About the book:

Synopsis: two privileged sisters living in the gilded age fight for their way of life… and hearts. One sister, the elder Esme believes in a cause. She feels deeply for the people less fortunate than she and wants to make a difference in their world – to share the wealth she has. Her father comes into society with new money having made it in the publishing world but all he wants is to marry off his daughter to a respectable match that will ensure the family’s place in society. Restless and with no desire to marry – especially a match born out of convenience and not love, Esme determines to become a journalist following in her father’s footsteps, but her plan is forbidden and instead of entering the loveless marriage her father assumes she will abide, Esme flees the glittering New York society for the western frontier.

Younger daughter Jinx would do anything her family asks of her. Often jealous that she wasn’t the daughter with the birthright, she is only too ready to pick up the pieces her sister’s foolish romance and headstrong notions left their family in. Marrying the man her sister spurned – the man Jinx herself loved, Jinx is soon hardened to her idea of duty when cruel circumstances leave her bitter.

Will these two very different sisters learn that prestige and wealth cannot bring true happiness… or are they destined to never again come together as family?

My thoughts: Susan May Warren is a first-class author in my opinion. Her novels are always skillfully penned and although I have as yet to read a couple of her more recent series, I have read several of her more popular series like the Deep Haven novels and the pulse-pounding Team Hope series. To be honest, Heiress gets off to a rough start. The writing is confusing and as the reader, I was unsure whose thoughts I was reading – was it meant to be Jinx or Esme? All of those doubts were gone by chapter two as the novel settled into an easy pattern. What this novel is reminiscent of is Elizabeth Gaskell’s North & Southor the acclaimed ITV series Downton Abbey, so much does it mirror the latter (by its setting), one has to wonder if the author drew on the series as inspiration. Needless to say making that distinction only fueled my enchantment with this novel. I adore that series… and I lovedthis book. Heiress is rich in period detail and that perhaps, is its crowning achievement.

The better part of this story is dark; it’s depressing – more than just through a minor subplot. Its backdrop is that of a fairytale world but its characters are living anything but a fairytale life. Before even five chapters are gone, we’ve learned what miserable lives a handful of characters have endured, yet at the same time, parts of the story are relatable. It’s divided into four parts or “sections.” The first is about the sisters, and then each gets a section of pages devoted to their individual story before it closes with their lives intertwining again. One minor complaint I would have is the alarming rate at which the novel moved. It begins in the late 1800’s and nears the roaring twenties era before it reaches completion. Knowing there is to be subsequent stories, I wish Warren would have slowed the novel down – it spans about twenty years, a time-frame that seemed expanded far beyond the expectations the story required. The series is going to be generational as I understand it, so that likely played a role in Susan’s writing, but nevertheless, I’d have preferred the entireseries spanning ten or twenty years as opposed to one novel – the sequel already is set-up for more broken hearts and bitter emotions. Additionally, the likelihood of such tragedy – and through such sobering events, occurring in both sisters’ lives doesn’t hold a ring of realism. I tolerated it in its few instances in the first quarter of the story, accepted it as more sorrows entered these engaging character’s lives and was downright annoyed by it before I closed up the book. Still…

I cannot remember the last time I was so enthralled with a novel. It had been weeks – months even since I devoured one so quickly. I could not put this book down. In-between my other responsibilities, my thoughts would somehow drift back to this story. It’s powerful yet enchanting, and that is good storytelling. Not much of the story relies on faith or a personal relationship with God. Neither Jinx or Esme can accept that God might bless them because of their past “sins.” What they are naïve of is the truth that He doesn’t “punish” their lives by “allowing” tragedy whether they’ve asked forgiveness from Him (in repentance) or not. The one conversation that explores this topic is brief but impacting. Heiress is a riveting read. Susan has concocted another beautiful novel with the ability to move her reader to tears but yet, even with an ending bordering on depressing it leaves us with a ghost of a smile in the closing paragraphs. A must-read for any historical fiction aficionado. Heiress is story-telling at its best – and it’s in the capable hands of one very talented author.

© Copyright 2011-2012 Scribbles, Scripts and Such

If I told you dirty socks and locker room grunge, you’d have a sensory memory that tells you what that smells like. Smell is the strongest sensory memory.

How can we create sensory memories on the page?

*Identify the scene emotion. This tip I learned from Susan May Warren at a workshop. Know the scene of the emotion to filter all of your verbs, descriptions and sensory memories through as you write.

*Think of a time when you have felt that emotion. When in your past have you felt the way your character is feeling now? Identify that moment.

*Identify the sensory input you experienced during that time. Sometimes we are in a place that has strong odors like oil, grease, dirty socks, coffee, etc.

*Connect that smell or sensory input to a moment many of us have experienced. There are some experiences only one person might have, but there are some situations we all have a memory for like baking chocolate chip cookies, vomit, chicken noodle soup, mildew, mothballs, chili, pizza, disinfectant, fruit, evergreen. The list goes on.

Let’s give it a try.

*Emotion:  Anxiety

*Time I felt anxiety: At the Hospital Waiting For News

*Sensory Input Experienced At That Time:  The smell of disinfectant, stale coffee in the waiting area, and the smoke on the clothes of the person next to you.

