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are you envious because god is generous?

9/23/2014

It might not seem obvious in the photo but there were over a hundred kids who came over. :D

September 21 is my birthday (which, I'm thrilled to say, is also Stephen King's birthday. On the other hand, I'm also not-so-thrilled to note that 9/21 is also Martial Law day in the Philippines).
I turned 32 this year and I have to say that this is my HAPPIEST birthday so far. This year, I can really say that I'm a full-fledged author. This year, I was able to spend my birthday not just with my loved ones but most importantly, this year God has given me more than enough blessings to share with others. It's not that I have millions and millions of pesos, but I just feel so blessed to be doing what I love that I really want to share my happiness with others.

The readings and gospel for 9/21 are also particularly meaningful and I can't help but think of it as a special message to God. Here are a few lines I'd like to highlight...

First Reading: Isaiah 55: 6-9
Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

These lines made me remember all the times - ALL THE YEARS - that I "saw" (online) one writer after another accepting offers of representation and book deals, some of them only after sending a handful of queries. I kept asking myself - or rather God - when would it be my turn? I was not angry, but sometime I was envious and I definitely felt very frustrated.
But now I realize how wrong I was. For His ways are not our ways. There is a reason for everything, and we must not question His plans for there is a reason for everything that happens and because it is God, it will always be for the better.
Comparing our lives - our writing careers - to others is also something we should avoid. All blessings come from God. Knowing that, why should we then feel bad when God is being generous to others? Why are we envious when God is generous? Shouldn't that be a great and glorious thing? Wouldn't YOU feel bad if you've learned other people despise you (envy is often - not always but often - close to despisal) because God has blessed you? When you put yourself in their shoes, it doesn't feel right, does it?
There are so many things I still wish - things that I hope to be able to do as an author and as an individual, but I hope I am now mature enough not to feel frustrated whenever other people achieve the same things before I do.
All I can do right now is to work harder, love my job more, and thank God for every single day that He's allowed me to write for a living.
God bless you all! :)

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September update

9/19/2014

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September has been a pretty bad month so far - compared to the previous months. But I'm still hoping it will pick up once I get to release new books. Health-wise, I've had more sick days than days when I was fine and able to work. September is also always a busy month for the family - birthdays left and right and if you're Filipino, you understand that not attending a family member's birthday is equal to a personal slight - YOU JUST HAVE TO ATTEND. It's proof that you love them. So there goes more of my writing time.

Since I haven't yet managed to release a new book, I've done several things to increase backlist sales. My backlist sales had taken a nosedive since Kindle Unlimited launched - I'm hoping it's just a phase but if not, I obviously have to put at least one book in KU - just to get some of its reader. Some of the authors say, however, that low sales in September are typical - with students in the US going back to school, there'd automatically be an increase in school-related spending, leaving readers with little money left for their reading budget. I'm really hoping that's the case and things would be back to normal next month.

One thing I did to increase backlist sales is to book ads - one of them costs $25 while the other cost 4x that amount. The first one got Greek 1 to Top 800 on Amazon's overall list for free titles. The other, however, got Heart Racer as far as Top 50. Sales went up for Heart Racer #2 but not much movement for the rest of the Greek books.

Another thing I did was set Heart Racer #3 free - this is Book 1 of Helios and MJ. I did NO PROMOTION at all but I saw it go as high as #72 overall on Amazon. Not bad at all! Backlist sales for Books 2 and 3 of Helios and MJ's story have picked up, too. So this was a good gamble as far as I'm concerned.

There have been a couple of nice surprises, though. Unwillingly Yours is now free on Apple and it's spent several days on the free romance chart. No promo for that one, too.

I also finally got to publish Catch You If I Can as a standalone - it previously debuted as part of the Love and Laughter bundle - and it's been selling without any promo, too.

Anyway that's it for now - just shared what I've been doing so far in case anyone's interested to know.

