Piece published on Divine Caroline!

Just a quick post to let you know I have a piece published on the Ladies Home Journal blog "Divine Caroline" ... I'd love if you took a moment to check it out and, if you like it, click the "like" button at the bottom of the page to help it gain a bigger readership!

The piece is called "10 Simple Ways to Save Money on Date Night" -- read it here: http://www.divinecaroline.com/22065/129570-10-simple-ways-money-date

Hope you enjoy! :)

Flash Fiction Story Published

Exciting news! My flash fiction piece "Wedding Day" is featured today on the wonderfully zany new lit zine Dr. Hurley's Snake-Oil Cure. The goal of this literary journal is to "attack tedium in all its forms" and it is meant to be a "course of healing that will lead [readers] back to vitality, interest, health and youth." I am honored to have my story published by them!

Here is the opening of my story:

A bride, dressed in white gown and flowing veil, totters in high heels down the uneven pavement past Simone's Café. She holds a bouquet of red and orange chrysanthemums. Three men, wearing black tuxes, accompany her; one of them holds up the hem of her dress so it doesn't drag on the ground. 

"Congratulations!" I call out, raising my paper cup of coffee in a toast.

They stare at me, confused. Maybe they don't speak English? They are Asian, all of them, perhaps not born in America, perhaps immigrants from Japan or China, Taiwan or Korea. Or Thailand, maybe? Is Thailand an Asian country, or is it South American? My wife always had a thing for Thailand. Some friend of hers traveled there in college, for spring break or something, and wouldn't stop gushing about how beautiful it was, and ever since then Molly got it into her head that she wanted to go there...

# # #

You can read the rest at http://www.fictionaut.com/stories/dallas-woodburn/wedding-day. I'd love to hear your comments!

Guest Post by Mark Davies

3 Ways to Fall in Love With Your Writing

I’m one of those people who stumbled into the writing business serendipitously, so when people ask me for tips and pointers on how to write, I’m stumped. In my book, writing is a skill that you either have or don’t, just like painting, drawing and other creative arts. However, if you have the basic skills, it’s easy enough to learn how to hone your writing and make it better.

Do you need a little help to fine-tune your style and iron out the creases in your writing? Here are some tips to help you truly fall in love with your writing:

• Continue to write. The best way to become a better writer is to keep at it; the more you write, the more you develop as a writer. I look at what I’ve written a few years ago, and I find myself poking holes in my style, finding fault with my flow, and picking out mistakes that my eyes did not see when I was writing them. I realized that one way to grow as a writer is to keep writing, about the things that you’re really passionate about and about any topic that takes your fancy. Writing does not have to be novel-length or even article-length; even a few paragraphs are enough if you do it on a consistent basis.

• Read as much as you can. I was and still am a voracious reader; books are my best friends, and I’m never seen without one. When old friends learn that I write for a living, they’re not surprised – they say that it’s an apt profession for me considering how much of a bookworm I was growing up. So if you want to become a better writer, read as much as you can -- different genres, different authors, and different styles. You’ll soon find that you develop a style of your own, one that is a blend of all that you’ve read, but which is unique to you.

• Pay attention to spelling and grammar. Most people don’t think too much about spelling and grammar as long as they’re able to think creatively and put down their thoughts on paper. However, when you read copy that’s riddled with grammatical and spelling mistakes, you tend to get immediately turned off. So work on polishing your spelling and grammar skills, and don’t depend too much on spellcheckers to see you through – they only alert you if a spelling is completely wrong, not when you’ve misspelled a word and ended up with another word that is correct, but out of context in your writing. For example, if you mean to write “tear” and instead type out “bear,” your spellchecker is going to completely miss catching the error. So go over your copy with a fine-tooth comb, and if you find that spelling and grammar are not your strong points, work on brushing up your skills or find a good editor to polish your copy and make it presentable.

Good writing is all about appealing to the reader and holding their attention from the first word till the last. If you want readers to fall in love with your writing, first of all you should fall in love with it!


By-line: This guest post is contributed by Mark Davies, who writes on the topic of Masters Degree Online. He welcomes your comments at his email: markdavies247@gmail.com.

