Flirting, Dating, & Getting Engaged

I realize the title of this post sounds a bit risqué for a Christian author. It is, however, to the point. As writers we think of ourselves as isolated word wizards, hammering away, trying to capture the stories we see playing out in our heads. We envision handing our precious manuscripts over to a wise and caring publisher who reads every word we have written. Our dream is that our words paint such a memorable and vivid picture, the creative juices of our publishing team will pour everything they have into fashioning our great work into a book and marketing it with pizazz. Get real.

Today’s author needs to think about more than writing. Part of the author’s job is to market the book. For many, marketing means advertising, maintaining a presence on social media, arranging book signings, and speaking engagements. Todays post looks at the book itself and what you as an author can do beforethe book is published to garner the attention of your audience. 

As in any relationship, there are various stages. Put yourself in the place of the reader.

Flirting: Think about it. You pick up a book, take a look at the cover and turn the book over. You read the back cover and see if you're interested in investing in this relationship. As an author you need to give attention to the design of the book cover. Will you have total control over this? Probably not, but you willhave a say. What feel do you want your book to have? Are there colors or textures you think connect to your story? Think about the cover as you write the book. Fiction or non-fiction-both require a compelling cover.

You also need to write the copy for the back cover. This may be harder to write than your book. It is, after all, the ultimate pick-me-up line.

Another way authors flirt with their readers is by posting quotes from their books on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites. These teasers don’t give away the story, but hint at the possibilities. Begin posting these quotes about a month prior to your release date.

Dating: This is the getting-to-know-you-a-bit-better stage. Some authors do that by sending out excerpts, a first chapter, or offering potential readers a synopsis. When you do this, be sure to refer to your work by its title or as “the book” instead of “my book.” No one wants to remain in a relationship with a narcissistic author.

Since Breathing on Her Own was my debut novel, I decided to offer a sort of “blind date” to potential readers. I wrote four short pieces for the blog A Novel Creation. These stories introduced readers to my characters a month prior to the book release. To view a sample of one of these stories, click on this story about Travis and Molly. http://rebeccaawaters.blogspot.com/2014/02/meet-travis-breakfast-with-characters.html

And since viewing these stories was something of a “blind date,” I pitched in on part of the “tab.” Readers were encouraged to share the post and email me with how they did that. I drew a name each week and one lucky reader received a $5 gift card to Starbucks. I think the dating game was successful. My blog views doubled the first week and new readers subscribed. Growth continued in the following weeks. I’ve had readers of the book tell me they first met characters through the blog and one reader was trying to remember if “the McDonald’s story was part of the novel or not.”

Getting Engaged: Okay, if you are a reader, you reach a point where you're ready to commit to this relationship. You buy the book or download it on your Kindle or Nook. You need to see how this story plays out. For writers this is the moment you have dreamed of all your writing life.  You want your readers to come to you on bended knee. Or at least with your book in hand. And if he should offer a review? Break out the sparkling grape juice. This one’s a keeper. 

Hmm…maybe I should consider a romance novel. At least I have a few of the pieces in place.

  

The book, Breathing on Her Own, is the story of a woman coming face-to-face with her crumbling faith when she learns her adult daughter, driving under the influence, has had an accident, leaving one woman dead and another seriously injured. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Note to Readers: 

This has been a tough week. My cousin lost her husband to COVID-19. I must admit my heart was not in my writing. I originally crafted this offering as a guest post for the Book Loft in 2014.

Getting Through This Together...Apart (or Why Retirees Know How to Handle This Season of Our Lives)

The pandemic we know as the coronavirus, COVID-19, is a worldwide health concern. The effects are far reaching. My prayers are with those who have contracted the virus as well as their families. 

It is a difficult time. For all of us.

Most of us are practicing “social distancing.” For those who live alone it is a time of forced isolation. Isolation, quarantine, or social distancing comes with potential pitfalls and maybe, just maybe, a few benefits.

Stay with me here. This is not my typical post.

