Connections

Hello! I invited a fellow author to craft this week's blog post. I always talk about how I feel I live a connected life. The people I know and meet. The opportunities I have had. The places I've lived. Even the two men God brought into my life. I met Bettie Boswell over ten years ago in Ohio. Now, we have reconnected through our publisher, Mt. Zion Ridge Press. So when Bettie talked about "connections," I was all in. Enjoy the post and be sure to share those "unexpected connections" you've experienced in your own life in the comments!  

 Connections

by Bettie Boswell

I'm very honored to be Rebecca's guest blogger this week. She was in the first writing group that I officially joined over ten years ago. At that time, Rebecca was a published author. I was a dreamer, hoping a piece I'd written would one day find a home. Many years and miles now separate us, but we still have a connection through social media. When she asked me to write the blog, I was excited to be here for her and you, her readers.

The group we attended consisted of Christian fiction writers. We drove from the far edges of Ohio and congregated at a church not far from the state capital. We needed each other for the encouragement, support, and shared plates of cookies. (That was long before Zoom!)

People need connections. We all need others who have similar interests.

The writing group gave me the boost to believe in my stories. One of my tales faced a societal battle that I needed to conquer. They showed me how to conquer, surround, and retell the story while keeping the heart of the manuscript true to its characters. Eventually, that manuscript became one of a series of novels, but first, I had to find a publisher. I didn't know at the time that they were sitting across the table from me. 

My writing started with a connection to reading. My mother and grandmother influenced me to become a dedicated reader of Christian fiction. As a teen, that meant Grace Livingston Hill books and a few clean books pre-read and approved by my mother. College kept me busy with textbooks and dating, followed by marriage and starting a family. Then one Christmas my mother gave me a subscription for Christian romance books. I loved those short, sweet stories. I felt a connection to these Christian flavored tales. After my kids were teens, I decided, I could write something like these books I'd been reading. 

So I did.

I took that first story to a Christian writing conference, hoping to connect with a publisher. I returned home, discouraged. A few months later I decided to study the writing craft. Afterall, I wrote lessons for my students every day and had to take classes to improving my teaching. So, I engaged in studying writing. 

Since I taught young ones daily, I focused on writing for children. The things I learned in those workshops and from the monthly writing group helped. I discovered good writing is good writing whether written for children or adults. Through the classes on writing children's stories, I made connections that led to two work-for-hire chapter books. 

I was excited. Those two short books gave me some writing credits. 

Still, in the back of my mind, I wanted that first novel manuscript to find a home. I started sending my novel out on submission and receiving rejections. When I received feedback, I rewrote the manuscript before trying again.

If you are thinking about being a writer, the critique process can be brutal for a sensitive soul. I had to get over myself and concentrate on improving my craft. The group connection helped immensely. 

Then two members of that first group I joined, Michelle Levigne, a college trained editor, and Tamera Lynn Kraft, an accomplished author,  decided to start their own publishing company. They had the skills. 

They now have published my On Cue Series consisting of Free to Love, On Cue, and Hoping for Treasure. All three books center on an historical home that was once part of the Underground Railroad. 

Mt. Zion Ridge Press has also published three of my "Forest Glen Suspense" stories: Hidden Names, Hidden Witness, and Hidden Talent, as well as, multiple children's books. Connections.

Years ago, Rebecca and I connected as we sat across the table from each other. Today, we share a publisher, Mt. Zion Ridge Press. Who would have guessed our long-ago connection would lead to where we are today. 

Will you connect with us by reading our stories and reviewing them on Amazon, Goodreads, or other places? 

Bio:

Bettie Boswell has always loved reading and writing. That interest helped her create musicals for church and school students. Eventually she decided to write and illustrate stories to share with the world. Her publications extend from short books for children (currently 11) to Christian adult novels (currently 6) and from fiction to non-fiction.  Her other works also include magazine articles, and contributions to lesson plan collections, devotionals, and short story anthologies. She is a minister's wife, church musician, former teacher for preschool to college students, mother of two grown men, a daughter-in-law and a grandma of three. She loves the arts and shares her doodles, and photography from her daily walks, on social media.

https://sites.google.com/view/bettieboswellauthorillustrator/home

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0B4PP1L4M

https://mtzionridgepress.com/product-category/authors/bettie-boswell/

https://www.facebook.com/bettie.boswell