Tummy Butterflies and Book Proposals From The SDCWG

This past weekend was the San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild annual Conference—a great place to meet publishers, agents and other authors. We word-nerds tend to get stuck having coffee with our keyboards and characters every day so it’s a refreshing change to hang out with fellow writers who are pursuing the craft of writing and using their gifts for the Lord.

The conference was great this year. Attendees had the pleasure of hearing speakers and authors such as Miles McPherson (Former San Diego’s Charger and Pastor), Lynn Vincent ( New York Times Best selling author. Her collaborative projects include Going Rogue and Same Kind of Different As Me) and many more.

For writers, these conferences are a lot of time spent waiting and preparing for the big day to arrive, then a burst of everything happening at once. That can be very overwhelming. I, for one, was so nervous about my faculty consultation with an agent from one of the best agencies in the biz, I could hardly eat breakfast. And it was a cinnamon roll! But I did force myself to take a few bites and after talking to others around me, I knew I was not the only one who’s nerves were jippity (is that a word? It should be).

So how do we process these moments? How do we let go of our book proposals, while remembering the hours we’ve spent putting them together, and all the times we googled "how to write a book proposal." Not to mention, the months, sometimes years devoted to the shaping of our books, only to have a few minutes to impress an agent or editor with our brilliant pitch and top notch sample chapters. Uh…no pressure.

I was ready to get home, put my feet up, toss my writing portfolio on a VERY high shelf and hang out with my family. But I was in my car, on a highway, and home was a few hours away. Then, while flipping through the radio, I landed on a Christian station and my favorite song was on. It goes something like this: “Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save.” So there I was, feeling my energy trickle back and I sat up a little straighter. That’s right, I thought. God can move mountains.

Sometimes we get blessed and the mountain just happens to be our dream come true. Those are special moments in life! Other times, I believe the mountain is our perspective. How many times in life does the situation change completely, not because the dishwasher stopped leaking or the baby magically changed her own diaper, but because our perspective…our attitude changed. Some of the greatest stories I’ve ever read did not end with the protagonist getting exactly what he or she wanted, it ended with the protagonist learning the valuable lesson they were meant to learn—to rely on God.

The Critique Group And The Writer

I'm rather behind on getting more book reviews up and I have several in line to read, but the post office and I are not very...in sync lately. I either smack into the glass doors with the "closed" sign firmly in place, or I beg the postmaster that even though I don't have my collection slip, I know there are packages back there waiting for me. He tries to look, then with an arched eyebrow suggests I return with the collection slip that makes his life a lot easier. Oh well. But I have something that has been brewing in my mind lately, and I'd like to share it with you this week.

Its about the power of the critique group and how it effects the writer. Now, if you're not a writer...if you don't throw abbreviations like "CBA" and "WIP" around in general conversation, you might think this does not apply to you. Even if you're not a writer, there may be a lesson you will glean from this, so stick with me. But if you get bored, you could hop over to another blog, pull up a really good brownie recipe and bring it back here. I'd be very grateful. I have a pot luck coming up.

So back to the critique group. What is that exactly? A critique group is a place where writers get together, pass around a few pages of what they've been working on, and the other folks in the group whip out their pens and mark it up. Its intimidating. Even after attending a group for years, my heart rate quickens as the room silences, heads bowed over my chapter. Nail biting to the max.

But when fellow writers point out the areas in a story they really like and begin to offer suggestions, the writer who listens, can walk away with the realization that even though they thought their work was perfect, many of the suggestions will only make it that much better.

That's the power of a well given critique.

For a novel to find itself in the hands of readers, it must be looked at by someone other than the author. Someone who doesn't have the characters prancing around in their head or know the storyline by heart. Because then, the fresh set of eyes can spot issues that the writer themselves would never see.

But the truth hurts. Of course it hurts--but there is an art to delivery. A person might say. "You have something in your teeth," Loser. Or. "You have something in your teeth. Hey I like your skirt." Who would you rather be friends with?

Like the spinach in the teeth, a good critiquer not only points out issues, they go the extra step--they leave the writer feeling encouraged.

This might seem trivial, and believe me, I know there is a time and place to leave the fluff behind and get to the nitty gritty, but for the everyday, the coffee shops, the living rooms, and the e-mail box, its crucial to offer some congratulatory praise. Even if its hard, find something good in what you see.

There's a reason behind my rambling. If a person's critique is the packet of seeds and the writer's heart is the soil, then the positive comments and praise are what till the soil. Otherwise, the seeds will land on a heart that has not been softened. And if there is anything that I firmly stand by, it is that we as Christians have the calling to be kind in all that we do. Business is not the time to throw that out the window. Be business-like. But be kind.