Holiday Book Drive a Great Success!!

"A book is a gift you can open again and again." – Garrison Keillor

Even in the midst of these difficult financial times, generous individuals responded to our call for books with enthusiasm and compassion. The final donation tally for 2010 was 623 new books, bringing our grand total to nearly 12,000 books! In Ventura, these beautiful new books were distributed to children through the Boys & Girls Clubs on Johnson and Olive streets and Casa Pacifica.

Special thanks to Linda Brug at Ventura High School, Lynne & Clyde Hoffland at Cabrillo Middle School, Rima Muna, Shiela Strayer, Raeanne Alliapoulos, and Positive Imaging publishing company for their donations of beautiful new books.

There is a common adage: "Life is an echo. What you send out, you get back." For the ninth year in a row, we made a big difference by sending out comfort, compassion and hope to underprivileged children. Each new book donated is a seed of learning that helps brighten a life. Indeed, together we changed many lives this holiday season — lives that, I have no doubt, will in turn send out beautiful echoes to others.

 Books loaded in the back of my car, on their way to excited, grateful kids!

Anna Quindlen and Book Love

Years ago, Anna Quindlen wrote a small book entitled How Reading Changed My Life. I just came across this gem of a book for the first time, and I feel I have found my own personal manifesto in Quindlen's beautiful homage to books and reading.

Quindlen writes: "Those of us who comprise the real clan of the book [are those] who read not to judge the reading of others but to take the measure of ourselves. Who read because we love it more than anything, who feel about bookstores the way some people feel about jewelers."

I read this passage and thought, Here is someone who understands! I don't know about you, but I have had to put myself on "book buying probation" many times due to the stack of waiting-to-be read books beside my bed, even though it is so difficult for me to leave a bookstore without buying anything!

Throughout the book, Quindlen includes quotes about literature from a variety of people and time periods. Here are some of my favorites:

"When I am reading a book, whether wise or silly, it seems to me to be alive and talking to me." -- Montaigne


"My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read." -- Abraham Lincoln


"Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but, more important, it finds homes for us everywhere." -- Hazel Rochman


"A room without books is like a body without a soul." -- Cicero


"Book love: it will make your hours pleasant to you as long as you live." -- Trollope


What are some of your favorite books and quotes about books?

Interview with Gina Holmes, author of "Crossing Oceans"

Today I am thrilled to have Gina Holmes as a guest to talk about her debut novel Crossing Oceans. In 1998, Gina began her career penning articles and short stories. In 2005 she founded the influential literary blog, Novel Journey. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her husband and children in Southern Virginia. Her debut novel, Crossing Oceans released April/May 2010 with Tyndale House Publishers. To learn more about her, visit: www.ginaholmes.com or www.noveljourney.blogspot.com

Your blog, www.noveljourney.blogspot.com, grew out of your own journey to become a published author How many books had you written before Crossing Oceans? How long has your "novel journey" taken?

Thanks for mentioning Novel Journey. It has been a labor of love, not just for me, but for the whole Novel Journey team. It's a great place for readers to discover new authors and for writers to connect and learn. And unlike most things in life, it's a completely free resource. It really is the Novel Journey team's desire to spread the word about the tremendous choices and talent available today in the realm of Christian fiction, so forgive us if we unashamedly plug it. We'd love the whole world to discover the great Christian novelists there are to choose from -- Francine Rivers, Charles Martin, Lisa Samson, Claudia Mair Burney, Frank Peretti, and on and on.

But to answer the question you actually asked, I've written four books that haven't been published before this one, Crossing Oceans, was contracted.

I've been writing toward the goal of publication for something like ten years. I've had lots of rejections and near misses along the way, but I'm so grateful for all of it. Crossing Oceans is my best piece of writing to date and a story I'm so very proud to debut with.

How much of the character Jenny did you draw from yourself?

Friends could probably be more objective in answering this question than I am. The honest answer would be maybe a little, maybe a lot. Each of the characters is drawn from parts of me, the good guys and the bad. I've got enough attributes and flaws to go around! Mostly the characters are their own creation though. They borrow a little from me, a little from others, and each takes on their own persona as well. It's a combination.

