ACFW Conference Registration Now Open

Quick note before I talk about the conference: Violet Dawn, first in my Kanner Lake series, is now free on the Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, you can download a Kindle app for your iphone, computer, or iPad. Go here to download Violet Dawn.
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Registration is now open for the American Christian Fiction Writers' Conference, held in Indianapolis from Sept. 17-20. This is the largest Christian writers' conference in the country (last year about 540 people attended), and it's the only conference that does nothing but fiction. If you're interested in writing faith-based fiction, this is the conference for you.

The conference is special to me for many reasons, two being the very disparate roles I get to play during the event. In my "out front" role I serve as emcee, and have done so since the very first ACFW conference. In my "quiet" role I serve in the prayer room. Much of my time that is not spent up front is spent in the prayer room, meeting with people to pray for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. (Often people make appointments with me ahead of time to meet them in the prayer room so we're sure we have that opportunity.) Every year I've seen miracles occur. For me, what happens in that room, quietly, between God and attendees, is the highlight of the conference. And I do believe God has blessed our conference because of its focus on prayer. It's no small thing to have a dedicated prayer room each year. It means we pay for an extra hotel conference room that is not used for teaching, but is set aside and dedicated to prayer.


Regarding the conference as a whole:


1. You'll see more fiction agents and editors at attendance at ACFW than any other conference. These professionals know that, as far as fiction goes, this is the conference to attend.


2. You'll receive training in fiction on five different levels, ranging from beginners to professional level. So no matter where you are in your journey of writing fiction, there are classes and workshops for you.


3. Our conference continues to grow, which is a testament to how helpful attendees find it. Even in the down-turned economy of 2009, when other conferences were struggling, ACFW had a larger attendance than ever. We expect the same this year.


4. The atmosphere is very friendly. ACFW members are like a big family. And if you're not a member, or a new member, you'll make friends quickly. First-time ACFW conference attendees benefit from a special e-mail loop that runs about six weeks before the conference, and a special meeting just for them at the beginning of the conference. This newcomer welcome is led by Cara Putman, and I'm along to help. Through the e-mail loop newcomers can pose all their questions, from meeting with editors and agents to what to wear and everything in between. By the time the newcomer hits the conference, he/she has already made acquaintances online. The meeting is then a chance for last-minute questions and getting to know each other. We are amazed at the number of newcomers we have each year.


If you're interested in writing fiction, do check out this conference. You won't be sorry. If you're not a member of ACFW, that's okay. You can still attend. Or for about the same amount of money you can join ACFW and then attend as a member.


Hope to see you there in September!

Comparison of Bestseller Lists for May 2010

Here is the comparison of CBA's "July" list and ECPA's "June" list, both reflecting sales of fiction in participating Christian bookstores in the month of May. Books appearing only on one list are highlighted in blue. For a reminder of how these lists are put together by ECPA and CBA, please refer to the first few paragraphs of this post.

CBA (Numbers in parentheses reflect book's standing on CBA Top 50 list.)

1. (8) Her Mother’s Hope, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
2. (12) Take Three, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
3. (18) The Telling, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
4. (21) Edge of Apocalypse, Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall,
5. (29) The Shack, William P. Young, Windblown Media
6. (36) Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Multnomah/WaterBrook
7. (43) The Bride Collector, Ted Dekker, Center Street/Hachette
8. (48) A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
9. Betsy’s Return, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
10. Maid to Match, Deeanne Gist, Bethany/Baker)
11. Kiss, Ted Dekker & Erin Healy, Thomas Nelson
12. Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
13. The Silent Governess, Julie Klassen, Bethany/Baker
14. No Distance Too Far, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
15. Here Burns My Candle, Liz Curtis Higgs, WaterBrook
16. Dawn’s Prelude, Tracie Peterson, Bethany/Baker
17. A Lady Like Sarah, Margaret Brownley, Thomas Nelson
18. Take One, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
19. The Jewel of His Heart, Maggie Brendan, Revell/Baker
20. In Harm's Way, Irene Hannon, Revell/Baker

ECPA (Numbers in parentheses refer to book's standing on the ECPA Top 50 list.)

1. (7) The Telling, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
2. (9) Her Mother's Hope, Francine Rivers,Tyndale
3. (10) Edge of Apocalypse, Tim LaHaye/Craig Parshall, Zondervan
4. (12) Take Three, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
5. (16) The Shack, William P. Young, Windblown Media
6. (20) A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
7. (23) The Bride Collector, Ted Dekker, Center Street/Hatchette 
8. (24) Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
9. (28) Betsy's Return, Wanda E. Brunstetter, Barbour
10. (30) No Distance Too Far, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
11. (34) Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Waterbrook/Multnomah
12. (50) Take One, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
13. In Harm's Way, Irene Hannon, Revell/Baker
14. Greater Love, Robert Whitlow, Thomas Nelson
15. Take Two, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
16. Letters to God, Patrick Doughtie & John Perry, Zondervan
17. A Promise of Hope, Amy Clipston, Zondervan
18. A Measure of Mercy, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
19. The Missing, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
20. The Secret, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker

22nd Book Done--And I'm Not OVER THE EDGE

On Sunday I emailed off my latest book, Over the Edge, my novel about Lyme. Ah, the relief of turning in a manuscript! The routine was the same as always. I hit the send button, then got on my knees and thanked God for helping me through another one. This one is my 22nd. (And the first book in my new contract with B&H.)

Of course I don't consider the book done. This is just the first go-round with the editor. Karen Ball will be looking it over and will send me her macro edit letter in July. Then it's rewrite time.

I've realized something lately. It's taken me ten years and twice that many books to really begin to settle into the writing process. This year marks the beginning of my second decade as a full-time novelist. It never fails--while I'm writing a book: (1) I'm worried that it's boring, and (2) When I turn in the manuscript I just know it's awful. Last year as I finished my 20th book, Deceit (releasing in two weeks) I had that same sinking feeling. The editor would be so disappointed in me. The rewrite would be huge. The manuscript had all kinds of weaknesses. When I heard from my editor for that book (a freelancer and former editor at a publishing house who's edited countless books), she said, "It's great. One of the cleanest manuscripts I've ever seen." I was stunned. Really stunned. Now, this certainly hasn't been the case with every manuscript of mine. Others have needed more rewriting. But this occurrence finally brought home to me--clearly I'm a slow learner--that I'm simply incapable of judging my work when it's newly finished. I've been too close to it for too long.