Let’s start with a little deliberate self-care. A friend of mine complained to me on the phone that she was fatigued. She couldn’t understand why. “I know I’m getting enough sleep,” she said. “In fact, I’ve been sleeping in now that I don’t have to be anywhere.” It turns out she’s been staying in her pajamas the whole day and napping in the afternoon. (Okay, I’ll admit as a teenager I used to dream of days like that.)

This brings us to the point of deliberate self-care. During this time of isolation follow these steps for good physical and mental health:

·      Establish a routine. Get up and go to bed at regular hours and keep to your schedule.

·      Establish something that occurs weekly to help you remember what day it is…seriously. For example, I “go to church” (online) on Sundays. 

·      Eat right and exercise. Get outside and walk or break out those weights you bought on a whim and put them to work.

And these next two are extremely important:

·      Before you go to bed each evening, list two to three tasks you’d like to complete the following day.

·      When you get up in the morning, get dressed…and don’t forget to put on your shoes. Curiously enough, putting on your shoes is a “step” in the right direction. (Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun.) There really is a psychological benefit to putting your shoes on each morning.

Once I’m up and dressed, I have my breakfast while I read my Bible. I review the list I made the night before and I enter the day with a sense of purpose.

Most of the physical and mental I’ve put into practice for years. It was part of learning to manage retirement.

There is more. Taking care of ourselves physically and mentally is good, but we also need to take care of our emotional and social well being. I’m offering these ideas. Feel free to try one or more as you like:

Easter Egg Hunt 2020

Miss seeing your family and friends?

·      Phone calls are great, but changing to a video chat is more satisfying. You can use an app on your phone or a free computer application such as Zoom to connect with others. My mother, daughters, and I played a shared game on our computers the other night while we used Face Time to chat and talk a little smack while we played. (playingcards.io) My Bible study group meets on Zoom every Tuesday.

·      If that’s too techie for you then try sitting down and writing a letter or card to someone. Trust me, the recipient will be thrilled. I received a letter from my grandson. That was one trip to the mailbox I will cherish. And I have the letter to relive the moment.

·      Need some “real live” face-to-face time? Get creative. This past week I attended a “block party” in my neighborhood. It was “Bring your own beverage, bring your own chair, stay in your own space.” Everyone attending had a designated area on the driveway with sidewalk chalk to write our names on our space. 

And this week, my daughter and son-in-law brought their girls over to my house for an Easter egg hunt. Kendall hid eggs in my back yard then my granddaughters hunted them. I watched from my balcony and cheered them on.  What fun!

·      Of course social media helps, but too much internet like too much television will leave you drained.

The Start of my Barn Painting

Finally, you may consider engaging in a hobby or interest: get those photos in albums or write your memoir. Draw a picture or practice the piano sitting in the corner. It's that big piece of furniture you haven't touched in years. 

Time can be a gift. One we often toss about loosely or waste altogether.

All eight of my grandchildren seem to be thriving. They are enjoying the extended family time. Perhaps one day when they are moms and dads themselves, they’ll look back and say, “Remember that time when school was closed and we had so much fun with our parents. I want that for my family.”

What are you doing during this time of social distancing?

            

Hidden Treasures

Connecting

I have done my best to stay in contact with people during this time of isolation. I’ve called friends to check in on them, I’ve kept in touch with my family daily and connected with others on Face Book. My Bible study group is meeting online. I may not see many people face-to-face, well, at least no closer than six feet apart, but I don’t feel alone.

Embracing

I’m also trying to embrace this time of isolation doing all those things on the “to do” list. We all have that list somewhere, even if we carry it around in our heads. So far, I’ve cleaned out cabinets and my office has never looked better. I’m painting a picture and of course writing. But one task I set out to do this week afforded me a wonderful, unexpected experience.

Discovering

1971

When I moved into my current home, I boxed a number of items, labeled them, and never opened them again. I knew some of what was in each box but decided it was time to take a second look. One box had a collection of writings I’ve worked on since I was a child. Seriously. I read a few of my musings and laughed out loud. Another box held an assortment of books from when I taught. I taught everything from kindergarten to college so you can imagine what that box looks like. 

