Author Cynthia Polansky Discusses Faith & Writing @ AtBaP!

Today at All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP), Cynthia Polansky, author of REMOTE CONTROL, talks about faith and writing!






REMOTE CONTROL received a GREAT Book Bytes review from ChickLitGurrl: Even death can’t stop Judith McBride from controlling things like keeping her husband away from their sexy, yet dangerous accountant! Loved the humor, sensitivity, and enlightenment in Remote Control and how in the end, a simple truth remains: spiritual growth means relinquishing control and giving to a higher power.



Head over to ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE today to read Polansky's response to this month's AtBaP question: How does your faith, your spirituality integrate itself into your writing?


Also, if you haven't yet, check out the wonderful responses by James A. Jimason ("Give Me Destiny"), Susan McGeown ("Recipe for Disaster"), Pamela S. Thibodeaux ("Tempered Joy"), Niambi Davis ("From Dusk to Dawn"), and Beth Fehlbaum ("Courage in Patience")!

ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing: (LINK)

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What are hot sites for writers? What videos are available that discuss/illustrate the writing craft? What quickie tips could you use to help your writing?

These questions and more are answered at my new mini-blog - ChickLitGurrl on Writing.

Each tip - whether it's a writing tip, a video, a link, or other - is just a short tasty morsel, so you can grab it, use it, and GO.

Check out ChickLitGurrl on Writing @ http://chicklitgurrl.tumblr.com/ and subscribe by clicking the RSS feed on the right hand side!

Brenda Janowitz & Summer Book Giveaway

Summer Book Giveaway!


Enter to win signed copies of the hottest books of summer!


Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop reading the hottest reads of the summer! And now you can enter to win a beach bag full of free books!





The winner will get signed copies of both of Brenda’s novels, JACK WITH A TWIST and SCOT ON THE ROCKS, as well as signed copies of these other fabulous reads:



ENGAGING MEN
by Lynda Curnyn



IT’S ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND
by Lauren Lipton



IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND
by Alison Pace



THE REINCARNATIONIST by
M.J. Rose

To enter, just email brenda@brendajanowitz.com. You must be a subscriber of the www.brendajanowitz.com mailing list to enter.

Winners will be announced on September 9. So what are you waiting for? Enter today!

ChickLitGurrl Interviews Author/Scriptorium Founder Sherry D. Ramsey

Today @ ChickLitGurrl, I talk with SHERRY D. RAMSEY, the founder of the awesome site THE SCRIPTORIUM and contributor to the anthology Speculative Realms.



Check out an excerpt of our interview:


CLG: What are some of the more popular sections of The Scriptorium?
SR: The “toolbox” section is a very popular one, where we feature a glossary of writing terms, a quick writing Q&A, and printable forms and worksheets for character building, scene and plot development, world-building, critiquing, and submission tracking. Sue Lick’s monthly Everything But Writing column is a favorite as well; as the title suggests, Sue deals with all the "non-writing" bits of the writing life. Our "on writing" section is also popular, where we strive to include articles every month that cover a wide range of writing interests. Beyond that, I think readers tend to surf around the site, check out the latest book reviews and features, downloads, try the freewriting exercises, delve into the archives...a little bit of everything. There really isn't an area of the site that doesn't get hit!


CLG: What genres are you interested in writing in? Why?
SR: I write mainly speculative fiction--science fiction and fantasy. Maybe I’m drawn to write in those genres because I grew up reading and enjoying them, but I don’t really think that’s it as I’ve always read in a wide variety of genres. I think perhaps it’s because I’m energized by the idea that speculative fiction allows us to push the boundaries of imagination, to ask the vital “what if” of fiction writing in so many ways. Speculative writing allows us to view ourselves, our cultures, our relationships, through a different lens, and to uncover truths about ourselves in a different way. It also allows us to start with an idea and take it beyond the limits of what’s currently possible, to stretch it, twist it, turn it inside out and see where it might lead. That’s always exciting.



To learn more about Sherry, The Scriptorium, and Sherry's writing, head over to CHICKLITGURRL: high on LATTES & WRITING -- http://chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com!

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Why Subscribe to All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP)?

ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE - Where Everything Relates to Writing - is a monthly blogging series hosted by ChickLitGurrl™ in which writers and readers talk about writing and its relation to various topics!