So, in writing my 21st book (Final Touch, last book in the Rayne Tour series, just released), and now in writing Over the Edge I somehow have managed to relax more in the process. I didn't really doubt myself any less. But I can now pull back from that doubt and realize it's part of the process in writing a manuscript. I am going to feel it's terrible. Okay, fine. That doesn't mean it is. I do know a few things about writing a novel. If there are specific issues with a manuscript that are bothering me, I'll think of a way to fix them. So, Brandilyn, no need to kick cabinets. Relax.

Another great help has been my verse for this year--and probably the rest of my life. Psalm 138:8--The Lord will accomplish what concerns you. He will accomplish the finalizing of this manuscript as He has all the others. So if it needs work in a rewrite--so what? With God's help, I'll strengthen the story then.

Meanwhile, for the past month or so, my new blog, Lyme-Over the Edge has been running. About four stories a week have been posted. Have you read any of them? Man. You should. If you don't know anything about Lyme--or even if you think you do--you'll be amazed at what these courageous people have gone through. Story after story about terrible illness, doctors who misdiagnose (or tell them it's all in their heads), and the battle to fight the disease once the diagnosis finally does come.

Over the Edge will release in May 2011.

How Important Are Those "Writing Rules"?

Two weeks ago on an author loop a question arose about "The Rules." Are there too many writing rules? Can they be broken? Does keeping them assure you'll one day be published? I particularly liked J. Mark Bertrand's response. (Mark will be appearing on Forensics and Faith in a few weeks to tell us about writing his novel, Back on Murder, a well-written police procedural.) I'm running Mark's response with his permission.
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Keeping the rules won't get you published. It won't guarantee you'll write a good book, either. A sentence can be grammatical without being eloquent or even interesting, and the same goes for a novel. The real problem with the rules isn't how many there are. It's all the weight they're expected to carry.

My pet theory goes something like this. If you're learning your craft primarily through reading and writing, then you're absorbing a lot of this stuff without realizing it. (Just as you acquired a lot of your language skills without meaning to.) Dipping into a how-to book or attending a class can really help you codify this knowledge, and even fill in some gaps. But if you're trying to learn to write PRIMARILY through the how-to stuff, and not reading deeply or widely enough, not writing enough bad prose to get to the good, then yes, the rules are going to function like so much dead weight.

And what are the rules, anyway? Efforts to explain why the writing of some earlier era worked. Percy Lubbock tries to explain why a Henry James novel is so good, and we end up with the dictum "show, don't tell." Go read Henry James, though, and you'll come away thinking he breaks the rule his writing invented. The point is, the rules are the result of somebody reading a lot of good books (or bestselling books) and trying to deduce what they have in common, then passing that knowledge onto you second-hand. If you're serious about your craft, why not get it first hand? Do that, and the supplemental stuff will actually be more helpful to you, not less.

-- J. Mark Bertrand
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Do you agree?

Want a Free Read of My Upcoming Novel?

My publisher has informed me that they have 30 ARCs (advanced reader copies) of my novel releasing in July, Deceit.  ARCs are typically sent to influencers and reviewers for marketing purposes. I am able to personally give these extra copies away. In choosing 30 people to receive an ARC, I'm looking for folks who will be willing to read the novel soon and then spread the word about the book. If you're interested in receiving a copy, please e-mail my assistant at sandy (at) brandilyncollins (dot) com and tell me the various ways you would help publicize Deceit if you received a copy. Are you a member of a book club? Do you work in a library? Do you have a newsletter, or Twitter/Facebook following or blog in which you could talk about the book? Do you know someone in the media you might pass the book to? These are some of the many things you might do.

Send your e-mail by June 10. After that I will be choosing the recipients. If you're selected you'll be notified. Thanks for your interest!

Back cover copy for Deceit:

Sometimes the truth hides where no one expects to find it.

Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed Linda—his second wife and Joanne’s best friend—six years ago. But Baxter, a church elder and beloved member of the town, walks the streets a free man. The police tell Joanne to leave well enough alone, but she is determined to bring him down. Using her skills as a professional skip tracer, she sets out to locate the only person who may be able to put Baxter behind bars. Melissa Harkoff was a traumatized sixteen-year-old foster child in the Jackson household when Linda disappeared. At the time Melissa claimed to know nothing of Linda's whereabouts—but was she lying?

In relentless style, Deceit careens between Joanne's pursuit of the truth—which puts her own life in danger—and the events of six years' past, when Melissa came to live with the Jacksons. What really happened in that household? Beneath the veneer of perfection lies a story of shakeable faith, choices, and the lure of deceit.

Read the first chapter of Deceit here.

Chance to Submit Your Story for New Guideposts Books

I received this email regarding two new nonfiction books being compiled by James Stuart Bell (not to be confused with James Scott Bell). James' assistant, Jeanette, is happy to have me pass the info on to my blog readers.
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Dear Writer:

We are now in phase four of the Extraordinary Answers to Prayer series published by Guideposts. You are a valued writer and I welcome you to join us by contributing to volumes nine and ten of a series dealing with various aspects of prayer and how people from every walk of life have been transformed through God’s responses to their prayers. Recent titles include Expecting Miracles and The Healing Touch. These books will be mailed monthly as part of a book club promotion, and will be exclusive to this readership.

You may have contributed to some of the first eight titles or perhaps to my Cup of Comfort, Life Savors, or Love is a Verb brands. Or perhaps I am contacting you for the first time and will have the privilege of including your story with other powerful answers to prayer. Whatever the case, I am sure that God has worked in your life at some point in the areas of Closer to God, volume nine, and The Power of Praying Together, volume ten.

