Interview with Tamela's client Cheryl Ricker

Today, Tamela is excited to interview her writer, Cheryl Ricker. Cheryl’s love for people and sweet spirit are her hallmarks. Her gift book, RHYTHMIC FOOTSTEPS, is scheduled to release next year with Zondervan.

Congratulations on your poetic comfort book. Cheryl, when did you first discover poetry?

Good question. I think it started with my love for Dr. Seuss’, “Green Eggs and Ham” and went up and away from there. Seriously, I’ve always loved poetry’s musicality and power. I was raised on the old hymns, so between Seuss and John Wesley, I searched for, spoke and savored soothing sounds before I could even read.

I discovered I could write poetry when I was thirteen. That’s when I went through a time of grief, and needed to hear from God. Interestingly, one of those first poems involved a conversation with God, similar to what we see in “Rhythmic Footsteps.” I showed it to my pastor, and his response shocked me. He asked if he could post it on the church bulletin board and bless other people. I was thrilled something so small could be a big encouragement.

Why did you decide to turn your poetry into a gift book?

This is great; I get to brag on God! Four years ago I met a lady at Mothers Of Preschoolers who introduced herself as someone with terminal lung cancer. Chantale and I became instant friends. She knew she was going to die so she asked if I’d be willing to meet with her on a regular basis. Humbled, honored, and terrified, I said, “sure,” silently pouting, “Why me, God? What will I possibly say to her?” That’s when He reminded me of my poetry.

Armed with prayer, pen and paper, I reached into my broken past, and plunged into a poem about pain and disillusionment. I decided to write from the point of view of the only person who perfectly understands: Jesus.

I couldn’t believe it. My poems ministered to her and her husband! Yay! They wanted more! I had something to say! I began to scour God’s Word for comfort, picking up every book on grief and crisis I could find. This was my widow’s mite, and with God’s help, I’d do it right! I brought my poetry to the hospital during her chemotherapy, I brought it to hospice, and I eventually I brought it to her funeral. That was the hardest thing, but I publicly recited it at her service - because that’s what she’d wanted!

After Chantale went to be with the Lord, I attended the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s conference. I went to pitch a children’s book I’d written in high school, but I received more encouragement about turning my poetry into a comfort gift book. I’m indebted to the encouraging writers and editors who steered me in the right direction. (This book’s dedicated to you! You too, Chantale!)

What a moving story! Clearly you’ve walked your own “Rhythmic Footsteps.” Would you mind talking about the title? How does it relate to the theme?

Well, besides the fact that the book speaks in rhyme, “rhythmic” describes our changing lives. Like ocean tides, they’re high, they’re low. We live, we die, we’re thrust into a myriad of rhythmic seasons. The word “footsteps” conveys God’s loving presence. As my subtitle says, He’s “A Friend in the Storm.” “Footsteps” reminds us of the famous, “Footprints” poem. I don’t know what the illustrations are going to be like, but I envision Jesus and a little girl, walking, talking, and sharing insights along a sandy shore.

That’s a lovely image. Speaking of vision, tell us about the structure of your book.

Love to. The poems are interconnected with the top-of-the-line quotes and the most comforting Scriptures in the Bible. The structure goes quote, Verse, poem. The book flows like a medley and builds like a story. It takes readers on a progressive journey, crescendo-ing with the splendor of Heaven.

Each quote, verse, poem trio ends with a new concept that connects to the beginning of the next trio. And each trio covers a different topic so it’s strong enough to stand on its own. People are comforted wherever they randomly open the book. As one Mayo Clinic doctor put it: “Rhythmic Footsteps is like a dose of spiritual medicine for the sick. I can see patients and families reading it whenever another dose is needed.”

What’s in a dose?

Enough truth on forty-five different key topics to help people see their circumstances differently. It’s faith-building poetry.

How would you describe your style?

It has a literary feel, but it’s also easily understood. It speaks deeply but simply. It’s light and tight. It only has eight lines, but each poem has enough concrete imagery to give readers something powerful to meditate on, enough condensed truth to grow on. It’s crafted with memorable end-rhyme, and it also sings with internal sound-bonding.

I love when people say, “I don’t usually like poetry, but this stuff speaks to me.” In that sense, I guess you could say it’s also poetry for the non-poet. It’s personalized, stylized comfort.

