TopA GOOD READ
Newsletter For Readers and Writers

October 2009

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Welcome and thank you for sharing your time with me. Those of you who signed up for my newsletter since last month, thank you for subscribing.
 
Jo HuddlestonThis month in Guest Gab I interview Christina Berry, author of The Familiar Stranger. Our Writing Wisdom
tips come from Dana Lynn Smith, Book Marketing Coach. In What Am I Reading?  I announce the winner of last month's book, I  have another book you could win and one of you and I each review a book we've read. In Book Buzzings I highlight a novel by Michelle Griep and also give you an update on my novel. Check Inspirational Insights to read my thoughts on memories.
 
At the bottom of this page you'll see a place where you can conveniently forward this newsletter to share it with your friends (they won't be added to any list unless they subscribe to the newsletter). If you have any comments or suggestions about this newsletter, please email me.  
 
You can take a look at earlier newsletters by clicking the Archive box on my websiteAlways remember: I value your presence here and the time you share with me.


 
Quality Quote
 
"I cannot but remember such things were,
That were most precious to me."
William Shakespeare, author (1564-1616), Macbeth, Act iv. Sc. 3

 


BuzzingsBook Buzzings
Yours and Mine
Send me your five favorite novels and their authors and I'll list them here. Your first name or full name; whatever you prefer.

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Update
on my novel, Caney Creek: I wrote here last month that two people--a literary agent and a dear writer-friend--gave me some tips on improving my manuscript. I've reworked about half of the manuscript and will let you know when I'll be contacting agents again.

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This month I highlight Gallimore, a novel by Michelle Griep (www.mmgriep.com).  Below is information about her book.

GallimoreTitle: Gallimore
Author: Michelle Griep
Genre: Historical/Speculative
Publisher: Black Lyon Publishing
Release date: December 2008
Available at Amazon.com

Going into battle, Colwyn Haukswyrth, knight of Gallimore, faces a ferocious storm and a woman in its midst who claims to live centuries in the future. Jessica Neale lost her faith the day her husband died, but she's about to turn Colwyn's beliefs on end, forming a bond that might be strong enough to survive the grave.


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 GuestGab Guest Gab
Interview with Christina Berry
Author of The Familiar Stranger
 
This month I'm talking with Christina Berry, author of The Familiar Stranger, her debut novel, from Moody Publishers. Christina has given me a copy of her book and one of you subscribers will win the book for their library. You can visit with Christina at her website.
 
JO: Christina, welcome! Thank you for the copy of your new book. Please tell us a little about C Berryyourself.
 
CHRISTINA: As a single mom and foster parent, I try to make my children know they are loved and are my first priority, but that sometimes means Mommy can't play a game because she has to work. Everything I do, I do for them. Currently I'm balancing substitute teaching jobs, freelance editing, and writing with cleaning, cooking, and normal living. I hold a BA in literature, yet I love a good calculus problem as well.

JO: What fun facts may surprise our readers about you?
 
CHRISTINA: I was the team captain and second answerer in the speed round for our family on Family Feud in 2000 ... and we won! Also, I grew up in Nigeria, West Africa, while my parents were Southern Baptist missionaries. I remember being awed at the selection of toilet paper in the grocery store when we returned to the States.
 
JO: What would you be doing with your free time if you weren't writing?
 
CHRISTINA: I would be reading the way I did years ago. Book after beautiful book. I've found budgeting time to write, blog, and market leaves very little time for pleasure reading. I also enjoy playing simple songs from musicals Oklahoma or Sound of Music on the piano. Maybe I'd even sit down with my kids and squish Play Dough� with them now and again.
 
JO: Tell us about your book.
 
CHRISTINA: Craig Littleton has decided to end his marriage with his wife, Denise, but an accident lands him in the ICU with Fam Strangerfuzzy memories. As Denise helps him remember who he is, she uncovers dark secrets. Will this trauma create a fresh start? Or has his deceit destroyed the life they built together? Despite the upheaval, the choices they make involving forgiveness and trust might allow a new beginning. Or ... they might not.

