That Magic Moment (when your setting comes to life)

By Elizabeth Ludwig

I’ve always dreamed of traveling to New York City. Ever since I set my Historical Romances there—Edge of Freedom Series (Bethany House Publishers)—I’ve imagined what it must have been like to walk the streets a hundred years ago, to see the ships sail into the harbor and witness the eager faces of the people as they stepped into America from Ellis Island. Alas, life intervened, and the trip I’d thought to take was pushed to the back burner.

The desire to travel to the places I wrote about stayed with me, however, which is why I was so excited when my husband offered me the chance of a lifetime…the chance to choose where I wanted to go on vacation. Anywhere. Just the two of us. A second honeymoon, of sorts.

While I appreciated the offer, I really couldn’t believe that my hubby was going to let me choose our destination with entirely no input from him.

“I get to pick?” I asked, a trifle skeptically. “Anywhere at all?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Anywhere you want to go.”

With a broad spectrum of places to choose from spread out before me, I found I didn’t even hesitate. I knew where I wanted to go. I was writing about it in my newest series.

“I want to go to Sugarcreek, Ohio,” I said.

My husband stared back at me unblinking. “You want to go…where is Sugarcreek, Ohio?”

I have to laugh, thinking back on the expression on his face as I write this. For those who aren’t familiar with it (like my poor hubby), Sugarcreek lies in the heart of Amish country. It’s nestled amidst rolling hills and acres of farmland…basically it’s about as far away socially from New York City as you can get, but I was determined to see it and experience for myself the sights and sounds and people I’d only written about.

And so, with surprisingly little argument from my husband, we packed our suitcases and headed north to the Carlisle Inn, a gracious little gem perched on the outskirts of Sugarcreek. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend you visit. It was by far the most beautiful, restful place we’ve ever stayed, and the staff were both friendly and accommodating.

Carlisle Inn

Once in Sugarcreek, my husband and I picked up a handful of maps and set off to discover what there was to do in Amish country on a Sunday afternoon. Don’t laugh…we actually found the drive through the acres and acres of carefully maintained farmland to be quite enjoyable and relaxing! More importantly, I got to see with my own eyes the things my character, Cheryl Cooper, saw when she first came to Sugarcreek in my book Where Hope Dwells.

Afterward, my husband and I popped into Park Street Pizza for a delectable bite of their famous Rueben Pizza—the same pizza Cheryl nibbled on with her date, Levi Miller, in At Home in Sugarcreek. I have to admit, I probably looked pretty silly gawking about the place, imagining where my characters sat, what they said, who they saw. I was also honored to do a book signing at the Honey Bee Café, another one of Cheryl’s favorite places to eat. It was all quite surreal, and very much a dream come true for this author gal.

Of course, I couldn’t leave Ohio without snapping a picture against the giant billboard that first welcomed me—and Cheryl—to Sugarcreek. It will forever serve as a reminder of that magical moment when the places I’d written about sprang to life, and when I could, however briefly, step into the pages of my very own books. I hope you’ll join me there!

Elizabeth Ludwig is the author of No Safe Harbor and Dark Road Home, books one and two in the popular Edge of Freedom series. Book three in the series, Tide and Tempest, was recently named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. Currently, she is working on a series called the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries available from Guideposts. She is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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An Interview with Laura V. Hilton

Novel Rocket welcomes Laura Hilton today! Laura writes Amish fiction and is excited to share her most recent release, a Christmas story called A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN WEBSTER COUNTY with us today.

This is your first Christmas novel. What sparked the story? I wanted to write a Christmas story, and my publisher suggested one that revisits my previous characters would be great. I wanted a new story and a new romance, so I had an Amish young man visiting his brother who recently married (a previous book) – and he finds love with a girl from his hometown who is in the area as a mothers helper (to a character in a different previous book).

What would you do differently if you were starting your publishing career today? Nothing.