How does your poetry comfort people?

It pulls readers into the story as it addresses their deepest questions and feelings. It begins with an angry poem from the reader’s point of view. “God, if you’re so loving and great, why did you allow this to happen?”

It shares Christ’s wise, loving and patient responses. By identifying with the readers’ pain, Christ connects with them. He invites them to be real and to give Him their anger, questions and pain.

By lovingly describing His own painful story, He paints a big picture perspective of time and eternity. In this way, He draws readers close.

Whether or not people are Christians, they need the same thing when they’re suffering: Christ’s love. There’s no greater comfort than experiencing His presence as He speaks in spirit and truth, or, as in this case, in rhyme and reason.

Christ gives readers an invitation to respond to His love by committing to a deeper level of trust. Who couldn’t use more of that? Trust is comforting because it assures people that no matter what happens, God’s children are eternally safe and sealed.

This is where I need to make my confession. (Gulp) Ok – here goes. I - am a big worry wart. I need to regularly read my book! And I do! And it helps! Not because they’re my words, but because it’s grounded on truth. There, I confessed it. Do you still love me?


Of course!

Good!

Cheryl, would you offer encouragement to writers who’ve been struggling for years to publish a book that God has given them?

I do. I’d love to talk to them personally for a minute.

First of all, Friend, YOU are amazing! God is crazy about you! If He gave you a book to write, then write it. Don’t worry about what others say; do as God tells you, and He will bless you!

Satan hired a lot of little discouragers along my publishing journey (which still isn’t over yet, by the way); I kept going, however, and here I am, appearing on Hartline’s amazing Blog! So if something happens and my book doesn’t come out, well at least I’m here! “Hi everybody!!”

There is no guarantee we’ll be published or that God will bless the fruit of our hands; If we obey, however, He WILL be blessed by the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace… lots of perseverance and hopefully patience! As we pray, work, wait and trust, He WILL develop us into His beautiful, perfect image. And what could be better than that?

Thanks so much Cheryl! Would you like to leave us with a poem from your book?

I’d be delighted! I pray this is your prayer too!

Sweet Dreams

When the night is long I’ll praise you,
raising prayers against the storm,
letting peace direct my thinking,
breezing peace through my weak form.

Safe inside your Spirit’s blanket,
wiping tears like morning dew,
I will whisper in the shadows,
“Lord, I’m still in love with you.”

What a beautiful poem! Thanks for visiting with us today. I know readers will want to learn more about you at www.cherylricker.com.

Until next time,

Tamela

Book signings (and why we love to hate them)

From the Heart would like to welcome guest blogger and Pencil Box Crew Member Loree Lough today. Loree published this blog this past week and it was one of the best articles that we have read on this subject so Joyce invited Loree to share this vital information with our readers!

Say the word “book” to an author, published or not, and you’ll likely see their faces light up. If we didn’t love books, we wouldn’t write them, right?

Say the word “signing”, and you’ll get a slightly different reaction as they flip through the definitions of ‘sign’ stored in their memory banks: Contract with publishing house? Contract with literary agent? Contract to seal a multi-book deal? Better still, movie deal?

But put the words together and watch the fun start! This simple two-word phrase can strike terror in the hearts of best-sellers and gonna bees alike. Like it or not, book signings are high on the list of awful, annoying, aggravating self-promotional chores such as enrolling at Internet social networking sites, creating a web site, blogging, and other equally agonizing marketing chores.

Over the years, I’ve logged close to 100 book signings, myself, and in my opinion, book signings are right up there with childbirth, root canals, and hearing “Yes, that was me kissin’ Bethanie Miller” on my “Most Painful Life Experiences” list.

‘Saddle blocks’, Novocain, and a kick to the shin helped dull the ache of the other stuff, and learning how to “put on” a good book signing made those less painful, too. In the hope of sparing you some of the discomfort, I’m happy to share some of those learned-the-hard-way lessons here:

First, accept the fact that as a published author, book signings are part of your job, like owning a computer and having a dependable email program. And accept the fact that you’re gonna have to ‘do’ as many signings as possible to ‘hawk’ your latest novel.

If you can, choose a month or season that somehow 'connects' to your book's theme. (Like, if you write romance, Valentine's Day is a perfect date for a signing!)

