Free e-Cookbook from Novel Matters!

Starting Friday, December 17th, the writers at Novel Matters blog will have a free e-cookbook available for download!

This is our Christmas thank you to all our readers and friends. If you haven't been reading Novel Matters, it's a great time to check it out - and yes, you're still more than welcome to download a copy of the cookbook. It's free, no
strings attached.

It's called Novel Tips on Rice: What to cook when you'd rather be writing and
vice versa.

Full of our personal recipes, fun pictures, writing tips, and generalized fun.

You can download your free copy on Friday at:

Novel Matters
or
She Reads

Thanks!
Merry Christmas!

I bid you cook writing.

Contest for Writers on Novel Matters

A great new contest for writers is coming to Novel Matters starting next week! Here's a hint: Brush off your first chapter and synopsis. Need another hint? We'll be talking editing for the next two weeks. . . hmmm. . .Contest. . . editing. . .and Bonnie is posting this on her blog. . . wonder what the connection is. . . 

YAWP

Today, I nudge you to another spot I blog; Novel Matters. Kathleen Popa has posted something I believe every fiction writer should read and then practice.

I'm terrified, too. But if you and I hope to produce anything worth anything, it must be done. Nurture the wild creative - for heaven's sake - learn to tap into that wild thing that pulses below the surface.

Here is the link to Kathleen's most fearless post.

I bid you good writing.

Novel Matters Opens Second Annual Audience with an Agent Contest!

It's HERE! We are excited to announce the second annual Audience with an Agent Contest on Novel Matters! Our last contest yielded fantastic results with two authors seeing their manuscripts requested by Wendy Lawton.

This time around literary agent Janet Grant will be reading the top submissions.

Here are the official rules:

Our new Audience with an Agent Contest begins February 1, 2010. Submissions must be received at Novel Matters by April 15.
Finalists will be announced on May 15, and Janet Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency will announce a winner from the finalists on June 15.

You won't want to miss this remarkable opportunity. We look forward to your submissions. Please follow carefully the Guidelines below.

Guidelines:

• Open to US and Canadian fiction writers
• 1 submission per person, fiction only
• 1 chapter, up to 20 pages, plus 1-2 page synopsis
• 1" margins, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 (synopsis may be single spaced)
• Pages should be numbered and your last name and title should appear in the top left hand corner of every page.
• Books & Such Guidelines apply
• e-mail your submission to novelmatters@gmail.com. In the subject line, type: Audience with an Agent Submission
• Attach your submission as a single file as Word document (one file containing BOTH your synopsis and first chapter)
• Six submissions will be selected and sent to Janet Grant. Being selected does not guarantee offer of a contract for representation

Best Moments of 2009

What a year!

I've been reflecting on 2009 lately - a year end tradition for many of us, I'm sure. There is so much to be thankful for - here is my short list of fab moments:

January: Blog Novel Matters goes live. As life-changing relationships go, my friendship with these five authors is right near the top. The blog enriches my life, educates me, challenges me as a writer. The friendships of Sharon K. Souza, Kathleen Popa, Latayne C. Scott, Patti Hill, and Debbie Fuller Thomas are answers to prayer.

February: Party month: Heather turned six, Ben turned eight, Steve turned forty-six, and we partied like crazy.

March: Your Best You: Discovering and Developing the Strengths God Gave You releases. To celebrate, I hold a one day seminar in Saskatoon - a life-changing event for all of us. It was a privilege to be in the room and witness the things God was doing in the lives of the women present.

April: Travel to California to attend the career track at Mount Hermon. All six Novel Matters women attended. We inhabited two cabins, held nightly late night chats and readings (I LOVED listening to the authors read from their current works. Amazing!), and reveled in each other's company. Pure joy from start to finish.

May: Advance copies of Talking to the Dead arrive at my home. I hold a copy of my first novel and feel at a loss for words (always a problem for a writer). The words, "Thank you, God" are spoken often.

June: Talking to the Dead releases. Interviews, blog tours, radio, signings - a flurry of activity and fun. Reviews pile up - I'm overwhelmed with gratitude by the positive response to the novel. It had the joy of spending time with my amazing publisher Don Pape, and my editor, Nicci Jordan Hubert. We hung out in Ontario, ate great food, laughed, dreamed a little, laughed some more. Definitely a highlight!