Would you please share a bit of your journey to publication? I wrote, I thought I was a good writer, so I submitted. I was rejected. I am somewhat stubborn so I kept trying. I eventually landed an agent, got lots of interest in my books, but unfortunately, historicals were hot and contemporaries were not. I decided to try Amish and to my surprise, that sold on a proposal.  

Where do you write: In a cave, a coffeehouse, or a cozy nook? I write in my living room with my family surrounding me. I have five kids, I homeschool, and I have to be available.  

What would you do if you didn't write? Go insane? Writing is my sanity.  

What issue makes you struggle as an author? How do you handle it? I struggle with writing with the kids get loud with either fighting or extreme silliness.  

What are your top 3 recommendations for a new writer? Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Join a critique group and develop rhino skin.  

Then what 3 things would recommend not doing? Don’t submit to publishers before you are ready. Don’t self-publish before you are ready. Don’t think that you can go it alone. You need others. Don’t throw away old ideas. You may need them someday.

Some say a writer is born and others say anyone can learn. What do you think? I beg the fifth. I knew I was called to write from an early age, but I had to learn. Whether you are called or not, you still have to learn.

What's the strangest or funniest experience you've had in writing? Sometimes life mirrors fiction… and you learn lessons from the characters.

Do you prefer the creating or editing aspect of writing? How do you feel about research? I create and edit simultaneously. I love the writing process and learning about my characters.  

What are your writing rituals? No rituals. Everyday is different.  

Do you work best under pressure or do you write at a leisurely pace?? Both. The deadline makes me adhere to more of a schedule like I must write X amount of words a day to meet the deadline. I’m not one of the must stay up all night for two weeks and write the whole story then writers.  

What are your thoughts on critique partners? MUST HAVE.

ABOUT A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN WEBSTER COUNTY

Wanting to relocate from Shipshewana to somewhere new, Mercy Lapp answered an ad in The Budget to work as a mother’s helper for Matthew and Shanna Yoder in Seymour, Missouri. Mercy relocated from Shipshewana to give herself space and time to heal after the death of her beau in a fishing trip on Lake Michigan. Abner Hilty fled Shipshewana to Montana to work on a ranch after he and his twin brother witnessed a murder. Now that the killer is safely behind bars, Abner decides to visit his brother Abram in Missouri where he’d settled with his bride of one month. Mercy is surprised to see Abner there, and equally surprised by how much he’d changed physically since she’d last seen him. Even though the two live in different districts they occasionally see each other in town and form a fledging friendship. As Christmas approaches, an unexpected heavy snow lets Abner and Mercy spend a lot of time together in wintertime fun. Abner hopes to interest Mercy in a more permanent relationship. But then Mercy has a potentially life changing discovery. Will she return to Shipshewana to answer the summons of the past? Or settle in a new place?

ABOUT LAURA HILTON

Award winning author Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make their home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools three of her children. Her two oldest children are homeschool graduates and are in college. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House and the  Amish of Webster County series. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with over a thousand book reviews published at various online review sites.

 

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Reading, Writing...and Reading Some More

Author Barbara Cameron  has sold more than three dozen books (fiction and non-fiction) as well as three movies to HBO/Cinemax. Awards  include being a finalist for two Carol Awards (American Christian Fiction Writers Association), second and third place winner in the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope, and Love chapter’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for two novellas (One Child in bestselling An Amish Christmas and When Winter Comes in An Amish Gathering), and first time winner of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. She has been on the CBA, CBD, and ECPA bestseller lists and is a former newspaper reporter and part-time college instructor.

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Sometimes the best advice for writers is the simplest:  READ.

Yes, read! And I’m not talking about reading craft books. They are wonderful, but I’m talking about very basic, everyday reading.

Readers often comment on how real my books seem. They ask if my writing is born from real life or  imagination?

Yes.

You see, I like to do a mixture. And what I’ve discovered is writing has helped me improve my work and has also inspired some of my best work.

Not long ago, I wanted to write an Amish novel and make it different, unique, not the same old same old. That’s what editors want—fresh and different.

Nothing came at first.