If you're blessed to live in an 'author populated' area, invite them to join you. Multi-author signings are perfect examples of 'the more the merrier'.

Don't depend on the book store or organization to 'advertise' for you. Send press releases to the local papers, TV and radio stations announcing the date of the signing.

Don't depend on the book store or organization to provide a nice 'spot' for you to sit, either. Stash a card table and chair in the trunk of your car, just in case.

Don't depend on the book store to know where to 'put' you. You want to be as close to the front door as possible. So make a new friend of that store manager (or whichever employee has been forced to don the Author Liaison cap), and volunteer to take over as many of his/her duties as you possibly can.

Dress up your table with a tablecloth, a vase of flowers, a picture frame or placard that highlights your latest title. Display your books in a cool ‘stacked’ design to catch the attention of passers-by.

Put your business cards beside a bowl of candy or plate of cookies, and invite people to have a free snack, with permission of course! (They won't be allowed to wander the store while eating, so it's a perfect opportunity for you to talk with them!)

If the signing coincides with a holiday, decorate your table to commemorate it! A red-white-and-blue theme the 4^th of July, hearts and cupids for Valentines’ Day, feminine flowers for Mothers’ Day, turkeys and autumn leaves for Thanksgiving, angels and Santas for Christmas and… you get the idea….

Choose a favorite charity and vow to donate a portion of the day’s proceeds to it. Naturally, a multi-author event requires you to get everybody on board, but experience has taught me that’s easy… if you choose an organization that touches the lives of many, like Autism or Childhood Diabetes, heart disease or cancer. The charitable angle takes the focus from you and your books, and puts it on something so much more important… and the media loves stories about ‘causes’. If you get a little free press while they’re covering this worthy fund-raising event? Well, you’re gonna feel terrific for two reasons, that’s what!

Now… Father Time and Mother Nature might just decide to mess things up, despite all your careful planning. So if a snowstorm or a FOOTBALL game ( we could not list a particular team here since Loree's and the Pittsburgh home team differ :-) stops people from attending your book signing? Use the time to your advantage! Hurricane Bertha caused a major meltdown for me years ago at a tiny book store in a hard-to-reach strip mall. I could count on one hand the number of people who ventured out that day, and have fingers left over… and sold exactly two books. So I perched on the end of the cashier’s counter and chatted with the store owner and his wife. We met for steamed crabs a few weeks later, and have repeated the ‘date’ annually, ever since. And guess which store is one of the first to order my latest book….

But I digress…

Don't sit behind the table like a banker whose sole joy in life is saying NO to a loan. Get out in front of your table and smile! Say howdy as folks walk by. Tell mommies the baby in the stroller is a cutie. Tell daddies you really 'dig' their comfy lookin' plaid shirt. Ask them about their favorite author and book, and find legitimate connections between you and your work, and that favorite writer and his/her work.

Do not buy into the 'You can please some readers some of the time, but you can't please every reader' rule! Are you a romance writer? Then suggest to men who stop by that they can earn big-time brownie points if they buy your novel for their wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, or mothers-in-law. Hard-boiled detective stories more your style? Tell the women who pause that your book will make a great gift for their husbands, fathers, brothers.

A word of warning: Unless you're already a rich and famous author, don't expect to sell a lot of books. Moving a dozen copies during a two-hour signing is a pretty good day, so if you accomplish that, give yourself some credit. And even if you are a rich and famous author? Well, let me tell you a little story….

Several years ago, I attended the signing of a very well-known writer, and thinking the line of fans might wrap around the building a couple of times, I got there an hour early. Would you believe that counting me only 21 people asked for his autograph? And those 4-foot towers of books stacked all around his table? Still there when the store closed!

Now then, after your signing is over, ask the manager/organizer if you can autograph any unsold copies of your books. Slap an 'autographed' or 'local author' sticker on each. Bookstores will keep signed novels on the shelves to sell, or to use in gift baskets or store promotions. Commit this to memory: Scribbled-in copies cannot be returned to the publisher. Ever. Did that inspire a grin? It should have!

Finally, clean up your mess and any litter left behind by people who visited your table, and return the area to its former neat and tidy state. Then thank the manager/organizer on site, and stop on the drive home to treat yourself to some forbidden snack. You earned it.