Probably the character most based on myself is Bella. She's the glue that brings the two families together. I've always been a mediator type of person. I think most middle children probably are. However, I was more like Eeyore as a child than Isabella's sunshiny self.

As you reviewed novels and talked to a lot of novelists who have had varying degrees of commercial success, was there ever a "dark night of the soul" where you decided this just wasn't worth pursuing?

Not worth pursuing? No way! There are so many worthy stories to tell, and it's my burning desire to do that. Not to say that I didn't have fleeting moments of despair along the way, particularly when I came close to getting a contract, only to see it fall through at the last minute. But those moments really were fleeting, and I knew God's timing would be perfect … and it was.

You have written several as-yet-unpublished novels, all of them in a completely different genre: thriller/suspense. Crossing Oceans is quite a departure. Do you prefer or find your voice more easily in one or the other?

I grew up reading suspense, so naturally that's what I thought I should write. I did okay with it and got some recognition in a contest and came close to getting contracted, but ultimately none of those suspense novels ever sold. Then I started reading some really amazing novels outside the suspense genre, and it was like another world opened up to me. It was no longer a thriller I longed to write, but a story that would change lives the way the books I read had changed mine. When I started Crossing Oceans, I presented it along with a suspense novel I was working on to my agent, Chip MacGregor. I asked which one he thought suited me better. He told me both were good, but that Crossing Oceans seemed more like my true voice, or something to that effect. It turned out to be a turning point and absolutely the right advice. I'm now writing what comes naturally and absolutely loving it. Chip's a genius.

How did the idea for Crossing Oceans come to you?

I'm not exactly sure where the idea came from, but when I write, I'm usually working out something in my personal life, past or present. Often it's not until the story is done that I figure out exactly what. I think with Crossing Oceans it probably was my relationship with my parents. They divorced when I was a baby. For the first years of my life, I was with my mother, and then when I was in second grade, I went to live with my father. I know what it's like to be torn, like Isabella, between two families who don't always like each other but who all love the child they share. Then again, maybe I wasn’t working out anything! Maybe I just fell asleep watching something about a dying mother, and woke up thinking I had a brilliant idea.

King Solomon wrote, "My child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out" (Ecclesiastes 12:12). What's your perspective on the flood of new books you see each season?

Honestly, I'd rather see two books released that are fantastic than a hundred that are just okay. There are great books that often don't get the attention they deserve because they're buried in an avalanche of new releases. Of course, tastes in literature are as different as in clothing, food, and anything else. One of my dearest friends has raved about books I thought were just okay and vice versa. So, who's to say which two books are the "great" ones?

Finish this sentence: "I will know that I have totally arrived as a novelist when..."

I don't think any of us ever "totally arrive" at anything. I'm a good mom, but have I arrived as a mother? No, I'm still learning and growing and trying to do better. It's the same with being a novelist. If I win a Pulitzer, that would be great -- okay, really, really, really great! -- but that still won't mean I've arrived. I'd still need to be learning and trying my best to improve with each book. I think once people start telling themselves they've "arrived," they start getting lazy and proud. Ultimately they become less than what they could have been had they remained hungry to improve.

Book I LOVED: "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein

A few nights ago, around 10 pm, I picked up Garth Stein's best-selling novel The Art of Racing in the Rain and began to read.

I didn't stop until THE END, 250+ pages later. It didn't matter that it was nearly 4 a.m. When I began reading, my eyelids had felt droopy and I had thought I would maybe be up reading for twenty minutes ... but, within the first few pages, I was drawn into the story and I lost all track of time. I could not stop turning the pages. The characters felt real. The narrator (a dog named Enzo) felt like a part of myself.

At the book's end, tears streamed down my face -- the good kind of tears, the best kind. I was reminded why I want to be a writer, the magic that good storytelling brings to our lives. I strive to write a book that touches people the way The Art of Racing in the Rain touched me.

If you want a fantastic summer read, read this book. If you are a dog person, read this book. If you want to fall in love anew with reading, read this book.

Have you read any books lately that have knocked your socks off? Please share!