Later that month Steve is ordained in a ceremony in Calgary - I kiss The Reverend.

July: Promotion for Talking to the Dead takes over life and limb - it is fun and fantastic. It is also the coldest July EVER and gaffers nearly freeze at swimming lessons at outdoor pool. Proud Mom moment: Ben learns to ride a two wheeler in one long (sometimes tearful) day. Way to go, Ben!

August: Talking to the Dead goes into third printing. New ideas/proposals for novels make their way to the page as I work on the outline for my next novel (coming 2010!). Hubby celebrates my birthday by giving me a framed cover of Talking to the Dead with a card signed by everyone at David C. Cook.

September: Heather starts grade one (Ben grade three) and I suddenly have full days in which to work! We take a road trip to Alberta where I teach at a writer's conference and present a two day seminar for Your Best You.

Talking to the Dead is chosen as a winter pick for She Reads - my introductory post spurs a heartfelt host of comments - 170 comments by the time we are done!

October: A Saskatchewan Your Best You seminar and the start of a seven week Your Best You small group helps women make a fresh start. Plans to take Your Best You to the inner city develop (we start Your Best You in the downtown core of Saskatoon January 29th!).

November: My first royalty cheque arrives! Much blinking and blinking, and thankfulness to everyone who bought a copy of Talking to the Dead. I'm amazed, humbled, and grateful to each of you!

Complete manuscript for new novel - Title? Time and Time Again (details to come early 2010)

Novel Matters and She Reads announce a partnership between blogs that will knit together the communities of writers and readers.

December: Ten thousand Christmas concerts/dinners/recitals for gaffers. They sing, dance, play piano, wear sparkly tinsel, memorize lines - and perform with aplomb (Mommy watches it all with teary eyes and a heart bursting with joy and pride). Talking to the Dead is listed in Rachelle Gardner's Favorite Fiction in 2009.

Yes, it's been an amazing, and sometimes exhausting year. You have been a huge part of making 2009 fantastic!

I bid you Merry Christmas, and good writing!

Great Day In The Morning. . .

. . . as my Mother would say.

Yesterday was a slamming good day!

I FINISHED writing the new book. Wow! So cool, so exciting to write a book I love, but I have to say, that feeling when I have written a book I love is pretty great!

AND: We have a title. I'm very excited because I LOVE this title. It's just perfect. What is it? Ahh, soon and very soon, my friends, I will be able to share with you ALL - the title, the back copy (the little blurb on the back of a book) AND the cover. Yep, we are diving right in and starting work on creating a cover. I'm very excited about this - the same creative, brilliant people who created the cover for Talking to the Dead will be at work on this cover. It promises to be wonderful.

Another amazing great thing about yesterday was that over on Novel Matters, we announced a brand new partnership between Novel Matters and the wonderful book club blog She Reads. Hop on over and read all the details. There is definitely a place for you to join in with your thoughts, ideas, experiences - whether you are a reader or a writer (or both!).

I bid you good writing.

The Book Plotted Itself - Latayne C. Scott (guest blogger)

Okay, I mentioned to you all that I'd asked some friends of mine, "How do you know an idea you have is 'novel-worthy'? What is your process for taking a germ of an idea and turning it into a novel?"

My good friend Latayne C. Scott (we are part of a wonderful six author blog -

Novel Matters), author of Latter-Day Cipher (and the non-fiction The Mormon Mirage), shot me an e-mail with a remarkable sketch of how she took a handful of characters she loved and turned them into a book.

It's interesting to note that she began, not with a story gem, but with characters. Imaginary people who, when she woke up in the morning are already wide awake and waving at her, ready to get to work. It's lovely when that happens, but problematic when the author has no story for them to jump into (and dangerous if Luigi Pirandello is to believed).

Latayne said,

"Here's how I plotted a novel recently:

I had the characters in mind. I started with, "What if?" for each of them.

Then I said, "Well, if that, then this...."

"Which would certainly lead to this......"

"And no one would expect this, but would see how it could have, and should have happened......"

"And then this would have to happen to deal with that...."

"And for me to be satisfied with the ending, I'd have to resolve these issues."

And it plotted itself, no kiddin' !"

