Wind River

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Wind River
(Bethany House July 1, 2008)
by

Tom Morrisey

FIRST LINE:

The morning sun had just cleared the summits to the east, and the grass in the small valley was still thick with dew, wetting the boots and the shins of the man and the boy.

MY TAKE:

I was really looking forward to receiving this book, as I loved High Places. I've just started reading Wind River. Tom takes his time with story and characters, allowing plot and nuances to unfold slowly. I'm fully prepared to enjoy this book, and I do recommend Tom's writing highly.

By the way, High Places is now up for a Christy Award. Winners will be announced at the banquet this Saturday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tom Morrisey is a mountaineer, aviator, shipwreck diver, and explorer, who holds a Full Cave certification from the National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section.

He has launched, edited or contributed to numerous national publications and is an award-winning adventure-travel writer. A popular speaker, he is also active in both evangelism and the arts. Morrisey earned an MFA in creative writing from Bowling Green State University, and his fiction has been featured in numerous anthologies and magazines.

His first novel, Yucatan Deep (Zondervan, 2002) was a finalist for the Christy award, and he is the author of four other novels: In High Places (Bethany House Publishers, 2007), Dark Fathom (Zondervan, 2005), Deep Blue, (Zondervan 2004), and Turn Four (Zondervan 2004). In addition Tom has also written two nonfiction books: 20 American Peaks & Crags (Contemporary Books, 1978) and Wild by Nature (Baker Books, 2001). He and his family live in Orlando, Florida.

ABOUT THE BOOK


You Can't Outrun the Sins of Your Past

Desperate to forget what happened to him in Iraq, Tyler Perkins flees to the emptiness of Wyoming. He's here to escape and also to fulfill a long-ago promise by accompanying his 86-year-old friend Soren Andeman on a fly-fishing trip--once more for old time's sake. But their trek to an idyllic trout lake soon becomes something more deeply harrowing--a journey that uncovers long-held lies, deadly crimes, and the buried secrets of the past. Ty barely has time to contemplate the question of what constitutes justice when nature unleashes her own revenge. Trapped in a race back to safety, he must face his own guilt-ridden past or risk being consumed.

Powerfully imagined by the acclaimed author of In High Places, Wind River is an engaging wilderness adventure that explores the power of confession, the beauty of forgiveness, and the freedom of truth unveiled.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE.

"Mornings" on FamilyNet

I should have put this up yesterday. Chalk the oversight up to my currently crazier-even-than-usual schedule. Today I'm on the live "Mornings" show with Lorri and Larry, aired on FamilyNet radio and also shown on FamilyNet TV. (Check the web site for channels.) "Mornings" airs live on Sirius radio channel 161 from 6 - 9 a.m. Eastern. I'm on at 8:20 a.m. Eastern for about 20 minutes. I think you can listen to archives from their web site, in case you miss it and want to hear what went on. Seeing as how 8:20 Eastern is 5:20 a.m. my time, I will do my best not to get my tangue tongled.

Lorri and Larry will be talking to me about Amber Morn and my Kanner Lake series. Besides whatever else they decide to ask.

The Edge of Recall

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Edge Of Recall
(Bethany House July 1, 2008)
by
Kristen Heitzmann

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Of her three main interests, art, music and writing, she chose to study English at the University of Colorado and thrived on Creative Writing and Literature classes. She married her husband Jim, and turned her energy to building a family. They have four children whom they have home schooled for all or most of their education. Kristen is a music minister with the ecumenical covenant community People of Praise.

Once she realized the stories in her head were truly a calling from the Lord, she made writing not just a passion, but a ministry. She has written seven historical fiction novels as part of the The Rocky Mountain Legacy series, the Diamond of the Rockies series, and the Christy Award winner Secrets. Most recently, she has written several contemporary fiction novels, including Echoes, Freefall and Unforgotten.

Kristen and her husband, Jim, and their family live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she serves as worship leader in their church.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tessa Young, an up-and-coming landscape architect who specializes in the design and creation of labyrinths, has immersed herself in the mythological, spiritual, and healing aspects of the elaborate structures. She also is searching for God and hoping to make sense of the nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.

When Smith Chandler, an estranged colleague--with whom she'd half fallen in love a dozen times before catching herself every time--calls to propose a project he claims is the opportunity of a lifetime, she reluctantly agrees to check it out. Smith is reconstructing a pre-Revolutionary War abbey for wealthy clients. Among its remarkable features is an overgrown labyrinth.

Unable to resist, Tessa accepts his offer to work with him. Soon she is immersed in the project of a lifetime. But one evening, after weeks of work in the labyrinth, Tessa and Smith are attacked. While protecting Tessa, Smith is stabbed, and the nightmare begins...again.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

Pre ICRS

Hope everyone had a great fourth. We sure did. We always have a big barbeque at the house in Idaho. My son invites a lot of friends, and I'm never quite sure how many are going to show up. Let's just say I do a HUGE store run.

