The Author Behind the Story - Donna L. H. Smith

Snow is falling in Hawaii. Schoolchildren in Michigan, I'm told, have lost in upwards of sixteen days of school because of the frigid temperatures and dangerous driving conditions. Cars are piling up on the freeways in Wisconsin. It would seem global warming is definitely a myth.

Yet, it's 80 degrees and above here. I was sweating today. The mid-summer, sun beating down, no sweet tea to be found kind of perspiring. We truly live in a wacky world these days. 

However, there's nothing wacky about our next guest. So, without further reports of treacherous conditions, please welcome Donna L. H. Smith!

Donna, give us a quick picture of yourself. In fifty words or less, who is Donna L. H. Smith? 

Hi, I’m Donna L.H. Smith, and I write inspirational historical romance western with a touch of the supernatural in my stories. I’m originally from Kansas, but I live in Pennsylvania now. 

Ohhh, you probably like Punxsutawney Phil this year, eh? 

Has your writing crossed over into other areas? If so, how? If not, will it?

Oooh, well I’ve had people tell me that I should make Meghan’s Choice into a screenplay. I think I would love that. What you don’t know is that I was a broadcast major (TV, radio, film) in college. I wrote a script for a class midterm that got an A++ — so I think I could have been a good screenplay writer. It just didn’t work out that way.

And, it’s entirely possible that I may write a non-fiction book about rejection issues and how to be healed and delivered from them, that would coincide with those retreats I want to hold.

(I don’t have time to retire. I’m just getting started. I’ve been waiting my whole life for right now.)

Before you ever got a notion of becoming a writer/author, how old were you, and what were you doing in that time of your life?

I never had a notion of becoming a writer until I was in college at ORU in the 70s. I was a broadcast major, and for a midterm, we were to write a script for an existing half-hour series. I wrote a M*A*S*H script and got an A++. I’ve been everything from a secretary and word processor, to a marketing assistant/coordinator/consultant for engineering firms, to a certified balloon artist (decorating for special events), to a radio reporter, etc. 

Radio Reporter? Like Les Nessman? WKRP? 

Are you married? Single? Have kids?

Married, no children. Dog and my Mother for an 11-year overlapping period. That was enough.

Do you have a favorite line from a movie or book? If so, what is it and explain why it is special to you?

“If we don’t try, we don’t do, and if we don’t do—why are we here on this earth?” Jimmy Stewart in “Shenandoah.”

Sounds a little like Yoda. "Do or do not. There is no try." Hmmm?

Besides storytelling, what talents do you have?

I’m musical and can play (if I were in practice) four instruments: piano (which is the only one I’m in practice on right now), flute, clarinet, and guitar.

I also used to make organic chocolate truffles and sold them on the Internet some years ago.

I found out as an adult I could actually be fairly decent at crafts. My mother wasn’t at all, so I grew up not really knowing how to do much.

Do you have a crazy, interesting, behind-the-scenes story about the publishing world you’d like to tell your readers without boring them to death with industry gobbledygook?

Well…at one conference, I did run into the keynote speaker (without knowing who he was) in the elevator and struck up a conversation with him, that went like this:

He was wearing a Christian Coalition T-shirt. “Hi, are you here for the writer’s conference.” He said, “Yes.” I said, “So am I.” We got to a floor and the elevator doors open. He gestured for me to precede him. I said, “I think this is your floor.” He smiled and exited. A little later, I discovered who he was, and I felt really silly. (Randy Alcorn at ACFW 2017). 

Tell us about what project you are currently working on.

I’m currently working on my third novel in the Known by Heart series, Hannah’s Hope. It will be the third installment in this series set in 1871 Kansas.

I’m a pantser who needs to know where her story is going to end up, but how it gets there is great fun! I never know what’s going to come out in a scene.

What surprised you the most during the research for the book you are currently working on?

Most of the research was done before I wrote the first book, Meghan’s Choice, but I did find that
something I was putting in this story actually happened. That’s what fun for me. Finding an obscure fact of history and putting it in my story.

There was competition between millers, and some people’s mills got torched to eliminate rivalries and ensure the success of one mill over another. So, I’m putting that in there. I found that fascinating.

I hope none of our readers' last names are Miller... Makes things a little awkward. Everybody will be wondering if their ancestors were guilty of such things. :-/

Knowing what you know now about writing, publishing, etc., what piece of advice would you give to the person thinking about writing that novel they have always wanted to pursue since they were young, or the person who believes they have a non-fiction book in them that would be helpful to others?

