Christmas Greetings from Joyce Hart and Jim Hart

Merry Christmas!  Are you taking it easy until January or are you writing like crazy to meet a deadline?  Or do those characters in your head demand that you write their story?  I’m always amazed at novelists when they tell me things like “my character wouldn’t let me go this direction with the story.” 

I marvel when an author tells me they couldn’t sleep because they had a story that had to be written.  All of you writers are amazing and it’s such a great joy to work with every one of you who are our clients.

I hope you got your cookies baked, the house decorated, groceries bought and packages wrapped.  Such a busy time.  If you are like me it’s hard to get away from the computer, but I must forget it for a few days, especially on Christmas day.  I have other important things to do, like cook for my family & friends and get those packages wrapped, hoping that I didn’t forget anything.

I love to go to church on Christmas Eve, such a special time to gather with friends and Worship the King of Kings and thank Him for being willing to come to this Earth as a babe and then 33 years later to die a horrible death on the cross for my sins.  What a Savior!  I love Christmas carols – singing about “Christ the King, the newborn King.”   It is so amazing to me to look at all the Old Testament scriptures that clearly portrayed His coming and yet His Disciples didn’t fully understand.  And some people today do not fully understand that he is indeed the King of Kings, Prince of Peace.

Thank you precious Savior for being our King of Kings. Lord of Glory.  My husband always reads Luke 2 with our family before we open our presents and gather for dinner.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy & prosperous New Year serving our Lord Jesus Christ.  I pray your dreams and goals become a reality. 

In His service,

Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Agency. 

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”.  These four simple lines from Charles Wesley masterfully capture the significance and purpose of Christ’s birth:

            Mild He lays His glory by,
            Born that man no more may die.
            Born to raise the sons of earth,
            Born to give them second birth.

I hope that you’ve had time this Christmas season to pause and reflect on the significance of Christ’s birth. Jesus came to be born at the exact moment in history that God the Father had planned. Jesus grew from a boy to a man, and He also grew close relationships with those that He loved. And that’s still His plan today – to be in relationship with those that He loves – and that’s you, me and every person who ever walked this earth.

Merry Christmas!

Jim Hart

A Few Housekeeping Comments by Joyce Hart

I’m trying to decide how to write what I want to say without sounding like a cranky lady.  And then probably the ones who need to see what I have to say won’t see this blog. I’m talking about queries and proposals I get via e-mail.  Probably 70% of the queries we receive are not suitable for our agency.   I write back and say “have you looked at our web site?” or “did you know that we are a Christian agency?”  Most would answer no to both those questions.

On our web site we have listed our proposal guidelines and the genres’ we represent and the ones we do not want to see.  Yet many inappropriate proposals come to us. Others come without headers and without the pages numbered.  I even write back and request those two items be added; explaining for them to use the insert tab to place the page numbers and put the name of the book/author’s name on every page.  And I get them back without either the header or the pages numbered.  Am I the only agent who wants these on the proposal pages?  

Maybe it’s because today so many people read on the computer, their iPad or another reader, but sometimes I still like to read from hard copies and if the proposal pages get mixed up, it’s hard to find my place.  I have to admit I’m doing more reading online than I used to.  I ordered an Ink Toner yesterday from HP - $149.00.  I probably should not take the time to read any unsolicited queries or proposals, but it’s hard for me to hit that delete button.

It really helps when writers go to conferences and learn how to put their work together so it’s easy for the agents & editors to read them and made a good decision.  There are many good conferences coming up.  Check out the Christian Readers Market Guide for dates & places.  The more professional your work looks, the more apt we are to take it seriously. Writing is a business and the competition is stiff.  

We’re here to help you get published and we love doing that.  We’ll look forward to hearing from you, just please do your homework before hitting that send button.

God bless you abundantly,

Joyce

P.S. check out this interview with one of our authors, Jane Kirkpatrick.  It’s terrific!        www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Bend 

Happy New Year to all of the readers of this blog from Joyce Hart.

I’ve been reading comments on Face Book about resolutions and goals for 2014.  Also, some people are saying what their word is for the New Year.  My word for 2014 is Trust.  There is an old hymn “Trusting Jesus.”  The first verse says “Simply trusting every day, Trusting thru a stormy way, Even when my faith is small, Trusting Jesus, that is all.”  Trusting Him for our businesses, trusting Him for family, trusting Him for health, trusting him for guidance every day.  We even have to trust people that come into our lives.  Trusting Him that as a writer you will find a publisher and that He will give you clear direction about what to write.