I was expecting to finish Exposure on Wednesday. Didn't happen. As I was reading through it, I saw more that needed to be done to the ending. I worked until midnight that night, then crashed. The next morning I was up early and back at it. Finished in the afternoon and hit the ol' "send" button at 3:00 p.m. I looked up, totally google-eyed, and saw there was a big world out there. And it was almost the fourth! Agh, I hadn't even done the store run yet.

After a great holiday we came back to California yesterday. Today through Wednesday I'm in my California office, then Thursday it's off to the ChiLibris novelist's retreat and ICRS--the annual publishing convention. In Orlando. In July. I shall not be taking jackets.

As with most authors at ICRS I'll have meetings with my agent, my publisher, interviews here and there, plus a signing on the floor. I will be signing with Michael Snyder of clairvoyant dog fame. We ought to have a great time. He'll be signing copies of My Name is Russel Fink, and I'll be signing Amber Morn. Now what kind of appropriate stunt do you think we should pull? Maybe he could bring a dog, and I'll take it hostage? I'm listening to any ideas you might have.

Christian Fiction Online Magazine

Kudos to the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for its brand-new periodical (Michelle Sutton, editor). It's a very nice-looking piece of work. Lots of articles for readers and writers. Check out Christian Fiction Online Magazine.

---------------------

Exposure update:

Wrote 16 hours Monday, 14 yesterday. TYPED THE LAST WORD OF MY MANUSCRIPT YESTERDAY! Today I am going through the whole thing for one final edit.

I'm tired but happy.

Tomorrow I'm goin' shoppin'.

Controversy over The Shack

From the Christian E-Tailing Newsletter:
-----------------------
As surprise hit The Shack makes the New York Times best-seller lists, the newspaper notes that its million-plus sales have been "fueled partly by a whiff of controversy."

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler has joined the list of critics of William P. Young's novel, calling it "deeply troubling" and warning that it undermines orthodox Christianity, said the newspaper this week.

But as well as a subject of sharp debate, The Shack is "the most compelling recent example of how word-of-mouth phenomenon can explode into a blockbuster when the momentum hits chain bookstores, and the marketing and distribution power of a major commercial publisher is thrown behind it."

Kathryn Popoff, vice president for merchandising of adult trade books at Borders, told the Times that the book was appealing to audiences beyond Christian readers. But not everyone agrees. Vivien Jennings, owner of Rainy Day Books, an independent store near Kansas City, Mo., said she had sold only nine copies in four months.

"The buzz never made it here," Jennings told the Times. "What it tells me is that it is still pretty much restricted to the Christian audience."
--------------------

You can read my review of The Shack in an earlier post here. I don't agree with Mohler's quote, above. I think there's a lot of good stuff in The Shack. It doesn't contain the entire orthodoxy of Christianity, but that's not its focus. Its message is of God's love, and it is, in the end, a novel. However, there certainly is some controversy, although the naysayers are far outweighed in number. I do recommend reading the book because so many people are talking about it. It's not fair to voice opinions without reading the thing.

Cringing Chicken

BHCC member Annie McDonald was the winner of last month's T-shirt. Winners are drawn randomly from commenters in the guestbook on the BHCC page of my web site. Annie sent me this picture, which she labeled "Cringing Chicken." She wears the T-shirt well, dontcha think?
Do check out Annie's web site, Dancing Word, a site dedicated to Christian fiction. It contains reviews, author features, articles on writing and much more. Once a week Annie hosts a chat with an author in the site's chat room.

Today is June 30, last day to leave a comment in the BHCC guestbook as a chance to be a June winner of a T-shirt. Since I pick a number out of the air and see what commenter matches that number, the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win. Have at it.

By the way--say a prayer for me, huh? My book, Exposure, is due this week. I hope to live to see the Fourth of July.

The Ol' Photo Shoot

Agh, another publicity photo. Only this one should have been twice as bad. Not only did I have to be happy with the photo of my own mug (purty near impossible), so did my 18-year-old daughter. The shot was needed for our young adult suspense Rayne Tour series (releasing next year) that we're co-writing. It needed to have a certain amount of that mysterious suspense author look.

The photo shoot was at 10 a.m. Did I mention my daughter is not a morning person?

Naturally, being a teenager, she got up too late. Which meant her make-up wasn't done on time. Plus, since she had to do it fast, she was complaining before we ever left the house how bad she looked. Then on the way she realized she'd forgotten to bring her make-up for touch-up--which we were told to do. By the time we got to the studio, she was in one negative mood.

(Remember those days of being 18?)

In to save the day--our photographer, Robert Weaver, in Mountain View, California. Keeping an upbeat attitude amidst Amberly's sullenness, he fussed with lighting until we had everything just so. After a good deal of time spent with preparation, the shoot began.

Amberly managed to smile. The more photos we shot, the more she loosened up. Two or three times we stopped to gather around the computer and see how the photographs were coming. Did we want to change poses, clothes, lighting, whatever? After around 70-90 pictures, we got one we both liked. Okay, we cheated. We liked Amberly's face better on one shot, and my face better on another. No problem.