For volume nine, how has God answered your prayers for your loved ones, or even enemies, to draw them closer to God? Maybe they don’t yet have a personal relationship with God and your prayers helped bring them to the Lord. Perhaps they have just wandered away and lost their need for Him. Or perhaps they are having major trauma and need to grow spiritually in order for God to bring change for the better. Parents pray for their adult children, adults pray for their kids, and other combinations to build spiritual relationships, go to church, and to grow in their spiritual disciplines. The list is endless. We want to focus on the positive when the prayer for a closer walk with God is answered.

For volume ten we want to demonstrate the added power of Christians praying together for the same petition. This joint prayer can be congregational, small group, couples, friends, prayer chains, etc. How did the addition of one or more people help in getting amazing answers from God? The prayer can range from serious issues of a global nature requiring large numbers, like the devastation in Haiti, to small needs that still can’t be met with only one person praying. How were the lives of those who prayed drawn together and changed? What type of prayer was used in different groups and venues?

We would be pleased to accept as many stories as you wish to submit related to these two volumes. We’re accepting stories of up to 2,000 words and strongly prefer them not to be under 1,000 words. The stories should have a creative title, an attention grabbing introduction, main body with a conflict or challenge, and a clear, satisfying resolution. They need to be descriptive, rooted in a time and place, compelling personal experience stories with true-to-life characters. They need to be stories in the fullest sense, rather than mere testimonies, or focusing on mere feelings or mental states. The effective power of prayer needs to be clearly demonstrated.

We strongly prefer original stories but you may also submit previously published stories in which the full rights have been returned to you and not currently in print with a major publisher. The payment is $25 for stories under 1,200 words and $50 for stories over 1200 words. You may retain the rights to publish the stories in magazines and books with less than national distribution and not carried in nationwide bookstores.

We are accepting manuscripts for volume nine, Closer to God, until July 1, but the sooner you submit the better chance you have of acceptance. If you are considered as a finalist you will be sent a permission form around the middle of September. Manuscripts for book ten, The Power of Praying Together, are due by August 15, with permission forms being sent around early December.

It’s very important that you list the current status of rights at the top of the manuscript above the title of your story. If it’s an original story it should be listed as first rights. If you have received full rights back from a publisher it needs to be listed as reprint rights. We would also like details of what book it appeared in, the publisher, and the date of publication.

It is also important to put a 30 word or less biographical sketch on the actual manuscript because this will be included at the end of the book. We do not want it submitted separately. Also include within the manuscript – not in a separate email - your full name as you wish it to appear in the book, also your address, phone number, and email address.

Please direct all inquiries and manuscript submissions to my colleague, Jeanette Littleton, at incredibleprayers@earthlink.net. If this email has been forwarded to you, and you can’t submit to this call, but would like to be notified about other editorial needs, please send us your email address and we’ll add you to our notification list (we do not distribute these email addresses).

Blessings to you and yours,

James Stuart Bell
Compiler, Guideposts Extraordinary Answers to Prayer series

May '10 List of Today's Word/Photo Friday Winner

Before we get to the list of Today's Word, the winners of our last Photo Friday (due to a tie) are Jenn M. and Lisa Keck, with these clever captions:

I'm all for shopping "green," but this might be going too far. -- Jenn M.

Tired of being tossed in the bottom of a grocery cart, the frozen creamed veggies took revenge. -- Lisa Keck 

Jenn and Lisa, e-mail me with your street address and choice of one of my novels. Give a choice A and B, in case we don't have your first choice in stock.
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Now--the Today's Word list from May. Anyone want to tackle using at least six of these words in a sentence?

CANOODLE (kuh-NOOD-ul) verb--pet, caress, fondle.

EQUIPOLLENT (EK-wi-POL-lent) adj.--equal in force, power or validity.

FUG (fug) noun--an odorous emanation; the stuffy atmosphere of a hot, crowded, poorly ventilated space.

LOUCHE (loosh) adj.--cross-eyed, squint-eyed.

FLUMMERY (FLUM-er-ee) noun--a soft jelly or porridge; something poor, trashy, or not worth having.

EPICENE (EP-i-seen) adj.--having characteristics typical of the other sex; lacking vigor.

DERACINATE (de-RAS-en-ate) verb--to pull out by the roots; to separate from one's environment.

ASSIZE (uh-SIZE) noun--an instruction, decree or enactment made at a legislative sitting or assembly. 

BOMBILATION (bom-bi-LAY-shun) noun--a buzzing, droning sound.

PARLOUS (PAR-lus) adj.--characterized by uncertainty, fraught with danger or risk. 

EPINICIAN (eh-puh-NISH-un) adj.--celebrating victory; or noun--a song of victory.

INEXPUGNABLE (in-eks-PUG-nuh-bul) adj.--incapable of being taken by assault or subdued by force.

SPOONERISM (SPOON-ur-izem) noun--transposition of usually initial sounds of two or more words.

RUBE (roob) noun--awkward, unsophisticated and usually gullible rustic person, ignorant of urban ways.

EX NIHILO (eks-NEE-hel-lo) adj.--from or out of nothing. 

DRAGOON (druh-GOON) noun--a mounted infantryman of the 17th and 18th centuries.

SOPORIFIC (sop-uh-RIF-ik) adj.--causing or tending to cause sleep.

SENTIENT (SENCH-ent) adj.--capable of sensation and at least rudimentary consciousness.

GYNARCHY (GY-nar-kee) noun--government by women.

ESTIVATE (ES-tuh-vayt) verb--to spend a summer usually at one place, sometimes in relative inactivity.

ANOMIE (AN-uh-mee) noun--a state of society in which normative standards of belief have disappeared.

EPICRISIS (eh-PIK-ruh-sus) noun--a critical or analytical summing up, esp. of a medical case history.

DECRETAL (duh-KREED-ul) noun--an authoritative order, a decree.

PERVICACIOUS (pur-vi-KAY-shus) adj.--very obstinate.

RELUCT (ruh-LUKT) intrans. verb--to struggle against; to feel/show repugnance or reluctance.

NULLAH (NUL-la) noun--a watercourse that's often dry; a gully, ravine.

CONTEXTURE (kun-TEKS-chur) noun--the arrangement and union of the constituent parts of a thing.

EFFLEURAGE (ef-flu-RAGH) noun--a light stroking movement used in massage.

