordinary love for us, He gives each of us gifts from the day we're born. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, we're not always able to tap into them. Life's challenges can get in the way.

But for others, and I count myself among this blessed group, we either intentionally uncover or stumble into learning what it was God wired us to do. For me, it's writing. When I'm sitting at my computer and my fingers have a hard time keeping up with whatever happens in a story, I feel the presence of God in my delight. It's the perfect blend of training, passion and something innate that makes it all come together in those moments. "Fun" really isn't the word, although it is fun. It can be viewed as work, because at the end of the day I'm one of the cogs in a wheel that produces a product. But it's not work in the classic sense of the word. To get to this point I've had to train, to withstand rejections of various kinds, to persevere when the future was anything but certain. But even with all of that, delight really is the perfect word to describe what creating a story feels like. Delight because in such moments I'm individually connecting to my Creator God, who approves of this work and gave it to me as a gift.

There are many things that point me not only to the existence of God, but to the love of God. Creation in all its variety and splendor is one of the most vivid examples of God's love. Some experiential things have pointed me to God, too, not the least of which was the diagnosis of my Fragile X son. But as real as all of that is, when I'm doing what He put me on this earth to do I sense His presence on every bit as personal a level as when I look at creation and realize He made all this for me. For us.

So . . . as I start another week doing what I love to do, I just wanted to send out this little reminder to others. God delights in our delight. Every time we see something beautiful, every time we connect with love to those He sent to share our lives, every time we create something just because He gave us the ability to do so, we should be reminded of God's delight in ours. Don't let this day pass without remembering that.

Here's the latest from my friend Jill Eileen Smith!

Can love triumph over treachery?

Bathsheba is a woman who longs for love. With her husband away fighting the king's wars, she battles encroaching loneliness–making it frighteningly easy to succumb to the advances of King David. Will one night of unbridled passion destroy everything she holds dear? Can she find forgiveness at the feet of the Almighty? Or has her sin separated her from God—and David—forever?

With a historian's sharp eye for detail and a novelist's creative spirit, Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the passionate and emotional story of David's most famous—and infamous—wife. You will never read the story of David and Bathsheba in the same way again.

"Thoroughly engrossing. Jill Eileen Smith receives my highest recommendation as an author of biblical fiction."—Kim Vogel Sawyer, award-winning author of My Heart Remembers

"Bathsheba is Jill Eileen Smith's finest work to date. It vividly portrays the devastation caused by selfish passion and betrayal, and the incredible blessing of repentance and restoration through God's grace."—Jill Stengl, award-winning author of Wisconsin Brides

"This well-researched and beautifully crafted story will resonate in your heart and mind long after you've read the final page. An excellent read with a message that transcends time."—Judith Miller, author of the Daughters of Amana series

You can purchase a copy of Bathsheba at Amazon or CBD:

http://www.amazon.com/Bathsheba-Novel-Wives-King-David/dp/0800733223/ref=sr11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300286878&sr=1-1


http://www.christianbook.com/bathsheba-wives-of-king-david/jill-smith/9780800733223/pd/733223?itemcode=WW&netpid=832812&event=ESRCN&view=details

and wherever fine books are sold.

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This week in connection to my new contest, I'd like to introduce myriad topics for thought and discussion—that non-essential marginalia that sometimes can produce fascinating "asides" of life.

Topic #1

Have you ever had a moment when you felt your age? I must admit, the older I get the wider the gap becomes between the age I think I am on the inside and the age I really am. I recall the first time I felt "old" and I was probably only in my twenties. I was with my girlfriend who had two young daughters, not quite teenagers at the time. I mentioned an actor who had been popular when I was growing up, and neither one of them had ever heard of him. Now this was no small actor—I actually think the name was Jerry Lewis, a comedian who also did telethons during those years. Realizing they didn't even know who he was made me feel old for the first time in my life.

Somewhere along the way I became "ma'am" instead of "miss." That made me feel old, too. Then the aches and pains began, and just yesterday I saw one of the kids in the neighborhood zip by—running so fast only a child can know what that feels like. I may burst into jog now and then, but my running-really-fast days are behind me.