The last box I opened, at least for now, contained pictures and old newspaper clippings. I rummaged through the pictures amazed at how young I was when Tom and I married. I looked at old report cards, both his and mine. 

Then, in an unmarked envelope I found a newspaper clipping. I remembered it. Tom’s mother gave it to me. It was a story printed in the Tampa Tribune in 1969. It was the account of how Tommy Waters of Lutz, had rescued a man drowning in the lake. I knew the story.

June 1969…Tom finished his junior year and school was out for the summer. He and his family were eating dinner when a neighbor ran toward the house screaming. Two men were in trouble in the lake. Tom’s sister told me how he jumped up and over the table, shoved his way through the latched screen door and bounded toward the water. He dove in and helped one of the men onto the dock where his neighbor, a disabled veteran stood and helped the sputtering young man. People nearby told Tom there was another man. Somewhere.

Tom dove again but found no trace of the man. He surfaced for air and because he knew this lake so well, he widened his search to the end of the dock where dredging caused the lake bottom to slope down nearly fifteen feet. He suspected the second man could have drifted into that area. Tom later told me he needed more air when he spotted the lifeless body. He feared that if he surfaced for air he would lose the man and the man would lose his life. So he pressed on. 

Tom pulled that man out of the water and onto the beach. He started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He had learned the rescue technique in Boy Scouts from the town doctor, Dr. Gates. Shortly after he started breathing life into the man, the life squad arrived on the scene. Since Tom was making progress, doing everything as he should and had established a rhythm, the life squad volunteers stood aside and let him continue. Slowly the man responded and the volunteers took over. 

Tom Waters became a local hero.

1969

But as I held the newspaper clipping in my hand I realized something I never considered before. The man’s name. I’ll protect his privacy here and call him Bobby Shoemaker. The article disclosed he was twenty years old and a student at the University of South Florida. His name. His age. His school. More than I ever knew before. I’m not sure Tom ever knew. He wasn’t boastful about it and didn’t understand all the fuss people made. In his eyes, he did what anyone would do.

I looked at the paper again. “I wonder…” I Googled the name and found a Robert Shoemaker in Tampa. Three, actually, but one of them was seventy-one-years old. That would be about right. A few more clicks, a little investigating and I had a phone number.

I called. A woman answered. 

“Is this the residence of Robert Shoemaker?” I asked.

“What is your business?” she asked. She wasn’t rude. She was merely screening calls.

I told her about the article and that my husband pulled a twenty-year-old Bobby Shoemaker from the lake in 1969. There was a pause.

Then she said rather quietly, “You’ve found him.”

Jenny Shoemaker and I talked of the accident and the near death experience. It turns out Robert nearly died again on the way to the hospital. He was traumatized by the event and had no recollection of the day. 

“All we ever knew,” she said, “was what his sister heard. That a man pulled him out of the water and saved his life.”

I had to smile. “You can tell him that man was sixteen-years-old.”

Robert spent time in the hospital and has lasting effects of the lake water that filled his lungs that day. However, he managed to finish college, get his masters degree and make a good life for himself.

“He’s been a wonderful husband and father. He’s always volunteered in the community and still volunteers now that we’re retired. We’ve had a good life,” she said. “Because of your husband.” I could hear the crack in her voice. I understood. 

What treasures are you uncovering during this time of staying home?

A Cup Full of "Thankful"

Early in the 1970’s, my husband took me to the computer lab on the University of South Florida campus. He carried his stack of punched cards to a woman at the desk to run through the computer. He pointed to what looked to me to be a huge bank of metal cabinets.

“Look at that, Bec,” he said. “One day we’ll have a computer in our house. Can you imagine that?”

I couldn’t.  

But Tom was right. We had several computers through the years. None were as big as the monstrosity in that computer lab. In fact, my current computer is smaller than the spiral notebook I carried with me to any of my university classes.   

Where is this going? 