In August, we're tackling FAITH & WRITING. In September, we'll be looking at SEX & WRITING, and in the upcoming months, we will be talking about such topics as gender, homosexuality, memoir, culture, death, and TV and movies.

Take the time to head to ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE and read our wonderful works by the following authors: James A. Jimason, Susan McGeown, Pamela S. Thibodeaux, Niambi Davis, and Beth Fehlbaum. Our last FAITH & WRITING author for August will be Cynthia Polansky, who will go LIVE @ AtBaP Friday, August 29, 2008.

While you're there, take the time to SUBSCRIBE to ATBAP, too, so that you can kept in the loop to new updates and author features!

[Subscribe to AtBaP]

Check out interview with everywoman, APOOO Books Founder Yasmin Coleman

Today @ ChickLitGurrl, I talk with YASMIN COLEMAN, another everywoman, who is literary publicist and promoter, book reviewer, and founder of APOOO Books and BookClub.



When asked, "What are three things that EVERY author must have in his/her promotion arsenal," Coleman stated that one of those things was "a local presence. Many authors want to travel the country to promote their book and that's fine; however, when I ask them have they explored their local options they look at me as thought I just grew another head. LOL. Does your local newspaper know that you've written a book and have they done a feature article on you? Have you done book signings/appearances at your local bookstores? Are the local book clubs aware that you have a book and have you asked them to host you at an upcoming meeting? What about local organizations? Does anyone know your name? What about in your state? Before an author spends hundreds/thousands of dollars travelling to promote their book, they should make sure they've covered most of the bases in their home location.


To learn more about Yasmin, APOOO, and how SHE can help authors promote their literary works, head over to CHICKLITGURRL: high on LATTES & WRITING -- http://chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com!

Leave comments!

Writing a Memoir? Check Out My Latest Article for TIPS!

Well, it's the 17th of the month, and that means my latest Blogging in Black column is LIVE!

This month, I'm talking about memoir writing. I've met so many people who not only feel that their life story is important to write, but it's also important to publish for others to read.

This got me thinking about memoirs, about the difference between memoirs and autobiography, and about some of the problems that might occur when a novice starts out trying to write his/her innermost feelings.

Come check out my article - The Story of Me: Tips on Memoir Writing - and leave comments!!

Blogging in Black - (LINK)

Author/Publisher Susan McGeown talks about Faith & Writing @ AtBaP!

Today at All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP), Susan McGeown, author and owner of Faith Inspired Books, talks about faith and writing...

...two things that go GREAT together in her novel, RECIPE FOR DISASTER...

Nothing could be worse than being a bride abandoned on her wedding day, right? Wrong. Try factoring in an unplanned pregnancy that shatters what is left of Karly Martin's dreams to be a missionary. But Karly is a survivor, stronger and braver than she ever thought possible. Giving up her son for adoption and accepting a missionary position with a Navajo mission school gives her the chance to build on the dreams she thought she had had to abandon. Slowly, she begins to heal. Earl Nezbegay sees to all of his responsibilities: caring for his quadriplegic sister, and her eleven year old daughter, and helping out at the Navajo mission school. Keeping busy enough not to think, keeping numb enough not to feel, and keeping distant enough not to interact. It's not exactly living, but it's surviving. Recipe for Disaster brings together two very broken people. Neither is looking for love, but then life isn't always what we plan or expect, is it?


The question asked this month @ AtBaP is How does your faith, your spirituality integrate itself into your writing and Susan, in discussing her relationship with faith states: Through my successes and my failures I am determined to be a woman of faith no matter what anyone says or thinks. (Picture me with my hands on my hips, my chin raised in defiance.) I want it to be my defining feature, the glue that holds all my pieces together. No matter what hat I'm wearing: mother, sister, daughter, author, aunt, teacher, friend, classroom helper, annoyed customer, neighbor, or stranger – I want it to be the first distinctive quality anyone notices. It's a noble goal but requires constant work.


Head over to ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE today to read the rest of Susan's response and to share your OWN thoughts on faith and writing!


Also, if you haven't yet, check out the wonderful responses by Pamela S. Thibodeaux ("Tempered Joy"), Niambi Davis ("From Dusk to Dawn"), and Beth Fehlbaum ("Courage in Patience")!

ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing: (LINK)

Author Niambi Davis Talks about Faith & Writing Today!