Now about goals.   I feel that writing your goals down is important. When I took the Dale Carnegie Sales course, the instructor told us to write down the amount of money we wanted to make for the year.  I thought to myself, but I’m on salary, how could I make more money?  However, I wrote down a goal.  Did I make that much money that year?   Yes, I did.  My boss decided to give us bonuses based on our sales and I was paid the amount of money that was my written goal.  It was amazing to me.  Again it comes back to trust.  I think one of the most important lessons I have learned through the years is that God is our source.  It doesn’t matter whether we are free-lance or if we work for someone, God is still our source ultimately.

Let me encourage you to Trust God.  Write down, I will get published in 2014 as one of your goals.  One of my clients wrote down that she would get published last year and in December of 2013, she had a signed contract in her hands.

Wisdom from Proverbs in Chapter 3, verses 5 & 6 tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths.” NKJV

May God bless and direct all your ways in 2014.

In His service,

Joyce Hart

Thanksgiving Blog – 2013 Joyce Hart

On Facebook people have been writing 10 things you don’t know about me, or 9 things, or 8 things, etc.  It is interesting to read facts about your friends that you really didn’t know.  I was supposed to write 9 things, but haven’t had the nerve to do that yet.

However, I was wondering, what ten things am I thankful for in 2013?  Can you list ten blessings rather quickly?

1. My Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ 
2. Family, husband and sons, daughters-in-law & grandson
3. Church
4. Friends
5. Literary clients & agents
6. Home
7. My country
8. Books to read
9. Shopping
10. That I’m able to walk after surgeries

As Maria said in “Sound of Music,” these are a few of my favorite things.     

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season?    

We’re having about nine guests for dinner today.  I told them “come early, because I need help.”  I’m glad I have the freedom to say that to my family and friends.  We have lived in our home for 30 years this month and for most of those years we’ve had Thanksgiving here.  It’s a privilege to be able to do that.  Often we invite people who don’t have family in the area to join our family. 

I was looking through the grocery ads last week, looking for the best buys on turkey, potatoes and all the trimmings.   It made me remember one year when the boys were small, we were pastoring in Grand Island, NE and didn’t have much for Thanksgiving dinner that year.  Another pastor from out of town dropped by the day before Thanksgiving and brought us a large roasting hen and all the fixings for dinner.  We were so thankful.

Ps 100 is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. Verses 1 through 5 says:

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.  Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,and into His courts with Praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting.  And His truth endures to all generations.”  NKJV

May you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Lord help us to be truly thankful for all of the blessings that we enjoy!

Update from Joyce

Hello everyone. 

  

Since you don’t hear from me very often, I thought I would bring you up to date on what is happening at the Pittsburgh office, besides the day to day activities.

I was able to attend the ICRS in Orlando in July.  Kathy, my assistant here in the Pittsburgh office went with me.  I couldn’t have done the conference without her.  We had a great time.  We roomed with Diana Wallis Taylor, one of my clients. I met with 26 editors in two days.  Since I hadn’t been to ICRS the last two years, it was good to reconnect with editor friends and to meet a couple new ones. It was also great to see many other friends on the convention floor.  Kathy heard “Joyce & I go waay back.” quite a few times.   I think my first CBA Convention was in 1980. 

 

My birthday was in August and I got three birthday cakes.   I’m watching carbs now. 

Many friends sent cards and messages on Face Book.  It is nice to be remembered.  Thanks to all.

Now I’m getting ready for the ACFW which is only two days away.  I’m having a dinner for my clients and their spouses. It will be at The La Hacienda in Colleyville, TX at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, September 19.  The manager of the restaurant says it is about 10 minutes from the airport.  Terry is having a get together for his clients on Friday night at the hotel.  At last count I will have 21 authors attending the conference. That’s only the jhart authors, not the whole agency. Terry will have 19 authors there.

 If you write fiction, I cannot recommend this conference highly enough.   You will have the opportunity to network with other authors, connect with editors and attend many good workshops. 

God bless and keep you in His care.