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top 10 books...and how they've shaped my writing

9/18/2014

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I've been tagged by several wonderful people to do this, and it's only now I've found the time and - to be honest - a good reason to do it. When I finished listing down my Top 10 books, I realized that these books weren't just special to me as a reader. Rather, they were pretty much life-changing experiences for me as a writer and I'm sharing the whys and hows in hopes that it could help others, one way or another.
1. THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE BY LYNNE GRAHAM
This book introduced me to my favorite breed of heroes: Greek billionaires. In hindsight, I also realized that this book - and LG's succeeding books - also made me unconsciously adapt a formula when writing my books. When I first realized that I was using a formula to write my books, I CONSCIOUSLY attempted to stay away from it. Because I didn't want to be predictable, didn't want to cheat my readers, etc. Well, the end result was SHIT. That was when I also realized that when I buy books from my favorite authors, it's because I KNOW what to EXPECT. And I think many of my readers are the same - they buy my books because they know what to expect. This realization was LIBERATING - now, I more than happy write according to formula - my formula. And because I'm doing this, I still end up crying whenever I read my books. I forget that I'm its author. I'm my own target market with my books so if my own stories make me cry or make my heart pinch - that's a good thing, don't you think?
2. UNDEAD SERIES BY MARY JANICE DAVIDSON
I'm not sure if I read this from an article or straight from her book ESCAPE THE SLUSH PILE (Another must read!) but MJD's been described as a pioneer, someone who carved a niche all on her own in paranormal romance. She was the first to write paranormal rom-coms back in the day, and her humor was uniquely her own. I really, really love her snarky wit and though once in a while I try my best to create funny snarky heroines, I know it's not my forte. What I did learn from MJD was that it's okay not to be like the rest. Different does not mean bad. Different just means different.
3. Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Nobody writes sports romances like SEP does. Nobody writes funny sexy romances like she does. She's my goddess, and I'm not ashamed to say it. If you've read any of my books or reviews of my books, you'd notice that most readers mention how my endings are so very dramatic. Yeah, well, I learned it from SEP. She always, always makes me cry. Always! And that's what I want from my readers - if I got to make them cry, then I know I've done a good job.
Another thing I love about SEP's books is how her heroes aren't too serious. Look at Gideon Cross from Sylvia Day's Crossfire series. I love her books. I am in love with Gideon Cross. But I know that I won't be able to write something like Gideon coz one way or another, even my heroes would end up doing something funny and silly - something that you definitely would not catch Gideon Cross doing.
Basically, I've learned that heroes don't need to take themselves seriously all the time to be alphas. And I really like it that way. :)
4. TWILIGHT BY STEPHENIE MEYER
Yep, I know a LOT of people don't like Twilight or the way S.M. writes. Yeah, well, I'm not one of them. S.M. for me is a really, really good storyteller and I love how she wrote Twilight with so much abandon. I can only hope I can write like that with every book I put out.
Twilight was the reason I devoured YA paranormal romances like mad years ago. It got me to read Lauren Kate's Fallen series (also a great read!) and other similar books. It's because of SM that I discovered that particular sub-genre, because of her I got to discover my own love for writing YA. Last but not the least, it's also because of her that I rediscovered my love and passion for writing - I was so disillusioned with how my writing career was turning out in the PH that I really turned my back on writing faction and just focused on article writing, which is at least a job that PAYS. But when I saw how millions of people loved SM's books and flocked into theaters to watch the film adaptations - honestly, it made me realize that SM got to where she is now because she DIDN'T give up on her dream.
I gave up on my dream - and I paid for it. I won't do it again - and I hope, if you're serious about writing, you don't give up, too.
5. FIFTY SHADES BY E.L. JAMES
The Werewolf Prince and I was my FIRST adult romance. It had NO intimate scenes when I first shared it on Girltalk's forum. However, I have always read - and loved reading - steamy romances. I just didn't think I could write it because I'm Filipino, Catholic, I come from a conservative family, etc. etc. All sorts of inhibitions held me back.
Reading Fifty Shades (which I also enjoyed, by the way) made me (belatedly) realize one thing: SEX SELLS. I mean, I know, duh, right? That's why the porn industry will never go away. But for women, though, sex sells - especially if it comes with the feels. And Fifty Shades definitely came with a lot of feels.
When I upped the heat level of TWPAI, it was solely because I wanted the book to sell. But after writing the book, I discovered that I actually enjoyed writing steamy scenes, mainly because steamy scenes revealed secret sides of my characters and made them connected in a way that no other type of scene could achieve. I loved how intimate those scenes were and how it made me - as a reader - feel privileged to see those secret sides of them.
After TWPAI, the rest was history.
6. THE CALL OF CTHULU BY H.P. LOVECRAFT
H.P.'s stories were the first "non-contemporary horror" I've ever read and they stayed with me for a long, long time. I love the tone of his works, and I think that's what I always to recapture when I'm writing horror - I want to see if I can make the present-day world as dark as he did. I love how he always had all these historical texts included, all sorts of academic stuff playing important roles in his books and I did this, too, with Death Loves Me Not (my only published work in horror).
In this entire list, this is probably the one that affected me equally more as a reader than a writer. When I think about it, I realize that it could also very well be one of my loftier goals - to write a story so good that it shuts down the "writer's part" of an author's brain. :D
7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
If E.L. James taught me how to write steamy scenes with lots of feels, SP taught me how to write YA love without any explicit stuff. I love how she made Etienne so yummy - to the point that I didn't realize how, umm, short he was. Hehe. My takeaway from her books is simple: good guys can be helluva sexy, too. I've only written one book where the guy is basically good (Catch You If I Can) but I hope I can write more.
I also love how the city of Paris played a role in the book - it made everything so much more romantic and real. I don't know if I can ever do that with Manila, but maybe one day...
8. Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard
Confession time: I tried reading Dante's Inferno in college. I found it boring. But now that I've read SR's books, mmm...I'm thinking of giving it a try. =D I know that's one of SR's goals - to make readers like classical lit. Usually, I shy away from the classics because they're too depressing and serious for me, but the fact that he's actually made me reconsider Inferno....
I want to be like that, too!
Actually, I had a similar goal when I wrote Drawn. Aside from wanting to create a "younger version" of Fifty Shades minus the BDSM and kinks, I had also hoped that Drawn would encourage more readers outside Asia to try out shoujo manga. Based on the most highlighted quotes for Drawn on Amazon, I think I've succeeded somewhat and that really made me happy.
SR's books stayed with me for several reasons.
First, I loved how he made something like classical lit sound really cool. That's the power of writing at work!
Second, I loved how he created the hero Gabriel. He's a really smart professor and most of the time, he talks about intellectual stuff that should have made me puke, but instead it just made me more dreamy-eyed and wishing we had really hot professors like him in CSB haha.
Third, he made me want to write about forbidden romances between teachers and students. Hopefully, one day I'll get to that. =D
9. Angels' Blood (Guild Hunters, Book 1) by Nalini Singh
Most of the beautiful writing I've gotten to read is from YA romances. Most of the adult romances I've read use really casual or gritty language. But this series - oh, this series. I am SO in love with this series. Her words are so pretty. So, so very pretty it makes me want to act like Gollum and call them "my precious". It makes me imagine her words are this really cute baby and I want to pinch his chubby cheeks so bad.
NS' books taught me how you can still write prettily even when you've got lots of blood and gore in your books. Even her steamy scenes are pretty - really hot still but pretty, too.
I'm not quite there yet, but her books have given me a really great goal to aspire for.
10. Belgariad Series by David Eddings
Mm...I think this series is like H.P. Lovecraft's. It's affected me more as a reader than a writer. After reading this series, it made me want to read more epic fantasies. It got me to discover books by Anne Bishop and Elizabeth Haydon. It taught me the importance of world building and how world building can make books so much more beautiful, vivid, and richer if it's done correctly.

