Modern . . . Possibilities

Today’s the last day to enter the giveaway for Liberty’s Promise, so hop over to that post and read the fun interview! And of course you have all week to enter the giveaway for Amanda Cabot’s Scattered Petals, so check that out too. Plus mine–a giveaway for A Stray Drop of Blood is up on Michelle V.’s blog. =)

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It occurred to me when I decided to rewrite a story that had originally been contemporary and turn it into a historical that there are some weird subtleties in what is acceptable–what is possible–in fiction.

For instance, this story in question had a huge problem–I had an archaeology team excavating in Egypt. In reality, today the Egyptian government has granted all right to excavate to a single Egyptian man, and no one gets to dig that isn’t under his direct control. I totally understand this, after the British allowed pretty much anyone with a shovel to come and see what they could find for the better part of a century. But it made my premise . . . unlikely, to say the least.

Even in contemporaries, your research has to be spot-on.

But in the historical version, there’s a different issue. How can I have them make a huge, impressive discovery that . . . well . . . wasn’t ever made? (A dilemma I haven’t fully ironed the wrinkles out of yet.)

In a lot of ways, writing contemporaries is easier for me. Rarely do I have to sit down with a 500-page non-fiction book to prepare for a contemporary. On the other hand, the setting, premise, and details are far more likely to be generally known by your readership, so if you get something wrong . . . you’ll be hearing about it.

Personally, I enjoy contemporaries because of the open possibilities. The future is still unwritten here in the real world, so I can make my modern characters do something to impact history, and that’s totally fine. But it still has to be plausible. Both characters and situation have to reek of reality. And those characters have to fit seamlessly into the world the readers belong to, so that they feel like they might just spot the heroine as they’re walking down the street. Once you do that, the possibilities are endless. =)

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Speaking of futures and reality, I have my first book event this Wednesday. I’ll be talking about my book, reading snippets, answering questions . . . so naturally I’m wondering, “Is anyone else going to care about this stuff??” LOL. In any case, if anyone wants to say a prayer for calm nerves and the right things to say, that would be awesome.

And if anyone’s in the area of Cumberland, MD on Wednesday and wants to check it out, it’s at the Washington St. Library at 6 p.m. =)

My Friend Amanda – Interview & Giveaway

My Friend Amanda – Interview & Giveaway

Today we’re welcoming Amanda Cabot to chat about her new release, Scattered Petals. I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of the first book in her Texas Dreams Series and couldn’t wait to get the sequel. At the moment I’ve taken it off the to-be-read pile and moved it to the Reading slot but haven’t yet had the time to do more than put my bookmark in. (Sick kids this week.) So I’m gonna get this thing up quickly so I can get reading!

Amanda has graciously offered a signed copy of the book to one lucky reader with a U.S. mailing address, so leave your comments below with an email address!

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About Amanda

Amanda Cabot has always been a dreamer, and so it’s no coincidence that her first books for the CBA market are called Texas Dreams. Set in the Hill Country beginning in 1856, these deeply emotional historical romances showcase God’s love as well as that between a man and a woman. The first in the trilogy, Paper Roses, is in its second printing, and Scattered Petals has just been released.

A former director of Information Technology, Amanda has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages. She’s delighted to now be a fulltime writer living in Cheyenne, WY with her high school sweetheart/ husband of many years.

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About Scattered Petals

Longing for adventure, Priscilla Morton leaves Boston in 1856 and heads for the Texas Hill Country, never dreaming that the adventure she seeks could have heartbreaking consequences. Although attracted to her, ranch foreman Zachary Webster knows Priscilla deserves a cultured East Coast gentleman, not a cowboy who’s haunted by memories of his mistakes.

When necessity draws them together, Priscilla and Zach begin to forge a life filled with promise. But then the past intrudes.

Book 2 of the Texas Dreams series, Scattered Petals weaves a tale of drama, love and second chances as beautiful as the Hill Country itself.

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What’s your latest book?