The fixing began. Bob first cut out my head on the one photo and put it on the one we liked of Amberly. Then my favorite word when it comes to photography--AIRBRUSH. I told Bob to take off all my wrinkles and give them to my daughter. For some strange reason Amberly failed to find that funny. At any rate, we fixed. Coloring, jaw lines, shadows, wrinkles (on me). I came out with a face I wish I had. Well, I do have it. Just, ahem, a few years down the road.

This web version isn't nearly as nice in skin tone and overall dramatic color as the original that will be printed. But at any rate, here it is. Now all we gotta do is write that third book ...

The Rayne Tour books, featuring Shaley O'Connor, daughter of rock star Rayne O'Connor, release next year. The first two release together in April and the third hits shelves around September.

ACFW Conference

Registration is now underway for the annual writers' conference sponsored by the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). This is the only conference in our industry that does nothing but fiction. And it does it very, very well. This year it meets in Minneapolis from Thursday, September 18 to Sunday the 21st.

As with last year the major morning tracks and the afternoon workshops offer teaching on every level of the craft--beginner to professional. I'm totally jazzed to take a non-level morning class this year taught by Mark Mynheir--police officer and SWAT team member, suspense author and all-around good guy. Oh, and he does a mean rap, too. I still call him CopDiddy. Mark is teaching a class on police procedure--a must for all those mystery/suspense authors, published or unpublished. I've heard him teach a workshop before, and he's terrific.

The keynote speaker this year is Angela Hunt. I roomed with Angie at Mount Hermon. She put a snake in my bed. But that is a story for another day, and besides, evil Deb Raney is to blame for it. (And no doubt this feud shall continue on to ACFW.)

So--back to the conference. Lots of great teaching. Lots of great fellowship and worship. ACFW is a family. If you're a newbie to the conference, never fear. You'll feel right at home in no time. Cara Putman and I run a thingy for first-timers to the conference. Folks are put on an email loop and can send us questions for about a month before the conference. We answer the questions by sending to the whole loop. Then we have an hour together at the beginning of the event. By the time newcomers go through all that, they're well prepared and far less nervous.

I'll be emceeing the conference this year, which I look forward to. Around those responsibilities, I tend to spend a lot of time in the prayer room. Conference attendees, do take the time to come into the prayer room just to focus now and then. There will be people to pray with you if you want, or you can be by yourself in a corner. I've seen amazing answers to prayer in the ACFW prayer room, and the answers continue throughout the year. After my prayer times with people, for the whole next year and beyond I'll receive emails from folks telling me what God has continued to do in their lives. Awesome stuff. But then, He's an awesome God.

We'll be having a public book signing at the Mall of America. We're taking over one of their main areas in the mall, complete with book signing tables for dozens of authors and a Jumbotron of running video. If you know anyone in the Minneapolis area, send 'em to the event.

When you come to the ACFW conference, you will:

Learn a lot

Laugh a lot

Love a lot

Lunch a lot (that is, eat)

Link up a lot (networking with authors, editors and agents), and

Look a lot (there's all sorts of cool people to watch)

See ya there!

(Anybody wanna put a snake in Deb Raney's bed for me?)

With my mom, Ruth Seamands (would you believe she's 91?) at the 2007 awards banquet.

Gina Holmes and --who's the other gal? -- playing me and Deb Raney in a hilarious skit poking fun at the Advisory Board Members. I couldn't get this photo any bigger. Gina's shirt reads: "Breathe" (with a checked box) and "Don't breathe" (box unchecked). She was wearing a seatbelt belt.

The Belle and Baron of the Banquet: Mom in her traditional Indian sari (my parents were missionaries in India), and Chip MacGregor in his family kilt.

A Book a Year

How about this article from Library Journal:
-----------------------

Is publish or perish as true for best-selling authors as it is for academics? In a Seattle Times article, best-seller machines like John Grisham and Patricia Cornwell claim they are pressured by their publishers (Doubleday and Putnam, respectively) to release a book each year or suffer loss of sales to a public with “an out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Releasing a book each year is “no problem, as long as you don’t have a life,” Cornwell told the Times. “If I don’t get the book turned in on time, they’ll be freaking out,” said Cornwell, whose next Kay Scarpetta novel is due to publish in October. “If I miss my deadline, I miss the entire year. Sometimes there’s an overwhelming feeling of panic. It’s like a rock ‘n’ roll concert, and what if I don’t show up?” Publishers assert that a new book a year is necessary to piggyback on the paperback release of the previous year’s work, which helps build anticipation for the new title.

While Cornwell and Grisham are complying with their publishers’ need for an annual manuscript, others are resisting. Thriller writer Brad Meltzer (Grand Central), who has rejected the book-a-year plan, asserts that “there’s pressure to treat authors like Coca-Cola. Every time you get a bunch of writers together, this is all they complain about. The trend is, ‘How many books can you put out?’” Dennis Lehane (HarperCollins) also refuses to be held to a schedule because earlier in his career when he did produce the 1999 book Prayers for Rain in a year he said he realized “the week it was published what would have made it a really good book. The anger of that realization haunted me. I said I would never go back on that hamster wheel.” [See In the Bookroom blog for additional thoughts on this story.]

