The South, Football and Life

Congratulations to Janet W. Ferguson and the novel Tackling the Fields for taking home this month's Clash crown! We're pleased to feature this guest post, which gives us a little insight into Janet's book and football...yes, football!

In the South, most of us love football. It’s something we talk about, cheer for, and spend time watching with friends, whether in person or as a group viewing it on TV. The adrenaline seems to flow as the leaves begin to turn from deep greens to those fall yellows and oranges, a chill touches the air, and those pads and helmets are put on.

My husband played high school football. He was a center. I’ve always watched the sport at whatever school I attended, and of course, in Mississippi, a lot of us follow the SEC games. I never thought a whole lot about why we enjoy watching so much or about the injuries the players battle with—until my son played the sport.

His junior year, he tore his ACL and his shoulder labrum participating in this sport he loved. And he was not able to make a comeback. I saw the game through different eyes as he struggled with the loss. He missed the comradery, the goal, the discipline, the friendship. Everything about being a part of a team.

While he was going through three of four surgeries that he ended up having, I began writing Tackling the Fields. It combines this love for a game with the loss of a dream for one character and the loss of innocence for another. It was a challenging, almost painful, book to write. But in the end, God heals our wounds and helps each of us recover from our broken places.

He’s there to free each of us from the heartaches that try to take us captive.

About the book:

Cole Sanders is a changed man. The university quarterback questions his direction in life after serving on a mission
trip in Honduras. Things that used to fill Cole’s ego seem empty after witnessing the developing country’s extreme poverty and the death of a precious child. The one glimmer of hope through his confusion is the fresh perspective he now has about his tutor, Audrey. She possesses something beautiful inside and out—something that might help him become the person he wants to be.

University senior Audrey Vaughn tutored Cole Sanders for an entire year and never imagined the popular
quarterback would see her as anything more than a friend. After partnering with him on the mission trip, they are drawn together. And he appears to have changed for the better. To let Cole into her life, Audrey will have to overcome not only her brother’s distrust, but also the paralyzing fear still lingering from a past she’s tried to leave
behind.

Cole can’t walk away from Audrey now that they’re back in Oxford. He’ll have to figure out how to keep her giant of a brother, a lineman on his football team, from killing him when the coach has his back turned. But can Audrey trust her heart to a player so similar to the one who stole so much from her in the past?  

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3 Things to Be Grateful For

TODAY, SEPTEMBER 21, IS NATIONAL GRATITUDE DAY

Maybe I'm getting the jump on Thanksgiving, but I've been thinking about the many things I am grateful for in the 'here and now' . . . one day at a time.

Things like:

*It's a beautiful day up here in the nortwest corner of Wisconsin. It's bright and sunny with temperatures in the balmy 70° range. And even though there are T-storms predicted for later today, with flash-flood warnings, I can enjoy this nice weather for as long as it lasts.

*I'm so thankful for good health, despite the usual aches and pains that go with being a septuagenarian.

*I'm so very grateful for the talent God has blessed me with, and for His calling to me to be a writer, enabling me to tell His stories in a way that is uniquely mine.

So, what about you? Use the comment section below to share the 3 things you are grateful for right now!

Oh, and here's a link to a song that has been around for a long time, and still touches hearts today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz2L1v7Wkx8

Enjoy and be blessed

Author Barbara M. Britton on Clash of the Titles Blog Tour ♦ Giveaway

Today we welcome debut author Barbara M. Britton and get to know a little more about what makes her tick. Barbara, welcome!


What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?


I write on a paper notepad with a pen or pencil. Yes, I write everything long hand and then I type it into a computer. I’m not the best typist (I was one of two freshman put in biology class instead of typing) so it is easier for me to scribble what is going on in my head and transcribe it later.


What makes this book special to you?


“Providence: Hannah’s Journey” was my first Biblical Romantic Adventure and my first story to win a writing contest in the inspirational category. I had to chuckle when judges said they liked my “modern Biblical voice.” What is that? I really do talk normal. Okay, I use a few Wisconsin words like bubbler and brat (this is not a nasty kid, but a sausage). Hannah’s story was the fourth book I wrote, but the first to be published.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?


The dreaded middle is the hardest part for me to write. I have a good idea where to start my stories, and I know there will be a happy ending, but all those chapters in-between have to be structured just right. Attention spans are getting shorter, so I try to keep my pacing fast and my dialogue interesting. And of course, there has to be a point to the scene I’m writing, or the middle will “sag.” Writing is a lot of hard work and perseverance.


Do you have any advice for other writers?


