TopA GOOD READ
Newsletter For Readers and Writers

April 2010

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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:An interview with DiAnn Mills, author of A Woman Called Sage.

In
Writing Wisdom
: Randy Ingermanson - writing a synopsis.

In What Am I Reading?: Announcement of the winners of last month's books and I  have another book you could win.

In Book Buzzings: Highlight of two recent novels, one by Mary Ellis and another by Mary Connealy.

Check Inspirational Insights to read my thoughts on neighbors.
 

Share this newsletter with your friends and 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 button on my websiteAlways remember: I value your presence here and the time you share with me.


 
Quality Quote



"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." --Plato


BuzzingsBook Buzzings
Yours and Mine
Share your five favorite books and their authors and I'll list them here. Use your first name or full name; whatever you prefer.

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Forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested in all things books.

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This month I highlight Never Far from Home by Mary Ellis and also The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy. Below is information about these books.



Title: Never Far from Home

Never FarAuthor: Mary Ellis

Genre: Inspirational Romance

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Release Date: January 2010

Mary's blog

Available at: www.christianbook.com


Emma Miller leaves childhood behind and enters the adult world. She's finished school, starts a wool business and longs for someone to court. The object of her affection is a handsome English sheep farmer. An engaging story about discovering that dreams planted close to home can grow a lasting harvest of hope and love.

 

Mary has two upcoming releases: The Way to a Man's Heart in July 2010 and Sarah's Christmas Miracle in August 2010.

 




Title: The Husband Tree (Book #2 of Montana Marriages Series)   Husband TreeAuthor: Mary Connealy

Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Release Date: January 2010

Mary's website

Available here


A fast approaching winter.
The toughest lady rancher you've ever seen.
A cynical cowboy who has to convince five women he's right for their ma. . .and then convince himself.
And one thousand head of the crankiest cattle that have ever been punched across the backbone of the Rockies.


 


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 GuestGab Guest Gab
Interview with DiAnn Mills
Author of A Woman Called Sage


This month I'm talking with DiAnn Mills, an award-winning author of fifty books in print who has sold 1.5 million copies. DiAnn has given me a copy of her novel, A Woman Called Sage, which I will have a drawing for April 25.

 

JO: Welcome, DiAnn. Please tell us a little about yourself.

MillsDIANN: My husband and I live in Houston, TX. We have four adult sons and two grandchildren--a little girl and a chubby baby boy. No pets! We travel so much that it wouldn't be fair to a dog. My husband and I work at home together in the same room, and we're still married! :) We've worked this way for about 14 years. If he's on a call, I simply pick up my laptop and go to another room. We do respect each other's work ethics. My husband helps me tremendously with the business aspect of writing. We're a great team. He reads my final manuscript before whisking it off to the publisher.

 

JO: What do you enjoying doing when you're not writing?

DIANN: Reading. Playing with the grandchildren. Cooking. Visiting with friends. Did I say play with the grandchildren?

 

JO: Can you tell us any fun thing about you that might surprise our readers?


DIANN: Hmm. I'm a bit of a daredevil when it comes to researching my novels. I went to Sudan to research When the Nile Runs Red, and I rode the line with the Border Patrol to research Sworn to Protect. For A Woman Called Sage, I didn't do anything exciting except hike in the Rocky Mountains. But I did look for wild animals! :)

 

JO:  How did you get involved in writing?

 

DIANN: I knew God wanted me to write, but I couldn't muster the courage to get started. But then my husband challenged me with a "Quit your job. See if you can get anything published." I took him up on it!

 

JO: Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?


DIANN: Although I have a dedicated office that I share with my husband, I often prefer a different room in the house that doesn't have paperwork staring me in the face.

 

JO: Please tell us about A Woman Called Sage.

 

SageDIANN: They took away everything she loved ... now, she's out for revenge. Sage Morrow had it all: life on a beautiful Colorado ranch, a husband who adored her, and a baby on the way. Until five ruthless gunmen rode up to their ranch and changed her life forever. Now Sage is a bounty hunter bent on retribution. Accompanied only by her majestic hawk, she travels throughout the Rocky Mountains in search of injustice, determined to stamp it out wherever it's found. The stakes are raised when two young boys are kidnapped and Sage is forced to work with Marshall Parker Timmons to rescue them. But Sage may ultimately get more than she bargained for. In this exciting historical romance set in the late 1800s, murder, intrigue, kidnapping, and questions of faith will keep you in suspense until the final pages.

A Woman Called Sage is set in the Colorado Rockies in the 1880s. The hero is Marshal Parker Timmons, and Sage doesn't even like lawmen.

 

JO: What takeaway value do you hope readers receive after reading your novel?

 

DIANN: Life's lessons are the hardest to learn, but God is faithful.

 

JO: Where did you get the idea for A Woman Called Sage?

 

DIANN: While hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I like strong women protagonists who are in nontraditional roles, and these women are not out to replace a man but to merely fulfill a job.

 

JO: Did you do extensive research for this book?

 

DIANN: I studied about Ute Indians. Read lots of books about the area. And I made two hiking trips into the area of the Colorado Rockies where the novel is set.