*I could connect it to my hospital visit waiting to hear how my loved one was doing. (A short clip to show how it can be integrated below)

~~~~

Nothing over the last few weeks had prepared her for this. Desiree clutched her purse in white knuckled hands. The fluorescent light on the hallway ceiling glared down garishly and reflected off the courthouse floor. The smell of disinfectant and day old coffee clung to the roof of her mouth.

Not guilty. Please, let it be not guilty!

The hands of the clock ticked seconds down until impact like it had the day of her father’s car accident. She’d waited then, too. She’d waited while he died.

This is just a mini story clip to give you an idea of how you can incorporate the sense of smell. Most of us at one time or another have waited at a hospital for news of a loved one. The smells I utilized for the courthouse had some similarities and then I tied them together to that mutual feeling. I picked a more difficult one because I wanted to show how it can be done even in unusual circumstances.

Now it is your turn. Rewrite the clip above, but change the emotion to joy in the waiting area in a courthouse. OR Give an example of one of your favorite smell memories.

A few months ago, I heard that she is coming out with a new book Full Disclosure in October. Talk about ecstatic! I couldn’t contain my exuberance…told everyone breathing.

You know what I think is really amazing? One of my mentors and friend Susan May Warren said that Dee Henderson encouraged her earlier on her writing journey.

Now, Susan May Warren is mentoring writers all over the country with My Book Therapy. She has trained and brought some coaches on board the My Book Therapy Team and I am so blessed to be part of that amazing team.

The coaches at My Book Therapy encourage and mentor other writers. You can see that the chain of impact from one single act of encouragement on the writing road can mean so much.

Are you worth looking up to? Do you impact other writers around you?

The Mentoring Cycle of Successful Writers:

*Seeking a Mentor. The first stage of the cycle is to seek a qualified and encouraging mentor. This is the person that knows the writing craft better than you and can give you important tips for a successful career. They must believe in you and have an interest in helping you grow as a writer.

This may take some time. Just because someone is published, it doesn’t mean they are the right mentor for you. Consider carefully your choice for this person.

*Being an Encourager. Even before you are ready to be a mentor yourself, you should start encouraging and supporting other writers. Be a sounding board. Learn things together. Build a support system for your writing community.

*Helping A Newbie. This might be your first step in mentoring. Helping someone who is new to writing learn the basics. Sharing resources with them and encouraging them as they grow.

*Mentoring Someone Else. Take an active interest in mentoring someone else. It is amazing what you still can learn from each other. Giving back the things that you have learned is one way of showing appreciation for those who’ve shared with you.

Completing the mentoring cycle of Successful writers has created a community where we all improve and our fiction quality is impacted.

If you look at successful writers, most of them follow this cycle because they realize the importance of community.

What mentors have you found that have helped you on your writing journey?

It’s as if it were an contest to see who will win, the manufacturer, the parent, or the directions in another language. Talk about complicated.

Thankfully, my hubby is brilliant with assembly or my children would be destined to go through life with toys that require no assembly.

When my husband gets done putting it together, I just sit back and shake my head. How can something so complicated look so simple?

Writing our books we could learn a few things from the manufacturer of toys. How to make things complicated in a simple sort of way.

Sometimes our plots are too straight forward. They lack ingenuity and are highly predictable. Yet, readers crave unpredictable plots because they want to be surprised.

5 Tips To Make Your Plot More Complex:

1. Weaving Threads. Take a simple ending and pull backwards and outwards to create threads that all weave together. Make 4 unseemingly related crimes thread back to one criminal. Make 3 characters who avoid one another end up in the same room at the end. A great example of using threads is in Brandilyn Collins book Gone To Ground.

2. Add an Unexpected Villain. In all genres we can create a villain that stands in the way of our characters and makes it difficult for them to reach their goal. It makes the character’s life complicated and provides opportunity for the unpredictable.

3. Add Deeper POV Scenes For Your Characters. Add layers to your characters and richness to the plot. Tips can be found in Susan May Warren’s Deep And Wide and Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s Rivet Your Readers With Deep Point of View.

4. Create A Diversion To The Truth. If you are solving a crime, have the body originate from a different place not just moved in the trunk of a car. If you are writing a love story, distract them from their time together with something else that complicates the plot like a sick family member, a run away sibling, etc.

5. Add A Subplot. This works in longer length novels, but not shorter ones. Add a subplot that strengthens the main plot and feeds back into it. This can deepen the spiritual thread and open the door for supporting characters to add flavor to your novel.

What are some ways you use to make your plot more complex? OR What trick have your seen an author use that you are reading?

Conferences and Writing Retreats have a slightly different focus, but both can be powerful to your career as an author. The trick is finding the best for where you are at right now in your journey and what you can afford.

Let’s start with Retreats. A retreat is focused intensely on craft and often is a smaller group of writers getting together. For the newer author this may be a bit less intimidating than a conference and a dash more economical.

A few of my favorite retreats and conferences:

Deep Thinker’s Retreat - This amazing retreat takes place in Florida every year with Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck. It is designed to help writers with their craft in a small group setting of 10-20 people. This retreat will work on craft at an advanced level, so you should have at least attended a few other writer’s workshops before attending Deep Thinkers.