The best advice I received as a newbie writer was to join a professional writing organization and attend conferences centered on writing. Since my first book was a romance, I joined Romance Writers of America and got involved in the local chapter, Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. I served on the WisRWA board for five years and made several friends, one of which is my critique partner. A group of us meets once a week to write, brainstorm, and talk shop. I also take online courses and attend workshops on the craft of writing. I also would encourage writers to never give up. I was told my writing was “too clean and wholesome” but I stuck to my beliefs and eventually sold a story. I also belong to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).


Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?


Yes, a huge thank you for reading Hannah and Gilead’s story. With so many books to choose from, I am grateful they chose mine to read. Please leave a review if you enjoyed the book. Some books don’t get “seen” at online book stores unless they have fifty reviews.

Thanks to Barbara for stopping by today. Be sure to pick up her debut Biblical fiction, Providence: Hannah's Journey.


>>>For the Giveawy:  Barbara & COTT are offering two (2) free eBook copies of PROVIDENCE to two readers of this blog post. Simply leave a comment below with your name and contact information so we can notify you via Email should you be one of the winners.
  This giveaway ends one week from today on Monday, September 26 at Midnight, Central. Don't miss this chance to read what promises to be a great book. AND, be sure to view the book trailer below..

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Visit all the stops along the tour

COTT Olympia Winner Announcement!

Many deserving competitors entered the fray. One became the victor!

Congratulations Jennifer Uhlarik, 

2016 Olympia Award Champion.

We took a few moments to get to know Jennifer a little better, and now here's your chance to do the same:

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

How did you come up with the idea for this book and what made you want to write this particular story?

While working with a few other authors on some novella collection ideas, I came up with the idea of three adult siblings who reunite after being separated by adoption in their youth. This story and the two that follow it are the result of that idea—three strong siblings devoted to law and justice, each in their own way.

What does winning the Olympia Award mean to you?

It is such an honor! I love the Olympia since the first round is judged by readers. That is probably the truest group of judges one can have. And I know the competition is always stiff in contests, so just to final is quite humbling. To win is indescribable (and I’m an author, so that says a lot. I’m speechless. LOL)

How can people find you online/contact you?

I can be found in the following places:

• Website: www.jenniferuhlarik.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferUhlarikAuthor/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferUhlarik
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jenuhlarik/

3 Rules to Follow When Co-authoring a Novel

How Much is Too Much?

a guest post by Michelle Griep @MichelleGriep 

Writing a book is hard enough when you’re the sole author. Teaming up with another writer is a whole other ballgame—but it can be done. And the successful release of OUT OF THE FRYING PAN is evidence.

I teamed up with my good buddy Kelly Klepfer years ago as a critique partner. Our personalities clicked . . . okay, so sometimes we actually butted heads, but hey, iron sharpens iron, right? It does, especially when you agree to co-write a novel. Here’s how we worked out the details and how you can go about penning a story with a buddy of yours.

Too Many Authors Spoil the Novel-Soup

After brainstorming together, choose one of you to write the synopsis. Only one. Then follow that synopsis without veering off onto tangents, otherwise you’ll never finish the book.

Too Many Heads Makes a Reader’s Head Explode

Divvy up the point-of-view characters, then stick with it. For instance, in OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, I only always wrote the scenes as seen by one of the sisters-in-law (Zula) and the niece (KC). Kelly always wrote the detective scenes and the other sisters-in-law perspective.

Too Many Plotholes is Confusing

Lack of transition is the biggest bugaboo to avoid. You’ve got to connect all the scenes with seamless segues or the reader will be confused. Do that at the beginning of each scene. A simple sentence will suffice.

And there you have it—three handy dandy rules to follow when co-authoring a novel. Be sure to check out our latest release to make sure we followed our own guidelines.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK ~ OUT OF THE FRYING PAN

Murder in Paradise whips life into a froth for FERN and ZULA HOPKINS. When the retirement center’s chef is found dead, the two ladies get folded in with the case. Their zany attempts to track down the killer land them in hot water with Detective JARED FLYNN. Should he be concerned about their safety—or the criminal’s?

But there are deadly ingredients none of them expect. Drugs. Extortion. International cartels. And worst of all…broken hearts, especially when the Hopkins sisters’ niece KC arrives on the scene.

Life at Sunset Paradise Retirement Village will never be the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ MICHELLE GRIEP

Kelly Klepfer & Michelle Griep

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. Her latest release is OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, but historical romance is her usual haunt. THE CAPTIVE HEART releases in October. Follow her escapades at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.