Then one Sunday afternoon I was reading the local newspaper and noticed an article about a woman who volunteers to drive returning military to their stateside homes. Quite a number of times, she said she’d braked at a stop sign or traffic light and the soldier would yell at her or even grab at her arm. You see, too often that stop in Afghanistan or Iraq resulted in a bombing…

I immediately had a vision of a female television reporter who is dozing in a car as her friend drives her home from overseas duty and wakes screaming at him when he brakes at a stop sign.

I did further research on this problem and found it’s a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We don’t always think of that as being something from which a reporter could suffer, but anyone who suffers a traumatic event may develop the syndrome. This reporter had been injured while doing her job overseas and wakes in a stateside hospital with a quilt covering her. The note attached to the quilt is from her grandmother. It says simply: Come home.

So Englisch (that’s what the Amish call us) Jenny goes to recuperate at her Amish grandmother’s home and is reunited with the boy next door. Instant conflict ensues: they went in different directions years ago but now find themselves aware that the attraction has not died. But Jenny is not only Englisch—she’s too aware of her limp and scars and PTSD flares. And Matthew is Amish.

Their story would be the first in a series I wanted to write. More reading and research ensued. I find that the more I know, the more I want to know, and so I read every Amish book—non-fiction and fiction—that I could find. I had visited Paradise, Pennsylvania, years ago, but more visits to that Amish community and others ensued. I read up on quilting and barn raisings and—well, that old voracious love of reading was in full force.

Reading a quilting magazine gave me ideas for scenes and cookbooks ideas for food and settings and the recipes readers like at the rear of my books. Reading articles and books by Amish authors helped me make my stories more authentic.

I finished that series called Quilts of Lancaster County and wanted to do more; thank goodness, the editor wanted to buy more. Along came more reading and ideas and the Stitches in Time series was born. Heart in Hand is the third and latest in the series set in a special store in Amish country.

I just signed a contract for my fourth Amish series for Abingdon Press and am loving every minute of reading for ideas and research and so much more. I can’t help thinking how reading that Sunday paper started it all years ago.

My advice for writers? Read, read, read, and then read some more. Don't copy someone else’s story or style but generate ideas, do research, figure out what works and what doesn’t. And sometimes, just read for the pleasure of reading because if you love reading you’ll be learning the craft of writing at the same time.   

LEAVE A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ONE OF THREE COPIES OF HEART IN HAND FROM THE AUTHOR.

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Amish Zombies Ate My Baby

Not really, but sure grabbed your attention, eh? And that’s exactly the point of this post.

Calm down. I hear you. You’re a novel writer, not a journalist. Why should you care about catchy headlines? Isn’t that just a lame gimmick better left to the National Enquirer?

Actually…no.

Mastering the art of grabbing the reader’s attention is a valuable skill every writer should hone.

In case you haven’t noticed, the written word is exploding from one end of the spectrum to another, from e-books to self-published hard copies to blogs. Getting your work to stand out from the crowd is more important than ever.

Which begs the question: How does one grab a reader by the throat? There are many ways, but here are a few to toss into your writerly toolbox:

Shock and Awe

This is one of the tactics I employed with my blog post title. Think controversial. Think stunning. Think outside the box. This method is most often used by rabble-rousers who get a secret thrill out of rattling cages.

Warm Fuzzies

If you start off with something everyone can relate to on an emotional level, you’ll draw in the human side of the reader. It’s a pull that’s hard to resist. In my example, I tossed in the word babies. Emotions are what set us apart from the rest of the mammals. Well, that and opposable thumbs.

Trendy Tidbit

The ol’ People magazine approach, naming what’s hip or what’s not. Naturally this works better for contemporaries than historicals...but not always. Amish is a buzzword right now, which is why I chose it for my post title.

Opposites Attract

Jumbo shrimp. Government intelligence. Amish zombies. Put two incongruous words together, and if they’re not cliché, people will sit up and take notice.