How about you? No matter what age you are, do you feel like it?

Topic #2

Over the weekend my husband I talked a little about team building. We're always telling our youngest son how important it is to be part of a team, to take ownership in something bigger than just one person. That reminded me that although writing seems to be a solitary occupation—and often feels that way—I started a long time ago to build a team around me. First readers who were friends or family members recruited to read my work, then fellow writer's workshop members, critique partners, a prayer team, all of whom molded my willing attitude when it came to working on a publishing team—everyone from the publisher who looks at the big picture to editors who hone those ideas I present, on to marketing and PR personnel, sales staff and interviewers to expand my platform. Having a team attitude is vital, even in a supposedly solitary profession like writing.

Do you consider yourself part of a team? How has such an attitude helped you? As a mom, I sometimes feel like anything from the chief cook and bottle washer to the packhorse that totes along everything I think we'll need for various outings. But I'm only part of this team that I love, and once the roles are defined life seems to go smoother. Has being part of a team made life easier for you?

Topic #3

Let's lighten things up! Recently on another blog I visited, I posed the question about peeking at the end of a book you're reading. Do you? Or do you resist, letting the story gradually unfold each and every mystery, clue, high and low?

Contest!

These are just a few topics to get some thoughts going. This week, I'm offering three copies, one copy to each of three winners, of an ARC of Look to the East. This is a re-release of one of my Great War stories (old cover pictured on the right). This is the story that starts at the beginning of the War and follows Julitte as she helps Charles hide from the Germans occupying a small French village. This story was released briefly in 2009, then pulled for a cover re-design—so if you missed it, now's your chance to claim an Advance Reader Copy with the new cover (pictured below). For those who don't win, the book will be hitting store shelves again later this year.

If your name is drawn at the end of the week and you've already read one of the original copies of Look to the East, just let me know at that time and I'll send you a different book of your choice.

Here's how it works to be included: Just leave a comment. You can talk about any of the topics presented above, or you can bring up a topic of your own. Or you can simply state you'd like to be included in the contest. This is a marginalia contest, which means the comments can be as mundane as you like. Just keep them clean, make sure your email is included (using the following format: youremail(at)carrier(dot)com) and post on my blogspot page rather than on my Facebook page. On Sunday evening, March 20th, I'll randomly draw three names from those who leave comments and will contact the winners directly through the email address associated with the comment.

On Wednesday, I'll be featuring New Fiction from a friend of mine, and comments left on that day will also be included in the random drawing.

All the best to you, and Happy Reading!

Here's the latest from my friend Trish Perry!

A little about Unforgettable:

Rachel Stanhope tries to see the good in everyone. But even her good graces are challenged when she meets Josh Reegan outside her Arlington, Virginia dance studio on a brisk fall morning in 1951. Admittedly, he's attractive, but she finds his cynicism and cockiness hard to tolerate.

A hard-news journalist and former World War II Air Force pilot, Josh considers distractions like ballroom dancing frivolous wastes of time. He has yet to shed his wartime drive to defend good against evil whenever he can. Yes, Rachel's confident nature is a refreshing challenge, but he wouldn't tangle with her if his newspaper hadn't roped him into covering one of her studio's competitions in New York City.

Between Arlington and New York, between the melodrama of ballroom antics and the real drama of political corruption, between family involvement and romantic entanglement, Rachel and Josh have their hands full. The last thing either of them expects is mutual need and support. But once they stop dancing around the truth, the results are unforgettable.


A little about Trish:

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written eight inspirational romances for Harvest House Publishers, Summerside Press, and Barbour Publishing, as well as two devotionals for Summerside Press. She has served as a columnist and as a newsletter editor over the years, as well as a 1980s stockbroker and a board member of the Capital Christian Writers organization in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in Psychology.