When you get home, take a minute to pop a couple of good old-fashioned 'thank you' notes in the mail… to the store manager and anyone else who helped your hours at the signing table pass a little more quickly and efficiently. Trust me: These little courtesies will go a long, long way in helping them remember you the next time you call to set up a book signing!

I’ll leave you with one last thought:

It’s human nature to investigate laughter and good times. If you're having fun with would-be book buyers, who knows what wonderful things might result. Annual steamed crab dinners, maybe?

So enjoy your next book signing!

And a HUGE thanks Loree for guesting here today and all of the great advise!

From our Hearts to yours,

Hartline Literary Agency, Joyce, Tamela, Terry and Diana

Interview with Joyce's Client Carrie Turansky

I’m pleased to interview my client Carrie Turansky today. Carrie is a busy pastor's wife, mother and grandmother.

Carrie, tell us about your family and your ministry.

My husband Scott and I live in central New Jersey and have been married for over thirty years. We have five grown children. The oldest two are married with one living in Hawaii and the other in Pennsylvania. We have two grandsons and one more grandchild on the way. One son is in the Marines and stationed in North Carolina. The two youngest are working full-time and live in New Jersey. We love our family, and we make an effort to stay in touch with them by email, phone calls, facebook, twitter, and visits as often as we can.

Scott is an author too. Tell us more about his books and ministry.

Scott is a pastor, counselor, speaker and the author of several parenting books including PARENTING IS HEART WORK and his new VBS program coming out in January called HERO TRAINING CAMP, based on the life of David. He is cofounder of the National Center For Biblical Parenting and presents parenting seminars all around the country several times a year.

Back home Scott is the senior pastor at Calvary Chapel Mercer County. We helped plant that church eleven years ago with a great group of Jesus-loving friends. It had been a wonderful adventure to partner together to reach our community and spread God’s Word and love there. Before we moved to New Jersey, we spent eight years in Hawaii serving at Pacific-Islands Bible Church on Oahu. We also spent a year in Kenya, teaching at Moffatt Bible College with Africa with Africa Inland Mission. That was an amazing year, and it gave us all a heart for what God is doing around the world.

Your son Josh and his family live and minister in Hawaii. What ministry are they involved in?

Josh and his wife Melinda oversee the Kauai Bible College, an extension campus of Calvary Chapel Bible College, Murrietta, CA where they attended. They are doing a great job training young people to serve the Lord, making disciples semester by semester. Visiting them and seeing all they are doing is very inspiring! http://www.kauaibiblecollege.com/index.html


How long have you been writing, and where do you get your inspiration?

When we returned from Kenya in 1997, I missed Africa so much that I decided to write a story set there as a way to relive some of my experiences. Over the next while I poured out that book, I developed a love for writing, but I had a lot to learn before my writing would be ready for publication. In 2000 I heard about ACFW and became a member. That opened up many doors for me to learn and grow as a writer, and also to meet Joyce.

What obstacles have you had to overcome in your writing journey?

When I began writing, I was homeschooling my five children. That was a full-time job, and it was a challenge to balance writing, teaching the kids, managing my home, and assisting Scott in ministry. Over time I learned how to write even with all kinds of things going on around me. I am glad I invested in my kid’s lives for that season of their lives, and I am thankful for all I learned during that time. I am sure I am a better writer today because of it.


What are you working on presently?

I am writing a contracted book for Steeple Hill Love Inspired titled SEEKING HIS LOVE. It will be coming out in October 2010. It is the story of a former teacher who is haunted by false accusations a student made against her. This causes her to move away, find a new position, and try to hide what happened from everyone she meets in this new town. She soon learns it is impossible to build a stable new life on the shaky foundation of lies from the past. God’s grace and forgiveness and a very special man help her work through these issues and find the new life and love she is seeking.

I’m also working on a historical novella for Barbour titled “A Trusting Heart” for a four-in-one collection called CHRISTMAS MAIL ORDER BRIDES. Set in 1880, Swedish immigrant Annika Bergstrom travels from Chicago to Wyoming as a mail order bride, but when her prospective groom, Chase Simms, disappears, she finds herself falling in love with his brother Daniel. Will she take hold of her chance for love, or wait for the man she has promised to marry?


Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Thanks for inviting me to share with your blog readers. I want to invite everyone to stop by my website. I have tips for writers, interviews, photos of family and writing friends, sample chapters from each of my books, recipes, book reviews, links to order books, and much more. www.carrieturansky.com.

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks Carrie - I love to talking to our authors and learning how they are serving the Lord in ways other than writing. Sometimes I wonder how they even find time to write a book because they are so busy. It's a blessing to work with these men and woman who are serving God in so many ways and blessing us with fiction and non-fiction books.

In His service,

Joyce

Heart of America Conference

It's called the Heart of America Conference and it is held in Kansas City at a beautiful and spacious Presbyterian Church. Continuing in our series of profiling conferences that we go to to help people planning conferences to attend, this is a good one held in mid-November. Co-Directors Mark and Jeanette Littleton were assisted by a dedicated board of directors that left no stone unturned to make the conference a success.

The weather was cool but quite pleasant. The church setting provided class room settings on two floors for the wide variety of workshops and the excellent faculty brought in to teach them. There were spiritually fulfilling sessions in the evening and Thursday, Friday and Saturday night Cindy Kinney, myself and Mark Littleton gave keynote talks to wrap up the day. I spoke on "Being a Christian Writer in a Changing World."

I will admit I changed the content of my talk as I got up there because a conversation with a participant led me to believe God was telling me some different content was needed. It came as no surprise that God was right as a number of people came up after the session and the following day to say that it was exactly what they needed to hear and addressed a writing and faith concern they were dealing with. Getting that sort of response is exactly what keeps me on the conference trail trying to parcel out what little encouragement and assistance that I can.

There was a steady program of one-on-one appointements and quite a number of people took advantage of the paid evaluation of projects. I did my evaluations and emailed them to the participants in advance of the conference to allow them to chew on them and have different and better questions during our 20 minute interview time and some are doing some revision and I will also do a post-conference exchange with them so hopefully they will really feel they got their money's worth.

Wrapping it up I would have to say this is not as much of a relaxing conference as some I have gone to as they schedule tightly and provide a lot of content. I would characterize it as a rather intense writing and faith related time and all that I talked to toward the end were very pleased and said they were going home with a new sense of purpose and new writing goals that they were determined to pursue. It's a conference they have been putting on for many years, and one I would not hesitate to recommend.

Lisa Hess / Author/ Educator and Professional Counselor

From the Heart Readers, I’d like you to meet author Lisa Hess. Lisa is a wife, mother, author and educator and has been a school counselor for nearly 25 years. She has also been writing professionally for the last 16.

Lisa what are you hoping your writing to accomplish?

My non-fiction books arose from lessons and small groups I’ve done with my students, and I hope they’ll make skills like assertiveness (Acting Assertively) and organization (the non-fiction book I’m working on now) accessible.

I wrote the stories for Diverse Divorce to help kids feel less alone, and that’s part of what I want to accomplish with my fiction as well. My first tween novel was originally a story the editor and I mutually agreed was not a good fit for Diverse Divorce. The character wouldn’t let go of me, and so her story became my first novel.

I like to write about real people dealing with real situations. They’re not always pretty (the situations), and they’re usually messy and perhaps even discouraging, but not impossible to overcome. Real people are flawed and don’t fit neatly into stereotypes, and that makes them fun to write about.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Maybe it’s the counselor in me, but I like writing about the underdog, especially if the underdog is feisty. The feisty part is definitely the Jersey girl in me! I get my inspiration from real people who don’t let circumstances crush them and keep them down. I’m not very good at doing research for my fiction, though I do go online for visual inspiration – flowers or a gown for a wedding scene, people visuals for characters I can’t quite picture clearly.

For my non-fiction books, I take much of my inspiration from the needs I see in my students and I try a lot of my ideas out on them. Acting Assertively arose directly from classroom lessons, and Get it Together! (the book on organizing I am working on now) started out as small group lessons for kids who were struggling to get their act together.

Is there an area in your writing that you are working on developing more?

Is it bad to say that I hate writing synopses, or writing from synopses? I tend to be a discovery writer, particularly when I am writing fiction. I don’t have a lot of faith in my ability to plot. I tend to follow where my characters lead.