------------------

My take: True, we all write at different paces, but one book a year for a full-time writer? Doesn't sound like a lot to complain about to me. What say you?

Bestseller Lists

Here are the two new bestseller lists reflecting sales in the month of May. Those appearing only on one list are in color. Numbers in parentheses on the CBA list show the book's placement on CBA's Top Fifty List (which includes fiction and nonfiction).

CBA

1. (1) The Shack, William Young, Windblown Media
2. (2) The Forbidden, Beverly Lewis, Bethany
3. (6) Dawn's Light, Terri Blackstock, Zondervan
4. (8) Dead Heat, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
5. (17) The Last Jihad, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
5. (tie)(17) Adam, Ted Dekker, Thomas Nelson
7. (25) Allison's Journey, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
8. (32) Someday, Karen Kingsbury, Tyndale
9. (38) Deeper Water, Robert Whitlow, Thomas Nelson
10. Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Multnomah
11. Road Home, Tommy Tenney, Bethany
12. Parting, Beverly Lewis, Bethany
13. Deep in the Heart of Trouble, Deeanne Gist, Bethany
14. Ezekiel Option, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
15. Last Days, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
16. Dear to Me, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
17. Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis, Zondervan
18. Prince Caspion Adult, C.S. Lewis, Zondervan
19. Copper Scroll, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
20. Sunrise, Karen Kingsbury, Tyndale

ECPA

1. The Shack, William Young, Windblown Media
2. The Forbidden, Beverly Lewis, Bethany
3. Dead Heat, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
4. Dawn's Light, Terri Blackstock, Zondervan
5. Allison's Journey, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
6. Someday, Karen Kingsbury, Tyndale
7. Blink of an Eye, Ted Dekker, Thomas Nelson
8. Chosen, Ted Dekker, Thomas Nelson
9. The Last Jihad, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
10. Parting, Beverly Lewis, Bethany
11. Adam, Ted Dekker, Thomas Nelson
12. Dear to Me, Wanda Brunstetter, Barbour
13. Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, Multnomah
14. Renegade, Ted Dekker, Thomas Nelson
15. Facing the Giants, Eric Wilson, Thomas Nelson
16. Last Days, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
17. Sabrina, Lori Wick, Harvest House
18. Ezekiel Option, Joel Rosenberg, Tyndale
19. Copper Scroll, Joel Rosenerg, Tyndale
20. Mountain Top, Robert Whitlow, Thomas Nelson

Cicadas and Reunions

I'm at our annual family reunion in Kentucky. Got here late last night. The minute I got out of the car at Mom's house--whoa, the cicadas! This is a 17-year brood, now emerging after being in the ground since 1991. The ringing sound they make is quite something. Very loud. They only last about a month, and then they all die off. But not before laying millions of eggs on tree limbs. These eggs hatch, and the tiny nymphs fall to the ground, then burrow underground. They'll feed on tree sap.

They're flying around like crazy now, although they won't be lasting much longer. They're clumsy flyers and are likely to crash into you. They don't bite or sting, however. Certain sounds attract them, like lawnmowers. You might be covered in the critters if you want to cut your grass.

Here at the reunion, I'm rooming with my sister Sandy at Mom's house. (There are two other sisters around also.) Recently Sandy gave me a card that read on the cover, "Insanity is hereditary." On the inside it said, "We're so screwed."

I laughed and laughed at the card because, well, knowing the generation above us ... yeah. But here's the kicker. My sister told her teenage daughter about finding that card in a drawer at their house and giving it to me. Her daughter said, "Mom, I bought that card to give to Christine (her sister)."

What I Want for Christmas

Stop the presses! I've already found my Christmas present.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal reported that Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. will acquire LipoSonix Inc. for over $150 milion. Why do I care? Because LipoSonix has this way cool machine that uses laser technology to break up fat cells and destroy them in the body. That's right--no more liposuction surgery. No fat-melting injections of who-knows-what's-in-the-needle. This is all on the surface. The machine kills fat cells without harming other good cells.

Only one problem. LipoSonix is not yet approved in the U.S., although it's used in Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain. According to WSJ, "The FDA has shown reluctance to allow body-shaping drugs and technologies because of uncertainty about how dead fat cells are metabolized and eliminated from the body."

Medicis Pharmaceutical hopes to start selling LipoSonix systems around 2011. But that's only if the FDA approves the thing. And that could be difficult, due to the clinical trials that will need to be done.

"Before patient treatment begins, the target body area is sprayed with water. The operator places a hand-held device on the body and then activates a scanning system with a foot switch. When the scanner stops, the operator repositions the device, repeating the treatments until the area is covered. It takes 35 to 45 minutes to treat a large abdominal area." Patients report feeling only "a slight tingling or prickly sensation."

Hey, I can take a prickle or two.

Anybody else out there willing to volunteer for the trials?

The Hunted

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Hunted
(Realms - June 3, 2008)
by

Mike Dellosso

FIRST LINE:

The darkness was thick and stifling.