Great Lakes Get Away - If you are looking for a writing retreat with a group of 15-30 other writers at a great price($150 for members), this is a great opportunity for you. It takes place in Duluth, MN every July. This year’s retreat is July 20-22 featuring guest speaker Colleen Coble. The focus of this retreat is writing craft and writing community.

Story Crafters - A great retreat for the newer and experienced writer with Susan May Warren in Otsego, Mn every October. The focus of this retreat is to come with an idea and leave with a story, giving lots of time for story structure and plotting. Learn to write a powerful scene and build characters your readers will love. 

National American Christian Fiction Writers Conference-  This annual conference is designed for all levels of writing experience and includes opportunities to pitch your manuscript to agents and editors. Be prepared for a larger conference with attendance above 800 people and tons of networking opportunities. This year’s conference is in Dallas, TX September 20-23.  The Keynote speaker this year is Michael Hyatt.

I have heard lots of great things about other conferences that I haven’t had the pleasure to attend…author’s budget and all. Let’s share our insight here today.

What other great retreats and conferences have you been too? 

My least favorite was the shredded grass mound that ran with green juice and smelled of my dad’s lawn mower.

Spinach. If you could call it that. Since, I have never found spinach to look so disgusting, but the visual image in my mind . . . not even Popeye could convince me to eat it.

Yes, it’s healthy. Served normal, it probably tastes okay. But my third grade year ruined it for me. For. Life.

That spinach lacked a little bitty thing called appeal. The thing that makes one reach for more. That’s what we want in our plot. Appeal.

5 Tips To Make Your Plot More Appealing:

1. Create some unexpected moments. Readers thrive on the unpredictable.

2. Create Unexpected richness. Add interesting setting or some information that lets your reader learn something or experience something more personally.

3. Have A Major Plot Event Every 50 pages. This is a tip that I learned from Susan May Warren at a My Book Therapy Retreat. You’ve got to avoid middle sag and major plot events can help you do this.

4. Have A Twist Or Surprise No Matter How Slight On The Alternating 25 Pages. This is something that I choose to do because I find that it keeps the reader curious and wondering what direction the story will go.

5. Escalate the conflict in your novel to keep the tension growing. Each thing is going to make it worse for your character. Be careful not to land the black moment in the middle and the small struggle at the end. You want your character’s difficulty level to climb like a mountain.

What was your least favorite food as a child? Or What appeals to you in a novel’s plot?

My hubby is the polar opposite. Put him in a room full of techno gadgets and don’t expect him to come up for air for at least a week.

Have an event full of people and I’m there in a heartbeat. My husband? He will be somewhere playing on his cell phone hoping to look seriously busy.

We all have things we care about including our readers. If our readers don’t care about our characters they will put our book down with little more than a blink of an eye.

How can you make your readers care about your characters?

*Know Your Audience. I wouldn’t try to promote new car parts to a room full of interior design majors. There might be some who are interested, but overall you could watch the eyes glass over. Know what your audience likes and cares about.

*Build Character Empathy. Create a likable character with struggles the reader can relate to. This makes them want to cheer for that character to succeed.

*Give The Character A Nobel Cause. If our character is fighting for a cause our readers can believe in, then they will care that our character succeeds.

*Give The Character Something To Lose. If our character has nothing to lose, our readers really won’t care how things turn out for them. Give them something to lose that our readers would never want to lose themselves.

*Make Your Character Do And Say The Things You’ve Always Wanted To Do Or Say. I learned this tip from Susan May Warren during her Story Crafters Retreat a few years back. Readers like to live vicariously through characters sometimes, so let them be everything your reader wanted to be or do themselves.

What makes you care about a character in a book?

We may not have all of the organization down pat, but boy is it fun to take imaginary journeys with a huge variety of loot and still wear the princess ribbons.

Do your scenes have rich visual imagery from a variety of sources? 

Readers experience books by escaping into an imaginary world with rich visual imagery. The richer the image, the stronger the impression.

Rich visual imagery doesn’t mean a half page of setting dump. No, readers like me would just turn the page to get to the action. I learned a few tips from Susan May Warren about developing the story world that helped me generate the questions below. Visual imagery can be a simple as including the answers to five strategic questions. Let’s give it a try.

Five Strategic Questions:

1. What is the mood of your scene in one word?

2. What objects in the scene can show that mood?

3. What verbs could you use to show a mood nuance?

4. How can you include the five senses in the scene connected to action?

5. What is one object in the scene that could be used symbolically or as a metaphor?

Possible Answers:

1. Trapped-Panic

2. rattle, gallop, teetered, choked, gasp, jagged, fraying, flailed

3-4.  sight – door knob rattles

sound- heavy breathing

taste – day old gum, dry

texture- orange t-shirt clung to her like a prison jumpsuit

smell- moth balls mingled with sweat

5.  Moth flapping against the light

Story Clip Possibility:

Please, don’t find me. Kelly pressed her back to the closet wall, curling her body into her chest. The smell of moth balls mingled with sweat perfumed her sticky clothing. She covered her mouth with shaky hands to mask her jagged breathing. Heavy boots clomped in the hallway.

Please just go away. 

Away. A place she hadn’t been for the past six months.

Her heart pounded against her prison orange T-shirt. No way out. Just like the moth that flailed against the light bulb overhead. She pressed her fingers into her eye sockets. Could it be just a dream?