During my March Mug Month I’ve been reflecting on the messages my collection of coffee mugs convey. Last week I shared my “You’ll Get Through This” mug. It seemed appropriate for the pandemic sweeping the world. 

Self-isolation may well be the watchword for the long haul. 

I’ve embraced the time to paint, clean, write, organize, and do all those things I say I wish I had time to do. So far, so good. I’m fully aware that for some people, self-isolation may foster feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or even depression. 

One psychologist recommended that during this time everyone should write down three things for which they are thankful every night. Not a bad idea. Anytime.

It made me realize how thankful I am for my cell phone, computer, and the internet. During this time of uncertainty, I’ve missed my friends and family, but I’ve enjoyed daily conversations on the phone and playing a game of Farkle with my mother and two of my daughters via a Face Time conference call. Last night my youngest granddaughter called to read me a bedtime story. She’s in first grade.

I’m keeping up with friends on Facebook. Through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I’m celebrating the birth of new babies and birthdays, and laughing at the creative memes my circle of friends share on a regular basis. I can choose how much news I want to watch and when I want to see it. 

I can attend church online. More than one if I choose. My Tuesday morning Bible study group is going to an online platform for our new study. Seeing and hearing my friends on my computer screen was refreshing. (I will admit though, the GoToMeeting platform, with our faces posted in rows across the screen made me feel as though I were part of The Brady Bunch.)

Although as a young bride, I couldn’t imagine having a computer in my home, I am thankful for that technology. For such a time as this.

Last Christmas, my daughter Danielle gave me this Thankful mug. It is so appropriate for my March Mug Month lineup. But it begs the question: What are you thankful for during this crazy time in our world?

And don’t forget to send me a picture of your favorite mug. Tell me why you like it. You’ll be entered into the drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card.

You'll Get Through This...Even This

Several years ago I participated in a Bible study by Max Lucado called You’ll Get Through This. In it, he highlighted the story of Joseph (of the Old Testament…not to be confused with Mary’s husband). At one point Joseph is thrown into a deep pit by his brothers. He can only “look up.” That’s the point. Bad things happen to good people, but with God’s help we get through it.

My husband Tom died a year after that particular Bible study ended. I copied the words from Max Lucado’s text and tucked the paper in my pocket for the visitation.

You’ll get through this.

It won’t be painless. It won’t be quick.

But God will use this mess for good.

Don’t be foolish or naïve.

But don’t despair either.

With God’s help, you’ll get through this.

After the funeral, my friend, Lina, found a mug with the words on it from the Lucado study. It is one of my favorites. It’s a reminder. God loves us, cares for us, is there for us, died for us, and sees us through…everything. 

My trust and hope during all difficulties in life rests in God. My faith clings to the promise of Jesus and what He did for me on that cross. My hope is found in that empty tomb.

As I write this post, the world is facing a pandemic. The coronavirus is spreading through every nation. Every country. Touching nearly every community. I’m not troubled. I am not living in fear. If I get the virus I will either recover or die. That doesn’t worry me.

Joseph was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, imprisoned, and forgotten. His journey wasn’t without pain and suffering. It wasn’t quickly resolved. But God used the mess Joseph was in and all he encountered to make something good happen for His people.

So what good might come from this viral threat? I don’t know, but I see people engaging in more family time. People are cooking at home and sharing meals as a family. I see people looking out for their neighbors. 

And maybe, just maybe, in this very divisive time of American history, we will come together as a nation. Problem solving and working together for the common good is in our national DNA. In the words of Max Lucado “It won’t be painless and it won’t be quick. But God will use this mess for good.”

Don’t forget to share a picture of your favorite mug and why you treasure it. At the end of this series, I’ll post those stories shared and randomly select one person to receive a $10 Amazon gift card.

And if you want to know more about Joseph, you’ll find his story in the Old Testament portion of the Bible beginning in Genesis 37. If you are interested in Max Lucado’s book, You’ll Get Through This, CLICK HERE.

Happy Camper

Last week I declared March as Mug Month. If you missed that post, you can read about it by clicking HERE.