Write it. Get into a writer’s fellowship. Learn the craft. Decide to persevere, because you never know what God’s going to do.

Boy, I needed that. "You never know what God's going to do." Amen!

If you had one person you could meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus?

Deborah. How’d she do it? How did Lapidoth allow her in that time period to be a prophetess, judge, and warrior? How did she get that favor to be Israel’s only female judge? I just love her.

What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?

I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone. You have to lean over backwards, then grab the railing. It was interesting, and very unsanitary now that I think about it. Millions have probably kissed that thing. Ew.

Why do you live where you live?

I was born and raised in Kansas, but I live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I came because I did a voluntary service term, then stayed. When I was young, I always fancied myself living in the East, because you had so many different big cities to choose to visit: Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, NYC, etc.

The only big city close by (within an half hour of where I grew up) was Wichita. Kansas City. It was at least three hours away. Oklahoma City about the same. Tulsa was four hours away, etc.

When you look for a new car, what are the things that are important to you?

Funny thing. We just got a new car (for us) last fall. The number one thing: it had to be a Prius, it had to be no more than three years old, and of course, have “everything.” It didn’t matter this time, what color it was. We ended up with a silver 2015 Prius C hatchback, and we love it!

When you are looking for a book to read, what are the things that are important to you?

I read and write in historical romance western. I look for the romance, I look for exciting plot, and interesting characters and situations. I especially look for as much trouble as possible in that back-cover blurb. How much difficulty, especially danger, will those characters be in?

Beyond westerns, I love romantic suspense. Same thing here: the danger. And what must the characters overcome?

Covers are good, but the blurb is what will really draw me in. I’m rarely disappointed.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything we didn’t cover?

My second novel, Rose’s Redemption, was just released late last fall. Pre-published, it won two first place finishes at the Advanced Novelist Retreat contests in 2017. Meghan’s Choice, my debut novel, made the Selah Award and the Will Rogers Medallion Award finals last year after publication.

I am a member of ACFW and AWSA Protégé. I serve as managing editor of Almost an Author and as ACFW Mid-Atlantic zone director.

Donna, it's been a pleasure! We wish you well on your writing endeavors!

And readers, if you're looking to find out more about Donna, here are some places you can go to do just that!

WEBSITE: http://donnalhsmith.com and www.almostanauthor.com

FACEBOOK: Donna L.H. Smith––Stories Are My Passion and Almost an Author

TWITTER: @donnalhsmith and @a3writers

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/dlhs8954/the-world-of-meghans-choice/

https://www.pinterest.com/dlhs8954/the-world-of-roses-redemption/

AMAZON LINKS to Meghan’s Choice

Kindle version: http://amzn.to/2ngei4n

Paperback: http://amzn.to/2ngeDUH

Rose’s Redemption link: https://www.amazon.com/Roses-Redemption-Known-Heart-Book-ebook/dp/B07KJNLTW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549320129&sr=1-1&keywords=rose%27s+redemption

  

Until next time, may God bless America, and may America bless God!

Kevin
https://www.ckevinthompson.com

The Author Behind the Story - Cindy Ervin Huff

Happy New Year, Everyone! I hope your new year has been treating you well, and your Christmas season was a joyful one. It seems these events get closer and closer together until one is over and...Poof!...365 days have flown by, and we're celebrating another!

As we move ahead, it's always good to get to know somebody new. As it's been said before, enemies are easy to make, but friends are hard to come by, and you can never surround yourself with enough of them. So, in that spirit, I welcome Cindy Ervin Huff to our Author Behind the Story series!

Cindy, to jump start our conversation, give us a quick bio. In fifty words or less, who is Cindy Ervin Huff? 

Cindy Ervin Huff is a multi-published freelance writer who loves to bring her imaginary characters to life. She's a mentor for Word Weavers International and founding member of the Aurora, Illinois chapter. Her award-winning Historical Romance, Secrets and Charades, debuted in 2017, and her contemporary romance, New Duet, came out in 2018.

Being a founding member of two Word Weaver groups, I know all about helping get projects like that off the ground. And being a Word Weaver is a great boost and help, isn't it? What educational background do you have?