Scattered Petals, the second of the Texas Dreams books, is a March 2010 release from Revell. Although I’ve designed it as a standalone book, because my pet peeves include books that have to be read in the order they were written, its hero was introduced in Paper Roses, and readers will have a chance to visit with many of the characters of Paper Roses. For me, writing books in a series is like returning to a favorite place. Somehow, it’s just as wonderful – maybe more so – the second time.

A philosophy I share! Is there a theme to this book?

All of my books seem to have an underlying theme of the healing power of love. I don’t always have that in mind when I begin the book, but since I believe in love (and justice, but that’s another story), there’s usually at least a hint of healing. Scattered Petals, however, was designed as a healing story. Priscilla, who’s been attacked by a bandit, needs to heal both physically and emotionally, while Zach’s healing is internal.

Ah, I can picture it already *happy sigh*. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?

Romance, in both cases. I love happy endings, and so I gravitate toward books that promise me one. To me, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching two apparently mismatched people surmount obstacles along the path to true love, and when you add a faith element … well, that’s the perfect story for me.

This fellow romance-lover agrees wholeheartedly. =) Is there any one thing or reference you keep handy when writing? Anything you kept around for this particular book?

Since I write (and read) historical novels, one thing I dread are anachronisms, words that are used “before their time.” I cringe when I read about water flowing off the medieval knight’s armor as if it were coated with Teflon (not likely, since Teflon was a twentieth century invention) or when a soldier wears camouflage in the American Civil War. (“Camouflage” came into use during the first World War.) Because mistakes like that turn perfectly good books into ones I have trouble finishing, I use a dictionary which lists the date of first common usage. It’s such a constant companion when I’m writing that the cover is starting to look a bit shabby. I guess it’s time to consider buying a new copy.

LOL on the knight’s Teflon armor. I mean, seriously. I keep etymonline.com up on browser incessantly when writing a historical, because I share that dread of anachronisms! So what lessons have you learned through the publication process that you wouldn’t have guessed as a pre-published writer?

I’m still amazed at how much work goes into turning a story into a finished book and how many people are involved in the process. It’s not simply a matter of editing a book and typesetting it! There are so many people at Revell who have vital roles in my own books’ publication process that I created a spreadsheet, listing employees’ names, email addresses and their roles in the process. Revell, for example, starts a year before the pub date with what they call a “positioning” meeting. That meeting, which includes people from Marketing, Sales, Publicity and Editorial, selects the title and, in some cases, what’s called the “sell line.” (That’s the one or two sentence teaser you see on the front cover.) Once that’s done, the Art department starts work on the cover. Each and every element you see on a cover is carefully chosen, designed to appeal to readers and to be true to the story (no blonde models if the heroine is a brunette). And the process continues, with careful attention at each stage. It’s wonderful, working with so many people who care so much about making each book the very best it can be.

So in depth! I’m still amazed by what goes into a finished book too. But let’s turn back to the writing. What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?

My highest goal is to write a book that’s worthy of a Christy Award. The Christies are very special awards, since – unlike many contests where authors enter their own books – the entries come only from the publishers, and, since the entry fee is higher than most contests, publishers are very selective about which books they send for judging. It’s a huge honor to be a Christy finalist, and a winner … well, that would be the pinnacle of my career.

That’s one of my ultimate goals too. We’ll have to be sure not to be against each other in a given year. 😉 What are you writing right now?

As I mentioned before, in the publishing world, everything starts at least a year in advance, so even though there’s still another Texas Dreams book in the pipeline (Tomorrow’s Garden,which has a pub date of March 2011), I’ve finished that manuscript and am now working on the first of the three Wyoming Winds books that are under contract.

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Thanks for visiting, Amanda! Readers, check out Amanda’s website at www.amandacabot.com. You can order Scattered Petals at Amazon and CrossPurposes.

Contest ends 3/11/10. Void where prohibited. Winner will have two weeks to claim their book before another winner is selected.

Winner!

And the winner of Mary Ellis’s Never Far from Home is . . .

Wanda! (wandanamgreb@ . . .)