Trish's latest novel, Unforgettable, releases in March, and Tea for Two releases in April. She invites you to visit her at www.TrishPerry.com

Where to buy:

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http://www.amazon.com/Unforgettable-Trish-Perry/dp/1609361121/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299374061&sr=1-5

http://www.christianbook.com/unforgettable-trish-perry/9781609361129/pd/361129?item_code=WW&netp_id=851426&event=ESRCN&view=details

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Unforgettable/Trish-Perry/e/9781609361129/?itm=1&USRI=unforgettable+trish+perryh

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Last week brought the news that Frank Buckles, the last remaining US veteran of the First World War, died at his home in West Virginia. He was an ambulance driver while "over there" and was 110 years old when he died.

When I decided I wanted to write a romance novel set during this war, a few editors and agents told me it wasn't historical enough. Anything set after 1900, they said, was considered "too modern" to appeal to readers of historical romance. Granted, there were airplanes and telephones and cars and the first-ever tanks, but none of that put the time period into the modern age for me, considering the kinds of airplanes, telephones, motorcars and tanks common back then. I was and still am fascinated and enamored of that era.

My patience paid off. Once we passed the new century mark, 1914 to 1918 began to seem more distantly past. This time when I sent out queries about my First World War stories, I received more polite rejections, and some minor interest in the setting, until receiving my first acceptance. These days I can point to several other authors who are also writing about this era.

I'm glad this time period, and in particular this war, hasn't been forgotten. When my husband and I traveled to Belgium and Northern France for a research trip while I was writing my Great War series, we visited the Menin Gate at Ypres, Belgium. Every night at 8 p.m. local time they have a ceremony to remember those who fell while defending that land. It's a sacred era, one they haven't forgotten even through multiple decades and more war. Scores of people show up to hear the bugle play for the dead and for those men whose bodies were never found. Hundreds of names of the missing are etched on the walls of the gate, men who never had the chance to be given a proper burial. It's incredibly moving to see young people honoring the sacrifices of those who gave everything for that territory.

I read there are only two other survivors, one in Britain and one in Australia. Soon there will be no WWI survivors left among us, and that war will be just one more in our long history of wars. Soon, too, we'll be counting the survivors of the Second World War, another era Mr. Buckles survived. Incredibly, he was working as a civilian when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. He was taken prisoner and held for 38 months. I know a little about the conditions of military POWs during that time, since my father was a Navy sailor taken captive in the same region and held in various camps for just about the same length. Mr. Buckles, like my father, must certainly have possessed a strong will to survive.

There is something important about remembering what they fought for, each in their own war. It's far easier to explain the Second World War than the First, but the ambiguity of the origins of the First World War, or any other, doesn't make their sacrifice any less precious.

So good-bye, Mr. Buckles. We won't forget.

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This is a very exciting week for me. I'm celebrating the release of Springtime of the Spirit, and part of that celebration includes a free Kindle download of my previous book in the series, Whisper on the Wind. It's available for a limited time, compliments of my publisher (Tyndale) and can be read not only on the Kindle but other e-readers as well. While my three Great War books are definitely connected by the European setting of the First World War, they're all independent reads so they can be enjoyed in any order.

I've also been visiting several blogs, doing some online interviews, a couple of podcast interviews, and I'll be doing a local book signing in March (March 26th to be exact, at the Johnsen and Taylor Bookstore in Wheaton, IL). So I'm busy doing "authorly" things, even as my days are filled with forging ahead with my next project.

In light of talking about my new release to others, I was thinking about how the two main characters in Springtime of the Spirit came to be. I always say that many heroes and heroines, particularly in romances, are interchangeable. That may sound like a knock against romantic stories but I honestly don't mean it that way. In fact, it's meant as just the opposite. We all come to a romantic tale with certain pre-conceived expectations. The heroine and hero will be . . . well, heroic. They may or may not be perfectly beautiful but they will have something extremely attractive about them—at least so believes their counterpart, and so do the rest of us who identify with that counterpart through the duration of the story. Each hero and heroine must have something we can all identify with and then fall in love with, at least in the make-believe world the book creates in our mind.