The door knob rattled, fraying her nerves like claws on a chalkboard. Escape meant nothing in the four walled closet.  Imprisoned by the wood floor and old garments that hung overhead. She licked her lips. Her mouth tasted of weeks old gum she’d found in one of the coat pockets, dry and chalky.

A key turned the lock and the door swung open. Run.

Your Turn:

This is just a small story clip. It needs fleshing out, but you get a sense for how to use the questions to guide your writing. This clip above needs a few edits still, but that is the nature of a rough draft.

Take a paragraph or two of your own scene and try this same method. Post a few paragraphs below.

This picture of my sister and I was taken when I was six years old. The one in the yellow dress is me. Boy, does time change things, except of course when it is chore time. Somehow I still want to be too little about then.

The little girl who loved climbing trees and playing school in the playhouse in our backyard has her feet firmly planted on the ground. No more tree climbing. No more mud pies. Well, occasionally mud pies with my kids.

The things I do now show my journey from being a girl to an adult. I didn’t get there overnight. There were plenty of scrapes and bruises and a few broken hearts, but I have grown up.

Has your character grown up yet? 

Sometimes I’m amazed at the lack of transformation in a character from the beginning to the end of a story. Or, the character goes from 5 to 50 years old in 300 pages. When this happens the reader misses the impact of our character’s journey.

Here’s five tips to show you how to make the character’s transformation a journey:

*Give Your Character A Lie They Believe or Something They Need To Change Inside. Establish this before you even start writing. Yes, even you pantsers. Give your character something they need to change about themselves.

For example, in the book Submerged by Dani Pettrey we see the character at the beginning feels unworthy to be loved. Throughout the story she has an opportunity to grow to the understanding that she is indeed worthy to be loved.

More tips on the lie journey can be found at My Book Therapy.

*Show That Your Character Needs To Change Early In The Novel. Through some action or event the need to change is made evident to the reader, but the character either can’t see it, or doesn’t want to see it.

For example, in the book Baby It’s Cold Outside by Susan May Warren we as the reader see that the heroine needs to change, to let go of bitterness and chose to live. She doesn’t want to acknowledge it herself.

*Grow In Baby Steps. Allow your character to change little bits at a time. They can’t take a giant leap from beginning to end and satisfy the reader. It must come one step at a time.

A great example of this type of change can be found in Beth K. Vogt’s Wish You Were Here.

*Avoid Spiritual Truth Dumping Scenes. As a pastor’s daughter I can tell you that a lot of times the truth is realized through the lives of other believers sharing their life experiences with us, the truth they’ve learned. A sermon can be a powerful introduction to truth, but it takes more than a sermon in your novel to show a character is going to accept the truth.

A great example of this is found in Lisa Jordan’s Lakeside Reunion.

*Pick Voices of Truth That Are Believable. The person who shares the truth with your character that brings them to a point of change, should be someone your character would listen too. Sometimes an enemy can even speak the truth.

One of my favorite truth speakers is Karen Ball’s Shattered Justice. An elderly woman who sat on a bench near the town action arguing with her best friend. The unexpectedness of the truth caught the hero by surprise.

What books changed you or what book do you think is a great example of the inner journey of a character?

Like human conception, it has its moments of pleasure. But then the work and the worry arrive.

Out of the box doesn’t mean into the reader’s hands.

“Award-winning author and good friend Susan May Warren motivated me first through shock therapy. She perused my literary firstborn’s opening chapter, marked it up in red, and sent it back to me with a lot of words of which I remember only one—‘potential.’ Loosely translated, she said, ‘Maybe your baby won’t be so ugly when she grows up.’”

That line can be found in the acknowledgements at the back of my recently released novel, Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes. And it summarizes the angst I’ve gone through.

I’m great.

I’m awful.

Brilliant.

Such a clod.

Love this.

This sucks.

Last week, on the same day, I got bad news followed by good (I suppose that’s the order I’d prefer but the bad news still discouraged me).

Let me start with the good. Critique partner, friend, and fellow author Linda Rondeau posted an excellent review of my novel on Amazon. Ellen saw it in the evening and read it to me. Linda’s words re-inflated my deflated soul.

Why deflated?

Because of the earlier bad news (only because I’d had high I’ve-won-the-lottery expectations). I’d received my book sales report for the first quarter and discovered that initial royalty check will have to wait a little longer to be mailed. My portion from the book’s sales hadn’t met the minimum requirement (my lovely and practical wife said, “They just don’t cut checks that small”—sigh!).

Big-time bummed!

I don’t write this so ya’ll can feel sorry for me (or even to promote a huge run on sales—although, if you want to … ). Here’s the takeaway from one night’s mixed message of I’m great … no I suck …

Crisis and bad news tend to sharpen focus.

First of all, I got the solid dose of reality every person gets slapped with from time to time. Sometimes that slap comes from a conversation with a doctor. Sometimes it comes from filling out tax forms. Sometimes it comes in a heated argument with a friend. For me, it came through a sales report.

Second, I weighed my options, which were pretty simple—quit or stick with it. Choosing to continue when you’re doing well is easy. When you cruise through your life, you don’t ponder deeper questions.

Crisis has a tendency to dump you then direct you.

What do I mean by dump then direct? Simply this. Picture your life loaded in a wheelbarrow, then the wheelbarrow tips over. What happens? Your life gets dumped. When we get bad news, what happens emotionally? We get down in the dumps (I know, I know, oh, so cliché).

Crisis then moves us into decision-making mode. We have new decisions to make—get up or stay down; i.e. quit or stick with it—the choices to which give direction to our lives.