Congrats, Wanda! I’m emailing you now.

Thoughtful About . . . Sales

Few things–today’s the last day to enter the giveaway for Never Far from Home, but you still have a few days to enter the giveaway for Liberty’s Promise.

Also, for those of you still awaiting a copy of A Stray Drop of Blood, there’s a giveaway up today at Michelle V’s blog.

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I hate to blog abound something as mundane as sales, but what can I say? It’s been on my mind, primarily because it’s been coming at me from every which way this week.

In the publishing industry, sales numbers are king. They rule the day. They determine whether you earn out your advance, whether you get any royalties, whether you get another contract. They determine what the advance on your next contract will be. Sales numbers are the measure by which a writer’s success in gauged.

Roseanna isn’t much of a success, LOL.

Now, I’m small press at this point, so expectations are different. We don’t expect to sell 50K in the first year. (Would like to, but . . .) We don’t expect to hit any charts. (Would like to, but . . .) We don’t expect to do much more than break even, so I’m not holding my breath on royalties. (Would like to, but . . .)

In a way, the fact that I can actually count my sales is humbling. I mean, other authors on one of my loops were talking about sales that must be in the tens-of-thousands category for our genre or they’re a flop. A friend of mine is dealing with needing to boost her sales in order to get another contract. Me, I don’t have to worry about my publisher, given that I’m married to him. 😉 But I do have to consider whether or not this book can be used as a stepping stone to contracts with bigger publishers, which is unlikely without those all-important numbers.

But you know, I had a realization yesterday. We got an email from the head of a book club who is interested in doing Stray Drop with her group and was inquiring about the discounts WhiteFire offers. And I got excited. Not just “Hey, that would be cool,” but giddy-excited. Because my numbers are small enough that each one counts, each one is important, and each one makes me praise the Lord. There’s something cool about that. About knowing that each book we ship out gets covered with praise, each one is sent with my love. Each reader is important to me.

Yes, I hope that someday I won’t actually be able to count all of my readers, I hope that I won’t have to jump up and down each time an order comes in. But I hope I never lose my excitement for the people that take an interest in my stories, that I never take readership for granted.

Sales matter in publishing, yes–and I’m so thankful for each individual one. =)

Remember When . . . The Money Ran Out?

Two giveaways to remind you of! First is Friday’s of Never Far from Home, and then yesterday I put up a new one of Liberty’s Promise. Check them out!


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Once upon a time, there was a Maryland governor named Bladen. He held office in the cultural hub of the New World, Annapolis. There, balls and soirees and parties of unsurpassed splendor ruled the day. Nowhere else in America could you find such wealth, such beauty, such style. For good reason, the town had been dubbed the “Athens of America.” Bladen undoubtedly thought himself pretty darn special. He was governor. The State House overlooked the city with grace and elegance. The Who’s Who of the colonies often dropped by. So naturally, he deserved a governor’s mansion. One whose glory would reflect the State House across the street. There was only one problem . . . he ran out of money before the mansion was finished. Oops!

For years, the shell of building sat empty and, we can suppose, forlorn. I imagine the governor was pretty embarrassed, too, since the mocking facade came to be known as Bladen’s Folly. Kinda funny, since Thomas Jefferson called it “the only publick building worth mentioning” in Annapolis in 1766.

In the 1780s, Bladen’s Folly sat on 4 acres of land abutting King William’s School, a grammar/prep school for boys that were usually bound for Oxford. After the Revolution, Maryland officials decided it was high time the state had a college, and the state offered Bladen’s Folly and the land with it if the college would be placed in Annapolis, as opposed to on the Eastern Shore, as some wanted. In 1784 (when my new work-in-progress takes place), St. John’s College was chartered, its home to be Bladen’s Folly–after they completed it of course. In order to streamline, they merged with King William’s School, and grammar-level instruction continued in the basement while higher learning took place on the higher floors. (The cupola and bell tower were added then.)

