Novels

September 13, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 7 Comments

My Writing Desk | Shelley Shepard Gray

I’m sure I have one of the messiest desks, ever. Years ago I taught myself to only write here; I rarely sit at this desk unless I’m working. I put up the W-R-I-T-E letters above my desk to remind myself to do just that. 🙂 Consequently, I don’t do much else in my office besides write or do emails. Hmmm . . . maybe I should consider putting up the letters C-L-E-A-N too?

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s currently on my desk: My ever-present spiral notebook. I keep one for every series I write. A calendar. Lots and lots of research notes and papers I printed out for either books or booksignings. Glasses and glasses cases. Pens and more pens. A mug of hot tea. And, several copies of Ray of Light and Eventide.

I’m celebrating the release of the final book in The Days of Redemption series, Eventide, by giving away FIVE sets of the series.

Five winners will receive:

Daybreak, Ray of Light and Eventide

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 21st. All winners will be announced September 23rd at my blog.

Get a sneak peek of Shelley Shepard Gray’s writing desk AND a new contest she’s holding!

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Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the “Sisters of the Heart,” “Seasons of Sugarcreek,” “Secrets of Crittenden County,” and Families of Honor series. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail. Find out more about Shelley at her website and on Facebook.

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Wondering what’s up next for me? My book The One Year of Amish Peace releases soon. You can pre-order it here!

August 21, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 8 Comments

My Writing Desk | Camy Tang

Here’s my writing nook! The chair is an ergonomic one I desperately need because of an old work-related injury from when I was a biologist researcher. Hubby bought a lovely footstool to prop up my feet and on top of that is a pink fuzzy blanket I made for myself out of my leftover yarn scraps for when the nights get cold. And I always need my tea—my teapot is to the side on top of an electric mug-warmer that does the job nicely, along with a mismatched cup and saucer set I bought from the local Goodwill. I always feel comfortable writing amongst all the books on my bookshelves—which are stacked three-deep and are mostly garage sale and thrift store buys. (How can anyone resist a book for fifty cents?)

Take a peek at @CamyTang’s office space and see where the writing happens! @TriciaGoyer

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About Camy: Evangeline Kelley is the pen name for the writing team of Patti Berg, Pam Hanson & Barbara Andrews, and Camy Tang, the four authors who collaborated to create Postcards from Misty Harbor Inn. Each of them has published novels individually, but this is their first series together. Camy loved to write ever since Junior High, but she put it aside because she felt convicted that her motives were not pure—she was more interested in being a published author than in serving God and writing for His honor and glory. But in 2003 she felt God’s calling to write again, and she has been loving every minute of it. Connect with Camy at her website and on Facebook and Twitter.

Camy’s latest release, which is under the pen name Evangeline Kelley, just came out this month. Whispers on the Dock is book 3 in the Postcards from Misty Harbor Inn series. As Nantucket reaches the pinnacle of its summer glory, and the Marris sisters welcome guests at Misty Harbor Inn, youngest sister Sam Carter enters her mother’s cobbler recipe in the Summerfest baking contest. But she faces a formidable opponent, a past winner who is determined to keep her title even if it means stooping to dirty tactics. Can Sam’s newfound faith help her rise above the fray and reach out to this lonely woman? Meanwhile, an elderly guest arrives who knows the inn’s history, and the sisters are stunned to learn that their late mother lived there as a child. But she told them she’d never been to Nantucket until her honeymoon! Through the woman’s reminiscences and photos, the sisters make an intriguing discovery — not only about the mysterious Hannah Montague, the young woman who disappeared from the house in 1880, but also about their own family history.

You can enter to win one of three sets of the entire Postcards from Misty Harbor Inn series! Details HERE.

Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my email updates, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, or Instagram.

Wondering what’s up next for me? My book The One Year of Amish Peace releases soon. You can pre-order it here!

August 7, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 15 Comments

My Writing Desk | Cindy Thomson

This is a collection I picked up on a beach in Sligo, Ireland. I keep them in a bowl on my desk to inspire me when I write about Ireland. I can still smell the sea!

This old typewriter belonged to my grandfather. He used to write letters to my father when my father was in WWII. Below are some genealogy resources. Family history inspires my writing as I seek to tell the stories that were left behind for us. (And yes, that is a similar typewriter in the wall hanging next to it!)

This is how you get to my office, “the place your story begins.”