MY TAKE:

Mike Dellosso is a new suspense author to watch. He's done a thorough job with The Hunted. This book is on the scary side of suspense (watch out BHCC folks). I wouldn't call it a fast-paced suspense. Mike takes his time with description and characterization, even for minor characters. He paints a world you can settle into--if you don't mind things that go bump (and more) in the night.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Mike now lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Jen, and their three daughters. He writes a monthly column for Writer . . .Interrupted. He was a newspaper correspondent/columnist for over three years and has published several articles for The Candle of Prayer inspirational booklets. Mike also has edited and contributed to numerous Christian-themed Web sites and e-newsletters.

Mike is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the Relief Writer's Network, and International Thriller Writers. He received his BA degree in sports exercise and medicine from Messiah College and his MBS degree in theology from Master's Graduate School of Divinity.

You can read a great interview with Mike, over here on TitleTrakk


ABOUT THE BOOK

A town's deadly secret will drive one man to the edge of his faith...

After learning of the disappearance of his nephew, Joe Saunders returns to his childhood home of Dark Hills to aid in the search effort. When Caleb is found, badly mauled and clinging to life, Joe embarks on a mission to find the beast responsible. But the more Joe delves into the fabric of his old hometown, the more he realizes Dark Hills has a dark secret, shrouded for three generations in a deadly code of silence.

As Joe unravels the truth behind a series of unexplained animal attacks, murder, and corruption at the highest level of law enforcement, he is led to a final showdown where he must entrust his very life into God's hands. Will his young faith be strong ehough to battle the demonic forces of The Hunted.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE.

Mike Dellosso could very well be the next Frank Peretti-if you liked The Oath and Monster, you are going to love The Hunted.
--C.J. Darlington, Cofounder and book editor, Titletrakk.com

A spine-tingling tale of hidden secrets, buried hopes, and second chances. A story best read with all the lights on and an extra flashlight--just in case!
--Amy Wallace, author of Ransomed Dreams

Mike Dellosso's pins-and-needles thriller hurtles the reader down a dark and twisted path. I dare you to take this one home!
--Jill Elizabeth Nelson, author of the To Catch a Thief suspense series

With hints of Frank Peretti and Stephen King, The Hunted is a chilling debut."
--Creston Mapes, author of Nobody

A vicious enemy, a family secret, a thirst for revenge, and a need for reconciliation all drive The Hunted from intriguing beginning to thrilling conclusion."
--Kathryn Mackel, author of Vanished

Read this someplace safe as you experience the incredibly descriptive world of The Hunted. And sleep with the lights on.
--Austin Boyd, author of Mars Hill Classified trilogy

Word of Mouth Marketing Winners

These three fine folks will receive a copy of Andy Sernovitz's Word of Mouth Marketing book free:

Nicole
Pam Halter
Becky Miller

Please email me with your street addresses.

All of you, thanks for tuning in to this series. Even as we go on to talk about other things, if you get an idea for marketing as a result of reading this series, please leave a comment on a post (one of these or whatever's current at the time--I'll see it). It would be fun to do a follow-up post if enough people write in their ideas.

Deep in the Heart of Trouble

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingDeep In The Heart Of Trouble
(Bethany House June 1, 2008)

by

Deeanne Gist

FIRST LINE:

Essie Spreckelmeyer didn't have a man, nor did she need one.


MY TAKE:

This is a fun book. Historicals are not my typical read. Neither are romances. A historical romance? I may read two a year. Since I'm a suspense author, this genre can easily bore me. Not this one. Deep in the Heart of Trouble has plenty of action; animated female characters, both main and supporting; and a wacky ending that made me laugh. Plus a mystery to boot. I can certainly see why Deeanne's books are so popular. In one word, this story is a romp. It's a lie-back-and-enjoy-it tale. Perfect for bubble bath reading (which is exactly where I read it). If you enjoy historical romance, this is a must-read. If this genre is not your cup of tea--try this book. You're likely to discover a totally different kind of story that you'll enjoy.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deeanne Gist has been a busy lady. She had a career in elementary education. She raised four children. In fifteen years she has: run a home accessory/antique business, been a member of the press, penned freelance journalism for a few well-known publications, People, Parents, Family Fun and more. She was the CFO for her husband's engineering company, she did all this in her home.

She also founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products which would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she submitted A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers and they picked it up for their new "edgy inspirational" line of historical fiction. After its release in July 2005, Bride hit eight best seller lists and has sold over 100,000 copies and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2006. The Measure of a Lady was her 2006 summer release. It hit five best seller lists and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2007. Gist is contracted to have a new book come out every summer. Courting Trouble was her 2007 summer release and it hit three best seller lists.

Deeanne lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-four years. They have two kids in high school, two in college.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Texas-Sized Tale of Unexpected Love

Essie Spreckelmeyer is the last woman anyone in Corsicana, Texas, expected to see with a man on her arm. Independent and outspoken, she’s known more for riding bicycles in outrageous bloomers than for catching a man’s eye.