Now then, where to employ these attention grabbing strategies? Obviously your entire manuscript can’t be outrageously intense. You’d burn out your brain and your reader would be gasping for air. But there are certain key areas that require some eye-popping fancy footwork. These are:

- The first sentence of a book…better yet, make that the first sentence of every chapter.

- The last sentence of every chapter. Force your reader to find out what will happen next.

- Back cover copy. Often this is where you reel ‘em in or break the deal.

- The one-liner that sums up your entire novel.

So go ahead. Give this a whirl. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd, especially when it comes to your writing.

Hopefully you'll attract the attention of an editor, not an zombie.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas…professionaly, however, for the past 10 years. Her latest release, UNDERCURRENT, is available by Risen Books.

You can find Michelle at: Writer Off the Leash, www.mmgriep.com or on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

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To Thine Own Self Be True ~ Mary Ellis

Mary Ellis is the author of A Widow's Hope, Never Far from Home, The Way to a Man's Heart, and Sarah's Christmas Miracle. She and her husband live in central Ohio, where they try to live a simpler style of life.


I’ve been thinking about the famous quote by William Shakespeare lately. There’s been much talk in the writers’ loops about rules that new writers must follow if they hope ever to be published. I jotted some of the rules down, but I still have my original list from my early days as a beginning writer: Reduce adverbs; never use –ly words. Never use passive verbs. Eliminate multiple prepositions in a row. Remove dialogue tags. And of course, let’s have no redundancies, euphemisms, petty modifiers, clichés, or hyperbole. I won’t even get into the rules regarding punctuation. Many writers of various levels can benefit from looking over the list prior to a final edit of their work. I, myself, was once guilty of walking slowly instead of staggering and eating hungrily instead of devouring my fried chicken. Now I use stronger verbs to convey my meaning, and I wouldn’t think to writing something like whispered softly. But let’s be honest, sometimes a good old –ly word is just the ticket. Fellow writer, Mary Johnson, offered this marvelous example from Dick Francis’ best-selling novel, Hot Money: “I intensely disliked my father’s fifth wife, but not to the point of murder.” A lovely sentence…ly word and all, don’t you agree? To leave out the dastardly adverb would have sacrificed much. Does anyone remember the first line of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield? “I was born” is the epitome of passivity. Now I don’t put myself in Dick Francis’ league, and certainly not in Mr. Dickens’, but Ms. Johnson said it well, “In the end, the craft is there to serve the art, not vice versa.”

Another rule I read on the loop is “never use more than two POV’s in a romance.” I was midway through a short romance containing one main plot, advanced by four POV characters. I sat up straight and asked, “huh?” and then called my editor. She replied that she’d never heard of such a rule and wondered who made these things up. Before you fire off an email to me, insisting that fledging novelists need guidelines to hone their skills…I agree with you. But the list of rules should be guidelines to improve a manuscript; not laws never to be broken.

Writers who rely too much on critique partners’ or contest judges’ suggestion also scare me. I once read the comments from a contest I had entered with confusion. One judge felt “I should have better developed my hero/heroine to create empathy,” while another judge felt that “I’d spent too much time sketching characters to the detriment of the plot.” What did I learn from the two opposing viewpoints? Not too much. After I dried my tears that I hadn’t finaled in the contest, I learned that judges have subjective opinions.

I also read in the loop about one writer who presents her work to her critique group at the end of each chapter. Her fellow writers probably offer good advice on how to improve the pacing, etc., but when she finishes the manuscript, will the book still have her voice? I’m not so sure. A writer’s voice is the only thing that sets her/him apart from the thousands of other writers in the same genre. A writer gets an idea, creates a story in her mind, and sits down to tell the tale. Any advice on how to improve should come after the first draft in finished. The book might have the same theme or plot twists that have already been rehashed to death. But in a new voice, this story can come alive for a reader. Contest judges, critique partners, editors who are kind enough to offer suggestions—these people can offer great advice for improvement. But remember, they have subjective opinions. You’ll never please everyone, so you should first please yourself with the work you create.

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