This is my writing desk. I also have a laptop I travel around the house with, especially when it’s nice outside. But most of my work gets done here. I’m blessed to have a dedicated office space. It’s the only second-story room in the house, and it feels like a tree house! I like my big desk. My husband made it for himself long ago out of an oak door. He keeps asking me if I want a new desk, but I like this one! The quilt on my chair is my father’s prayer quilt. He passed away almost three years ago. My church had made it for him several years previously when he was ill. The knots on it were tied as someone prayed for him. He used to cover up with it often. He really liked it. It’s another item that inspires me (and sometimes comforts me).

Take a peek at @CindysWriting’s office space and see where the writing happens!

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In the upper left corner you can see just a bit of my bulletin board. There are some photos there from the photo shoot for Grace’s Pictures. In the upper right corner you can see part of my bookcase and my copy of Grace’s Pictures. Tyndale sent me a special holder for the book, and it resides with a small Statue of Liberty figurine I got when I visited Ellis Island. It’s copper-colored as the immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th century would have seen it, before it weathered to green as it is today.

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Cindy Thomson is a writer and an avid genealogy enthusiast. Her love of history and her Scots-Irish heritage have inspired much of her writing, including her Ellis Island series with Tyndale House. Cindy is also the author of Brigid of Ireland and Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland. She combined her love of history and baseball to co-author the biography Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research’s Larry Ritter Book Award. In addition to books, Cindy has written on a regular basis for numerous online and print publications and is a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Historical Novel Society. Cindy and her husband have three grown sons and live in central Ohio. Get to know Cindy at her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Pinterest.

Cindy is giving away a copy of her book Grace’s Pictures! Enter below. Only those in the U.S. are eligible to win.

The winners of last week’s giveaway with Cynthia Ruchti are Judith Fritz and Stacey Zink! Please email your mailing addresses to my assistant, Caitlin : caitlin{at}litfusegroup{dot}com to claim your books.

Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my email updates, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, or Instagram.

Wondering what’s up next for me? My book The One Year of Amish Peace releases soon. You can pre-order it here!

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July 25, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 17 Comments

How to Research {Place} For Your Novel

One of my favorite things about writing is research. I love finding facts, understanding world views, and stepping into a unique story world.

And one of my favorite parts of research is researching the settings/locations of my novels. You may consider setting to be the physical location, but it’s so much more than that. The place of your novel includes the physical location, but it also includes the attitudes of the people of the region as a group and as individuals. <click to tweet>

For example, my co-author Ocieanna and I wrote Love Finds You in Glacier Bay, Alaska. We travelled there, and we hung out with the locals. The independent spirits, tight-knit community, and resourcefulness of the people were unlike anything I’ve ever known. Many of the attitudes and even comments from the residents made it into the novel. The book had a bit of quirkiness and resoluteness that isn’t seen in many of my novels, for the simple reason of what I’ve discovered when I researched the place.

Place is more than landscape, street names, and natural features. Place even changes as times change. I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is completely different now compared to the violence and struggle of the days of the Civil Rights movement. One place, but different “places” in history.

Places I’ve “lived” in my novels:

Female pilot’s training base on the homefront during World War II
Pearl Harbor
In the jungles of the Philippines during World War II
The battle fields of Europe
In a concentration camp
On the Titanic
On the unsettled plains of Montana in 1890
In Madrid, Spain during the Civil War
In a small community in Alaska
In Seattle, Washington near a B-17 bomber base
On a “modern” farm in Nebraska
In Amish communities in Indiana, Ohio, and Montana

Through research I’ve been able to experience each of these places. And this is how I research:

Study the region through maps and photos.
Visit if possible. (I’ve bee able to visit most of my settings.)
Meet people and talk to residents who live there. Here are some questions to ask:
What is this place known for?
What type of people live here?
What do you like best about living here?
What’s difficult about living here?
Tell me about the types of people who live in this area.
What would surprise an outsider about this area?
Where do the tourists hang out?
Where do the locals hang out?
Are there any local myths or legends?
Do you have a historical society?
Who are some of the more well-known residents past or present?
What stories do you find yourself telling others about the area?

When I talk to folks, I like to audio record them so I can go back to the conversation later. I also have a notebook to write down key words of things I want to remember. But the best way to interview is to write as little as possible and just make eye contact with the person you’re talking to. This is the best way to make him or her feel comfortable. It’s then that the stories start to flow.