Like many of my readers, I have a large collection of coffee mugs. Several of them I’ve received as gifts, a few I’ve purchased. Some mugs I’ve received as part of a business or conference promotion. Then there are those mugs popping up from who knows where. They simply seem to appear in my cabinet. As a result, I must cull through them from time-to-time, donating the excess to my local charity store.

Of the many mugs I have, I actually use only a few. Favorites. Ones that hold more than coffee. They hold memories. 

For today’s post, I selected one such mug. I call it one of my Adventure Mugs. 

Happy Camper

The summer before my husband died in a bicycle accident, we purchased a fifth wheel camper. We planned to spend a few months in the camper in Naples, Florida during the winter of 2014-2015. Tom left this earth three days before our scheduled departure for the Sunshine State. 

Over the next year I had to make decisions about…everything. I knew how to drive Tom’s truck, but I wouldn’t dare attempt to pull the camper. I joked I could only drive it if I never had to make a right turn or back up. Tom’s brother bought the truck and I attempted to sell the camper. With no luck. 

I did the only thing I know to do with decisions in my life. I prayed about it. 

A little over a year later, I located a beautiful seasonal campground about an hour away from home. A driver took my camper to Pine Cove Campground. Once the  campground opened in the spring, I found the camper to be an ideal writing retreat. My fellow campers were fun and the owners of the campground worked hard to make it a safe and enjoyable experience. 

Furthermore, I knew Tom would have loved it.

My youngest daughter gave me two “Happy Camper” mugs. Hot coffee on crisp mornings with the sounds of others stirring about? Perfect. Restful. Camping by myself was something totally different from anything I had ever done. It was my first adventure without Tom. Through that experience I learned to be self-reliant. I was totally independent yet never really alone.

I no longer have the camper. I still have the mug. It holds memories of a season in my life when walks in the woods and breakfast with the birds chirping in the trees brought healing to my heart.  

  

What is the story behind your favorite mug? Send me a picture and a brief description of why you treasure that particular mug. I’ll be sharing those stories in a post here and putting the names of everyone who shares in a hat. One lucky winner will receive a $10 gift card from Amazon.

March: Mug Month

I decided to declare March as Mug Month.

I have two reasons. 

Reason #1: This month is the one-year anniversary of the release of Libby’s Cuppa Joe. Libby’s is a coffee shop in Door County, Wisconsin. No, it isn’t a real place even though I’ve had several readers report they looked for it when visiting the small town of Fish Creek.

When the new proprietor of Libby’s Cuppa Joe arrives on the scene, she cleans everything out of the store’s kitchen. Including a random collection of mugs from area businesses and such. 

Reason #2: In my first novel, Breathing on Her Own, there is a scene where the main character, Molly, is moving the contents of her daughter’s closet to a new room. She remembers her daughter as a toddler clomping around in Molly’s high-heeled shoes. She thinks of her daughter growing up and the way shoes mark time. There’s a line in the book that reads –“Shoes tell the story of our lives.”

I always liked that scene…and the line. 

Recently however, I hosted some friends for breakfast. I pulled three of my favorite mugs from the cabinet for our coffee. I told them the significance of each mug. 

Mugs Tell the Story of My Life. Interesting. I had never made that connection before. Sure, I have the random souvenir mug from my travels or the one someone gave me as a gift. I have mugs that bring back wonderful memories and a few that simply feel good in my hands. 

After my friends left, I pulled a few more mugs from the cabinet and lined them up. Each mug has a story of its own. For the next few weeks I am sharing a few of my “mug stories.” I know I’m not alone in this.

Your turn. What is your favorite mug? What do you drink in it? Where did you get it? Why do you like it so much? Please send me a picture of your mug…with or without you in it. Include a brief description of your connection to the mug. A few sentences is all I require.

Let’s have fun with this. 

My final post in the series will feature your stories. Illustrated with your pictures.  

And did I mention I have a $10 Amazon Gift Card for one lucky reader who sends me their mug story?