Christ was and he reached many, many hearts. That is an example worth living by.

Adventures in Country Living: Drying Herbs

Summer is winding down. The arid days are drawing to an end and with a few summer storms prayerfully on the horizon, gardeners and growers everywhere are putting up their garden harvests. Aside from the usual methods of preserving like canning and freezing, drying is an excellent way of storing everything from apple slices to fresh herbs.

Herbs are a delightful addition to any garden. They are relatively easy to grow, can live in convenient containers and are so rewarding to harvest. I love to toss fresh chives and cilantro onto the table as taco fixin's and making rosemary Italian bread at Christmas is a cheery gift for family and friends.

In the past I have only used herbs fresh. But this year, I've put some energy into drying and storing my herbs to use year round. It suddenly struck me one day when I was completely out of Italian seasoning, that I had all the makings of the herb blend right in my garden. So I snipped several sprigs of rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and parsley, dried them for several days, then crushed the herbs up and tossed them in a glass jar with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Yum! Not to mention, I'd always bought dried herbs from the store. I had never taken advantage of using my own herbs, but when I did, even in their dried stage, they remained bright and green and had a lovely, fresh taste.

For another project, I purchased jumbo teabags on eBay ( I felt like a bidding geek--I mean, who sits there watching the minutes and doing the math to buy a two dollar box of empty tea bags on eBay. Me, apparently) Anywho, the key to drying herbs is that not all herbs are ready when you want them, so be sure to dry them at the peak of their season. I cut handfulls of lavender and chocolate mint (my personal fav) and hung the bundles upside down in an airy spot away from direct sunlight which will kill their potency. I've got the rest of the ingredients for bath teas right in the pantry: oats, Epsom salts and powdered milk (sounds strange but oats and milk have been popular bath additions for years.)

The third use for herbs is medicinal purposes. Now I am not an herbalist, so I have a hard time figuring out the many uses and properties of herbs, but its easy to look on the web and find great sources. My particular favorite is the Bulk Herb Store (check out their Eden Salve. LOVE IT!) This is where I got the recipe for a tincture that is designed to draw out poison and toxins, things like bug bites and beyond. So far it has worked great. I bought a pound of dried plantain and soaked the herbs in a jar of apple cider vinegar for three weeks. After straining away the herbs that have now relinquished their potency to the vinegar, I labeled the jar and it comes in handy all the time.

Drying herbs is fun, satisfying and this is just the beginning. I'm excited to add new and different herbs to my garden each year and study up on their medicinal uses, skin care qualities and yummy recipes for the fam.

Happy Homesteading!

Mount Hermon: A Writer's Perspective

Ever considered attending the annual writer's conference in Mount Hermon? I know I have, but it all seemed so overwhelming. I'm hoping to attend the 2011 conference and I've heard how BIG it is. I have nightmares of pitching my proposal to the cleaning lady and throwing my dirty socks into some editors briefcase. So this week, we're going to sit down with several writers who have gone, experienced, (survived!) and are willing to share their tips and tales.

Dan and Denise Harmer write as a joint venture. Denise, a former stenographer, uses her editing skills to synchronize with Dan’s ability to spin a whale of a tale. They lead the Temecula Writer’s Toolbox as an offshoot of the San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild, were winners of Lamp Post Pub’s 2010 short story contest, and were semi-finalists in Zondervan’s “All about the Story” fiction contest. Both grew up on the beaches of Southern California, where they maintain a laid-back lifestyle while running a cabinet shop, raising their four children, and tending a small ranch. Okay, maybe it does get a little hectic. www.jointventurebooks.com

Tell us a little about your decision to attend the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference.

Dan - I heard about Mt. Hermon at the SDCWGC and the writer’s critique group and from local Christian writers I’ve met. Five days of workshops, one on ones, and fellowship with editors, agents, and top-selling authors sounded great, but I had no idea. It was even more than that.

Denise – I had heard how valuable an experience Mt. Hermon would be, and I really wanted to meet editors and agents face to face.

As first timers, what surprised you the most about the conference?