Obviously there are some character differences along the way, hopefully unique traits or goals or obstacles as well as a reflection of their era or setting and the plot in which each of these characters are placed. For my heroine, I needed someone who would be sensitive enough to feel guilty over the profits her family reaped while selling war goods, ideal enough to think she can make a difference, bold enough to do something about it—even fearlessly—but with a spiritual hole that only God could fill. A hole she tries stuffing with her ideals and her faith in politics and politicians but one that ultimately won't go away. She's unique from my other heroines because she's more idealistic, more willing to run head on and face whatever needs facing.

For my hero, I needed someone more sensitive than some traditional heroes. This proved possible considering he'd spent the last four years on a battlefield. Rather than having had his war experience make him hard, his spiritual connection to a loving God never broke. In my earliest thoughts about him I saw him a bit too sensitive—and even a little slow when it came to politics that are ultra-important to my heroine. But I had to give up some of that, because all heroes need to garner respect from their heroine. When I thought of Annaliese, my heroine, I wondered how she could respect someone who was done fighting. She was just beginning to fight—for the future of Germany. Obviously someone who didn't believe everything she believed would be wrong for her, and so there was plenty of conflict to play with between the two of them.

Except for one very important aspect: spiritually my hero and heroine are a perfect fit. Not at first, of course, but as the journey goes along they realize they're better together than apart. And for inspirational fiction, that's the best thing of all to recognize.

I hope you don't mind this week's indulgence in a visit with my characters, but while I'm doing my best at marketing, they've been on my mind almost as much as they were while I was writing the book in the first place.

Oh, and by the way, one of my recent interviewers asked what actors I would choose to play my characters. The answer was easy. My cover model reminded me of Jessica Simpson, so she would be a wonderful portrayal of Annaliese. And cast as my hero, Christophe, would be a barely-shaved Aaron Eckhart. Just thought you might want to know…

Here are a couple of the blog links I'll be visiting this week:

Link to The Writer's Window with Kaye Dacus

or

Link to Lena Nelson Dooley's Blogspot

Thanks for letting me indulge, and as always, happy reading!

One Child's Wish

With his Dreams Come True foundation, Ethan Fox turns wishes into reality. Amazing trips. Meeting heroes. But Ethan has come to care deeply for a sick boy whose dream is. . .a dad. And not just any dad. Ethan. Though little Cooper has a great chance of getting well, widowed Ethan can't chance loving---and losing---again. Yet he's spending time with the sweet boy and his lovely, single mother, Lexie Carlson. Could a little boy's wish for a dad of his own come true after all? In stores now where ever books are sold or order on line: Click to Order:

Multi-award-winning novelist, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Love Inspired and Barbour Publishing, where she was honored by Heartsong readers as their Favorite Author of 2008. Gail has forty-eight contracted novels with over three 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 keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations and presents workshops at conference across the US. She has a Masters degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and was a licensed counselor for many years. She lives with her husband in a northwest Detroit suburb.


Gail's Video Interview about A DAD OF HIS OWN and a little about her career can be view on her blog at: www.gailmartin.blogspot.com

Visit Gail's Website at www.gailmartin.com Gail on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=1429640580
Happy Reading!

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I was told the old adage about polite discussion when I was a child—I don't recall exactly when I was bestowed this advice but I can guess it was after a big family "discussion" loud enough for the neighbors to weigh in if they wanted to. I'm one of six kids—#5 of 6, with a dad whose sailor's voice was loud enough to send all of us hopping. I was too young to be part of the political discussions around the dinner table, so I just listened. Actually because of the volume I couldn't help but listen, right along with the neighbors when the windows were open.

The adage was demonstrated to me at work one day when I was still very young. I was perhaps 19 years old and over lunch I casually asked a co-worker who she was going to vote for in an upcoming presidential election, fully prepared to share my own choice. We happened to be sitting with my co-worker's friend, who turned on me with what I can dramatically but accurately describe as an icy stare. "I can't believe you just asked that question. It's none of your business." So after lunch I slunk away, regretting I'd forgotten the old adage, at least when outside of family.