I graduated from Marion High School and then got married. This was not uncommon in the seventies. Lack of a college education didn’t stop me from writing for publication. I took Jerry Jenkins’ Writing for the Soul online courses, have a library of writing craft books, and attend a yearly writer’s conference. I am constantly learning and have yet to graduate from the writing school of life.

Who has? Do we ever graduate from that school? Are you married? Single? Have kids?

I met my soulmate Charley 45 and a half years ago. We dated a few months and married after I graduated from high school. We have five adult children and six grandchildren. I’ll soon have two step-grandchildren added to the mix. I’m a home-school veteran. I began back in the 1980's when everyone asked if could get arrested for teaching my kids at home. I soldiered on for fifteen years. My youngest attended a Christian school for a few years due to his learning disability. My two daughters experienced public school to complete their education. We were the minority white family in our neighbor. My children learned a lot about other cultures. 

When the words aren’t flowing, what is your favorite comfort food and why? 

Chocolate - always chocolate. Women reading this will need no explanation. 😊

If your life was a story, and you were the lead character, what kind of role would you play?

I’d be the wise, older character that guided the main characters to make good choices. But I’d be a bit wacky and at times clumsy making my character fun to be around.

For all the pet lovers out there, answer this question: Do you have any? 

Yes and no. We had hamsters, parakeets, fish, and dogs when my children were growing up. I preferred the dogs. Then our nest-emptied of all pets and most of our children. Then three adult children came back home at the same time with their dogs. That was more of an adventure than I wanted. We still dog-sit my daughter’s mini-doxie. Toby is old, blind, hard of hearing, and suffers from separation anxiety when he’s not with people. So, when neither she nor her husband is home, he stays with us. 

Everybody seems to have a bucket list. Do you? If so, what’s on it? If not, why not?

I’m not a bucket list person but if I had one this would be it:

• Personal list: 
• Traveling to my ancestral home countries: Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England visiting the towns my ancestors immigrated from.
• Visit places in Canada where some of my favorite books were written.
• Take a family vacation that includes all my kids and their families.
• As a writer:
• I’d love to teach and speak at a conference
• Make a decent living at my craft

Those sound like doable things. Although, the "make a decent living at your craft" one might prove the hardest. Besides storytelling, what talents do you have?

Until recently I sang on the worship team. I love singing. I do enjoy acting and performing readings. (These may fall under the writing-related topic, though.) If you want someone to keep kids quiet or make newbies feel comfortable at an event, I’m your gal. Once during a mission trip the others in my group abandoned me with a bunch of strangers while they stepped away to pray for our time together. When they were done, I’d made the strangers my friends, and they were very receptive to what was shared.

Besides the usual things authors face, has there been an unusual event that changed your perspective about being an author? 

I grew up in the military. That means you make friends fast and then leave them. Writing became an outlet for me. The story characters in my head at times felt like the only friends I had. I’ve always been an avid reader. Reading filled a void. So, writing to reach people who may be as lonely as I once felt is important to me. I understand how valuable reaching hurting people through a fictitious story can be.

It is interesting what motivates writers to write...It seems we all have similar aspirations, but they differ just enough to make them uniquely our own. Yet, all of us can relate to some degree. (Introverts Unite!) 

Do you have a crazy, interesting, behind-the-scenes story about the publishing world you’d like to tell your readers without boring them to death with industry gobbledygook?

It took ten years for my first book to get published. During that time I attended a writer’s conference every year. I helped with the set-up and volunteered for whatever needed doing. I met an array of interesting people along the way. Because no one stays a stranger around me long it was fun to reconnect each year and find sweet friends. A publisher and I met at one of my first conferences. At the time she was an acquisition editor for another company. Over the years we’ve organized a semiannual get-together of local authors who attend the same conference. It’s so fun to encourage one another in the conference off-season.

As a writer, if you had one thing you would do over again, what would it be? 

I would have gone to writers’ conferences when my kids were small and started my writing career. By now I would have had dozens of books published instead of two. I was published back then and have been through the years. It’s been a hit or miss thing until recently. My do-over would have been to be more consistent in submitting.

Do I hear an "Amen!" from the writer's crowd out there? Don't we all wish we would have started earlier? Tell us about what project you are currently working on. 

