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 Welcome and thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. Whether you're a reader or writer or both, I hope you'll find things here that interest you. Each month you'll receive guest author interviews or articles, inspirational thoughts, book reviews, new book releases, readers' recipes if you want them, writing tips and more. In this issue our guest columnist in Guest Gab is Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He writes "Whatever Happened to Modesty?" Our tips in Writing Wisdom come from Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy." He shows us "A Roadmap for Your Writing Career." In What Am I Reading? I write about Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins. I look forward to hearing from you about what you're reading and about your new book releases.
Do you have anything you'd like to see in future issues of this newsletter? I want to hear from you so please email me. I will personally respond to all mail and I look forward to your feedback. Please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends (they won't be added to any list). At the bottom of this page you'll see a place to conveniently forward this newsletter. Always remember: I value your presence here and the time you share with me. |
| Quality Quote |
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| "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught."
-J.C. Watts, former U.S. Representative |
| Book Buzzings |
| Yours and Mine |
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In each issue of A GOOD READ I will keep you up to date with any news about my writing. I'll also post your newly released books (since January 2008) if you'll let me know about them. Please, no erotica or pornography. Send me the title, your name, publisher, date of release, a graphic of the book's front cover in jpg format and a short blurb about the book (50 words max).
Although I have a few published nonfiction books and some short stories, I haven't published a novel. Well, you're among the first to know: I just finished the manuscript of my first novel and am now beginning to shop it with agents, which is usually a lengthy process (meaning I'm looking for a literary agent willing to represent the book to publishers). Because of our current challenging economy the process will likely be even slower. The blurb for the book is "Like a pebble tossed into still water, what they did at Caney Creek spawned ripples that touched five lives and stretched over twenty years." Oh, yes, the title of my novel is Caney Creek. -Jo
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| Guest Gab |
Whatever Happened to Modesty?
by Michael Hyatt |
 Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, watched the MTVs VMA awards last year because some of his daughters' friends were in a band that was nominated for an award. Since it had been a while since he'd seen MTV, he was "flabbergasted" at the sensuality and decadence he witnessed. What he saw saddened and shocked him. Below is what he wrote on his blog on September 8, 2008 about that MTV experience:
Whatever Happened to Modesty?
"I am the father of five daughters. So perhaps I'm just a little overly sensitive. . . . Regardless, it got me to thinking, Where are these girls fathers? Has anyone ever taught them the concept of modesty? Or have all the men in their lives simply exploited them as sex objects?
"Don't get me wrong; I'm not a prude. But I do think some basic guidelines are in order. These are not rules about skirt length or the amount of cleavage you can show. I'm just not a very good legalist; they are simply guidelines.
"I gave these to my girls when they were growing up. Frankly, they haven't been perfect in following them. Modern culture exerts a powerful influence. Nevertheless, I wanted them to have something that would transcend current fashion and guide their attire once they were older and, perhaps, a little wiser.
"Here they are: 'Four Guidelines for Modesty':
1. If you have trouble getting into it or out of it, it is probably not modest.
2. If you have to be careful when you sit down or bend over, it is probably not modest.
3. If people look at any part of your body before looking at your face, it is probably not modest.
4. If you can see your most private body parts or an outline of those parts under the fabric, it is probably not modest.
"If you think these guidelines are helpful, you might want to pass them along to the young women you know. Evidently, not many are getting the message elsewhere." © 2008, Michael S. Hyatt. Used by Permission. Originally posted at www.michaelhyatt.com.
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| What Am I Reading? |
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In each issue of A GOOD READ I will tell you about what I'm reading or have just read. Let me know what you've read that really bowled you over, tell us why in about 100 words and I'll include it here; giving your name is optional. Again, please no erotica or pornography.