JO: For many of us forgiveness is difficult. Can you suggest how we can forgive more easily, not only in troubled marriages but in everyday life?
 
CHRISTINA: I think we tend to believe we must hold people accountable for their "sins" or they might feel like they're getting away with hurting us. To a certain degree, that may be true, but once someone has come to us with a contrite heart--or I suppose even if they never do--we have to give up trying to control their decisions and actions. Another way to put it is to look at the situation "selfishly." How am I going to live my life? With suspicion? In anger? On guard? Or am I going to give up the feelings of "deserving better" than whatever life has served me and choose to trust, let go, and live in joy?
 
JO: I really like the cover of the book. How did you come up with the story?
 
CHRISTINA: In the summer of 2006, two stories appeared in the newspaper. One was a huge, national story; the other a smaller, local-interest item. I wondered what it might look like if those two stories conceived a child. Boom! I had the entire plot for The Familiar Stranger. It will be interesting to see if readers can figure out which stories inspired the book.
 
Though the plot of The Familiar Stranger came from news stories, I'd been looking for a fictional vehicle to express the lessons I'd learned regarding forgiveness in my own marriage. I knew no one was interested in reading my particular story, but I still felt God had given me something to say. My husband and I worked through a major issue six years ago and found a vibrant, completely renewed marriage on the other side.
 
However, seven months ago, that same issue broke our bond. Now as a newly-single woman, I'm in the midst of promoting a book that touches far closer to home than I would have ever dreamed. If no one else ever reads it, I've been convicted and encouraged by my own words. If that isn't a gracious God at work, I don't know what is!
 
JO: What takeaway value do you hope readers receive after reading your novel?
 
CHRISTINA: The recent changes in my life--losing my husband, facing finding a "real" job, selling my home--have done nothing but solidify what I hope to be the theme of the book and my life: Live Transparently-Forgive Extravagantly. If reading The Familiar Stranger makes even one man or woman be more honest with his or her spouse or delve into trust issues in a healthy way, I'll consider my book a success. Maybe there's a hurting heart that can find a new path to forgiveness because of the story.
 
JO: Where do you write--the kitchen table, a little nook, a corner, an office?
 
CHRISTINA: Anywhere I can! I have a desktop computer in my office, which is attached to my master suite. Sitting there makes me feel like I'm really a writer. Most of the time, though, I feel like a mom who happens to write, which is when my laptop comes in handy. I might start on a kitchen stool, move to the couch, settle on my bed, and then sit at the dining room table in one day's work. I've also been known to run a battery out at the park while the kids play.
 
JO: What are you working on now?
 
CHRISTINA:  I'm about 1/5 of the way through my next manuscript, Unafraid, a story about a girl's kidnapping, and how her life unfolds because of the trauma. One of my characters is a Private Investigator, so I'm having loads of fun with the research.
 
JO: Do you have any advice for other writers?
 
CHRISTINA: Yes. (1) Read craft (of writing) books; I have a list of my favorites on the sidebar of my blog; (2) write consistently; (3) join a critique group; (4) attend writing conferences; and (5) be open to criticism because one always has room to grow!
 
JO: How can our readers purchase your book?
 
CHRISTINA: You can purchase my book at Christianbook.com and at Amazon.com.
 
You can also have any bookstore order copies for you if they don't have any in stock.

JO: Thank you, Christina, for spending time with us and for such an interesting interview. You can visit with Christina at her website.
 

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WhatReadingWhat Am I Reading?

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 impressed you, tell why in about 100 words and I'll include it here. Giving your name is optional.

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Wanda in Vermont emailed me about a book she enjoyed reading: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Three CupsRelin, Penguin Books, 2007. Below are Wanda's comments. Thanks, Wanda.
 