Well, my newest book might force me to break the old adage again. This week I received my first, advance copy of Springtime of the Spirit. Yippee! This is my eleventh time if you count my three seculars long and happily out of print, but the feeling of satisfaction never gets old. Each book comes with its own frosting heaped on top of that satisfaction. With The Oak Leaves, I was proud to have found something positive to write about the Fragile X diagnosis we received as a family; with My Sister Dilly, I was thankful to have explored a topic many people would have avoided, one that perhaps is best told by someone like me, the mom to a handicapped child. And with each of my First World War books, I was happy to have learned as much as I did about a war I still don't understand.

Springtime of the Spirit is my last World War One novel, appropriately set at the end of the war, in Germany. It's a setting that at first appealed to me because of the drama, and because it is so little explored in other novels. When I started my research I began to guess why. It's a time full of so many fights and factions—and impossible to understand politics—that it was difficult to sort my way through.

But what I came away with was one big political discussion. About conservative vs. liberal, about the size and involvement of governing powers, about individuality and the collective good. About the reality of fairness. As I was researching, I started listening to the news more often. Amazingly enough many of these topics are being talked about in our volatile world today—proving to me how little man changes. We still have the same underlying hope for freedom in a safe society.

As usual when confronting a topic I found daunting, I wrapped it up in a romance. It's amazing how a romantic relationship between two people with opposing insights can make almost any topic fun to read.

So this is my newest offering, and if I'm required to break the rule about not talking politics, so be it. I've been known to break the other rule, too, about not talking religion…

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An article this week about university basketball coach Bruce Weber suggested the reason he can't get his Illini basketball team to win is because he lacks the "con-man gene."

According to the author of the Daily Herald article, Mike Imrem, those coaches who possess the con-man gene have an ability to trick their payers into believing they can win. He went on to suggest this coach was "too honest" to both the players and the media. He also differentiated the university from professional level because the pro coaches are part of a system that can shift blame for losses so they can survive. Evidently in the university arena the coach takes the blame for close-point losses, because not only is he responsible for inspiration, he's ultimately in charge of hiring and firing of the staff (unlike the pros).

So the con-man gene contains inspiration, shifting blame, tricking people and a willingness to lie. Hmm… only the first of those things is something most of us strive for who want to live an upright life. Interestingly, the Bible predicts a time when right will seem wrong and wrong will seem right, but that's a whole different topic. What I wanted to focus on instead is this con-man gene and how it plays into general success.

The con-man gene suggests someone successful at sales, at marketing, at selling oneself or a product. Someone with an outgoing, charming or winsome personality who can make anything look good. Hopefully those with a good product don't have to resort to lying or shifting blame but if for some reason a product has a tough time selling, I suppose it's human nature to blame someone else when this happens.

The truth is, although I'm just a writer at heart, these days writers also need this ability to sell. Not only their books, but their brand, and their "brand" is themselves. I may not possess the con-man gene, but I do possess a passion for writing and to do it well. And yet I can't help but realize many of those who are successful at writing possess the ability to confidently, winsomely, present themselves as well as their books.

This past weekend I was on a panel with several other authors at the Evanston Public Library. Several years ago this would probably have worried me, knowing there would likely be a good turnout and I've never been comfortable speaking in front of an audience. But somewhere along the way I've been able to emulate, to some extent, those who more naturally possess this con-man confidence (is that a redundancy, or what?). I was able to speak without any hesitation or fear about my passion for the writing life. I wanted to sell my name, and do it with honest enthusiasm.

I may not have been born with the con-man gene, and I pray I never resort to blame-shifting, lying or tricking someone into buying my books. But this weekend made me realize the good slice of the con-man gene is a trait that can be learned.

The romance panel at the Evanston Public Library, from the left:

Magot Justes, Julie James, Patricia Rosemoor, Barbara Binns, Yours Truly, and coordinator Librarian Juliette Swett (all of whom, to a certain extent, posses at least as much as I do of the good slice of the con-man gene).