I have two projects. I have a historical romance involving a female architect who designs a town to build in Kansas where women run the majority of the businesses. She is a wealthy aristocrat. She hires a contractor who hopes the association brings him future work from the wealthy. But at times he wonders if his reputation will be ruined before it even starts. I have a pile of note cards full of possible catastrophes common to the era. A publisher is interested in the full mss so I need to finish it. It is book one in a series. Also, I need to finish my contemporary romance about a dog groomer, a widower with an adorable son, and a disobedient mutt. So fun. I’m hoping Love Inspired will say yes. 

What surprised you the most during the research for the book(s) you are currently working on?

I tend to over research and read things I will never use. I just read about the winter of 1886 in Kansas was so bad that several blizzards went through the area, one lasting five days and the temperature falling to forty below. Most of the cattle died, and in the spring, they found some dead in trees. They’d climb up them to eat the bark. Teddy Roosevelt at 29 had invested in cattle and lost 60% of his herd.

While reaching dog grooming, I visited my daughter at her shop. I laughed when they told me one dog plays dead every time he is groomed. I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to cut its fur while he lays limp on the table.

Tell us about your writing day. How do you go about writing?

I work part-time and also watch grandkids, so my writing day can be a challenge. I rise early and try to get stuff like social media and my blog posts out of the way before working on other writing tasks. On work days I may only do editing and blog post, but no new chapters. On my days off I try to get new chapters written. Those days, I set out to write all morning. Because my office is currently overrun with stuff (my son’s family is living with us), I share space with my hubby. Actually, my desk is the dumping spot so I take my laptop to the kitchen table, or the couch or my bed and use the portable desk. Sometimes I’ll go to the library. I seldom write late at night. I’m a morning person, and my brain shuts off it’s creativity by 8 pm. If I set a goal to write X number of words a day when I need to get a book done I usually can do it. If I’m starting a new idea and haven’t pitched it to anyone, I’m not as productive. A deadline makes me move.

Knowing what you know now about writing, publishing, etc., what piece of advice would you give to the person thinking about writing that novel they have always wanted to pursue since they were young, or the person who believes they have a non-fiction book in them that would be helpful to others?

Learn all you can about the writing craft. Write the book and join a critique group either online or in person. Learn all you can from their input. If the group is too negative or self-absorbed, find another one. Word Weavers and ACFW have serious writers in their groups that want to help each other get published.  Attend conferences to gain knowledge and network. Sometimes it’s who you know that opens publishing doors. And if you decide to self-publish, get a great editor who knows how to edit for publication so your work is stellar. Don’t forget to pay for a great cover artist so you attract attention to your content. However your work is published, be prepared not to quit your day job from the sales.

But Cindy, in every movie or TV show I watch, the nobody person who writes a novel becomes an instant success. Why can't it be that way in real life? (hehehe...) 

How do you come up with the names for your characters?

They tell me their names.

That sounds a little ominous...but if you could have them deposit money into your bank account, too...well, then, there's a book everybody would want to read.

If you had one person you could meet (think outside the Bible here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be?

Mary Connealy. I love her novels. She writes non-stop. I could learn a lot from her.

I know when I read other writers I enjoy, I learn just from reading their works...a turn of a phrase, new words, how to describe, when not to, etc. 

If you had one person you could meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus?

Paul. I’d like to hear him preach and teach about the things I’ve studied in his letters to the church.

When you look for a new home, what are the things that are important to you?

My hubby and I have been talking about this lately. We’d like to downsize. Our home needs office space, a guest room, and no outside maintenance. So we are thinking town homes or even an apartment. Preferably in a quiet neighborhood. We love walking, so sidewalks and nature trails are a must. Walking helps my creative juices. There needs to be enough parking for family get-togethers and a lovely view off the patio where we would have cook outs.

When you look for a new car, what are the things that are important to you?

Hubby and I have been talking about this, too. We are in need of a new car. The ideal car would have great gas mileage, a reputation for durability and longevity, too. I’d like a key fob that starts the car and turns on the heat in the winter. A great sound system and auto headlights. And if the seats warm in the winter and cool in the summer that would be heaven. Lots of leg room in the back because I’m tall. When we pick up my mother, she rides in the front, and she pushes her seat back.

When you are looking for a book to read, what are the things that are important to you? 

I love a good story. The cover needs to match that story. I may pass a book up if the cover doesn’t catch my eye. I tend to prefer Historicals. But I love a good mystery, and a few sci-fi and fantasies with great covers and back cover copy have found their way on my to-read pile. Recommendations of friends can influence my selection. And if I love the first book I read by an author, I will usual grab another.