I can no longer take writing a novel and making loads of money for granted. I have to make some choices, the first being will I continue to write.

In a recent post I read, the author (and I wish I could remember who wrote this to give the person his or her due) shared two things a person needs for success—passion and practice. Bad news often raises questions related to passion.

Do I love to write?

Would I do it for free?

What if the whole world ignores what I do, would I still write?

Am I writing for the money, the affirmation, or because I have a passion for it?

To be honest, I know I need encouragement. We all do. To never have any response to my writing, well … I’d be disheartened (yeah, like bury-me-in-the-ground-already disheartened).

On the other hand, thanks to this crisis, I know the answer to the first question. Yes, I love to write. I also know, for me, the order of importance of the last question. First is passion then affirmation then money. The latter isn’t the reason I write. It just opens up future opportunities—ones, like that first royalty check, I’ll just have to wait on.

So, after a startling dose of reality, I’m back at what I love to do. Writing!

I’m curious. What has made you recheck your priorities in recent days?

You can find my novel, Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes, at:

WestBow Press

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

“Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes” meets my friend Cassandra at Fuel, a coffee shop in Llano, Texas.

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Plus, the list is long. Really long. So long that it must be measured in lightyears.

However, there is this wonderful thing called Summer. Summer. Summer. Summer. (Raise your hand if the lyrics to the High School Musical 2 song popped into your head.)

Summer has arrived for me (hooray for graduation!), and now I have time to read. Yes, you heard me correctly: time to read. Ah, don’t you automatically smile when you utter those delicious words?

So, here are my top priorities for this week:

1—Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. A dear friend recommended it to me because of two things: one, it has lyrical writing, and two, is set in the post-Civil War South. Yep, I love it already. (And as a bonus, I can watch the movie adaptation when I’m done! Jude Law, here I come.)

2—The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I honestly don’t recall what it’s about, but I’ve heard rave reviews. And really, who can resist a book with a charming title like that? I’ll let you know if it lives up to its great name.

3—Baroness by Susan May Warren. The second book in a juicy historical series, this new release is set in the 1920s and has an EPIC cover. I’m sold. (Can I be a flapper, please? I know all the great music, though someone will have to teach me how to Charleston.)

Postscript: What’s on YOUR summer reading bucket list? What qualities must a book have to make it on to your list? (If you don’t have one, shame on you. Start one NOW.)

Epic cover, right? I can hear strains of the Charleston now… Image courtesy of susanmaywarren.com

Since then, I’ve paid a lot more attention to MBT. They have so much information it’s overwhelming. There’s a whole team of people equipped and ready to help with every aspect of the craft, and a whole army of other writers to support and encourage each other. I’m in regular contact with several of the gals I met in Florida. We were together for five days. The first day we were strangers. The fifth day we were sisters.

I would encourage all of my writer friends to check out MBT (right now!!!!) to see if there might be something there of use to you.

From the back cover:   Coming of age in the turbulent Roaring Twenties, two daughters of fortune can have anything they possibly want—except freedom. Expected to marry well and take the reins of the family empire, Lilly and Rosie have their entire lives planned out for them. But Lilly longs to flee the confines of New York City for the untamed wilds of Montana. Her cousin Rosie dreams of the bright lights of the newly emerging silver screen. But following their dreams—to avant-garde France, to dazzling Broadway, to the skies of the fearless wing walkers—will demand all their courage.

When forced to decide, will Lilly and Rosie truly be able to abandon lives of ease and luxury for the love and adventure that beckons? At what cost will each daughter of fortune find her true love and a happy ending?

I like history and “Baroness” is a captivating book rich with historic detail.  Lilly and Rosie are daughters of Esme and Jinx, the main characters in “Heiress”.  While this book deals with the lives of both women, the focus is primarily on Lilly and all the hardships and sorrows that she goes through.  ”Baroness” is an emotional ride that will wring you out and then fill you with renewal.  God tells us that all things work together for the good and that, in His time, He makes all things beautiful.  Want to really know how He does it?  Susan May Warren shows us the how in this thrilling sequel.  “Baroness” is a wonderful, sweet story with power and depth that will keep you flipping pages.  I recommend this book highly and look forward to the next book in the series where the focus will be on Rosie!

Baroness Roaring 20s Kindle Fire Giveaway from @SusanMayWarren!

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the family empire, they have their lives
planned out for them. But following their dreams — from avant garde France, to
Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers — will take all
their courage.  And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever
after?

Celebrate with Susan by entering her Roaring 20′s Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Signed copies of Baroness and Heiress by Susan May Warren

But hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/7/12. The winner will be announced on 5/9/12 on
Susan’s blog, Scribbles!

Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Susan’s giveaway on
FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The past caught up with me this past week while I was working on a writing deadline. Now I’m left with my broom and an insurmountable amount of debris… toys, papers, baseball uniforms, mail, dishes…you name it, I think it might be in there somewhere.

Do I leave it there? Well, now there is a tempting option, but I do need to restore a bit organization if we are going find anything this week. Sigh. Time to roll up my sleeves.

How about your manuscript? Once you have finished the rough draft or what I like to call the plot draft, you have to go back an uncover the amazing in your story. Let’s face it, that’s no small thing.