CONATION (ko-NAY-shun) noun--an inclination or drive to act purposefully.

PHLEGETHON (FLE-guh-THON) noun, capitalized--a river of fire in Hades.
 
ECDYSIAST (ek-DIZ-ee-AST) noun--a stripteaser.

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Read June ‘10

Plutchik's Eight Primary Emotions--Part 2

Part 2 in Daniel Smith's guest post:
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Today we'll talk about blending the eight basic emotions and how to use them in our writing. The color wheel (GIF Image) from last time doesn't show any blending beyond neighboring emotions. These are listed between the "petals" in the flower diagram. For example, "Optimism" is a blend of both "Anticipation" and "Joy". Thankfully, Plutchik didn't stop there. Last time I introduced you to:
 

The 48 Emotions of Plutchik

Emotion	LVL	Composition	Opposite	Intense Form	Mild Form
Anger	Basic	N/A	Fear	Rage	Annoyance
Anticipation	Basic	N/A	Surprise	Vigilance	Interest
Disgust	Basic	N/A	Trust	Loathing	Boredom
Fear	Basic	N/A	Anger	Terror	Apprehension
Joy	Basic	N/A	Sadness	Ecstasy	Serenity
Sadness	Basic	N/A	Joy	Grief	Pensiveness
Surprise	Basic	N/A	Anticipation	Amazement	Distraction
Trust	Basic	N/A	Disgust	Admiration	Acceptance
Aggressiveness	Primary Blend	Anger + Anticipation	Alarm1
Optimism	Primary Blend	Anticipation + Joy	Disappointment
Contempt	Primary Blend	Disgust + Anger	Submission
Alarm1	Primary Blend	Fear + Surprise	Aggressiveness
Love	Primary Blend	Joy + Trust	Remorse
Remorse	Primary Blend	Sadness + Disgust	Love
Disappointment	Primary Blend	Surprise + Sadness	Optimism
Submission	Primary Blend	Trust + Fear	Contempt
Pride	Secondary Blend	Anger + Joy	Despair
Fatalism	Secondary Blend	Anticipation + Trust	Incredulity2
Cynicism	Secondary Blend	Disgust + Anticipation	Curiosity
Despair	Secondary Blend	Fear + Sadness	Pride
Guilt	Secondary Blend	Joy + Fear	Envy
Envy	Secondary Blend	Sadness + Anger	Guilt
Incredulity2	Secondary Blend	Surprise + Disgust	Fatalism
Curiosity	Secondary Blend	Trust + Surprise	Cynicism
Dominance	Tertiary Blend	Anger + Trust	Shame
Anxiety	Tertiary Blend	Anticipation + Fear	Outrage
Morbidness	Tertiary Blend	Disgust + Joy	Sentimentality
Shame	Tertiary Blend	Fear + Disgust	Dominance
Outrage	Tertiary Blend	Surprise + Anger	Anxiety
Sentimentality	Tertiary Blend	Trust + Sadness	Morbidness
Delight	Tertiary Blend	Joy + Surprise	Pessimism
Pessimism	Tertiary Blend	Sadness + Anticipation	Delight
Peacefulness3	N/A	Emotional Zero	N/A

¹ - Plutchik gave "Awe" as the emotion for "Fear + Surprise". I believe "Alarm" is a better choice since the meaning of "Awe" has changed over the years.

² - Plutchik did not include an emotion for "Anticipation + Trust" by any list I could find. Therefore, I have included "Incredulity" in this space though some disagree as to the validity of the word.

³ - Plutchik did not include the state described as "Emotional Zero" in his list. However, I believe it is useful and have therefore included "Peacefulness" to represent it.

So how can we tap into this ocean of emotion and make it flow onto our pages?

1. The first and simplest step is to save a copy of this information for your personal reference. A fabulous poster exists courtesy of Markus Drews of the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, Germany. Download it here. 
2. Next, read over the list of emotions again. Look at the diagram. Get them into your head. Study. Focus. Cram. Actually, don't cram but do all the other things. Take the time to really explore what this theory means to you and your writing.
3. Feel free to test the limits of Plutchik's theory as you do this. For example, does the combination of "Fear + Disgust" suggest "Shame" to you as he proposes? How about the other combinations? I had an excellent discussion with someone who expressed doubt about Fear and Anger being mutually-exclusive opposites. I shared this insight: In both emotions, one's attention is strongly focused - usually on some object or person. However, the action that expresses the emotion happens in opposite directions; Fear is about escaping away from that focal object whereas when Angry one usually cannot be kept away. Clearly 'approach' and 'escape' cannot co-exist in the same moment of time so in this sense at least Fear and Anger are mutually-exclusive opposites.
4. The previous step should naturally lead to thoughts of individual characters as their emotions travel around Plutchik's wheel. In general, let the wheel be the spark that ignites your creative juices. In particular, use the wheel to identify and emphasize opposites (as in dialogue between two characters with different scene purposes).
5. Finally, if Plutchik's research is correct, then many writers are not using the full spectrum (or potential) of emotions in their writing. Make your characters three-dimensional by showing as much depth to their personalities as possible.

Let me introduce you to Sylvia who has just returned home from the grocery store to find her door smashed in and splintered. Her arms are full of groceries. What emotions would she experience?

How about Outrage (Surprise + Anger) over the state of her door, Anticipation that an intruder might still lurk inside, Fear and very likely Terror (Intense Fear) that she will be discovered on the stoop. In Alarm (Surprise + Fear) she grasps the grocery bags tight around her body like a shield. Her eyes are wide with Grief (Intense Sadness) as she lowers her head in an act of Submission (Trust + Fear) over the state of her home and backs ever so silently away. As she nears the driveway she sees a shadowy figure in the outline of the broken door and reacts with Disgust and Contempt (Anger + Disgust), but she controls her emotions and does not leap toward the fiend in Rage (Intense Anger). Finding the handle to the car door provides instant relief (Serenity) as she finally starts to Calm Down (Peacefulness, Emotional Zero) knowing that soon she will be safely away. She Trusts her engine to start and run smoothly - and it does. No good writer would write a scene this way, so take it for what it is - an example, an exploration of all eight emotions in the same scene. Yet if you count them up, they're all represented! While including all eight probably isn't a good thing, exploring all eight for each scene is. Thus writers can use Plutchik to explore each of the eight emotions in your scenes in order to identify which are the best emotions to use or emphasize. It works like this: We all have pet words that we tend to overuse. We often prefer certain letters of the alphabet for our characters' names too. And the same goes for emotions. In short, we're biased. We write about certain emotions while ignoring others. So use Plutchik to keep your writing fresh by exploring the areas of human emotion that you often overlook. Keep what improves your writing and discard what doesn't.