What Bible scripture has impacted your life the most, and why?

Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:1-2).

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything we didn’t cover? 

I’m a late -in-life novelist. At 63, I’m working on my fourth book. I have friends in their twenties working on their first. The beauty of a career in writing is you’re never too old or too young to get started. Find your niche and keep writing.

Amen to that! 

Cindy, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be a part of our Author Behind the Story series! May God richly bless your writing ministry.

And friends, if you wish to get to know Cindy better, please stop by and visit the sites below:

Website: www.jubileewriter.wordpress.com

Facebook Author Page: https ://www.facebook.com/author.huff11/

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/cindyervinhuff

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117599590227912410637

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8029703-cindy-ervin-huff

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyErvinHuff

Until next time, May God bless America, and may America bless God!

Kevin

https://www.ckevinthompson.com

Getting in Touch with Your Inner-Psychopath (An ACFW Blog Post)

At the Academy of Achievement,1 Sue Grafton spoke to a group of college-age attendees, encouraging right-brainers in the crowd to consider a life in the Arts. As I listened to this presentation, I was struck by how similar writer’s lives are in so many ways. No matter how fledgling or how established, it seems all writers have a rite of passage they must endure.

Sue began by listing things we already know, like how writers get to work in their “jammies” and don’t have to attend company picnics. She talked about the downside, too. “There’s no path; no course you can take.” Going to an Ivy League school won’t help you, either. Yet, the rite of passage creates some peculiar paths to the publishing world. Sue received a four-year degree in English from the University of Louisville, but spent the middle two years at Western Kentucky State Teachers College, “which is full of Ag majors” and endured classes like “Pork Production” and “Corn.”

Sue informed her audience the Arts probably takes the toughest, most committed people of any job field. Considering a life in the Arts? “Expect rejection,” “learn how to take criticism,” “learn to labor in obscurity,” and “don’t be surprised if you get treated with condescension by people who love you but secretly wish you’d get a day job and get off the family payroll.”

I sympathize, empathize (and every other “-ize” out there) with Sue at this point.

I’m sure you do, too.

Sue started at the age of 18 as a writer of bad poetry and mediocre short stories. At the age of 22, she had an “epiphany.” She realized something important for any writer. If you are to be a writer, “you have to commit.” So, she did. She wrote her first, full-length novel…”which was never published.” And a second, full-length novel…”which was never published.” And a third, full-length novel…(you guessed it) “which was never published.” She accomplished all this at night while working full-time as a medical receptionist and a cashier in a hospital. She was raising a family, too. Bet that doesn’t resonate with anyone, does it?

At 25, Sue entered her fourth, full-length novel into the now defunct “The Anglo-American Book Award Contest.” She didn’t win. However, she received a publishing offer from a British company for £275, and used that deal to land an American agent. The book sold to an American publisher for $1,500.

Sue sold the film rights to her fifth novel, The Lolly-Madonna War, and MGM produced the movie in 1973. Sue wrote the screenplay and “got to work in Hollywood” for 15 years, but that experience didn’t set well. She disliked the movie folk extracting their “fine, gold pencils” and ruining her writing. She learned a very valuable lesson from that experience. “If you don’t like the game, don’t take the money.” “Writers who try to ‘get into Hollywood’ are like people who try to get into prison.” Something to think about from one who knows.

While in Tinseltown, a Hollywood agent informed Sue “she could write characters, but she couldn’t do plot.” That ticked her off. So, she decided to teach herself how to write plot and felt writing a mystery novel would be the best way.

At the same time, Sue went through a terrible divorce. With no money for a “fancy pants attorney” and enduring three custody battles, she thought it was enough just to be a “nice person.” Her naiveté apparently didn’t fare well in the courts. So, at night, she concocted ways to kill her ex-husband. One particular method rose to the fore, and she said, “You know, I bet I could do that.” However, Sue admits being a law-abiding citizen who takes her library books back on time and crosses the street between the lines. So, if she tried to kill her ex, she knew she’d get caught, go to prison, have to wear prison clothing, eat starchy food, watch her derriére widen, and disgrace her children.

Then, it dawned on her. “Why not use this plot in a book and get paid for it?”

And A is for Alibi was born in 1982.