And the last man who seems willing to give her a second glance is Tony Morgan, newly hired at Spreckelmeyer’s oil company. The disinherited son of an oil baron, Tony wants most to restore his name and regain his lost fortune--not lose his heart to this headstrong blonde. She confounds, contradicts, and confuses him. Sometimes he doesn’t know if she’s driving him toward the aisle or the end of his rope.

That’s how life is ...Deep In The Heart Of Trouble

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

“Christy Award winner Gist’s historical romances have increasingly gained popularity, combining witty dialog, well-balanced plots, and fully developed characters who seem almost real. Recommended for CF and romance collections.”
-- Library Journal

"Gist does it again! Her signature prose is consistent and she delivers a thoroughly delightful and entertaining story that’s worthy of our time and attention. Not only won’t you want to put this book down, you’ll want to enjoy this story again and again."
-- JUNE TOP PICK, 4-1/2 STARS, Romantic Times, Jennifer Reyes

"Gist has once again written a delightfully humorous historical romance. After reading the first book in this series of two, I was anxious to get my hands on this one. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed ... It is a spectacular, feel-good story which I highly recommend. You will definitely be glad you read it."
-– FIVE STAR RATING, The Romance Studio, Brenda Talley

Word of Mouth Marketing--Part III

From Andy Sernovitz's Word of Mouth Marketing, last week we covered the first two Ts of womm: Talkers and Topics. Today we look at three through five.

3. Tools. How can you make the message travel farther and faster? Key concepts here are "speed and portability." Because the Internet can spread word so quickly, Sernovitz gives many specific ideas for better online usage for womm. These include such things as more effective use of emails, websites, blogs, social communities, reviews, and message boards.

Overall, what hit me most about #3 was the reminder of spreading the word--any word--farther. Doesn't have to be on the Internet. It may mean rethinking any bit of marketing we do. For example, if you send out postcards via regular mail to a mailing list about your latest book, that's a one-to-one ratio, right? Sender sends to one receiver. That receiver may read it, then throw it away. What might be included in the text of that postcard that would prompt the receiver to give it to a friend? Or if you send out an e-newsletter to subscribers, obviously any email is able to be forwarded, but is there anything on that newsletter prompting receivers to forward it? And, as Sernovitz notes, if the newsletter or any marketing email is forwarded, make sure it'll make sense to the second recipient, who may not have heard of you. A quick blurb about your company or your writing or whatever would be helpful.

Sernovitz also advocates giving away free product as a good marketing tool. I agree. I think if we authors believe in our books, one of the best things we can do is get copies into the hands of new readers. If you give away one, that's a one-to-one ratio. If you give away two, that person will pass the second to a friend.

When Crimson Eve, third in the Kanner Lake series, went on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance blog tour, I included "give-away" copy in the information text I sent to CFBA. That text invited anyone who knows someone who's never read one of my suspense novels to send that person's name, street address and email address to my assistant, and that person would receive a free copy of Crimson Eve. First 100 responders got a book sent out. I promised I would not spam the recipients, only using the email address once to let them know So-and-So friend had requested that he/she receive a book, and it was on its way. (Of course, in that email was my typical Seatbelt Suspense signature and links to my website and blog.) I had 100 responses in no time. This cost some money, but it was worth the "seeding." The copies were provided by my publisher. I paid the postage and my assistant's time in mailing.

4. Taking Part. Key concept--Womm is "as much about customer service as it is about marketing." Online conversations--positive or negative--can spread quickly. Sernovitz says there are two risks in not taking part in these conversations: "word of mouth dies" or "goes negative." ISearch engines make it easy to see who's talking about you online. Google Alerts is one I use. It sends me an email telling me if anyone has mentioned me in a blog post. Don't be shy when this happens, Sernovitz says. Take time to visit the blog and say thank you if someone spoke well of your product. "Fixing problems is the most powerful marketing you can do," he says. "A formerly unhappy customer who is made happy tells 1o people." It's a little hard for an author to "fix" it when someone posts a negative review of your book. It's not like we sold someone a broken widget and can just replace it for free. But given that "unhappy customer turned happy" statement is a "key rule of thumb" for womm, it does make me think. What can I do in that situation. Is there a way in which I can take part in the conversation to make it more positive? Worth thinking about.

5. Tracking--Measuring and understanding what people are saying about you. When you track womm, you can assess such things as who is talking, what tools they are using, and what topics are working for you. Among other things Sernovitz advocates using search engines and encouraging feedback. The last one is interesting to me. Makes my mind start turning. How can I better encourage feedback on my products?

A helpful blog listed for measuring womm: Word of Mouth Marketing Association's Research Blog.

I'm coming down to the wire on a deadline at the moment. But in my spare moments (with what brain power I have left), I've been pondering Andy Sernovitz's many ideas in his book. I want to fill out the Five T form and put myself on a plan of action. (That, of course, is more than just a few minutes of filling out a piece of paper. Takes some thought.) I'm glad I read this book. It's got me fired up to open up my mind and think conceptually, as well as given me practical, specific things I can do right away.