So, time to test your archaeologist skills. When you go back to look at your manuscript in the editing stage there are many things to work on, but today I want to focus on the spine of your novel. This is the overall edit, not the individual scene edits. Those are a bit different.

Many writer’s forget to check the spine of the novel or the plot layout of their novel to make sure that everything is lined up to make their story the best it can be. If we uncover the plot spine and make sure that it is straight, then you are in good shape to start your scene edits.

Some of the best plot tips I’ve received are from My Book Therapy and James Scott Bell’s Plot And Structure.

In Your Spine Edit Check For The Following Things:

ACT ONE:

*Start with a scene that is on the move

*Strong Story Hook

*Establishes Your Hero/Heroine’s Spiritual Journey- The lie they believe or the thing that they need to change

*Establishes the home world of your character

*The Character is given an invitation to change and embrace Spiritual truth, but they reject it.

*Inciting Incident that sends your character on their journey.

*Establishes the story question

*Sends each POV character on a quest to achieve something

ACT TWO:

*At least three Disasters/Conflicts that your character must face(All POV Characters Must Have this)

*Show character growth in a logical sequence

*Tension continues to build, each hardship gets more difficult to face

*Subplot starts in this section of the book

*Everything Escalates to the Black Moment, or the darkest moment for your character where they fear they will lose it all.

ACT THREE:

*Truth is brought to your character

*They have an epiphany, or realize the truth and accept it

*They attempt to act on this new truth and fail

*They don’t give up, the climax of the plot leads them to overcome their doubt

*They are a new person.

There are many components to the editing process. If you look at the spine of your novel, before you begin to edit scenes, it will save you the difficulty of having to rewrite scenes to match the story spine.

What things are on your checklist for the spine edit?

Whoever said, “Dieting is for the birds,” did not comprehend that a bird eats ten times its weight every day and on a diet you eat about half of that.

If you are a mom, I’m ninety-nine percent sure you’ve had a salad or two to trim up the after baby belly. If you’re not, I’m still pretty sure you’ve tried dieting too.

It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, but it is good to eat healthy and take care of our bodies. Starving isn’t a good balance either, but many a bride has tried this to get into her dress.

So, how about your readers? Are they on a diet too?

We put our readers on a diet when we forget to layer the plot to keep them guessing. We strip the extra meat and potatoes off of the plot and offer them a salad. When they finish reading they may enjoy it, but they won’t remember it a year later.

Treat Your Readers To A Full Course Meal!

*Add plot layers. Each story thread like character’s journey to change should be rich with imagery and distinct point of view differences. This also includes the things that make your novel unpredictable, twists and turns.

*Use Peripheral Plotting. Bring in outside events or characters to change the direction of the plot in an unexpected way. Have your character go a different direction because of it.

*Use Metaphor To Add Depth. This is a skill that I learned from My Book Therapy and Rachel Hauck author of The Wedding Dress. This is basically the use of an object in the scene to create a sense of emotion.

For Example: If I wrote a scene about someone feeling alone, I could have something in the scene that showed loneliness, a solitary light bulb, a forgotten toy, a boy who played alone at the park, a single sprout growing up from the ground, etc.

*Build Strong Dialogue. Let your characters say what you have always dreamed about saying. Add humor and personality in the words.

*Create Strong Story World. Use all five senses, use powerful verbs that show emotion in action, add strong wordsmithing, and put us in the scene to create this fabulous world. A great read that illustrates this so well is Lakeside Reunion by Lisa Jordan.

*Add Tension. Have a character goal and obstacles for every scene. Be sure the stakes, or what they have to lose matters to your character and your readers.

*Show the Emotion with Deep Point of View. Dig deeper than the surface layer of telling your character’s emotions, show it in their physical actions, interior dialogue and the use of visual imagery. Susan May Warren just taught an amazing workshop at our local ACFW Chapter MN NICE last weekend on this very thing.

*Create Engaging Secondary Characters. Make sure your cast of characters is diverse and full of color. Tap on your personal experience to create different personality types and let them live on the page.

What do you do as a writer to avoid putting your readers on a diet?

It seems like you gather all of your strength about you and charge directly at the thing you are trying to do before you lose your courage.

Entering a Contest is a lot like that! We send our words off to kind hearted judges, who in their wisdom marked it up and now it sits in our in boxes.

I know you have been eyeing it since the first time you opened it and were sure you’d faint dead away. Now it sits there waiting for you, only you’re not sure if you are brave enough to open it again.

Why is it so hard to open? Partly, because we don’t really know how to interpret all of the comments. I want to encourage you to sit back and take a deep breath, then try the method below.

Hints For Demystifying Judges’ Feedback:

*First Analyze the Feedback by filling out the form below. Do Not Even Think About the comments yet, or try to make sense of them. If you do, you will just get overwhelmed. Right now, just do a movement of Data.

*Fill out this form below. You can find a printable chart copy at: https://sites.google.com/site/minnesotaniceacfw/ Under the Resources Page

*Developed By Michelle Lim www.thoughtsonplot@wordpress.com .

*Look through the comments and highlight any similarities in one color.

*Spend some time rereading the compliments.

*Before writing the three greatest weaknesses, consider the highlighted commonalities and also the level of skill and genre of the judge.

*Fill in the three weaknesses and determine which ones you will work on first.

*Divide the year into three parts and assign one skill to each third. 