Why did I write a short bio on Sue Grafton? To show three things. One, all writers share the same struggles, and it creates an eerie, eclectic sort of comfort for those of us who aren’t in Sue’s shoes yet. If every author got together in a large room, handed the microphone off and listened, one at a time, they’d hear multiple stories of perseverance and heartbreak. Sue’s story resonated with me because she wrote three unpublished novels before number four became the beginning of something special. I, too, had three unpublished novels written before my fourth caught the attention of a publisher. And it won an award.

Two, you have to be nuts to be a writer. There isn’t a more treacherously rewarding occupation out there, save snowboarding down an uncharted mountain with jagged rocks protruding through the virgin snow. The life of a writer appears glamorous to the Amazon-hawking crowd, scouring the Top 100 lists. For most of us, though, day jobs as medical receptionists and cashiers at local hospitals pay the bills. The novels are crafted at night when normal people sleep.

Three, murder mysteries full of suspense and thrillers which truly thrill are written by novelists who get in touch with their inner psychopath (Another reason why writers have to be a little nuts, perhaps?). Again, I resonated with something Sue said. When I wrote 30 Days Hath Revenge, I asked myself, “If I was a terrorist, what could I do to bring a country to its knees?” Sue envisioned killing off her estranged husband, put it into a novel, and has enjoyed 31years of writing success spent on one series alone. Sue said the smartest thing she did was invent someone who could support her.

I guess being a bit psychopathic can pay dividends after all…so long as it remains fictitious.

1 Ers

hed, Allison. ENG210: Creative Writing: A Master Class. Academy of Achievement. iTunesU. 2012 July 13.

To see this blog on the ACFW website, click the link below:

http://www.acfw.com/blog/getting-in-touch-with-your-inner-psychopath/

Incredible Writing Done Credibly (An ACFW Blog Post)

Have you ever read books that promised suspense, only to find they don’t deliver? Ever read a thriller that didn’t thrill? Ever read a romance between two people who never would get together in the real world? Ever wonder why this happens?

There are many reasons.

One of the most common causes resonated with me one day at a writers’ conference, drawing a line in the sand on what good fiction should look like.

What was it?

The subject of credibility.

What makes a story a good story? Regardless of the genre? It’s the credibility. Forget the character vs. plot argument for a moment. If your writing is so unbelievable it makes the reader laugh when they are supposed to be crying, or causes them to fall asleep when they should be sitting on the edge of their seat, then call Houston because you have a big problem.

This problem comes in two forms:

• Characters that aren’t real

• Hard to believe stories

The credibility of the characters is usually the first deal maker or breaker for a reader. Readers want to cheer for the hero, fall in love with the couple and hope they “get together,” or see the bad guy get his just desserts. However, if the characters aren’t believable, then it really doesn’t matter how great the plot is or how much action occurs. You can have the best story ever, but if the characters aren’t credible, the story falls flat.

I remember reading a manuscript that started with an airliner falling from the sky. Pretty exciting, right? The promise of suspense dripped from the first few pages. What ruined it? The unbelievable actions of the main characters. With the prospects of becoming a fireball imminent, they prayed…but not the kind of prayer you’re imagining. It was the kind of prayer you pray when you’re on your knees beside your bed at night…calm…pious…wordy…and extremely unbelievable for the circumstances at hand. All that was missing was the King James language and Gregorian Monks chanting in the background.

The flip side to this issue is the credibility of the story. The characters can be strong, but what happens when the story gets “out there in left field”? When I was writing The Serpent’s Grasp, I knew the credibility of the story was crucial. Writing about dinosaurs that still exist stretches this concept to the limit. I knew I had a great deal of research to back up my hypothesis, but I had to infuse it into the story to ramp up the credibility meter. When you do this, instead of the reader saying with a smirk, “That’s so bogus,” they say with a raised eyebrow, “Wow, this could actually happen.” That’s always a good thing.

Why is Marvel Comics making money hand-over-fist with all their movies? An alien who changes his clothes in a phone booth? A boy bitten by a spider? A wealthy man with a dark persona? Another rich guy with a flying suit? Incredible stories, right? Yes. And the credibility of the storylines coupled with believable characters keeps us buying popcorn and wishing we’d written it.

To see this blog at the ACFW website, click on the link below:
ACFW Blog Post: "Incredible Writing Done Credibly" by C. Kevin Thompson