One thing I always like to say and remind other people is to NEVER be ashamed about your taste in books. Reading is a personal experience and it just won't be as fun if you let others' opinions dictate what you like. Whenever I'm asked, I feel sheepish but not ashamed when I admit that I don't like reading the classics or even locally published works because they're too serious - and I'm the type to be easily affected by what I read.
However, it's also important that you DO NOT CLOSE YOUR DOORS completely. Never say never. For instance, I recently developed a fascination over the works of F. Sionil Jose. If you had asked me weeks ago who he was, I'd tell you that I have no idea who he is. I definitely didn't know he was one of our National Artists. However, last week, I saw a photo of him attending this year's NJLA and from there, I found myself reading articles about his life and works. I found myself fascinated with his life's journey, so much so that it made me really want to read his books. He's currently top of my TBR, and I'm hoping to read his books when I'm done with my deadlines.
One book that I didn't include in the list but I feel deserves special mention is THE BIBLE. For me, it's worth reading and re-reading and it's definitely influenced my writing, too. While I make sure I do not preach with my books, I like having my characters pray and lean on God. For me, having good triumphing over evil is also proof of God's work.
Writers write for different reasons. For me, it's simple - I want to make people smile and fall in love because being happy and in love is one step to being closer to God. I don't think the way I write will ever win me any accolades, but I'm hoping the way I write will get readers to read more, get them to be happier and not lose hope.
Every writer must have a purpose - if you've found yours, then whatever it is, stick to it because that's probably what God needs you to do. :D