Please continue to leave your comments today. Tomorrow I'll announce the three winners of the random drawing for a copy of Word of Mouth Marketing.

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Read Winners (Final post)

Word of Mouth Marketing--Part II

According to Andy Sernovitz in Word of Mouth Marketing, the Five Ts of womm are:

Talkers
Topics
Tools
Taking Part
Tracking

Talkers: Who are the people who want to talk about you and your stuff? The immediate thought is--your customers. Yes, some customers may be good talkers. But Sernovitz makes an interesting point: your talkers can also be "super-eager fans who will never buy a product." He mentions the opening of Wynn Las Vegas. Before the official opening, the hotel invited in cabbies for free rooms and the run of the place. Cabbies aren't likely customers. But as they drive tourists around, which hotel do you think they were talking about?

Turns out this is exactly what I did with my recent reaching out to the Big Honkin' Chickens Club. This unofficial club has been around a long time, full of folks who call themselves chickens when it comes to reading suspense. Which means when I moved to writing suspense only, they wouldn't read my stuff. But they'll talk about it. They'll tell others about me. I decided to make it easier for them to talk (second half of Sernovitz's definition of womm). I came up with a cute BHCC logo and put it on merchandise like a keychain, magnet, mousepad, bag and T-shirt. All the merchandise also includes my Seatbelt Suspense trademark and website address. I gave them an easy html copy and paste way to post the BHCC logo on their own sites. I gave them a page complete with a guestbook on my web site. I came up with a system for rating my novels' "scare factor," using the logo and daring BHCC members to try one. A three-chicken read may really be too much, but a one-chicken read? Why not try it? It's fun for the BHCC folks, because they're doggone proud of their membership. And if decide to carry around a BHCC keychain, that's marketing for me.

Look beyond your core customers. Who else might talk about you? Sernovitz lists seven kinds of people to consider and three traits they might possess. He includes a "Talker Profile" worksheet for thinking through this process. And he lists ways to make these people happy, which will keep them talking.

Topics--what will they talk about? Sernovitz notes that the message needs to be a single idea and very short. No lists. No using "and." He lists characteristics that make a good topic and spends a lot of pages giving you ideas for how to come up with topics. One characteristic he mentions: They are organic--arising naturally from the "exceptional qualities that make your stuff stand out." So ya gotta include factors in your stuff that lead to a good message. Gateway could just make computers. Somebody had to think--"Let's put them in cow boxes."

If you're a novelist, what can you do? For my Kanner Lake series, I created Scenes and Beans, the character blog. Scenes and Beans is also a blog in the novels themselves, written by the regular customers of Java Joint, the coffee shop in Kanner Lake. I held auditions for aspiring novelists who wanted to write as the characters before the first book, Violet Dawn, hit the stands. Their posts would be written in real time, according to what was happening in the novels. Auditioners got free pre-release reads of Violet Dawn so they could study the characters. By the time Violet Dawn was released, all those writers who won parts were talking to their friends about the blog and series. They had a stake in the series. They had their own "Original Scenes and Beans writer" logo to put on their blogs. I sent them press releases, which allowed them to fill in their own names and information, that they could send to their local papers. Some did--and had articles printed about them in their papers. And, of course, those articles mentioned Violet Dawn and the Kanner Lake series. My womm topic: The blog in the novels is real.

I wanted Scenes and Beans to continue running strong after these initial writers had fulfilled their six-month commitment to write for the blog. It didn't hit the success I wanted it to. But that initial word of mouth for Violet Dawn really helped. The last book of that series, Amber Morn, was dedicated to all those initial Scenes and Beans writers.

So--now with Amber Morn's release, the Kanner Lake series is over. What am I going to do for my next novel, Dark Pursuit? Don't know. But you can bet I'm thinking about it.

These examples are a couple from my own experience. Sernovitz has many examples of womm topics in his book. The examples are great 'cause they get you thinking about what you could do. Sometimes the thinking has to be out of the box. Or maybe in a cow box.

Part III Monday--the next Three Ts.

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Read Part III

Word of Mouth Marketing--Part I

I'm going to have to strike a difficult balance here. I want to give you enough specifics from Andy Sernovitz's Word of Mouth Marketing to get us all thinking. But I'm not gonna give away all his secrets. And he has plenty. As I mentioned yesterday, his steps for womm got my mind working right away. (Which is amazing, because right now my peabrain is quite on overload with a deadline approaching.) Bottom line, I think you ought to buy this book--if you don't win one of the three free copies here (commenter's name randomly drawn).

WOMM was written for any kind of company or service or product. Including us struggling folks in the publishing biz. The book is divided into two parts, the first presenting the author's philosophy of the subject--"The Essential Concepts." In a comment to yesterday's post, Becky said: "... with a book like this circulating, many will duplicate the successes and adapt the principles. Seems there needs to be a twist that sets one apart from all the others doing what someone else has already done."