Also, I’m trying to blog more regularly. That keeps me writing tight because there’s not a lot of room for rambling in a blog unless you’re already famous.

What is your all time favorite writing ‘How To’ book? One that you would like to recommend to other authors.

Hands down, Stephen King’s On Writing. That was the book that gave me the courage to follow where my characters lead. I neither read nor write horror, but I love reading King’s writing outside that genre, which includes his column in Entertainment Weekly.

What obstacles have stood in your way in this writing journey?

I think every writer has to overcome the obstacle of time – there doesn’t ever seem to be enough of it. I’m fortunate to have a very supportive family and an awesome critique group, who keep nudging me forward when I place obstacles in my own path. Raising my daughter is the most important thing on my current ‘to do’ list. The books will be there tomorrow, but she won’t be twelve forever. Sometimes, however, I forget that when I get cranky about not finding time to write.

Finding time and keeping the faith when it gets hard, which it often does. I just keep chipping away in small bits of time. My critique group and my sister, who also reads my work with a writer/editor’s eye often give me encouragement when I need it most. And, as I said, my family is very supportive. My mother and my daughter in particular will humor me when I talk about my characters as though they are real people.

When did you begin writing seriously and with publication in mind?

Right before my husband and I got married (1993), I changed jobs and went from working full-time to an 80% schedule (4 days/week). My sister suggested that I use the extra day to write, and that’s when I started freelancing. I didn’t start working on novels until about five years ago when two of the stories I wrote for Diverse Divorce ended up not making it into the book. Since then, I’ve written two tween novels, one Christian chick lit novel and am at work on another book for the educational market and two more novels.

Tell us about your book, Casting the First Stone and what it is about. How did you come to write this title?

Casting the First Stone is about separating church from religion. Marita, the single mom whose custody of her daughter is threatened by her ex’s sudden interest was the first character I planned. From there it was “what ifs.” What if Marita felt rejected by the church when she got pregnant with Charli? What if Charli’s mostly absent father was an upstanding, churchgoing businessman? What if his new wife appeared to be a better mother than Marita? Does a woman deserve to lose custody of her child just because she doesn’t go to church? And what if things are not always what they seem?

I write contemporary Christian chick lit that is perhaps a bit edgy because that’s what I like to read and I have thus far had a hard time finding many books that fit that description. I like writing about real people who are flawed – the ones who struggle to make the right choice, yet often make the wrong one anyway, the ones who struggle to live their faith. I like finding the redeeming qualities in people who, at first blush, may not seem to possess redeeming qualities.


Any new projects are you working on?

Non-fiction: Get it Together – a book on organization with a very non-traditional approach Fiction: A novel about a professional organizer who finds that keeping her own life in order is much more difficult than creating order out of other people’s chaos; AND a sequel to Casting the First Stone with the theme of being careful what you wish for

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?

www.L2hess.com (website)
www.L2hess.blogspot.com
www.thesusquehannawriters.blogspot.com
Facebook - Lisa Lawmaster Hess – my blogs show up there, too
I’m also on Jacket Flap and Linked In

What is the best writing advice you ever got? The worst?

BEST: Anne Lamott’s infamous chapter on, um, lousy first drafts, along with the specific feedback I get from my critique group and Diana’s reminder that God’s timing is always perfect, and that she likes writers with a quirky perspective.

WORST: The assumption (my own) that I have to plot out the entire novel before I write it.

Anything else you'd like to take this opportunity to say?

Thank you for having me!

A FEW EXTRA TIDBITS ABOUT Lisa:

What I like: chocolate, fall, summer vacation and authors who pay it forward.
What I Don't Like: people who are mean on purpose
Where is Home / or / Where I'd like to Call Home: home for the past 30 years has been Pennsylvania, but home for the first 18 was New Jersey. I’ll always be a Jersey girl, and proud of it.
What is my passion, hobbies, occupation, etc.: Writing is my passion, followed closely by sleep because as I get older, I more fully appreciate its importance. I used to do a lot of theatre, but I seem to have transferred that creative energy to my writing.
If I could run a charity, it would be for: families with children who can’t afford health/mental health care

Thanks Lisa for visiting with us today and all the best to you in your publishing goals!

Have a great day, from my heart to yours,
Diana

When Things Get Sticky...