Dan - I went with the wrong mindset. I kind of thought this was going to be like a really long job interview. I clutched my manuscript, bought some new slacks and a button down shirt, then set out to pitch my stuff, but I realized some of the best parts of the conference were meeting other new writers just like myself, learning from veterans what good writing sounds like, learning from editors what a marketable product is, and learning from agents, that they are just people, too. They don’t want to shatter your dreams, but if you are willing to listen, they have a lot of wise insights. Here is something to give you an idea of what it is like. You can submit your MS ahead of time to see if a publishing house is interested. (I don’t recommend this for first timers. I’ll explain why later.) The editors have two days to take a look. The majority are sent back with rejection letters. There are actually crisis counselors walking around to pray with people the day the rejections come. People who have traveled halfway across the U.S., their whole church is praying and are convinced that God was going to open a door, and it appears that for the time being He hasn’t. Some folks are destroyed and just wither away. I admit, I struggled with some of this. The funny thing is, there was one particular agent that really hammered me. I felt about an inch tall when she was done. Turns out she was right. Now we are represented by her agency.

I said that I don’t recommend submitting your MS to a publishing house pre- attendance your first year, but there is an option to have staff authors (many bestsellers) give an in-depth critique. Well, what I discovered is if the staff authors like your writing, they will pass it on to the publishing house they think would be interested. So now your MS is warmed up for the editor and you have an open door, and if they don’t pass it on, then you have a great critique. (The publishing houses don’t critique, they just say yea or nay.) Also, you don’t need to submit to editors ahead of time because there will be ample opportunities to share your idea in person with those same folks. When you pitch it in person, you’ll know right away if their eyes light up or not. This also allows for you to get feedback so that in the future you know what kind of writing their house favors.

Denise – I was shocked at how much information was presented and the amount of choices. Really, I wanted to experience all of it, but it was a bit overwhelming.

What advice would you give first timers hoping to attend Mount Hermon?

Dan - The best advice I can give is take advantage of the buddy system. This is where they pair up the rookies with a veteran. Besides that, relax, be yourself, and let the Holy Spirit lead. You will be surprised at who God may have set an appointment for you to meet.

Pray. Go. And be blessed.

Denise – Realize that you will be exhausted when it’s over, but the connections are amazing. Come prepared and ready to listen to advice. These talented speakers and teachers know so much and have a ton to offer if you’ll go with an attitude of learning from them.



Janet Thompson is the founder and Visionary Director of About His Work Ministries, also known as AHW Ministries, and a prolific author and speaker on topics relevant to today's Christian women. www.womantowomanmentoring.com

As a published author, what role did the Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference play in first opening the door to the publishing world?

Anytime someone asks me how to get started writing, I ALWAYS tell them to attend a Writer's Conference, and if you can, go to Mt Hermon! I learned how to write at Mt. Hermon. I wasn't an English or Journalism major and had never considered writing until I started the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry at Saddleback Church and other churches wanted to know how I was doing it so I decided to write a How To Kit and took my proposal to Mt Hermon. The Kit didn't get picked up there, but I took every workshop, met with as many editors as I could, and absorbed the whole experience. I came home and wrote the Kit based on all that I had learned and actually self-published for 3 years until it was picked up by LifeWay. Being with LifeWay gave me a speaking platform and mentoring became my brand.

I continued attending Mt Hermon every chance I had because the contacts you make there are invaluable. You actually have meals with editors and agents and set private appointments with them to pitch your project. The fact that you make the effort and expense to attend impresses these editors who come to the conference specifically to find new projects. You also can send proposals ahead and have them critiqued or actually reviewed by an editor of your choice.

In 2003 my idea for Dear God, They Say It's Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey was picked up at Mt Hermon by Howard Books/Simon & Schuster editor. I actually knew when I left that conference that I was going to get a contract, and I did! This book opened the door for a series, and I'm currently writing Dear God, Why Can't I Have a Baby? for Leafwood Press. I also wrote another book with Howard Books, Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter.

I met my agent, Steve Laube, at Mt. Hermon and made many author friends over the years.


Having attended the conference several times, what advice do you have for writers considering attending the conference?

It can seem overwhelming and a bit intimidating at first. There is something going on every waking moment of the day so pace yourself. Go prepared: have proposals ready, be able to give your elevator speech and stay focused. Don't hesitate to approach editors and make appointments with them early in the conference, because that's what they are there for and their calendar will fill up.

Have fun. Dress casual with good walking shoes; it is a camp! It also could rain and the evenings are cool. Check the weather forecast because it's different every year. The food is wonderful, the people are friendly, and you will have a mountain top experience if you don't take rejection personally. I heard allot of no thank you's before the doors started to open, so believe in your project enough to stay persistent and enthusiastic.

Thank you Dan, Denise and Janet for sharing your experience from the Mount Hermon Writers Conference and for encouraging other writers to step out in faith, while taking it all in stride.

Kids (and Moms) Say The Darndest Things!

When I pictured motherhood, I imagined an infant in a clean onesie, a stroller that always looked like it came from the factory and sippy cups that never leaked on my couch.
Yeah. Hardy har har.