Finally, the thoughtful and observant writer will note the need for specific methods to include this material in their writing. For this, I propose the need for a comprehensive list of Facial Expressions, Body Language, and Mental States mapped to Plutchik's emotions. However, in my research such a list does not yet exist. So that will have to be the topic of another post.

Plutchik's Eight Primary Emotions--Part 1

This two-part guest post was written by Daniel Benjamin Smith. Daniel wears many hats: high school teacher, computer geek, young father, and devoted husband, to name a few. He's currently writing the first book in a complex young adult mystery series. Daniel blogs at 'Dragons Can Be Beaten', where visitors will find a collection of useful writing tidbits, nibbles, and the occasional mouthful.
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Randy Ingermanson once said that people read books because they want to have an emotional experience. While that's certainly true of Twilight, I think it holds true for all books. Even books about negative characters can be interesting to us because of their emotional content due to what James Scott Bell calls a "'car wreck' dynamic." Ironically, even though we’ve all experienced many, many emotions throughout our lives, few humans are experts. So, depicting them in our stories can seem an impossible task. However, as with most things, we can learn to be better at emotions.

But where to begin? Emotions are complicated and confusing. Consider these obstacles:

• Many lists of emotions have been generated, yet no matter how much they overlap, they never quite converge. Some are even in conflict with one another.
• There is no agreed-upon method to organize emotions. Do emotions resemble a list, a tree structure, or a three-dimensional shape? Can they even be visualized?
• There is no agreed-upon method to name emotions. What someone calls "Joy" is called "Happiness" by another.
• As if this weren't complex enough, there also seem to be levels of intensity to emotions. What is the difference between Affection, Love, and Ecstasy but the level of intensity?
• Emotions seem to somehow blend together to form new emotions that are distinct from their progenitors.
• Even Wikipedia, a site that normally excels at harnessing the collective knowledge of the human race, fails to adequately deliver on a comprehensive list and understanding of emotions. The current list includes 80 separate emotions yet many overlap. And some are, well, foreign.

So, how can emotions be classified so that we better understand them, and understanding them better, use them in our writings? I believe psychologist and researcher Robert Plutchik, who spent decades studying emotions, has the answer. Plutchik's research yielded some amazing discoveries about emotions, including a comprehensive list of eight primary emotions arranged as opposing pairs. Observe:

• Joy vs Sadness
• Trust vs Disgust
• Fear vs Anger
• Surprise vs Anticipation

He also visualized this list as a wheel of sorts, referred to by some as Plutchik's Flower:

Author: Ivan Akira

Source: Wikimedia Commons

License:Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported

Analogous to a color wheel, variations in color intensity correspond to variations in emotional intensity. Thus, the eight primary emotions occupy the middle ring of the flower with more intense forms occurring in the center (note the bolder colors) and milder forms the extremities (note the paler colors). For example, "Rage" is the stronger form of "Anger" while "Annoyance" is the weaker.

Also note that the two-dimensional flower can fold into a spinning top shape as shown in the lower-left corner. The tip of the top and the center of the flower is the point of emotional zero. Plutchik's approach satisfies our needs by providing:

• a semantically-consistent set of distinct emotions
• an organizational structure
• a standard set of names

Plutchik's approach satisfies our expectations by providing:

• levels of intensity in emotions
• the blending of primary emotions to form new ones
• the concept of emotional "opposites" as mutually
  exclusive pairs
• a blank, non-emotional state

In summary, Robert Plutchik left us a deep legacy. Next time I'll write about blending emotions. This is where the really interesting stuff happens and which can be directly applied to the process of writing.

Amazon's Two Kindle Bestseller Lists Now Running

The new dual-bestseller list system is now in place for Amazon's Kindle. Take a look at this bestseller page to see how the lists run side by side. If you go to the main Kindle book page and scroll down, you'll see the "Too 100 Paid" bestseller list as the default. Just beside it is a button to click for "Top 100 Free" bestsellers. I predict this default format to the paid list will result in somewhat less publicity for those books that make it to the top of the free list, because their covers won't automatically be displayed on the main Kindle book page. How much less, I don't know.

Meanwhile the controversy continues for Christian freebies. You're apt to see quite a few one-star reviews simply because a certain novel wasn't labeled as Christian.

Meanwhile Publishers Weekly reports that e-book sales from thirteen reporting publishers rose 252% in the first quarter of 2010, to $91 million. The e-book increases were by far the biggest in the publishing industry for the quarter. Still, overall estimates put e-books at only three to five percent of total book sales so far. Experts in the industry predict that percentage will increase significantly in the next few years.

Between my husband and me, we've now become a three-ereader device couple. I bought Mark the original Kindle for Christmas when it first came out. Price: $400. Then last year at the Zondervan party at ICRS, all attending Z authors received the fabulous gift of a free Sony reader. Now I've just purchased the second generation Kindle for $259. I love the Sony. It's wonderfully small and light. So easy to slip into a purse for travel. But Amazon continues to feature far more free books, and its second generation device is more the Sony size. (I can't seem to use Mark's Kindle because he's always using it himself.) I figure 26 free books from now I'll have paid for the device. Plus for my business it's tax deductible.

One tip: if you're thinking about buying a Kindle, ask your friends with similar tastes in books if they'd like to buy one also. You can buy multiple Kindles on the same account and share books between these Kindles (typically one book can be shared among six devices on the same account at a time). With the right partners and shared purchasing among them, you'll make back your money on the device over time. At this point you can't share books with other Kindle accounts. Even Mark and I, together on a Prime Membership for Amazon but with different accounts, can't share our Kindle purchases. That's a pain and something I hope will change in the future. B&N eventually may push the marketplace to allow such sharing since it allows sharing with its own device, the Nook. But so far the Nook hasn't been much competition against the the Kindle. For more information on sharing Kindle books and the device in general, check out the support page on Amazon.