I never have a doubt about the value of a literary agent, even though I have to explain to most people who aren't in publishing what I do. I was reminded of just how valuable recently when I was involved in a sticky contract negotiation. The publisher included a clause that was detrimental to the author. I argued with the contracts person, who gave me the publisher's interpretation of what the clause said. My CEO and legal counsel disagreed, so I wrote up the counteroffer accordingly.

We waited for the final offer. It came back, with all the concessions, except that they still insisted on keeping the clause.

With heavy hearts, my author and I decided to walk away from the deal. I drafted a polite response outlining why we felt we had to turn down the offer. I figured that would be the last we'd hear from the publisher.

Soon I received a response and opened it with some reticence. Would the publisher be angry? After all, my job as an agent is to make agreements happen, not to break deals.

To my pleasant surprise, they said they were willing to meet our terms. I am thrilled to say that my author signed and we both look forward to seeing the book in print!

Some authors ask why they need an agent if they can sell the manuscript themselves. True, part of an agent's job can be to sell a manuscript. However, you never know when a contract negotiation may hit a snag and a third party is useful. My guess is that most new authors would have been so thrilled that a publisher was paying them to write -- rather than them having to pay a subsidy publisher -- they would have signed the contract without question. Authors certainly can call contracts people at the publishing house if they have a question. However, publishers' contracts people are courteous and knowledgeable but they still represent the person signing their paychecks -- the publisher. In fact, any employee at the publishing house represents the publisher's position. This is not wrong or dishonest -- just a fact. But the agent is the writer's advocate, and an agent's job is to represent the writer's best interests.

Some writers wonder if they can get away with letting their family lawyer review literary contracts so they can bypass agents. Agents know the ins and outs of the publishing business. Sometimes I speak to authors who have contracts reviewed by their personal lawyers and, while these lawyers are professional and well-meaning, their comments and concerns often show they don't know the unique aspects of publishing. Agents know publishing and will go to bat for you throughout the entire publishing process, not just during contract negotiations.

So if you have a contract in hand and are wondering what to do next, here is my advice -- if you aren't represented by a literary agent, find one. You'll be glad you did!

Until next time,

Tamela

Interview with Terry's Client Randall Mooney

Today I'm interviewing client Randall Mooney. Randall, your new book Robbing God is out from Crossover Press. Tell me a little about it:




Terry, Robbing God is the culmination of a lifelong pet peeve turned passion, to help people overcome the guilt-driven coercion and manipulative methods some ministries and organizations use to raise money. The book parabolically follows a typical family from the time they get their paycheck on Friday afternoon to the time the offering plate passes in front of them on Sunday morning. It also explores the effect a down economy has on the average family and their ability to continue to be charitable givers. The book deals with the issue of giving in two divisions: "the parable of the family" is a visit of their weekend in 5 chapters, and "the conflict" uses 5 chapters to take an honest look at the historical and cultural trends and reasons that contributed to mindsets that have managed to take the joy out of giving.


What do you hope people will take away from reading your book?

I deliberately kept the book short, 106 pages. It's a quick read that leads to an "aha" moment in which the reader can take a deep breath, shake off any guilt and condemnation about giving, and rediscover the true joy and heart of being charitable. Our own families are a great place to start. I also hope the reader acquires a new freedom about giving. My own favorite line in the book is, "God gave his son, Jesus gave his life, the least we can do is give cheerfully." I have told people for years during fund raising events for different things, "If you can't give cheerfully, don't bother to give at all!"


You also have Prophets and Poets out from Crossover, tell us what it's
about:

Prophets and Poets is a collection of short stories, articles, testimonies, blogs and poems that I have written throughout the years of my life. As I worked on transitioning from my music and song writing years to developing my writing career I wrote in every genre from fiction and non-fiction, to poetry and social commentary. Basically, if it was in my heart and on my mind I wrote about it. Prophets and Poets contain the ones that made the cut. Christian futuristic fiction, allegory, poetry, sarcasm, opinion, etc., all intended to encourage and inspire. I have had tremendous feedback from folks about its encouraging ability.




You are not only the author on these two titles but the publisher. Tell us about Crossover, what is your vision?