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how i outline

9/12/2014

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There are all sorts of ways for writers to work on their books' outlines, but I thought it would be good to share how I do mine. I'm obsessed with them, to be honest - there have been a lot of times that I tried to write by the seat of my pants, but nope - just can't do it. It's not that I always rigidly follow my outline - I rarely do, actually. But all the same, I'd like to have one just to know I'm on track and to make sure that I don't end up writing what would just seem like extra padding for my book.
But anyway, here goes.
Note: I do not have a working blurb when I start working on my outline. That comes after; easier to summarize the story when everything's done.

Step 1: I work on character profiles and back stories. (Everything in blocked quotes are what's exactly written on my outline)

MJ - Michael James Cartwright - long brown hair, tomboyish, likes to wear checkered polos, tank tops, faded jeans and sneakers. Violet eyes.
Her mother Madeline was supposed to have a son, but instead after three miscarriages she gave her husband James a son. She hid this from him at the hospital so she could take the baby home. Madeline dies of illness when MJ is 11.
James considers her gender a blow to his manhood so he likes torturing her as "training" so she'll be strong like a boy, just without balls. MJ becomes scared of bikes because it's one of James' favorite torture devices. He'd use her for stunt practice. He also teaches her to steal and do everything bad for him.
When she turned 18, she left her father, armed with a scholarship, not knowing he's sold her to a maniac millionaire.
She chooses Helios' school because of him.
When she was 16, she was out taking photos and saw him use his bike to save a man, performing a stunt like her dad's but for good. Something about him liberates her from fear. It's what you do about life that matters. Doesn't matter where you begin, it's about where you end up.
So she waits the next day for the newspapers, sure that it will be covered by media.
And there it is - Helios Andreadis.

This is my outline for Swish, by the way, and if you've noticed, the parts in BOLD are the ones I actually ended up discarding and replacing with new plot twists. I ended up discarding them as I progressed with my book. It wasn't a conscious choice. As the story unfolded, it would become clear to me which parts would and wouldn't work and of course I acted accordingly.
Sometimes - like the part that I underlined - there are also stuff that do happen but I don't end up writing much about in the book.

Step 2: I outline chapter by chapter. I don't always get to follow my numbering, but it still helps me figure out how to best end a chapter. When I end a chapter, I do it in such a way that it would make the reader want to read the next chapter. I may be wrong, but I think I learned this from Stephen King's On Writing, one of the most brutally effective writing manuals there is.

Step 3: When I start introducing new characters, I edit my outline to include essential details. This is to ensure that I'm consistent with names, positions, ages, physical descriptions, etc.

C2.
HIERARCHY
President: Helios Andreadis
VP: Kellion Argyros (green eyes, 21)
Secretary: Yuri Athanas (light blue eyes, like an angel, 20)
Treasurer: Andreus Economou

Step 4: I also include dialogue in my outlines. These are usually verbal exchanges that are needed to take the story to a different direction or dialogue that represents new plot twists.

