Back to Miracles

I realized when I started this blog, I wanted it to be about God and how He works in our lives in miraculous ways. I think I lost sight of that. And you know what? I have some miracles to share.

We've walked a long road with our youngest daughter. A road that started with depression, a cancer diagnosis, and an emotional recovery I thought would somedays take me under. God was truly my strength. Just this week, I watched my baby girl drive off with her dad to start a new life, one filled with promise and independence. A life she is excited to grab hold of! This is a huge miracle to this mama's heart. We pour so much into our kids, so many prayers and aches.

I'm so glad I didn't give up. God answered my prayers in ways I never even imagined. There were days I was afraid this day would never come for her, yet here it is—better than I could have imagined. I love this kids fiercely and letting go isn't easy. But I'm so excited to see her spread her wings and want to finally fly.

And my sweet hubby seems to have had a shift in his beliefs. He's more of an agnostic now than an atheist. I don't know how it happened—yes, I do. God. What blows me away is how quiet and subtle it was. I think that's how it needs to be for him. Nothing earth shattering and sudden. Just a steady progression. Until now, I just couldn't picture how it would happen. I think God wants it that way. LOL!

So, I will end this post here with a question. Miracles come in all sizes. God's love alone is miraculous. What miracles of love is God working in your life?

Drum Roll Please!!!

I have been sitting on this gorgeous cover for a couple weeks now. Can I just say that the design team at Barbour Publisher absolutely ROCKS!?!?! I was nervous about what they would come up with. The Soul Saver is not the easiest book to depict visually (women's fiction with supernatural elements), but they totally did it! I absolutely love this cover. I am again so grateful to Barbour and Becky Germany for giving my story a chance and to their amazing design team (headed by Ashley Schrock, I believe) for the perfect cover. Thank you!!!

How I Happened Upon a Platform

When I started writing seriously in 2004, my focus lay completely in fiction. I'd written devotionals and snippets of life pieces in the past, but they served my own need for expression, then resided most silently in a folder on my computer. Fiction was and is my passion.

But then something unexpected happened. In 2006 God presented me with the desire and opportunity to write as part of a team for a blog to help those in spiritually mismatched marriages like my own. I jumped in because I wanted to help other women avoid some of the heartache I'd gone through to reach a place of thriving in my faith and my marriage.

From this blog a ministry was born. Readership grew as did our perspective and understanding of the need we’d tapped into. This led to a book about how to thrive in this type of challenging marriage (aren't all types challenging?), a Facebook presence, then a Twitter page. We suddenly found ourselves reaching readers in ways we hadn't thought possible at the beginning. Our main site (www.SirituallyUnequalMarriage) started showing up as a resource on other ministry and church websites. Thank goodness for Google Alerts to let us know!

All this coalesced into our platform, which became the turning point for a publisher to say yes to our book. How did that happen?

Let’s break it down:

1.    Identify a need. We all pretty much get the message today that we can’t just be in this to market our book and leave it at that. People want more. Common trends have set a pattern of having take away value. So, identify a need you can fill. Offer something to your reader that they can use and apply to their own lives. Once you identify a need, you can clarify your message. And you’ve just identified your market.

2.    Create a presence. Social media has exploded at an astonishing rate in the last year alone. The heavy hitters (Facebook and Twitter) revolutionized communication. And now Google+ looks to be another joining the slew of social media giants. For our ministry, I will say that Facebook turned out to be surprising success. We wanted another means to connect with readers and be a resource and that’s what happened. Why? Because we made our page about our readers and meeting their needs, not about selling our book. Again there’s that take away value.

3.    Consistency. Though we started with just our blog, we were and are consistent about content and postings. This same attitude is what we brought over to our Facebook and Twitter pages. This builds presence, trust and reliability. Readers trust a growing presence that’s consistently putting information out there with a clear message that has no strings attached. Trust me, people smell an ulterior motive faster than the garbage dump next door. Be honest, be authentic and be original, but always stay true to your message.

4.    Become a resource. Past experience opened the door to serve a specific market with the goal of being a resource. That was always the purpose—how did we help others find the help they needed in a difficult marriage? What could we offer that people could take away and apply to their lives and marriages? Over time, we presented ourselves as a reliable and helpful resource that other sites and churches could tap into. We showed we were there to help, to partner with individuals and groups, and to share what had worked for us in order to help others on the same path.