"If You Want to Preach, Hire a Hall."

Recently on an author's e-mail loop the discussion about "preachiness" in Christian fiction came up. I particularly liked the response from top-notch editor Dave Lambert, who used to edit me at Zondervan and then went on to work for Howard. (Dave is now on his own and working on a "new venture" that I hope to tell you more about in the future.) I always like to see Dave's name pop up on the loop, because I know his response will be insightful. Here's what he had to say on the subject (run on F&F with his permission):
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I submitted a story years ago to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine. She rejected it personally, in her own handwriting, which I found exciting. Her rejection note was just one sentence: "If you want to preach, you should hire a hall." Well, OK, she had me. It was a little message-driven. She was right.

I think what's at issue here is how we view our readers. William Sloane (I think) said "Great writers assume greatness in their readers." Bernard DeVoto said it differently: Fiction is "children talking to children in the dark." Either of those statements precludes preaching to our readers. When we preach in our stories, it's as if we're saying to our readers, "I have the truth. You don't. Sit down now and listen to me, and I'll tell you what it is. Don't forget it." That attitude might work well for a preacher on Sunday morning; that's what he's paid for. But in fiction, it's arrogant. A better attitude would be to say, "In this story, I'm going to explore these characters and their conflicts and issues, and I hope to learn something. Come along on this journey with me, and maybe we'll both learn something." That's humility. And it assumes greatness in your reader.

Yes, I know--we as Christians like to think that we already know the truth, and that our job is to communicate it to the masses. And fiction is all about truth. But do we really have the truth already? What are we going to be doing, then, for the rest of our lives, if we already know it all? If we've already been perfected, we should ascend bodily to heaven right now. The truth is, we're just at the beginning of our journey toward truth, and we grasp only a tiny part of it so far--there is so much of God we don't yet know, so much of the Bible we don't yet understand. Every novel is an opportunity to learn more, and if we're humble, we'll invite our readers along for the lesson, instead of lecturing them about what we already think we know.
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What's your response to Dave?

Check out Dave's latest suspense release, The Missionary, co-authored with William Carmichael. Amazon has it at a great price of $5.60. 
Also available on the Kindle.

It's Photo Friday!

Here we are with another Photo Friday. PF runs monthly on Forensics and Faith. For you new readers, here's the scoop: Write the best caption, win your choice of one of my novels. Enter as many captions as you like. Come back over the weekend to read all the captions and vote on your favorite. Winner will be announced next week. Facebook friends--make sure to leave your captions here, even if you put them on Facebook.

This photo was submitted by Anita van der Elst. Anita also wins a book since her submitted photo was chosen. If you'd like to submit a picture for possible use, please send it as an attachment in an e-mail to: brandilyn (at) brandilyncollins (dot) com.

All right, we're off! Bring on your captions.

My Latest Release Hits the Shelves

Now released: Final Touch, third and last in my young adult suspense Rayne Tour Series (co-authored with my daughter, Amberly).

Final Touch follows Shaley O'Connor in the most harrowing days of her life. She is kidnapped just moments before a very special event. Who is this man who has taken her---and why? As the FBI races against time to find her, Shaley's abductor eludes them at every turn. Fearing for her life, Shaley wills herself to stay strong. But as the days pass, she realizes that no one can save her but herself.

Four teenage girls wrote the insightful reader questions for Final Touch, included in the back of the book. "I love this series!" one of the girls wrote. "And Final Touch is the most exciting book of all!"

Seeing all three books in the Rayne Tour Series hit the shelves has been a wonderful thing for me as an author and mother. Of course, life is hardly fair when a 16-year-old gets offered a three book contract, and her mom had to work like a dog for 10 years to be published in fiction. But our mother/daughter team worked splendidly from the beginning. Amberly and I both created the series and characters and plotted the books. I wrote the stories, and she edited to make sure the 16-year-old protagonist's POV was right. Last year at ICRS we signed books on the convention floor.

Feedback on the series has been great. One of the best things is hearing from families--where two to even three generations are reading the stories. The Rayne Tour Series is suspense. At the same time it explores personal issues, such as Shaley's relationship with her mother and her search for her unknown father. Along the way, Shaley and her family began to see that there's a God who's "Always Watching" and whom they can turn to for help in difficult times--and in their daily lives.

If you haven't read Always Watching, book #1, and Last Breath, book #2, I do suggest you start at the beginning of the series. While each suspense story is self-contained, the character arc and personal issues build throughout the three books.

Buy Final Touch on Amazon, $9.99
Buy on christianbook.com, $7.99

Comparison of Bestseller Lists for April 2010

Here is a comparison of the CBA "June" list and the ECPA "May" list, both reflecting sales in the month of April. Books appearing only on one list are highlighted in blue. For a reminder of how these lists are put together by ECPA and CBA, please refer to the first few paragraphs of this F&F post.

ECPA (Number in parentheses reflect book's standing on the ECPA Top Fifty list, which includes fiction and nonfiction)

1. (2) Take Three, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
2. (4) The Telling, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
3. (5) Her Mother's Hope, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
4. (16) The Shack, William P. Young, Windblown Media
5. (19) Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
6. (30) A Cousin's Challenge, Wanda E. Brunstetter, Barbour
7. (31) No Distance Too Far, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
8. (34) Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
9. (39) Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Waterbrook/Multnomah
10. (40) Take One, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
11. (43) Take Two, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
12. (49) In Harm's Way, Irene Hannon, Revell/Baker
13. Morning's Refrain, Tracie Peterson, Bethany/Baker
14. A Promise of Hope, Amy Clipston, Zondervan
15. Plain Paradise, Beth Wiseman, Thomas Nelson
16. The Missing, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
17. Greater Love, Robert Whitlow, Thomas Nelson
18. A Man of His Word, Kathleen Fuller, Thomas Nelson
19. Sixteen Brides, Stephanie Grace Whitson, Bethany/Baker
20. The Secret, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker

