My Book Is Free Today!

Due out in January 2013, my newest book, Whispers on Shadow Bay will be pre-released for Free on Kindle for a limited time starting today.

Here is the link: Whispers on Shadow Bay

This promotion is a new thing my publisher is doing, so I had a lot to learn about making the most of this situation. And I have to say...I learned a lot these past few months in preparation for the promotion.

One of the best places to go for advice is an article How to Make the KDP Select Program Work For You by author Holly Robinson. With straight forward, honest assessment of what did and didn't bear results for her, I found her advice awesome.

I will let you know how some of her suggestions worked out for me. In the meanwhile, for the next three days, I'll be working the ether to get my name out there.

If you think of it, please help a fellow author out and retweet my promotion.

Blessings -- rb

Legally Wed, Guest Post by Patty Froese

Hello All, I'd like you at to give a warm welcome to guest Patty Froese, author of Legally Wed and guest blogger for today!

Here she is with a fun story on how marriage is not always what you expect...

When I got married, I had all sorts of beautiful ideas of what marriage would be like. I came from a family of "good gifters." We'd shop for weeks and weeks until we found the perfect gift for each other. My brother bought me a gorgeous little silver jewelry box one year. I bought him an engraved cigar holder. My parents would give each other thoughtful gifts of jewelry or rare books... Gifts were an important part of our family culture.

My husband was a different kind of guy.

Our first anniversary, I bought my husband a stainless steel business card holder and engraved it with the words "More Than Anything," my answer to him when he asked how much I loved him. Super. Wife. Seriously, it was a gift that I was SURE would be passed on to our grandchildren with the romantic story. My husband opened the package and looked at it in confusion.

"What is it?"
"A business card holder. Look at the inscription..."
"But I don't have business cards."
"I know. You could use it to hold credit cards, maybe." I went on to explain the potential significance, but he still didn't seem to get it. I thought it might grow on him.

The next day, my husband was trying to fix something in our new apartment, and we didn't yet own a hammer. I walked into the room to find my husband using my gift to him as a makeshift hammer, slamming it repeatedly into a nail! He honestly didn't think it would get damaged...

That day, I had a decision to make. I could drive myself nuts for the rest of my life trying to make him appreciate my great gifts, and take on the even harder task of teaching him how to BUY those great gifts, or I could just appreciate him for who he is.

He's sweet, kind, attentive and an incredibly hard worker. He puts me first. He pours time into our relationship. He takes pride in being there for me. He's brilliant. He's my perfect match--with or without a great gifting instinct.

Marriage isn't always "romance novel" material. It's the daily grind. It's the breakfasts, mid-morning chats on the phone, grocery shopping trips when both of you are wiped and cuddling up in bed together when the power goes out. Marriage isn't about the few monumental moments, it's about those many, many insignificant moments that don't seem important at the time, but meld together into a lifelong relationship. This
Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my husband--the complete package.

In my novel, Legally Wed, we follow the stories of two marriages--one that was supposed to be over, and one that was supposed to be perfect. Marriage is never what you imagine...

---

Blurb:
When Rich McConaughey comes back to town, divorce papers in hand, he’s in for more than he bargained for. Lisa Young, the woman he was married to for six months, hasn’t changed a bit. His mother has though… she’s gone from matronly to meow, and his father has taken off with the secretary. Does anything last anymore?

Lisa Young feels chained to the hardware store her family has run for generations. How can she tell her father that she hates the family business? When Rich walks back into her store asking her to finalize a divorce she thought was behind her, she thinks that the answer is to sign on the dotted line and move on. Except, Rich isn’t making it so easy… and God has other plans.

For better or for worse, when you’re legally wed, things can get complicated.

---

Patty Froese lives in central Canada where the winters are long and cold--giving her excellent excuse to stay in and write without guilt. She's a tea drinker, a novel writer, an adoring wife and mom, and she's pretty sure she's a British person born in a shivering, Canadian body. She loves rain, royalty, pretty knick knacks and three square meals a day. No dieting here!

If you'd like to find her online, come by her blog: http://pattyfroese.com. She's also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pattyfroese, and whenever someone gives her a new like or follows her blog, she sighs in delight.

The Dirty O word...Organizing!

Photograph by Steve Jurvetson

**Repost due to NaNoWriMo insanity**
Organizing is an often maligned idea when it comes the writing process. 


Particularly by "Pantsers" or people who just go with the flow of their story or characters...


I have no idea how this works because I tend to plan EVERYTHING...just check my refrigerator for the monthly menu...yeah, that's me.


Research is one thing you should really try to stay on top of though, whether you're a seat of the pants writer or not.  


There's when to do it, how much, where to keep it and how to access it efficiently, why you shouldn't skip it -- its a serious matter for a writer.  But it's not as intimidating as it seems and the pay off for proper research usually comes in spades.

• First off, WHEN do you do it? - I asked a few authors this and the overwhelming response was BEFORE you need it.  Don't wait until you're on the plane, your MC struggling to keep the nose up, glancing with wild-eyed panic at the instrument panel....only to stop and have to look up what an altimeter looks like and where it is, not to mention how to read it...You don't want to ruin the flow of writing so do your research AHEAD OF TIME.