5.    Be patient. (I can still hear my wise agent, Rachelle Gardner, telling me this.) Building a platform takes time. Factor that into your writing plan. Don’t rush to submit a project before it’s reached its potential because it’s a bigger challenge to turn a no into yes.

As I said this journey began in 2004 with my focus on learning the craft of writing and growing in my understanding and abilities. From mid 2006 to late 2009, our platform grew to the point that a publisher was willing to take a chance with our message. That platform is still growing to day with the addition of a special book site (www.WinningHimWithoutWords) focused on the message of the book and offering free resources for listening and downloading, as well as teaching videos. We’re also working on partnering with other authors to promote each other’s books and ministries through our newsletter, websites, and speaking engagements.

How does that affect my future as a fiction writer? Same game plan with some minor adjustments. The stories I write serve the same niche we found for our nonfiction and thus brings me back to step one. And away I go!

See you on the shelves!

BIG NEWS: The authors of WordServe Literary have started a premier blog to share the latest in writing, publishing and marketing techniques. Be sure to check out the WordServe Water Cooler!

Can a Writer’s Conference Help Build Your Platform?

We hear that word a lot these day—Platform. I confess, I used to cringe away from it. The whole concept seemed so overwhelming. Where did one begin?

In February, my first nonfiction book, Winning Him Without Words, released. In July 2012 my first novel, The Soul Saver, will release and is a fiction counter part to Winning Him.

All of this began with a blog and the simple purpose of helping others. That was the “heart” side of it. The practical side slowly came into view as our online presence grew. This dramatically shifted my writing focus. I needed tools to maximize our platform and keep it growing!

Thus, the last two years I focused my conference pursuits to the area of marketing. With the sessions offered at the last two ACFW conferences, I’ve found ways to make that seemingly overwhelming task of building a platform doable and even enjoyable.

And not just from the workshops, but also from talking to other authors and gleaning from their experience as well.

This is truly one of the strengths of the ACFW Conference is the diversity of knowledge and skill levels. Here are some suggestions of when and what to tap into:

1.     Are you just starting to think about building your platform? Now’s the time to be a sponge. Absorb as much as you can from workshops focused on marketing and branding. Talk to other authors and ask where they started. This is where you want to figure out what your market, niche and identity are. Where can you fit in and what need can you fill?

2.     Already know what and whom you’re writing for? Focus on sessions and workshops that give you concrete tools and direction. Talk to authors who have a presence established and ask them, “What’s working the best? What’s not working at all?” Collect as much information as you can with the goal of examining and assessing after you go home. There are a lot of choices out there, so it’s not really about finding the right way but about finding the way that will work best for you. Be discerning. No one can do it all.

3.     Have a growing platform but want to consider new avenues? Here’s where the fun can really start. Make those connections with other authors who share similar goals and topics or genres, and find out how you can help each other. Share concepts and brainstorm possible ideas of working together as small teams to cross promote each other. These are great opportunities to reach more readers and build your presence in more areas.

Before the conference, assess where you’re at and determine what you need most. Then go with that need in mind and stay alert to opportunities to talk to other professionals in the industry. No matter what level you’re at, you’ll find a multitude of resources right at your disposal. And there’s just something fun and stimulating about sharing ideas with others on the same journey.

Falls Like Lightning by Shawn Grady

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Falls Like Lightning Bethany House (July 1, 2011) by Shawn Grady


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. He was named “Most Promising New Writer” at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. He is the author of the novels Through the Fire, Tomorrow We Die & Falls Like Lightning.

Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn’s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.

After graduating from James Logan High School in Union City, California, Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego as a Theology undergrad. There he found clarity of direction and proceeded on to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.

Shawn currently lives in Reno, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, three children and yellow Labrador.


ABOUT THE BOOK

When hotshot smoke jumper Silas Kent gets his own fire crew, he thinks he's achieved what he's always wanted. But a lightning-sparked fire in the Desolation Wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas has his team in a plane before they can even train together.

Pilot Elle Westmore has been called up to drop the crew into the heart of the forest infernos. A single mother of a mysteriously ill six-year-old, she can't imagine her life getting any more complicated.

It doesn't take long for things to go very wrong, very quickly. A suspicious engine explosion forces Elle to make an emergency landing. Silas is able to parachute to safety but soon discovers his crew can't be trusted. They're hiding something, and now Silas is on a race to save himself and Elle from the flames—and from a more dangerous threat: his own team.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Falls Like Lightning, go HERE

I'm a big fan of Shawn Grady's work and can't wait to read this book! Happy reading!