CBA (Numbers in parentheses reflect book's standing on the CBA Top Fifty list, which includes fiction and nonfiction)

1. (5) The Telling, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
2. (7) Take Three, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
3. (8) Her Mother’s Hope, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
4. (19) Edge of Apocalypse, Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall, Zondervan
5. (23) The Shack, William P. Young, Windblown Media
6. (30) The Bride Collector, Ted Dekker, Center Street/Hachette
7. (33) A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers, Tyndale
8. (37) Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Multnomah/WaterBrook
9. (38) Shades of Blue, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
10. (41) No Distance Too Far, Lauraine Snelling, Bethany/Baker
11. (43) In Harm's Way, Irene Hannon, Revell/Baker
12. (45) Betsy’s Return, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
13. (49) A Promise of Hope, Amy Clipston, Zondervan
14. Greater Love, Robert Whitlow, Thomas Nelson
15. Letters to God, Patrick Doughtie & John Perry, Zondervan
16. Here Burns My Candle, Liz Curtis Higgs, WaterBrook
17. The Missing, Beverly Lewis, Bethany/Baker
18. A Cousin’s Challenge, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
19. Take One, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan
20. Take Two, Karen Kingsbury, Zondervan

Free Kindle Books Given Own Bestseller List

In a move I find not surprising, Amazon has announced it will soon run two bestseller lists--one for paid books and one for the freebies. I've wondered about this phenomenon of freebies hitting the top of the list for some time. I've been the beneficiary of that--with my freebies of Exposure and Dark Pursuit hitting #1 and #2 respectively in January and staying there for nine days. Being at the top of the list garnered me extra publicity--not the least of which was being included in an article on free Kindle downloads on the front page of the New York Times. But I had to wonder--is that fair to authors whose books are selling at full price?

An exact date for the switch to two lists isn't yet known, but an Amazon representative said it will happen in "a few weeks."

It will be interesting to see what happens with my next two Kindle freebies, which will be available for two weeks in June (Brink of Death, first in the Hidden Faces series, and Violet Dawn, first in my Kanner Lake series). By then the freebie bestseller list should be in place. Will the splitting of these lists lessen the publicity and overall benefits of putting a book free on the Kindle? Perhaps. But I'm not sure it will. It will partly depend on how the lists appear on the main Kindle page. Right now the top 10 on Amazon's one list appear there. You have to click a link to see the rest (the list goes to 100). At the time of the Exposure and Dark Pursuit freebies, only the few top titles appeared on that page. I think that's what made it work so well for me. Anyone on that main Kindle books page saw the covers of my books. They could see right away that the books were free. So any cynical person could discount them. But the freebie promotion did work just by getting those books up there. So if a freebie bestseller list also shows at least the top few on that main Kindle page, I think the promotion may be as successful--if you get to the top of the list. That's the key. Just because a book is free--doesn't mean it's going to reach the #1 spot.

As I said in the NYT article--and was requoted yesterday in the Publisher's Weekly article about this new Amazon move, "When you push to No. 1 of any bestseller list, that in itself seems to beget publicity."

By the way, I don't see the new freebie list as a negation to our discussion here last week about whether or not we should label CBA fiction as Christian. The same naysayers will be around.

Sawing Off a Tree Branch You're Leaning Against

Just had to share this one with you all. In England, a handyman propped his ladder against the tree branch he wanted to remove, then proceeded to saw off said branch. WHUMP went his ladder. He was injured, of course.

Now? He's suing the hotel.

Where did this handyman work previously? British Aerospace.

Read the whole crazy story here.

New Blog, Lyme-Over the Edge, Launches

How much do you know about Lyme Disease? Do you know:

1. It's the #1 vector-borne illness in America.

2. All too often standard tests backed by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) result in a false negative, forcing the patient to go years without a diagnosis while he/she gets sicker and sicker.

3. Many times patients with chronic Lyme are told it's "all in their heads."

4. The standard care for Lyme patients is 2-4 weeks of antibiotics. After that time, the CDC declares, all the bacteria that cause Lyme are eradicated from the body. So what happens when these patients are still sick with Lyme--and the medical community at large won't accept the fact they need further treatment?

5. To this day doctors who know little of Lyme are apt to tell a patient with clear Lyme symptoms, "No need to test for Lyme. We don't have it in this state." Wrong.

It's bad enough to have a disease that steals your quality of life as thoroughly as Lyme does. Pain throughout the body, weakness, instability, inability to concentrate, extreme fatigue--these are just a few of the myriad possible symptoms. Lyme has often been called the "Great Imitator," as patients with Lyme are instead diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, or a host of other illnesses. Problem is, the wrong diagnosis not only means lack of correct treatment, it can mean wrong treatment that exacerbates Lyme. CFS patients, for example, are often put on steroids for their joint swelling and pain. Guess what--Lyme spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi) love steroids. The patient becomes much worse.

As you've probably heard, I'm writing my 22nd book, a novel centered around Lyme Disease and the so-called "Lyme Wars" that surround its treatment. Over the Edge is due in the beginning of June. (Very soon now!). It will release in May 2011--May being Lyme Awareness Month. Yesterday I launched my new blog, Lyme-Over the Edge, a place where Lyme patients can tell their stories about fighting the disease. These stories will amaze you and educate you. Who knows--you may well know someone who has Lyme and who doesn't realize it. Your understanding of this disease may help someone you love one day.

Yesterday's post on Lyme-Over the Edge: launch of the blog and an intro to Lyme Disease

Today's post: Suze Overstreet's story: "A Decade of Symptoms." Here's an excerpt:

From March until June I missed many days of work due to illness. I started feeling severe sharp pains in my knees and it was very difficult to bend them or walk up inclines. My legs would burn to the point where I needed to sit down. I took 5 trips to the ER between June 1 and July 2rd. Each time, the doctor would say there was nothing wrong me. On my fifth trip to the ER I was given an MRI, CSCAN, and multiple x-rays, which came back completely clear. But I was still feeling terrible...

Read the rest of Suze's story. (A custom template for the blog is now being created.)