 I've just read Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins, Book 1 in the Kanner Lake series, Zondervan,2006. Brandilyn Collins writes Seatbelt Suspense® and in Violet Dawn Collins lives up to her trademark. She builds suspense from the start, weaves the plot expertly, shows us real, believable characters and adds a sprinkling of faith. Paige Williams, twenty-five, is running away from her past, hoping to guard her true identity while living in Kanner Lake, a small town in Idaho. She has no family, makes up her history to anybody who asks and longs for a friend. Her past makes her insecure and every day she hopes she won't be found. Throughout the book Collins gives us glimpses of the past Paige is trying to lose; the past that culminates in Paige's wish to belong. But after a month in her new town, Paige becomes enmeshed in a no-win situation that equals or perhaps surpasses the life-threatening danger she flees. Violet Dawn is a story of murder and deception. The murderer, who walks free in Kanner Lake, frames this vulnerable young lady for his crime using the truth of her past to further implicate her. Fasten your seatbelt and hang on while Collins keeps you turning pages until the very last one. A good read. |
| Writing Wisdom |
A Roadmap for Your Writing Career
by Randy Ingermanson |
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"What's the dirtiest word in a writer's lexicon? Think about that for a minute before you read on. What's the worst thing you can call a fellow writer?
"Ready? Here's what I think the answer is, or at least it's what many writers would say: 'Unpublished.'
"I've met a ton of writers at writing conferences. To break the ice, I usually ask them what they're working on. They'll spend ten minutes telling me all about their novel. Then, if they've not sold a book yet, they'll hang their heads like they're admitting to being a drug dealer or a congress-critter and mutter, 'But I'm (shudder) unpublished.'
"Let's agree up front to dump that word. I've got a better one. When I was in college, I knew a lot of students who were hoping to get into med school. Some of them eventually made it. Some didn't. But here's the thing: I never heard any of them saying they were 'unmedical' students. They said they were 'pre-med.'
"I don't want to ever again hear anyone saying they're 'unpublished.' In this E-zine, I'm going to insist on the word 'pre-published.'
"Why is this important? Because the way you think about yourself influences whether you succeed or not. And how long it takes you to succeed.
"I spent about 16 years pre-published (counting from the day I decided I was gonna write me a novel till the day I saw one of my novels on the bookstore shelf.) That's not at all uncommon. I've got friends who took longer. I've got friends who did it much quicker. I took way too long, and I suspect my own attitude had a lot to do with it. If you've read the 'Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Author' article on my web site, you know that I believe it should take about four years to get to publishable quality in your fiction. Some writers will be quicker, some slower, but four years is reasonable.
"Learning to write is hard work, and if you don't like that, then quit. Quitting IS easy and you'll get to watch more TV and probably have a better love life. You just won't ever get published,but you won't really care, or you'd be willing to do what it takes. Am I right or am I right? I'm right."
Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 13,000 readers, every month. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com. Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.
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| Clean Chuckle |
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 One early morning a dad and his young son were in the truck on their way to a fishing hole.
"Dad," the boy said, "look at that pretty sunrise."
"You're right, it sure is pretty," his dad said.
"And just think, Dad, God made it with His left hand."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, He had to make the sunrise with His left hand because Jesus is sitting on His right hand."
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| Inspirational Insight |
Happy New Year
by Jo Huddleston |
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Each January brings us 365 days on a new calendar. We can start over once again. A new year causes many to look backward instead of forward. They see during the past year wasted opportunities and bungled performances. And resulting guilt sometimes chokes their desire to try again.
But author Max Lucado approaches guilt with a positive outlook. He writes in A Gentle Thunder that feeling guilt is not a tragedy. He comments, "But is guilt so bad? What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong, that we aspire to be better than we are . . . . To feel guilt is no tragedy; to feel no guilt is."
Let's don't dwell on what might have been, but on what can be. Our field of view is limited. We can't see through to the end of the coming twelve months. Not until this time next year can we know all that was in store for us in 2009. But perhaps we'll each have input in writing the ending. While we're writing new chapters in the book of our life, let's be careful to produce good reading material. Let's write all our chapters in a worthy manner.
Here's hoping each day of 2009 is a happy one with few regrets.
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| Readers' Recipes |
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A celebrity gal said, "I don't cook and I don't care." That's me...no, not the celebrity part, the "I don't cook" part. So if you'd like to see recipes in this newsletter, send me your favorite. I'll randomly draw one for inclusion in each newsletter issue and print whose recipe it is. Please limit your attribution underneath your name to two lines.
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| Suggestion Box |
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If you have suggestions or comments concerning this newsletter's content, please let me hear from you. Send me an email.
© 2009, Jo Huddleston. All Rights Reserved. |
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