*Find Strong Resources on the skills you need help with and read, attend a workshop online or in person and practice the skills. 

*Keep your score sheets to analyze your own personal growth from year to year. It may encourage you to see the amount your writing has improved, even if you don’t final in a contest.

Writing Craft Resources That I Recommend:

Writing a Break Out Novel   By: Donald Maass

From the Inside Out, Deep And Wide, Kiss & Tell, and The Book Buddy.  All From Susan May Warren and My Book Therapy.

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View  By: Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors  By: Brandilyn Collins

Fire in Fiction: Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great  By: Donald Maass

Plot & Structure  By: James Scott Bell

What resources or tips can you recommend for learning from contests?

1. You bring your book with you while walking the kids to school … even if the school is only three short blocks away.
2. Your solo lunch break between errands turns into a three-hour afternoon lost in the roaring ’20s.
3. Your audible gasps attract the attention of people two tables away during your lunch-break-turned-three-hour-afternoon-lost-in-the-roaring-’20s.
4. Your neck is red from clutching it while reading.
5. Your husband wakes at 1am to find you wide awake, nestled with you favorite blanket, your book and a healthy mountain of tear-filled tissues.

It’s no secret: Susan May Warren is one of my very, very favorite authors. Her latest series — Daughters of Fortune — tackles a different genre than most of her spunky, chick-lit contemporary romances. I reviewed the first book last fall. Today I’m going to share with you Book 2: Baroness.

This title takes place six years after the first. Heiress followed sisters Esme and Jinx; Baroness follows their daughters, Lilly and Rosie. These girls definitely come from their mothers’ stock. I recognized so much of their mothers in them, yet they had their own mountains to climb, their own lessons to learn. Rather than being in the Gilded Age of Titanic fame, these girls come of age during the roaring 20s. While tangling themselves both in culture and society from Paris to the mob underworld in New York and Chicago and even to the dangerous heights of early aviation, they challenge  the roles of women and the fine lines of propriety. As always, Warren’s characters are fabulous. They’re complexities absorb readers, seamlessly investing our hearts in their successes and mistakes.

Throughout all of this, one question resonates: What are the limits of God’s love?

If you read Heiress, you know these girls were born into baggage. They’ve enough drama within their bloodlines to fuel stage and tabloids. Can God’s love reach even them? At what point will He give up and refuse to forgive? Can they be loved and free at the same time? At what cost?

This book hit every one of those clues listed above. I loved it! As with most series, I do recommend starting at the beginning, but I believe one could still thoroughly enjoy both this and its prequel if read out of order.

Now for a bit more from the author and publicists.

About the book:

Lilly and Rose, daughters of an empire coming of age in the roaring twenties, can have anything they want … except freedom.

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But, Lilly, Esme’s daughter longs to return home to Montana, to adventure outside the confines of New York City. And Jinx’s daughter Rosie dreams of the bright lights of the newly emerging silver screen. But following their dreams – from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers will take all their courage.

And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?

Find out more from Behind the Pages.

Find out what the reviewers are saying here!

Click here to purchase the book from Amazon.com.

About the Author:

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.

She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. You can find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com.

About the Giveaway and Party:

Celebrate with Susan by entering her Roaring 20′s Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Signed copies of Baroness and Heiress by Susan May Warren

But hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/7/12. The winner will be announced on 5/9/12 on Susan’s blog, Scribbles!

Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Susan’s giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Your Turn: What are clues that you’ve found lost yourself in an absolutely delicious book?

Lily and Rose, daughters of an empire coming of age in the roaring twenties, can have anything they want … except freedom.

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But, Lily, Esme’s daughter longs to return home to Montana, to adventure outside the confines of New York City. And Jinx’s daughter Rosie dreams of the bright lights of the newly emerging silver screen. But following their dreams – from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers will take all their courage.

And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.

She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. You can find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com.

My Impressions:

Baroness is the second book in Susan May Warren’s Daughters of Fortune series. (Read my review of book 1, Heiress, HERE.)  This book in the continuing saga of the Price family women, follows cousins Lilly and Rosie, two very confused young women living amidst the frenetic energy of the Roaring Twenties.  Determined to throw off more than just their mother’s corsets, the two are looking for love and life, often in all the wrong places.  It would be easy to portray Lilly and Rosie as poor little rich girls, but Warren explores the deep wounds both possess as explanation for their rebellious natures.

Lilly and Rosie have daddy issues.  Lilly never knew hers; he died in a mine explosion before her mother even knew she was pregnant.  Rosie’s father, now dead, was abusive to her mother and what love he did show to Rosie was tainted by the rage often present in her childhood.  Both young women now have loving step-fathers, but they refuse to believe in that love.  Their issues with fathers that hurt, abandon, die, etc. warps their feelings toward other men and especially God.  This all too real problem among women is realistically portrayed by Warren.  In one scene, Oliver, Lilly’s step-father says I often wonder just why you think so little of me.  And why, when I’ve only wanted the best for you, it’s so hard for you to believe that I love you.  I believe Warren captures God’s heart in those lines.