Gina Holmes' 10-Year Journey Pays Off

Gina Holmes’ first novel, Crossing Oceans, has just released from Tyndale. For the last number of years Gina has been known through the popular blog she started, Novel Journey. NJ has been widely read, and now methinks her novel will be also. Gina has already garnered some great reviews, including the endorsement on the front cover of her book from bestselling author Tess Gerritsen: "Poignant and unforgettable ... this book will break your heart--and then put the pieces back together again."

As I did, Gina spent 10 long years working toward being published in fiction. Now her hard studying and working is paying off. Here's the story of her journey.

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In 1997, I had the brilliant idea that I might be able to be a stay at home mom if I could actually bring in some cash. Writing had always come easier for me than most, so me being the genius that I am knew that this would be the way to bring in some fast, easy, cash. Ahem, yeah, well…

So, for the next six months or so I wrote everything from greeting cards, to articles to short stories, poetry, and my personal favorite—rhyming children’s books with strong morals featuring talking fruits. I sent this little gem to all the best New York literary agents in fancy, twenty-four point font, wondering how I would ever decide which agent to allow the privilege of representing Anna Banana.

Needless to say I collected quite a pile of form rejection letters. I cringe to think that some of my earliest work is probably framed above some agent or editor’s desk just for laughs. Despite my stupidity, laziness, and lack of knowledge in the publishing world, I did manage to get my first pay check six months in for a magazine article. I was a published author!

I had a little more luck over the years which followed—a few articles, but not a whole lot. In 2003ish, a girl at church was talking to the congregation about writing her second novel. My mouth dropped. She was just seventeen! If she could do it, surely I could. With all the know how I used to launch my rhyming fruit books, I set about penning my first novel.

In six weeks I had my first novel. I took this masterpiece, (which was so good it needed no editing,) to sell at the Blue Ridge Christian Writer’s Conference. It was at this conference that I picked up my first copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, a book that would teach me a thousand times more than I previously knew about editing. I also met my critique partner Ane Mulligan, who I half suspected was insane. Turns out she is, but pleasantly so, and together with Jessica Dotta, the three of us have remained critique partners for the last 6 years.

It was at this conference that I also met the man who would become my agent, Chip MacGregor. He scared off a lot of people with his brash frankness, but I saw a truth teller. I pitched him that first novel. He blinked at me a few times, smirked a little, then said, “Gina, I’m with Alive. We’re the top agency in the business. I’m really not looking for authors who are just starting out….in fact, I’m a little surprised that you’re pitching me.”

Ouch. Undaunted, Chip and I prayed together before I left that appointment and I’d made a friend. With the help of Self- Editing and my new critique group, I spent the next year or two editing that first novel, and learning the basics of the craft of writing. After that, I wrote my second, third and fourth novels, all suspense. All of the novels I wrote came close to publication, but somewhere between an editor’s interest and the publishing board meeting, interest waned and rejection after rejection . . . after rejection followed.

Through all these years, I ran Novel Journey, wrote, edited, mentored and was mentored. I attended many writer’s conferences, built relationships in the industry and learned all I could about the business. I had several agents who weren’t quite right for me and then at an ACFW conference Chip announced he was starting his own agency. He also made it clear that he was interested in representing me. Chip and I were friends, our philosophies lined up and I knew he was very good at what he did, so the partnership was a no-brainer.

Over the following months, I would get calls from Chip every now and then making sure I wasn’t planning on jumping ship just because it was taking us a while to get a contract. I think we were both concerned we were letting the other down during this time. Chip always kept my spirits up by letting me know he believed in my writing and that I would get published eventually because “greatness will out.” I think he represented me close to two years before I was contracted.

In 2008 I started reading things like Memoirs of a Geisha, Peace Like a River, Jane Eyre, Watership Down, etc., and thought that maybe I was writing in the wrong genre. I wasn’t sure, so I figured the only way to find out was to try writing something a little different.

I presented a third-person medical mystery to Chip along with a few chapters from my first-person women’s fiction novel about a young mother dying of cancer. I asked Chip which one he thought we ought to pursue. He said, “They’re both good and I can probably sell either, but Crossing Oceans seems like your true voice.”

That was it. I knew he was right.

At the ACFW conference that year, two editors asked to meet with me. Normally, I’m the one stalking them, so this was way different for me. They both had some suggestions on improving my story. One editor was on fire for it. The other, was really more passionate about seeing me get published because she thought I’d done so much to help others. In the end, one pursued me and my story and that passion is what won out at the end of the day. I sold my novel before it was completed. It’s rare to do it, but we did. Not only that but Chip scored me an advance that far exceeded my expectations.

Long before I understood that Tyndale was really going to publish Crossing Oceans, Chip knew. He kept congratulating me before we’d even had an official offer. I trusted him, but was afraid to get my hopes up. Finally, he called me when I was at work in the hospital nursery, surrounded by crying babies, nurses and doctors. Via cell phone, he said, “Gina we have an offer. It’s okay to scream now.”

I had to sit down. The whole nursery grew quiet as everyone listened in. My coworkers knew I’d been at it a long time. I spilled a few tears, so did some of them. That night, I couldn’t get anyone on the phone. Not my critique partners, not my family, no one. I couldn’t tell anyone that after ten long years of rejection my dream was really going to come true.

At least I get to tell you. That’s my story.
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Buy Crossing Oceans on Amazon, $10.07

Buy on christianbook.com, $9.49

Amazon the New Big Brother?

With its new Kindle software update, Amazon has started collecting data on what readers highlight in their Kindle e-books--then sharing this information with others. The information given out doesn't specify highlighted sections by individual reader but aggregates the data and displays it to other readers.

Here's what Amazon says about the new feature:
We combine the highlights of all Kindle customers and identify the passages with the most highlights. The resulting Popular Highlights help readers to focus on passages that are meaningful to the greatest number of people. We show only passages where the highlights of at least three distinct customers overlap, and we do not show which customers made those highlights.

Amazon's list of "recently heavily highlighted" books.

The move, as you might expect, is controversial. Many readers don't like Amazon "looking over their shoulders" to see that they're highlighting, even if the data given out isn't reader-specific. Others think it's a cool new feature. What do you think about this?