• The second question is HOW MUCH research do you do? - Well, that depends on what you're writing. If its Historical, then probably a lot unless you already hold a degree in  your genre or have another interest that overlaps information.  You'll need to understand the in's and out's of a particular profession if your MC's career is outside your experience. Maybe the setting is a place you haven't visited or lived in, so you'll need to do some research. DETAILS are what make a novel believable, so don't skimp on pictures or GOOGLE EARTH.   On the other hand, you don't have to describe the origin of every bead on the bodice of your heroine, so be careful not to overload the reader.

• WHERE TO KEEP IT - Close at hand, is my experience. I tend to bookmark sites that are helpful under a file name with my novel's title. I print out pictures and articles that I need and put them in my novel binder (I'll totally get to what that is in a minute.) Often saving PDF and other files directly in a file marked with your novel's name on your desktop works well. The point is to file it...FILE IT...as soon as you get it. Why? Because when you need it, searching through every scrap of paper on your desk, in your desk, or in the trash, is a pain and disrupts the flow of writing.  Trust me on this...FILE IT.

• WHY YOU SHOULDN'T SKIP IT - Nothing throws a reader out of the fiction dream you've created faster than a blaring mistake. What's worse, nothing screams unprofessional like being caught 'winging it'  in the facts department.  Take the time to know your business...details like interstate numbers, landmarks and local landscape details are important. The most annoying mistakes for me as a reader are TIME WARPS, especially in historical fiction. Don't talk about zippers, if they haven't been invented yet...its just rude.

Finally, I've found that a three-ring binder with dividers, the kind you used to have in high-school, is very helpful for keeping all of your research in one place.


So when you have written your 50,000 Nano behemoths...take a few days to really make sure you've been accurate. Your readers will thank you for it. 

New Release Clash WINNER!

The winner of the September New Releases Clash is...

The Road To Mercy by Kathy Harris

Congratulations, Kathy!!

And thank you to all our participating authors:

• Catherine West, author of Hidden in the Heart
• Donn Taylor, author of Deadly Additive
• Jennifer A. Davids, author of Restored Heart
• Stephanie Grace Whitson, author of The Shadow on the Quilt

It was a tight race and everyone did great. Many, many of our readers commented they would like to read all of them!

About The Road To Mercy:

Tragedy, love, & secrets meet on a journey of faith.

Josh Harrison, a contemporary Christian singer, and his wife Bethany face a difficult decision that also tests their faith. A rupture in Beth's carotid artery leaves her on the brink of death even as she's pregnant with their first child. While Dr. Ben Abrams urges her to terminate the pregnancy to save her own life, she and Josh step out on faith and decide to carry the baby to full term.

During the next few months, Josh struggles with his faith, Beth hides a secret that may destroy their marriage. She also discovers a decades-old connection to Dr. Abrams that could change his life forever.

ENDORSEMENTS
… The Road to Mercy is a blessing wrapped up in a novel—a reminder of the kindness of God.

~ Rebecca St. James, Singer, author, actress

Exquisite!
~ Ane Mulligan, Novel Rocket

Kathy Harris weaves a tale that crosses generations while drawing readers into a dramatic story that has both heart and soul.

~ Ace Collins, author of The Yellow Packard and The Christmas Star

A terrific read beautifully trumpeting the exquisite worth of every human life.
~ Rusty Whitener, author of A Season Of Miracles, Christy Award Finalist

…captivating from the very beginning.
~ Joe Bonsall, author and entertainer


ON SALE LINKS
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Mercy-Kathy-Harris/dp/1426741936/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330640867&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-road-to-mercy-kathy-harris/1108857098

http://www.christianbook.com/the-road-to-mercy/kathy-harris/9781426741937/pd/741931?item_code=WW&netp_id=978817&event=ESRCG&view=details



What readers had to say:

*I saw several others which may also make it to my shelf as well! Thanks for the inspirational choices.
*The Road to Mercy looks fabulous! I can't wait to read it.
*I am so thankful to these authors for following the path that the Lord has chosen for them.
*Just finished The Road to Mercy and was so deeply touched by it.
*I LOVED The Road to Mercy by Kathy Harris, but this was a difficult vote for me - I also love Donn Taylor's writing and now I have to go get his book!
*My daughter's name is Mercy so I am drawn to that title. The hook is very captivating and I usually don't read contemporary. Great hooks from all of the writers. As a writer myself I know it is not an easy task.
*These all look sooo good!
*I love the variety of tiltles offered!

Kathy Harris is an author by way of a divine detour into the Nashville entertainment business. She graduated with a B.S. in Communications from Southern Illinois University and has spent the past two decades employed as a marketing director in the Nashville music industry.

An active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the publicity officer for Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, Kathy lives near Nashville with her husband and their two Shiloh Shepherd dogs. Her fiction debut, The Road to Mercy, was released by Abingdon Press on September 1, 2012.

Kathy regularly interviews literary and music guests on her blog at www.DivineDetour.com. Her author site is www.kathyharrisbooks.com. You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor or Twitter @DivineDetour.