 

JO: How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book?

 

DIANN: I've been writing all of my life but only seriously since 1996. My first book was released in 1998.

 

JO: How do you find time to write?

 

DIANN: I make the time to write. I'm disciplined and scheduled--maybe to a fault. :) This is my job and my ministry.

 

JO: What are you working on now?

 

DIANN: A suspense novel set in 1935 in the high desert area of New Mexico.

 

JO: What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

 

DIANN: 1) Pray; 2) Read in the genre that you want to write; 3) Read the how-to-write books and read them again; 4) Attend writer's conferences and participate; and 5) Write everyday.

 

JO: Please tell our readers where they can get A Woman Called Sage.

 

DIANN: Any place where books are sold.

 

JO: Where can our readers find you?

 

DIANN:  www.diannmills.com

 

DiAnn, thank you for spending time with us and for this interesting interview. Thank you for the copy of A Woman Called Sage, which one of our readers will win in the drawing on April 25.

 

 

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WhatReadingWhat Am I Reading?

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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It's easy to forward this newsletter to your friends: at the end of this email click "Forward Email."

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Someone asked how I select the winner in my drawings. I do the drawings with a computer program that randomly selects the winners. No pulling names out of a hat!!
 
The winner of last month's copy of Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by Lauralee Bliss is Dennis (dbates34...@...) Congratulations!

The winner of The Big 5-0h! by Sandra D. Bricker is Virginia (taylorj...@...) Congratulations!

Please email me your mailing addresses so I can get your book to you right away.

If you didn't win this month, see below for news about another book giveaway.

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This month on April 25th I'll draw a winner from all current subscribers for a copy of A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills.

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CeeCeeI've recently read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, Viking Publishers, 2010, 306 pages. This story about a young girl from a dysfunctional family is both funny and heartbreaking. When her mother dies and CeeCee moves to Savannah to live with her Great Aunt Tootie, she feels unfairly uprooted. She has no desire to move from her home in Ohio. CeeCee finds healing and friendship among the Southern ladies of Savannah. Hoffman captures CeeCee's insecurities and sadness and allows them to unfold from their hold on her while she marvels at the wisdom and kindness she discovers from her new friends. The vivid characters will keep you chuckling even while you feel each of CeeCee's fears and heartaches. Hoffman's descriptions of people and places become indelibly imprinted in your mind and heart. A good read.

 



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WritingWisdomWriting Wisdom
Writing the Synopsis
by Randy Ingermanson

Randy IngermansonThis month's tips on writing a synopsis come from Randy Ingermanson, the "Snowflake Guy."



Two pages of synopsis, single-spaced, with 1-inch margins, in a nice 12-point type such as Times New Roman, will do you just fine.

 

It's hard to squeeze the storyline down that far if you insist on summarizing every scene. Therefore, don't. Use each paragraph of your synopsis to summarize a whole sequence of scenes (say 3 to 5 scenes). This means some scenes will be ignored and others will get two or three sentences. You are smart and will know which is which.

 

Allow yourself one or two paragraphs at the beginning of the synopsis to give the story backdrop and maybe a little backstory about your main character. After that, just tell the darned story and resist the urge to explain.


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Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "The Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine 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


horseAn out-of-towner accidentally drives his car into a deep ditch on the side of a country road. Luckily a farmer happened by with his big old horse named Benny. The man asked for help and the farmer said Benny could pull his car out.

So he backed Benny up and hitched him to the man's car bumper. Then he yelled, "Pull, Nellie, pull!" Benny didn't move.

Then he yelled "Come on, pull, Ranger!" Still, Benny didn't move.

Then he yelled really loud, "Now pull, Fred....pull hard!" Benny just stood there.

Then the farmer nonchalantly said, "OK, Benny...now pull." Benny pulled the car out of the ditch. 


The man was very appreciative but curious. He asked the farmer, "I really appreciate that, but why did you call your horse by the wrong name three times?"


The farmer answered, "Why, old Benny's blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn't even try."

 


InspThoughtsInspirational Insight
Who is Our Neighbor?
by Jo Huddleston

 

Last month we looked at the Bible verse that tells us to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Well, just who is our neighbor? The Merriam Webster Online dictionary gives two definitions: 1) one living or located near another and 2) fellow man. The dictionary then defines fellow man as a kindred human being. So, thinking on both of these definitions, is our neighbor the folks living next door; or maybe across the street; or maybe on down the street? Or perhaps across town or in another neighborhood?

Most of us know the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). In that parable an expert of the law asked Jesus "who is my neighbor?" Jesus defines our neighbor as anyone in need. Anyone in need. We hear about the poor, the struggling. But if we don't witness this first-hand, maybe we're convinced it isn't real.

Stability . . . Security . . . Comfort. Easy words to say if we possess them. Distant goals for some who don't.

I encourage us all to recognize the neighbor, the kindred human being we can love, offering help and hope, based on true compassion. After all, that's how the Good Samaritan did it. Do we need a better example to follow?


 







� 2010 Jo Huddleston. All rights reserved.


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