If you’re writing historical fiction, the best thing to do is find memoirs or biographies. Memoirs are the best because they give an “insider’s view” into the thoughts of the people during that time period. Some of my best research finds were self-published WWII memoirs. The thoughts and attitudes captured often mold my novels. (Remember that memoirs are just one person’s opinion. Make sure they match up the recollections with the history books because memory can’t always be trusted when it comes to actual dates and events.)

Scroll through Google images. People’s vacation photos make great research . . . and are often much more accurate than the travel brochures.

Make sure you document where you got your information. Even brief comments in a notebook will help. And if you find information in books, photocopy the page the information is on and the title page of the book, and staple them together. You never know when you’ll need to go back to this information.

Don’t feel you have to research everything. Like author Jody Hedlund says in her blog post “4 Tips for Researching a Novel,” Go deep but stay narrow. “I try to narrow down exactly what I need to know for my particular story. I don’t have to learn everything about England after the Restoration. I lay the beginning foundation . . . but I don’t need to acquire a PhD in English Civil War history in order to research the pillory and its usage for the poor of the 1600s. I dig deep for what I need and don’t get side-tracked by all the rest.”

This is wise advice. After you get a general knowledge of the area, figure out what you need to know about the most, and focus on that. Does your novel center around the old mill, the high school, the governor’s mansion? To read more of Jody’s advice go here.

Other things to research: religion, climate, economics, and social norms. All these can be used in your novel to craft conflict.

Which leads me to my final point. Don’t think of setting as simply a backdrop, as in a play. Through every step of research ask, “Can this bit of information bring conflict in my novel? Does this conflict fit with my story?”

Novels are about characters overcoming problems, and setting/place has numerous ways to provide conflict and make your novel seem true-to-life, not only by those unfamiliar to the area, but those who know the place. There is no greater praise than to have a local tell you that you got it right. It’s then you know your research paid off—not only in your story, but also by honoring the locals who call the place home.

Now your turn: What are your best tips for research?

For photos of my novel research, go here.

Example of my research on Lebensborn homes in Nazi Germany, go here.

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July 16, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 4 Comments

My Writing Desk | Krista McGee

I have perfect posture. I can’t take any credit for it, though—there’s about a foot and a half of titanium steel back there—a result of surgery to correct severe scoliosis. My entire spine is fused, and the rods keep it all in place (no, I don’t make the metal detectors go crazy in airports nor do magnets stick to me—I had the surgery when I was 13, so believe me, my friends tried!). Though I don’t really have much back trouble, most desk chairs are made to mold to a normal person’s back, and I don’t have a normal person’s back. So most desk chairs make my back hurt. A few years ago some friends of ours recommended I try using a medicine ball to replace my desk chair. I tried it and was hooked! The seat is as soft or as firm as I want to make it, and I can lean as far away or as near my desk as I want. Perfect! My desk is in the corner of my bedroom, and I face a window that looks out at the beautiful Florida sky. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home!

About Krista: When Krista McGee isn’t living in fictional worlds of her own creation, she lives in Tampa and spends her days as a wife, mom, teacher, and coffee snob. She is also the author of “Anomaly,” “First Date,” “Starring Me,” and “Right Where I Belong.” Find out more about Krista at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

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Krista McGee is celebrating the release of Anomaly, the first book in her new YA dystopian series, with an iPad Mini Giveaway!

One winner will receive:

An iPad Mini
A $25 iTunes gift card (download Anomaly to the iPad!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 31st. Winner will be announced at Krista’s website on August 2nd.

Spread the word about Krista and her giveaway HERE!

July 5, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 19 Comments

How to Write a Novel

I’m sure all my fiction writer friends agree that one of the questions we get asked the most is, “How do you write a novel?” First, because readers are curious as to how a story that is fresh and exciting and filled with true-to-life characters comes out of an author’s mind. Second, because they have an inkling to do it themselves.

The truth is that almost anyone can write a novel . . . but (did you guess that was coming?) it takes a lot of time, persistence, and skill. Much more than I thought when I first started writing. <click to tweet>

I sat down to work on my first novel in 1994. I had a notion for a story, and the first three chapters came pretty fast—fast enough for me to submit it at the Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference. I was worried when I attended because, “What if more than one publisher wants my story?!” The story was fresh in my mind, and the writing was exciting. I thought I was well on my way. (I laugh at myself now, but at least I did it. I put the words on the paper!)

The truth is, I was dipping my toes in a tide pool when the ocean of publication awaited. I had a lot to learn, and it took me almost ten years to learn it. My first novel From Dust and Ashes was published by Moody Publishing in 2003, and it’s still in print.