In 1993, Greg Mortenson, an American, attempted and failed in his quest to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain. Locals in the high altitudes of North Pakistan rescued him. While recuperating, Mortenson observed school children seated in a circle on the ground. They began their school day with the Pakistani national anthem then worked arithmetic problems in the dirt with a sharp stick.
 
Mortenson promised the village chief, "I will build a school."  Mortenson wanted this done "yesterday" but the chief advised him to do as the locals did "to share three cups of tea, to slow down." In ten-plus years, he supervised the building of more than 50 schools.
 
The story is NOT a political essay, but IS a great civics lesson and should be required reading for every school child in our country.

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Beyond MomentThe winner of last month's autographed copy of Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander is jenw...5@... Congratulations! I'll email you with details about receiving your book.
 
If you didn't win this month, see below for news about another giveaway.


 

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This month, on October  25, I'll draw a winner from all current subscribers for a copy of The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry.
 
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I enjoyed reading 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey, Revell Publishers, Don Piper2004, 208 pages. This true story of Don Piper being pronounced dead and then living again is one that will probably interest those who claim to be nonreligious as well as those who profess to be religious. The description of his heavenly visit covers the subsequent ninety minutes following a car crash. The book then covers Don's medical and physical trials and triumphs after the accident. The book's greatest message is one of survival and recovery through faith, hope and gritty determination. The well written narrative by Don Piper and Cec Murphey makes this a strong, interesting read. A good read.
 


WritingWisdomWriting Wisdom
Promoting Your Book
by Dana Lynn Smith
Book Marketing Coach

DanaVirtual reader communities are a specialized type of social networking site where readers and authors network, and readers recommend books to others. Many reader community sites allow authors to set up a profile page, create a "friends" network, and join groups composed of readers and authors of a particular genre. 

For authors of fiction and children's books, reader communities such as GoodreadsLibraryThing, and JacketFlap may be even more effective than the more general social networking sites like Facebook. For a list of reader communities, visit http://bit.ly/readers

 
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Reprinted with permission. Dana Lynn Smith, the Book Marketing Maven, develops book marketing plans for nonfiction books. For more book marketing tips, visit the Book Marketing Maven blog and check out The Savvy Book Marketer Guides

 

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Clean Chuckle

Dog foodWhen dog food is "new and improved" and better tasting, who tests it?
 
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Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.publicityhound.com and receive by email the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press Release."

 

InspThoughtsInspirational Insight
Memories
by Jo Huddleston

Recently I enjoyed a Dove milk chocolate nugget. The inside of its wrapper held these words: "Life is all about making memories." Well, life is not all about making memories, but we do create memories as we live life.
 
Scrapbooking is a favorite pastime of many these days. In a thick book with sturdy blank pages, we can collect a lifetime of pleasant keepsakes. Later we'll drag out the old scrapbook and delightfully relive our good times through its pages. In my teens and 20s I kept a scrapbook although not as elaborate as those kept today. But what I kept in my scrapbook is no different than those of today: good memories.
 
Who would want to keep things that would remind us of bad memories? Probably nobody. We would rather forget those bad memories. We try to push them into oblivion so we won't have to relive them. About the only value of bad memories is that we can learn from them so we won't stumble into the same situation that brought about the bad memory. You know, experience is the best teacher.
 
So, don't recall past mistakes and bad judgments. That would only serve to sour your todays and hit you with a negative attitude that is sometimes difficult to adjust. When we mentally review our life we can fill volumes with bad memories but don't keep them in your mind's scrapbook. Promise yourself that you won't dwell on negative things you may have stumbled over. Try to push them away to make room for the many good memories you have. You'll be happier and probably make those around you happier as well. "Remember this,--that very little is needed to make a happy life."-Marcus Aurelius, author (121-1-80), Meditations, vii. 67.
 
I'll leave you with this:
"Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad."
--Christina Georgina Rossetti, author (1830-1894)



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