Now this is of utmost interest to me for several reasons. First, because my hero attended King William’s School a decade earlier, so he’d be pretty interested in all this. Second, because I attended St. John’s. =) The third oldest college in the nation (only because they can claim the charter of King William’s School, actually–it was founded in 1696), St. John’s still uses the building once called Bladen’s Folly as its central building, though now it’s called McDowell Hall. Which means I got to walk the moat that was deepened during the new construction in 1786. I got to look out over the Great Hall where centuries’of students met before me. I got to look out the windows of the third floor and see the dome of the State House where George Washington resigned his commission, where the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution was ratified.

I just love placing my feet on the steps of history. Don’t you?

Story Time . . . LIBERTY’S PROMISE – Interview and Giveaway

Story Time . . . LIBERTY’S PROMISE – Interview and Giveaway


We’re having another special Story Time Tuesday with an interview and giveaway (don’t forget Friday’s, though)! Everybody say hi to (Tiffany) Amber Stockton and get ready to learn about her new 3-in-1 historical romance book, Liberty’s Promise.

Tiffany has offered a copy to one lucky reader, so as usual, leave your comments below along with how I can reach you!

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About the Author

(Tiffany) Amber Stockton is an author and freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart, and their toddler daughter in beautiful Colorado. They also have a vivacious puppy named Roxie, a Border Collie/Flat-Haired Retriever mix. Amber has sold eight books so far to Barbour Publishing with more on the horizon. Other credits include writing articles for various publications, five short stories with Romancing the Christian Heart, and contributions to the books: 101 Ways to Romance Your Marriage and Grit for the Oyster. Read more about her at her web site: www.amberstockton.com

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About Liberty’s Promise

Relive the birth of a new country as three women battle for determining to whom they can entrust their hearts. Raelene is all alone, but is there peace in following the wishes of her deceased father? Elanna is intelligent for her young age, but will her love for an older man turn into a passing fancy when his integrity is questioned? Margret’s loyalties are torn when the colonists rebel, for how can a relationship with a British soldier built on deceptions survive? Will each woman find her place of freedom to embrace her faith and trust her heart to love?

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What’s your latest book?

Liberty’s Promise (March 2010; Barbour Publishing)

The description sounds fascinating! (Especially since I’m writing a post-Revolution story right now.) What do you hope your readers will get out of the story?

I don’t usually like to assume a reader will get something specific from reading one of my books, as that might set up expectations that won’t come true. Instead, I’d like each reader to read with open eyes and open heart to glean whatever message God might have for them at the time. A prayer for this set of stories is that God’s promises will come true in each one of my reader’s lives.

Is there a theme to this book?

As the title indicates, promises play a big part in each one of the three stories. Promises made, broken, and the value of keeping them even when it seems impossible.

I love that you explore all those different aspects. Let’s switch gears now. What’s one of the oddest or most interesting things someone has ever said about you?

That I don’t look like a Tiffany. That’s my first name, although I publish under my middle name, Amber. I’m not sure why, but a lot of people have trouble remembering my name once they’ve met me. When someone told me the above, I tilted my head and asked, “What’s a Tiffany supposed to look like? Is there a picture in the dictionary under that name?” J Makes me wonder if Hollywood has ruined the classy association of my name, and most people expect a ditzy blonde or something.

Hmm . . . or some nice jewelry? Wrapped in robin-egg blue? 😉 Okay, so what would your dream office look like—and what does your REAL writing environment look like?

It would have one wall that’s almost all windows with a view of the mountains. My desk would face the windows so I can be continually inspired by God’s beauty and grandeur. On another wall would be framed copies of my book covers to encourage me that I can do this, and I’d have a notebook of all the reader feedback I’ve received over the years to give me that energizing jolt when I start to doubt my ability to write.

Currently, my desk occupies one wall of our bedroom, since we’re in a small condo with no other place for me to work. I have a lot of shelves above the desk and my resources as close at hand as possible. I’ve included a picture if you want to see.

Oh, multiple screens! My husband has two, and I could so use another. What lessons have you learned through the publication process that you wouldn’t have guessed as a pre-published writer?