****

This is a wonderful breakdown of the keys to good plotting. It is a logic thread that can sometimes get lost in the myriad of layers and subtext. Great novels have plots we can follow and understand logically. This grounds us as readers, and helps us trust the author when the story goes in an unexpected direction, or gets emotional, or tense, or whatever else happens.

I love this simple, effective, no nonsense sketch. We should all print it out and put near our computers or our bookshelves!

I bid you good writing.

Mount Hermon Writer's Conference

Sorry if I yawn while I write. Writer's conferences take a lot of energy.

I've returned home from Mount Hermon writer's conference set in the glorious red wood covered hills of California. So much green it made my eyes ache just looking at it. And while the area is famous for its spring rains, we enjoyed nearly a full week of sunshine and warm breezes. The only rain came on our final morning of the conference and blended with our goodbyes.

I attended the Career Track (additional application must be processed and accepted before being allowed to attend this track) with the other five ladies I blog with over on Novel Matters. While we behaved impeccably at all our sessions, and professionally whenever we set foot on common ground, we did have ourselves a hoot in the privacy of our cabins (cabins? More like charming small homes complete with closed in porches, claw foot tubs, and huge windows that opened wide to let the sun dappled breezes cool and refresh). It was a highlight of my time there to bond more deeply with these women - fantastic authors each of them.

And while we laughed until our sides ached (mine still do, a little), we also shared ideas, read our works in progress to each other, stretched each other, and challenged each other to grow as writers. We shared our hearts and our hopes and became a true community. I'll forever be grateful for those precious moments of "alone time" with these women. I'm a better writer, and a better person because of them.

Naturally, much more went on at the conference than bonding with friends. I was able to chat face to face with my agent, Wendy Lawton, something we'd not been able to do before. We were privileged to listen in on conversations between editors and agents (The entire conference was able to attend panels given by agents and editors - and while hearing the straight scoop wasn't always easy, it was valuable information for any writer to know).

Writer's conferences cost time and money - things we can not afford to waste. I'm not one to tell people where to spend their resources, but I do suggest if you are serious about learning the craft of writing, consider attending a conference. Research your options and choose one that best suits your needs and your career goals. Networking is one of the most powerful advantages of attending a conference. There's nowhere else you meet so many people in the industry. The value of that alone is priceless.

I'll be attending another great conference this spring, The Word Guild holds its annual Write! Canada conference June 18-20 in Guelph, Ontairo. Check them out and consider attending.

I bid you good writing.

Big Contest at Novel Matters

ZOWIE!!

If you are a fiction writer - you are going to want to get thee to Novel Matters right this moment!

Today Novel Matters announces a major writing contest that could very well change your life!

Audience with an Agent!

Your manuscript in the hands of a literary agent - just think of it!!

What are you doing still reading this? Get over there!

I bid you good writing.

Blog Matters - New Blog Coming!

What do you get when you take seven writers and throw them together in a chat room?

A new blog!

I'm thrilled to give you this sneak peek into the new author blog coming January, 2009 to a computer near you!

Novel Matters - seven diverse authors who share a passion for rich, lush, luxurious novels. Let's meet the gang!

Upper left is Debbie Fuller Thomas, author of Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon that needs to be on your "must read" list.

Next to her is Patti Hill, who's newest book Queen of Sleepy Eye, is hot off the presses, having just released in September. Grab a copy today!

Rounding up the top three is Sharon K. Souza, her second novel Lying on Sunday is available RIGHT NOW!

In the middle row, well that girl on the left sure does look familiar. What a privilege to be part of this group of talented authors. My book Talking to the Dead (Rats, I don't have a clickable title yet, but you CAN pre-order my non-fiction book!)releases June 1, 2009.

The sweetie in the middle is Jennifer Valent, her debut novel Fireflies in December is available for pre-order!

Center right is Kathleen Popa, author of The Feast of Saint Bertie. Her wonderful book is just awaiting for you to pick it up.

And Latayne Scott rounds out the group. She's the author of Latter Day Cipher, available for pre-order!

Novel Matters will be a blog about slowing down and taking a deep breath. Digging deeper into great books, exploring the themes and ideas that matter to novels.

There will be amazing contests, giveaways, guest bloggers, and so much more - all coming in January!

So, with this amazing blog in the works, what does it mean for Fiction Matters? It means more great guest bloggers, writing tips, and everything we love about this blog!

I bid you good writing.