C4
Practice day. He sees her jumping all the time and all the girls laugh at her for it. What kind of girl applies for a club but is afraid of bikes?
K: Someone who loves a guy enough to conquer her fears?
It's Yuri's first time to talk to MJ. He asks too many questions. She's scared they'll find out about her past and hold it against her. But as it turns out, he already knows - even about Helios. Simple deduction.
H, jealous. He snaps at her and shames her in front of everyone. She leaves, cheerful expression but cries in the kitchen.
K: She must love him very much.

As you can see, I don't bother with "proper" writing. I write everything down as it occurs to me and as long as I have no problems deciphering my notes, then I'm good with that.

Step 5: You'll also notice in the example above that I've included feelings and thoughts of characters. This is to remind me where the character's coming from when she / he says a particular thing.

Step 6: I also do my best to include time frames. This is one of the hardest things for me when writing, to be honest. I sometimes forget how much time has passed since X did what or since X and Y met. So, if possible, I include time frames. When I re-read what I've written so far, I consult my outline to see if I'm consistent with my story's timeline.

C5
They avoid each other. She's been with them for over a month now.
She's miserable, wonders if he hates her. She stays away from him in the party, sticks with Yuri, who's amused because he knows she's taking photos of H all the time.

Step 7: It's also when I'm working on my outline that I decide when (and even where or how) my H/h become intimate. This is important for me because I don't want it to be too soon or too late. I also like to keep track of the number of "mature" scenes I have in a book - most of my readers want more, and honestly, what my readers want, I do my best to cater provide - but only for as long as it won't ruin the story.

C7
Astrid's been coming by for days now. She's one of the models hired to interact with the club for the photo shoot. She watches jealously at how great Astrid is at bikes. Grrr. She's going to practice.
Dinner. She doesn't talk to him. Bobby gives her a tip.
After ---
Are you really avoiding me?
MJ: She rides so well, doesn't she?
H: Better probably than you can ever ride in your entire lifetime.
MJ: I don't think so. I can... omg omg omg am I going to do this?
I can ride you. Better than she ever can.
XXX
"You're mine now."
"Yes."
"Who's your secret crush?"
She's afraid of giving him too much power over her. "Does it matter? I'm yours now."
"I will kill anyone who touches you. Anyone."

Oh, and err, yes - when I outline, XXX MEANS SEX. :D

99% of time you will note that my books are very steamy, but not always - in Click (Book 3 of Helios and MJ), for instance, that only has one major intimate scene between the H/h. The reason for this is because they're apart almost throughout the entire book. I'm sure this has disappointed readers, but in the end, it was what I had to write because it was how their story unfolded. However, this raaaaarely happens - as much as possible, I really make it a point to do what my readers want. Most of the time, what they want is what I want, too, anyway.

Step 8: For the story's climax, the more detailed it is, the better. When I've reached this part of the story, I make sure that even this part of my outline is able to bring tears to my eyes or it can at least jerk some heart strings. If it doesn't, then I know I haven't done my job.

Everyone is tense. He's so jealous he forces her to ride a bike. Prove that you love me.
So she does, even when she's crying so hard she does.
Yuri arrives - wtf are you doing?
Yuri carries her away from the bike.
H: So it comes out. You're the secret love and you've got some twisted shit going on, letting me---
Y: It's always been you, fucking idiot. She saw you save a man one day, thought you were an angel. Yeah right. Fucking demon, forcing her to do something when she's terrified to death.
===
HOSPITAL
Helios starts to apologize...
My father used to do this. It may seem like I keep doing it for fear. But I keep doing it because I want to show him I love him. I want to prove to him how much I love him. I don't want to force you to love me like that.

As much as possible, I also make sure to include a character's "last words". You know, those unforgettable lines that would make you blink back tears and make your chest ache. Most of the time, I'll end up adding more words to it but whatever's in my outline is basically the gist of it. For those interested, here's what ended up on the final version of the book.