The baby showers ended in a flurry of pink and blue confetti then in the blink of an eye, my infants grew into chatter boxes...uh, I mean toddlers.

I knew all kids said funny things, that's why then made a tv show about it. So I expected cute nothings coming out of my little one's mouths...things like "Mommy, the clouds look like cotton candy."
"Yes dear." I'd pat their clean, well combed heads. "You're so adorable, innocent and calm."

But no one ever warned me for the insane things they would DO...resulting in the insane comments that would pop out of my mouth.

I'll share a few:

One day I glanced out the window to find my 3 year old with the hose in his hand. "Please stop watering the chickens." He looks at me like, You do it mommy.
So I'm forced to respond. "Yeah, well mommy does it only when the chickens eat her flowers. There's a difference."

And I'll never forget the embarrassing incident at the market when I had to say, "Levi, You don't pat men's tummys in the grocery store." He looks up at me with large, adorable, confused eyes and once out of earshot, I add, "I don't care how big it is."
I never imagined needing to apologize to a red suspendered man. "Sorry sir. I think he was trying to give you a high-five."
I toss a disapproving look to my son. Apparently sometimes temptation is just too much to take.

Then there's kiddo #2. His one-year-old sister is lighting-fast when it comes to stealing his things...the train off his tracks, the sippy cup from his lap. My son knits his eyebrows together and tells her, "No." Then he often turns to me and says, "Let's take her to the dump."

Believe me son, there's days I would like to. The girls lucky she's so cute. I'm certain that's why God made puppies and babies irresistibly adorable--survival.

I'll be out at a yard sale, or the store and a passerbyer might say, "How much for the little girl?" It's a common joke, you know, 99cents for a pound of apples, $2.00 for that old picture frame, $10 dollars for the kid. I pause as temptation pulls my response in two different directions. I look down at my toddler who is chewing on the box of cereal and has thrown her shoe out the cart two isles back.
My response is usual the same. "Depends on the day."
They smile.
"Somedays, she's priceless. Other days I'd trade ya for that Starbucks in your hand."
Which means, all I have to do is tell my mom "It's a half-price day," for her to know that its been busy, hectic, sticky, messy, squealy and stinky. She hugs me and says, "You're a great mom. I'm so glad I'm the grandma."


I'd love to hear the funny things your children...and their mother say, in hopes that I'm not the only one whose lost my mind (and any sliver of coolness I may have had). Share your stories by posting them in the comment box below and we'll all have a laugh :D

Lemonade Out Of Lemons

You know how people ask you "Where are you going on vacation this summer?"
My answer this year was always the same. "Yosemite!" I was soooo excited. We had just bought a new toyhauler and I had visions of lowering the back, having the breeze bounce off half dome and into my trailer bringing with it the smell of mountain wildflowers. I'd wave to hikers going by and pet little baby bears on the head while my husband wrestled with their mother. Ah. These were my visions of vacation. It was going to be perfect.

Before we left, I had asked Noah's mother what to expect of the drive up there since she'd just gone.
"Will it be green and lush?"
"It would be pretty dry until Fresno, dry in Fresno, then it starts to get pretty."
"Okay." I thought, translating that. "I can make it till Fresno before the great views show up." That's what Ipods are for, right?

Wrong. We drove and drove and drove and as we stared at the dead, dry landscape, I watched the "miles to Fresno" slowly shrink. "We're getting there!" Although the landscape wasn't much, we did enjoy all the acres of grapevines and fruit trees and as Fresno came and went, I rubbed my hands together in anticipation and I blew an imaginary kiss to half dome. Yosemite, here we come!

Between studying the CA map and the roadsigns, it suddenly occurred to me that our campground was mere miles away. 30 miles to go. Then 20, then 10. I continued to study the dry landscape. There were hardly any mountains and very few green trees. "Wow," I said to my husband. "That Yosemite just jumps right out at ya." As I scanned the hills for signs of half dome, I spotted another sign...we were almost there! With a puzzle in my brow, I stared at the map.

As we pulled off the highway into our campsite, we simply stared. I almost started crying. Our families got out of the cars and with mouths ajar, we studied our surrounding--then we started sweating and wiping our brows (another theme of the week). It was dry, dead and brown. No flowers. Hardly any trees.

Where were all the bears? The cabins? The hikers? "Mom," I said, afraid to hear the answer. "Where's Yosemite?" That's when we learned that due to road construction it would be another 3 and a half hours to the valley floor (that's just one way...and with a car full of toddlers). Are you kidding me? Had we really just driven nearly ten hours to camp for a week in a fire hazard?