The primary one is how much I’ve changed as a person as a result of the books I’ve penned. There is a saying for teachers that they learn more than their students. I’d have to say that applies to authors as well. A lot of times, the author will learn more than the reader in the writing of the book, especially if the truths or themes in the book hit close to home in the author’s life. And since almost every author puts some semblance of self into the stories, it’s likely each book is close to the heart in some way.

So true! I’ve recently learned that sometimes the whole point of a book might be its effect on ME, not in getting it published and in front of readers. Though of course we pray for that too! So aside from writing, what takes up most of your time?

Designing web sites for authors and speakers, as well as taking care of my almost-toddler daughter and being a stay-at-home-mom. Writing, marketing, and being involved in the writing industry is time-consuming enough, but balancing a 2nd home business and family is time-consuming.

Don’t I know it! If someone were to give you $5,000 to spend on anything you wanted, what would you buy? (No saving or gifts to charities allowed!)

Wow. This isn’t easy, as my top dream is to sell our condo and get into a small home with a yard for our dog and room for our daughter to play. $5K wouldn’t come close to touching that. So, I’d have to say I’d spend it on a new Nikon SLR camera to replace my Canon Powershot, and the rest would go toward a nice vacation, either driving around the “Four Corners” states, taking an Alaskan Cruise, or flying to Europe.

Well, since we’re dreaming here, I’ll allott you more than $5K so you can get that house AND the camera and vacation. 😉 What writing goal have you set for yourself that would be the hardest (or unlikeliest) but most rewarding to achieve?

To one day sell to Bethany House and become an author at their house. It has been a long-time dream of mine, but only God knows if it will ever come true.

I have a deep respect for Bethany and its authors too. They put out some fabulous books. Do you remember where you were when you got your first or most important call about a book contract?

Definitely. I had just gotten home from work about 10 days before Christmas in 2006. I logged onto my computer to check email and there was an email from my editor saying she was going to buy my first book. It was late and no one else was awake, so I opened up my instant messenger program to see who was online. Only the man who is now my husband was there. He shared in my excitement and we chatted for a couple hours. The next day, I told my family, but those late-night moments with Stu are ones I’ll treasure forever.

Aww . . . and now he’s your hubby! Any funny family stories about living with a writer?

I’m not sure if you’re asking this in regard to my family living with me, or if you want to know what it’s like having TWO authors in the family. My husband is also an author, and he writes science fiction, something diametrically opposite from the romances and historicals I write. There are times when we drop off our daughter at my sister-in-law’s house, then head out to a restaurant for dinner and a write-out. It’s comical to see the two of us sitting across the table from one another with our laptops in front of us and our food to the side as we write and eat, barely speaking. Some couples will find a sitter so they have some quality time alone to talk. My husband and I do it so we can have some quiet time to write!

That’s so awesome! My hubby and I go out to brainstorm and plot a course for his publishing company–though that wouldn’t look as cool as having two laptops, LOL. What are you writing right now?

I’m currently working on a 3-book series set in Wyoming during the 1870’s, as well as the first of a 3-book series focusing on the silver mining industry in Colorado during the late 1800’s. I’ve always loved to write westerns, and these books are giving me that chance.

Fun! Any upcoming releases we should keep our eye out for?

My next book releases in December, and it’s a collection of my second set of 3 books, set in historical Michigan. I’m currently writing without a contract, but I pray I’ll receive one soon. So, if you feel led to pray for this to happen in my writing career, I’d certainly appreciate the added support.

Will do!

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Thanks so much for stopping by, Tiffany! I really enjoyed getting to know you a little better and learning about this latest book. Which I totally need to pick up now, since it’s almost the same era as my work-in-progress!

Readers, you should also check out her blog at http://amberstockton.blogspot.com. And for purchasing links for all her books, go to www.amberstockton.com/books.html.

Again, leave your comment for a chance to win!

Contest open to U.S. or Canada residents only. Void where prohibited. Contest ends 3/8/10.