“MJ?”
It was so rare for her to hear him speak her name. Why now when there was no need for it? She whispered, “My father used to ask me to do this…thing.” She didn’t care if he didn’t understand her. This was the only time she would speak to him about it, the last time she would ever talk to Helios again.
“And I would do it. I used to think I was doing it out of fear.”
Helios had whitened at her words. He knew that MJ likely thought he didn’t understand her, but Dio, he did. He fucking understood her now, and he would pay for what he had done to her for the rest of his life.
“MJ, don’t---”
She shook her head.
Relax. Lie down. And keep your eyes open.
That was how she had survived.
She would survive this, too.
So slowly, she made herself turn to Helios and meet his gaze. “I used to think…it was only because I was afraid of him. But I realized…it wasn’t that at all. I kept doing it because I wanted to show him I loved him---” Her voice broke at the last word.
She looked at Helios, and unshed tears choked her voice. “I wanted to prove to you that I love you, but that’s wrong.”
“No, dammit, no.” Helios grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips. He felt so fucking scared by how she was talking. It couldn’t be the end. She had to understand he had only been afraid, but now he knew the truth. It wouldn’t be like that ever again.
“MJ, listen---”
But the pain in her eyes made him feel like he no longer deserved to speak.
She whispered, “I’m so tired of trying to earn someone’s love. I don’t want to do it anymore.” She forced a smile. It was so hard to smile when she felt like her heart had just died. But she had to. “So President---”
That last term felt like a knife stab. He whitened even more, and he gritted out, “Don’t call me that---”
“Could you let Astrid know I’m relinquishing the fight for you?”

And there you have it. :D I hope that helps any or some of you! :)

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The summer slump and a lesson on gratitude

9/4/2014

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A few months back, authors I know have been talking about the expected summer slump. I foolishly thought it wouldn't hit me if I made sure to release more than one book for those months, but at last it didn't happen that way.
July was great for me - my best month so far in self-publishing and I only had one new book published in that month. August, I had two new books published but overall monthly sales were down 6% compared to July's totals.
And for September, it's the first time in months that I'm in the red as far as daily target sales are concerned. (Note: My daily target sales are based on my cost of living per month / 30 days.) This is terrifying for me as a full-time author. However, I've decided not to focus on the negative. It's something I recently "re-learned" when I was listening to a pastor preach. His sermon was titled "The Blessings of Testings" and it was based on 1 Kings 17: 7-16.
Go on. Read the passages.
Done? :)
There will be times when you feel you've hit rock bottom, and in times like this, it will feel like God is demanding more from you. These tests, however, should be seen as blessings - make that literally blessings in disguise.
Tests from God are also meant to teach you five important lessons:
Tests from God are meant to make you spiritually fit. For me, the summer slump is meant to remind me that I am where I am now not because I'm a good writer. It's because it's through God's grace that I've had the chance to share my stories with people all over the world. For that I should be thankful.
Tests from God are meant to be an exercise on obedience. I remember the pastor using this as an example - you open your fridge and see only water inside (this is common here in PH. We store water in jugs / pitchers inside the fridge. We DO NOT drink from the tap because that's unsafe and unhealthy). When people see just water inside the fridge, they'd usually go "Damn, just water. No food." And I remember feeling exactly like this with the fridge in my room because there were times when I didn't have enough money to buy all the fruits I wanted to eat. :D
The pastor then asked, Can't we look at this situation in another way? Can't we think "Yay, there's still water, we won't be thirsty." Or be thankful that you have a fridge in the first place. When I reflect on this, I realize that I shouldn't complain or worry about my sales. I should be thankful I can even sell one copy a day.
Tests from God are meant to remind you that His promises are SURE. The pastor says that God made at least 3,000 promises in the Bible! Imagine all of that coming true for us! And it will! Because He's God. So, this made me think that things always happen for a reason and this summer slump has taught me a lot of things about myself and as a self-publisher.
Blessings are the result of obedience. We just have to hang on and keep - and spread - the faith.
In times of testing, come to God. And that's why I just keep praying while working. It just makes me feel a lot better that way.

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This is where we talk all about writing.

are you envious because god is generous?

September update

top 10 books...and how they've shaped my writing

how i outline

The summer slump and a lesson on gratitude

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