So, with slow, sad movements, we mopped the sweat from our brows and started to set up camp. That's when we saw a girl walk by in a bathing suit. We followed her damp trail to the end of the campground only to find that a cool, clear creek flowed through the place. As quickly as we could, we threw on our suits and sank into the water. The kids played and splashed and we finally found relief from the hot campground. We didn't dry off for a week.

By the end of our vacation, my children had turned into fish and us adults had invented a game called "water soccer". With hockey-sized goals made out of bent willow, a ball and a half-dozen willing people, we proceeded to kick and splash each other until we were soaked and exhausted. With a few bruised ankles and one broken toe, we had more fun playing water soccer.

And my favorite memory, was one night when my mom, my aunt and I decided to play scrabble. It was one of those games where nothing was going right. You know the game when one player has all the Q's with no U (of course), another has all the vowels and another has all the consonants--with championship quality words like "put" and "hi" we were not getting anywhere. So being the scrabble enthusiasts and rule followers that we were, we decided to invent our own version of the game. There were only two rules: You could only use the letters sitting in your little wooden church pew & the word could NOT be found in the dictionary but must be accompanied with its corresponding definition :) Here's what we came up with:

JELON: (Jay-lawn) a Jello dish from France
TMTRY: (Tem-etry) a form of math, much harder than Trig (of course!)
ZOOO: (pronounced just as it sounds) a VERY LARGE zoo
BAOM: (Bay-om) Emeril's "Bam", but with a southern accent
ZEAD: A man from the old testament
GLAVT: A horse from the Lord of The Rings
my mom came up with the word ECNS and on my turn, I added a few letters making it QECNSOUX which of course made it French. It had to be the most fun we'd ever had playing scrabble.

Needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot that went the way we had planned that week, but all we could do was roll up our sleeves, have a laugh and make the best of it and by bending our expectations, we found out that we ended up having a lot of fun. It will be a vacation we never forget!

My Garden ~ Growing Potatoes

The hardest part about this blog post was not preparing my scraggly spuds for planting, it was looking up how to spell the word "potato". Growing Potatoes...hmm to "e" or not to "e" that is the question. Once I figured out how to spell that bugger of a word, I was ready to proceed with sharing my experience on growing potatoes.

I wish I could say that I have an abundant crop of potatoes enough to feed an army, but that's just not the case. I'm not quite sure where I have gone wrong, but they just don't seem very impressive...I mean, its quite clear from the photo that they are all large, of similar size and color, ok, just kidding.

So what spurred me onto the idea of growing potatoes? Well I read that potatoes are one of the worst vegetables to buy through conventional growers--meaning, they're quite covered in pesticides from the soil. Ick! And since I don't live near a farmer's market (sigh) I decided to dedicate some space in my garden to these multi-eyed babies.


This year, our garden contains red potatoes, russet and Yukon gold, one variety which is residing in a half-barrel so all we have to do is dump over the barrel once they're ready and harvest with ease. Its still too soon, but I'll be back to update this post on the success of that method. Seed potatoes come pre-sliced and ready to plant, but you can also buy organic potatoes, slice them in chunks and let the cuts dry out for a few days before planting. I've tried both methods and have had up and down results no matter what I try. So while I am still far from being crowned the spud expert, I think potato growing is fun and relatively simple. Now I just have to master the art of reaping in abundant crops of the little guys and I know that if I keep trying, in time I will!

The other day, I skimmed from several different locations to come up with our dinner and I think a mixture of different varieties makes for a nice presentation. We wrapped the potatoes, a handful of green beans, (both green and yellow!) and some amazingly good carrots--all from our garden =) in tinfoil, topped with garlic salt, pepper, and butter then cooked the little package on the BBQ. It made for a beautiful array of summer veggies, which I am quite proud to say that my children thoroughly enjoyed. (Woohoo! My kids eat vegetables.)

Disclaimer: they only really eat them if they are out of the garden. I guess that goes to show that there truly is a difference in taste! They plowed through my spring peas like they were candy, and fight over carrots that I pluck, rinse and offer them whole. My 1-year-old likes to hold them by the green tops, making for a rather droopy, difficult, yet completely adorable method of eating.

The point is, what my potato crop lacks in quantity, it makes up in taste and texture! The great thing about home grown potatoes, is that the skin is quite tender and very delicious. If you're not in the BBQ'ing mood, just rinse 'em carefully and cook them in a little water with the skin on, then saute them a minute with butter, salt and pepper and garlic or fresh herbs. I promise you, if you give potato growing a shot, you will not regret the quality of your home grown potatoes and will never look at those gigantic store bought spuds the same again.