My take on WOMM: that "twist" is intrinsic to its philosophy. At the heart of word of mouth marketing is a good topic to talk about. Sernovitz defines womm as "giving people a reason to talk about your stuff, and making it easier for that conversation to take place." Your stuff, of course, is what you do. It needs to be a good product to begin with. In my case, my stuff is the suspense novels I write. Making it easier for that conversation to take place arises out of who you are as a company or product maker. It's your unique personality at work to create conversation. Since my stuff and my personality form a different combination from other people's, my best ideas for womm will not look like everyone else's. Many of the same vehicles of communication may be the same, but the message will not.

"Long-term, sustainable word of mouth comes when a business becomes truly immersed in the word of mouth philosophy," says Sernovitz. "Your brand becomes fundamentally talkworthy as you reach inside your company and change how you think about business and your relationship with your customers." As we create products we need to think in terms of also creating a "buzzworthy experience" for those who use our products.

It's important not to confuse the brand with the message. Your brand--rather simply stated, but it's not our topic here--is your unique product and how it's viewed by customers. The message is the topic of conversation you provide customers. Getting back to Sernovitz's definition of womm, his book, then, provides step-by-step specifics to help you determine what your message will be and how it can be helped along.

For example, Sernovitz mentions Steve Jobs, who returned to Apple in 1996 to revive the company. "Did he talk about great software? Stable operation systems? No. Jobs's great marketing insight was ... pink and purple computers." The products were good, the brand was building. But what people talked about were the cool colors. Or think of Saturn. The cars are supposed to be pretty good stuff. But what people talk about is the buying experience. No wrangling, no hassle. In the car biz, that's talkworthy. How about Gateway computers--what's message-worthy there? Those crazy cow boxes.

One of my favorites (not mentioned in the book) is despair.com. That insanely cynical company takes motivational sayings and turns them on their sticky sweet heads. They throw these statements of despair on calendars and posters and T-shirts. The products themselves are worth talking about. But the company's "customer disservice" is the main topic of conversation. All emails from that company, in keeping with the despair spirit, are designed to remind the customer how very unimportant he is, even as his order is being filled. When I want a good laugh, I go to despair.com. And I tell a lot of people about it. (I just did it again.)

As you can see, your message needs to be unique, different, unexpected, humorous--something that makes people want to tell someone else about it.

Sernovitz notes, too, that womm should always be honest. No lying, no manipulation. Integrity is essential.

Also--you gotta be willing to take some risks. Some word of mouth messages may really take off. Others may not. Some may do okay. You've got to be willing to put it out there and see what happens. The good news is, womm is way cheaper than formal advertising. Sometimes it doesn't cost at all.

Tomorrow: Sernovitz's Five Ts of word of mouth marketing.

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Read Part II

Dreamhouse Kings Series

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing a double pair
House of Dark Shadows
and
Watcher In The Woods
(Books 1 and 2 in the Dreamhouse Kings Series)
Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)
by
Robert Liparulo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert is an award-winning author of over a thousand published articles and short stories. He is currently a contributing editor for New Man magazine. His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Travel & Leisure, Modern Bride, Consumers Digest, Chief Executive, and The Arizona Daily Star, among other publications. In addition, he previously worked as a celebrity journalist, interviewing Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Charlton Heston, and others for magazines such as Rocky Road, Preview, and L.A. Weekly.

Robert is an avid scuba diver, swimmer, reader, traveler, and a law enforcement and military enthusiast. He lives in Colorado with his wife and four children.

Robert's first novel painted a scenario so frighteningly real that six Hollywood producers were bidding on movie rights before the novel was completed. His acclaimed debut novel, Comes A Horseman, is being made into a major motion picture by producer Mace Neufeld and his short story "Kill Zone" was featured in the anthology Thriller, edited by James Patterson.

Bob has sold the film rights to his second book, GERM. And he is writing the screenplay for a yet-to-be-written political thriller, which sold to Phoenix Pictures, for Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, The Guardian) to direct!

And his third book Deadfall. debuted to rave reviews.

ABOUT THE BOOKS


House of Dark Shadows
(Dreamhouse Kings Book 1)
Dream house...or bad dream?
When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander is beyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.

But he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into--as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house.

They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.

Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading off to far-off places--in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.


Watcher In The Woods
(Dreamhouse Kings Book 2)
It's not just the house that's keeping secrets.
Pretending everything's all right is harder than it sounds. But the Kings know that even if they told the truth about the bizarre things happening in their house, no one would believe them. They're hyper-focused on rescuing their lost family member before anyone finds out what's going on.

But when a stranger shows up to take their house, their options start dwindling fast. Why would he be so interested in a run-down old place? And what secret is he hiding--just as he hides the scars that crisscross his body?

The mystery gets stranger with each passing day. Will the Kings be able to find a way to harness the house's secrets and discover who is watching their every move before another gets snatched into an unknown world?

The Dreamhouse Kings Series has three contests that you will not want to miss...Dream the Scene, a weekly "Thanks For Reading Trivia contest, and the Dreamhouse Kings Street Team contest. There are also free bookplates that you can request, and a chapter of each book that you can download!

You can get all those goodies HERE.