Prologues – do you love them or hate them? All five of my novels have had a prologue and each has had a different purpose. Prologues for book 1-2 The prologue for the first novel, Grace in Strange Disguise, was designed to throw you in the action and then go back in time leading you towards the emotional impact of the prologue (which happened at the 1/4 point). The prologue for my second novel, Grace in the Shadows was designed…
Sydney has been in lockdown due to Covid-19 for several months. This has enabled me to work through a long to-do list of book-related things. One of the things has been to make sure that my novels are available in large print. If you have ever considered ordering my books for your local library – now would be a great time to do it and ordering in large print would be a huge help. Most libraries allow you to suggest…
I have just had another phone call with yet another innocent wanna-be author. Another person launching into a new business but being too independent. Jane* (pseudonym) has written a book and wants to get it published but like many first-timers her expectations of having a book published are way out of date. She has romantic notions of a publisher just waiting for her manuscript to drop across their desk. The publishing world has changed Most first-timers do expect that the…
Christian fiction vs non-fiction My first two books were non-fiction. The second book was about Bible storytelling which I’ve been using since 2004. The more I have seen how people respond to the stories, the more I’ve become convinced of the power of story. It is no real surprise then, that I would eventually write fiction rather than simply non-fiction. Novels allow me to make an impact on many people who will never pick up my non-fiction books. I don’t…
After three years of publishing fiction, I finally have enough novels in a series to make a box set. Yet another new thing to learn in this long journey called ‘self-publishing’. WHY BOTHER? One of the main challenges facing self-published authors is being ‘discovered’. This doesn’t simply mean becoming popular but more importantly, people actually knowing our product exists. One way to increase the likelihood of your book being spotted is to produce the same book in multiple formats. For…
The new author scenario Book launch day arrives. The new author is beside themselves with excitement, but they probably don’t know that their expectations aren’t realistic. Self-published authors will be able to see their online sales day by day but traditionally published will often have to wait three months to see the first figures. Once the sales start, they hope for reviews (5-star ones, of course), and nowadays we also want to build our newsletter subscribers and often imagine a…
Grace Beneath the Frost – Back cover blurb Professional success. Personal failure. As a respected cancer specialist, Paul Webster knows what he’s doing. At least, he does at work. His home life’s another story.Now he’s been thrown into a spin by a patient’s death and her unshakeable confidence in life beyond the grave.He’s always dismissed Christians as simplistic fools but this woman didn’t fit his stereotype. What if there is truth beyond what he can learn with lab tests and…
2020 is the fourth year that I’ve kept a file on my top Christian fiction reads for the year. Please feel free to follow my reviews on Goodreads or BookBub. For a Christian novel to make my ‘top ten’ list it must not only be well-written but the Christian elements must be natural. These books are not listed in any particular order. 1. Barefoot, Sharon Garlough Brown * Book 3 in the Sensible Shoes Club series. 5 stars One of…
Previously we considered how writing reviews is a way to love your favourite authors. This time we’ll consider two more practical ways. Ways that only take a few minutes of time but can be a huge encouragement to keep the author in your life writing more of the books you love. Two more practical ways to love your favourite authors 1. Ordering your favourite authors books for your local library Did you know that you can go to your local…
Usually at Easter we are with our wider community celebrating the greatest event in human history – Jesus’ death and resurrection. This year, most of us are cut off from anyone apart from our immediate family or housemates. Or perhaps, we’re totally cut off from others (by now, some of you might be wishing you were :)). Here are some resources to help you lead a small group with your household or to do with your community online. Good Friday…