During the '70's and 80's I utilized contemporary music as an evangelistic tool to share the gospel with the world. Through my company Crossover Publications, LLC., it is my goal to "reach the world in print." God told Jeremiah in chapter 36 of the Bible to write down every word he had ever told him. Because Jeremiah obeyed God we are still able to read what God said to Jeremiah and the world in which he lived to this day. I believe God is still speaking and revealing himself to people in many ways. My vision is to help people publish what God has said and done in their lives so the rest of the world can be touched and encouraged by the works and words of God. I want to publish living words and stories that edify, encourage and inspire people to experience God in a real and relevant way.


Tell us about some of the other authors you are publishing at Crossover:

I will be releasing a new book entitled The Fragrance of Paradise on September 25th by Stephen Hoy. Stephen is a musician, teacher, gardener, and landscape designer. He was raised in Pennsylvania and served as a trombonist in the United States Air Force premier jazz band called The Airmen of Note.

His story is a powerful testimony of how God raised him up after twice falling into a coma and how he has rediscovered a new lease on life in the form of a liver transplant. He shares how he reached a point of such utter weakness that he heard the Spirit of God whisper, "Rest in the fragrance of my presence." He lay in bed with only enough strength to breathe so he obeyed and began to inhale the fragrance of paradise as he waited on God to heal and raise him up.

Also releasing this year is a new book by sixties rock star Jerry Masters.
Jerry played for great artists like Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis. He formed and managed the band Ronny and the Daytonas, touring and supporting the hit song, Little GTO. He was also a founding member of The Hombres and they had a hit song called Let It All Hang Out. After he accepted Christ he toured extensively with Christian artist Will Farland (Will played for Bonnie Raitt) and finished his career as a recording engineer for Malaco Records producing blues and gospel music. His 350 page book entitled Let it all Hang Out chronicles the 50 year music career of a man that reached for the sky and found Jesus in the journey.


What new projects are you working on?

I am currently putting the finishing touches on two books. The Illegitimate Journey is my own memoir of tragedy and discovery. I plan to release it in 2010. I am also finishing up a book called Letters to the Homeless Church.

It deals with the displacement many Christians feel in our American church culture and how they cope and walk in the world apart from the traditional norms of attending Sunday morning church services.

I have just begun work on a book entitled What Every Father Should Know about a Grieving Mother. Eleven years ago my wife and I lost a 22 year old son to suicide. We both kept separate journals of that tragic event. We never read each other's journals until recently. I came across one of her journals a few months ago while spring cleaning and read a few pages. I asked her if I could take our journals and combine them into a story that will help couples survive such family tragedies. The first day we got the news about our son I looked at my wife and said, "Seventy percent of couples that go through this kind of thing end in divorce, are we going to be the seventy or the thirty?" We made a covenant with each other to be among the thirty percent that survive. Our marriage is stronger than ever despite our loss. I hope to have this project finished and released on August 20, 2010, the twelfth anniversary of his passing.


Where can people find out more about you and your writing? Your publishing house and the programs and speaking that you do?

I have a strong web presence. Business websites include http://www.deranz.com/, http://www.crossoverpublications.com/, http://www.creatergy.ning.com/, http://www.gracestories.ning.com/. Personal sites include www.shoutlife.com/ranz, and www.facebook.com/randall.mooney. My books are available at http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, and http://www.crossoverpublications.com/,
among others.


What is the best writing advice you ever got? The worst?

Mississippi lays claim to some of the world's great writers such as Willie Morris, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and our adopted son, John Grisham. I once listened to John Grisham give an interview in Jackson, Mississippi. Someone asked him how he managed to write so many novels so quickly while practicing law, coaching his son's ball team and keeping up with his writing career. He said, "I write one page per day.at the end of the year I have a novel." That answer freed me up tremendously. I used to write like I had to finish the whole project before I stopped to do anything else. Trust me-that will only leave you with a lot of unfinished projects. I learned that day that writing was like many other projects in life.you can eventually accomplish great things by finishing a little of it every day.

I can't recall the worst advice. The most unpleasant criticism still makes me try harder rather than give up.


Anything else you'd like to take this opportunity to say?

As a newly published author and as a new publisher, I find writers to be the friendliest and most accepting folks I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. I think it is because we have learned the real difference between being rejected and being misunderstood. Therefore, we have a lot of heart for others willing to share our journey.

Thank you, Randall, and thank you blog readers for dropping by.