Besides the father theme, Warren brings to life the new world ushered in following WWI.  Flappers, bootleg hooch, mobsters,  baseball and the aviation craze all come to life in vivid colors.  The characters Warren has created jump out from the page and become real.  This is a book you need to read!  And although it can easily be a standalone novel, you should start with Heiress.  The series is too good not to.  And I eagerly await the third installment, Duchess.

Don’t just take my word for it, read what other reviewers have to say HERE.

Highly Recommended.

(I received Baroness from LitFuse in return for a review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the family empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But following their dreams — from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers — will take all their courage.  And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?

Celebrate with Susan by entering her Roaring 20′s Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Signed copies of Baroness and Heiress by Susan May Warren

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/7/12. The winner will be announced on 5/9/12 on Susan’s blog, Scribbles! 

Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Susan’s giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

I admit I’m thrilled with the cover art and am keen to read them all, especially Randy, Chris and Mel’s books   Mind you Mel is going to have to work hard to be up to the standard of my favourite military fiction author, Ronie Kendig

Love to hear your thoughts on these offerings!

Tangled Ashes by Michele Phoenix

Brief physical description

I jump too quickly into adventure and…trouble. But I’m brave and willing to hold onto my dreams even if I might get hurt.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Jinx Worth
Reviews of Heiress, Nightingale & Sons of Thunder
Visit Susie’s website and blog
Buy Susie’s books at Amazon or Koorong

Andrew Murray makes that bold assertion in his book, The Ministry of Intercession: A Plea for More Prayer.

And my response?

Ouch!

For a little more context, let me add the biblical quote prior to Murray’s statement. Speaking to a wayward people, the prophet Samuel said, “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you …” (I Samuel 12:23a).

As an author, I cruise the Internet pubs where writers hang out and talk. One issue writers struggle with is time to write. My friend Susie, when she started writing, had to hole herself up behind a closed door and tell her children, “Mommy needs her writing time.” With four young children, she truly had her faith tested.

A lot of authors carve out writing time by staying up later at night or rising earlier in the morning.

Me?

I don’t have that problem because, other than “walk the dog,” I don’t have a commute to work, small children to feed, or anything else on my daily to-do list. I can write (or, more likely, avoid it) all day, any day.

On the other hand, I love to play basketball. And, if I want to enjoy that activity, I must rise before the sun, which is exactly what I do.

Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking.

People talk about finding time to do something like write, play basketball, read, or whatever. The solution usually involves extending the day one way or the other—rise earlier, stay up later.

But not until last year, did I include the idea of finding time to pray. Prayer was, for me, a nice idea, something I should do but usually talked more about than actually did. You can read my original thoughts on this issue here.

Some things I’ve discovered since posting that article:

If I put prayer at the front end of my day, I pray. If I don’t, I might or might not pray, but usually lean toward the might not side of the ledger.

I’m such a creature of habit that one simple change can throw me off (and, please, my dear wife, refrain from rolling your eyes and snickering). Just today I opened the front room closet and found a favorite baseball cap I thought I’d lost.

Why did I think I’d lost it? Because I always put that cap in the washroom with all my other caps. And, yesterday, the darn thing wasn’t in its usual place.

If I don’t keep prayer in its usual place, then I don’t think about it later and, by the time I get tucked into bed, I’ve forgotten prayer entirely. On the other hand, if I begin with prayer, it creeps into the rest of my day.

If I concentrate on two things, God and others, during prayer, I stay focused and energized. When I concentrate on God, I consider His attributes and His provision in my life. Scriptures that speak of God’s character help me realize to whom I’m speaking.

When I concentrate on others, I consider two types of people—those who have specific needs (financial concerns, illness, loss, etc.) and those who have yet to meet the Lord Jesus Christ.

When praying for people, I like the comment Kari Scare made in my last post. “I just pray for what I might need if I were in the person’s position or situation.” My wife Ellen says she concentrates on seeking God’s will for those she prays for.

If I start out distracted, I stay distracted. And I often start out distracted. A few things though help me break the pattern of distraction. I do have to be intentional in order to derail my mind’s penchant to trot off to my pressing daily schedule (which is, I remind you, “walk the dog”—and, yes, I am pathetic).

Following the pattern of a familiar prayer or verse helps. For me, the Lord’s Prayer and the 23^rd Psalm tend to bring my mind back into the present. I meditate on the words then I expand on their general theme, trying to apply them to my current circumstances.

Concentrating on who God is and what He’s done also helps. I draw from Scripture, personal experience, and the stories of others.

Coming back to Murray’s words, “Ceasing from prayer is sin against God,” I’m curious as to what you think. Is he right?

Recommended reading:

Kari Scare’s “How to … Pray for Others”

Jon Acuff’s “Do We Really Love People Who Aren’t Christian?”

Top 3 posts the last 7 days:

What’s Your Pleasure?

My Novel Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes Debuts

"Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes" visits with the morning basketball guys on its book tour of the city.

3 Observations About an Encounter With the Living God

You can find Dark Eyes, Deep Eyes at:

WestBow Press

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

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