Today at All the Blog's a Page (AtBaP), Niambi Davis - author of FROM DUSK TO DAWN - talks about faith and writing!





Something she knows a BIT about considering her novel...


Taliban wanna-be! Bible-thumping Crusader! Is this any way to begin a love affair? In the case of Ayo and Bilal, the answer is a resounding yes! After the dust from religious and familial wars has settled, the 42 year old widow and 32 year old appraiser fall deeply in love, until an unexpected diagnosis convinces Ayo that loving Bilal means letting him go. But has she underestimated the man who, in spite of a tragedy of his own, vows never to let her go?


The question asked this month @ AtBaP is How does your faith, your spirituality integrate itself into your writing and Niambi's first couple of sentences alone will make you want to read the rest of her response: I was a child when I first heard the word ecumenical. Once a year, the local AME, Episcopal, Catholic, and United Methodist congregations of our small town gathered together to praise the Lord. It was the only Sunday of the year when religion trumped race.


Head over to ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE today to read the rest of Niambi's response and to share your OWN thoughts on faith and writing!


Also, if you haven't yet, check out the wonderful response by Beth Fehlbaum, author of COURAGE IN PATIENCE!

ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE (AtBaP) - Where everything relates to writing: (LINK)

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CLG interviews Strebor Books Author Shelley Halima

Today, over at ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING, I'm interviewing Shelley Halima, author of BLINDING MIRROR.

Check out an excerpt of the interview!

EXCERPT

CLG: Talk to us about the writing process for BLINDING MIRROR. Was it a fast write? Was it more difficult than your previous two novels? Did the darkness of the material slow the writing process?
SH: Blinding Mirror was definitely a more difficult write than the first two novels. I'm very familiar with the cultures represented in AM and LM but with Blinding Mirror, I had the challenge to writing about some cultures and lifestyles of which I knew nothing of and to do so in a convincing fashion. The darkness of the character Olivia didn't slow the process at all. In fact it was a great spark. Just as some actors find it more appealing and more of a challenge to portray dark characters, I as a writer felt the same way about writing the dark character.

CLG: How has your work in screenwriting and movies influenced your novel writing -- or has it?
SH: Really I think my novel writing influenced the screenwriting. With some great advice from a couple of actors I learned to bring certain subtleties into play in the screenplay. I had to learn to not SAY but to SHOW through actions and imagery as I did in my novel writing.

CLG: You're going on vacation, and you're only allowed to take three books with you -- what are they, and why these three?
SH: It by Stephen King, Jubilee by Margaret Walker and Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean R. Koontz. These are probably my top books of all time. It because it frightened me so with the improbable, Jubilee because I felt like I was transported back in time and could feel the pain and joy of those who were enslaved and then set free, and Dark Rivers because even though it was fiction it was chilling in its truth in how things are going on right now. All I can say is Patriot Act.

Want to read the rest of the interview? Then head over to ChickLitGurrl NOW (LINK)!

Beth Fehlbaum talks about Faith & Writing @ Premiere of All the Blog's a Page

(LINK)
Where Everything Relates to Writing ~~ A monthly blogging series hosted by ChickLitGurrl™ in which writers and readers talk about writing and its relation to various topics!

AtBaP premieres its series of writer talks with Beth Fehlbaum, author of COURAGE IN PATIENCE.

For the month of August, the series will focus on the subject of Faith & Writing.


Our panel was asked the following question: How does your faith, your spirituality integrate itself into your writing?





Want to see what Beth had to say about the question? Here's an excerpt:

I strongly believe that religion should not be used as a tool to tear people down. I think that belief comes through in my debut novel, Courage in Patience, a story of hope for those who have endured abuse.

Courage in Patience's protagonist is a fifteen-year-old girl named Ashley Nicole Asher. Ashley is removed from her mother's home because her stepfather is suspected of sexually abusing her. But even before she is removed from her home, she experiences what becomes for her a crystallizing moment that colors forever her perception of fundamentalist churches. This happens when her classmates who, while not really friends, pretty-much ignored her, change into born-again "zombies" who are intensely interested in whether or not Ashley is "saved."

To read the rest of Beth's response and check out an excerpt of her novel COURAGE IN PATIENCE, head to All the Blog's a Page (LINK) and check out our premiere!

While you're there, think about the question in regards to your own writing...or reading and LEAVE COMMENTS!