How do you write a novel? First, you have to start. If you’re waiting for permission, here it is: Sit down and begin that book, even if you don’t know much about fiction writing. The best thing you can do is to start getting words onto paper. 1) You may be surprised by how much you enjoy it, and 2) you’ll also be surprised by how much you need to learn.

How do you write a novel? Next, pick up a few good books on novel writing. These are ones I recommend:

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

A Story is a Promise by Bill Johnson

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass

How do you write a novel? If you’re really serious, attend a writer’s conference. Here is a list of hundreds of them all across the country.

Why should you attend a writers conference?

There are professionals who tell you want you need to know. Yes,they are literally training you to be their future competition.
You can often submit your writing for critique and key advice you can trust . . . unlike hearing from your friend, spouse, or mother who tells you it’s perfect just as it is.
You start to build relationships with key people in the industry. Need I say more?
You can build a network of friendships with other writers for support and help.

I have become good friends with many of the editors, agents, and professional writers I met at my very first writers conferences. Knowing the right people has brought me work. When an editor gets a project from me on their desk, I have the upper hand over someone they’ve never met.

My writer friends have also been my support throughout the years. We’re encouraged one another and prayed for one another. We’ve critiqued our work and brainstormed books. I guarantee I wouldn’t be where I am today without attending conferences.

Think that writing a novel will take time, money, and effort? You’re right. <click to tweet> But I’m here to tell you that if you put in the investment, you just might be holding your own book in a few years . . . and you’ll be well on your way to fulfilling a dream and launching a career!

So, what are you waiting for? Today is the perfect day to start a novel!

August 27, 2012 by Tricia Goyer 19 Comments

Writing Historical Fiction | You Don’t Need as Many Facts as You Think

Writing Historical Fiction, Tricia Goyer — The truth about writing historical fiction is you don’t need as many facts as you think.

When I first started writing, the last thing I wanted to write was historical fiction. I thought it would be tooooo much research. The truth is . . . it is!

But I also discovered I LOVE research, and writing historical fiction has become a love of mine. A few things I’ve done while researching for my historical novels:

1. I’ve interviewed a Holocaust survivor in a village in Austria just a few minutes from where he was liberated.

2. I’ve taking a tour of an Alaskan bay and saw the swish of a whale’s tale.

3. I walked the cobblestone streets of Prague—the very streets Nazis once marched down.

4. I wandered through a Jewish museum in Frankfurt, Germany, and learned of the horrors done to Jews over generations.

5. I’ve interviewed a ninety-three-year-old rancher in Montana whose parents were homesteaders.

6. I’ve chatted with a woman who was a riveter for B-17 Bombers in Seattle during World War II.

History is fascinating! The people are fascinating. The hard part is making sure my historical novels aren’t entirely about the history. Historical fiction should not be boring!

Yes, the piles of shoes and clothes found upon liberation of the concentration camp amazes me, but I always have to ask myself, “Is this information vital to my story?”

Facts can weigh down your novel, no matter how interesting the facts are.

When I first started writing historical fiction I researched way too much. When I wrote my first historical novel From Dust and Ashes,

I learned about the places the prisoners came from, their lives before the war, their lives after the war, how they got to the death camps, and what happened afterward.

One of the fascinating things I read about was Displaced Person Camps. Those who survived the concentration camps went to these camps until they were able to find their way home. At these camps families were reunited or people discovered the deaths of their loved ones.

When writing From Dust and Ashes I wanted to include this information; after all, I’d spent so much time learning about the camps. So in the middle of my story my characters left their location, went to one of these camps, looked for someone (who wasn’t there), and then returned. The scenes were powerful and emotional, but they had no place in the story . . . and my editor pointed that out.

In the end those chapters were cut. I was sad (because now I’d spent time writing those scenes, too), but it was worth it. The book was better for it.

So while researching for historical novels is important, don’t let the research take you on a rabbit trail. It’s a waste of time, and it’ll most likely need to be cut.

Today, when I sit down to write my historical fiction, I figure out what’s going to be in the novel and what information I’ll need; I’ll research only that. Of course, sometimes my research will uncover a gem I have to add, but for the most part I focus only what I’ve already determined my story needs.

So write history! Write it well! Don’t be afraid to write historical fiction. But don’t let too many facts get in the way of writing a beautiful story. You do need the facts—just not as many as you think.