Life as a Published Author: A Guest Post by Jean Hall

For over ten years Jean Matthew Hall and I have encouraged each other as writers. I was delighted when she received her first publishing contract for Bountiful Blessings Series with Little Lamb Books. I hope you take a minute to read my review of her first book in the series, The Blessings of Fall. Jean's words are lyrical and the illustrations by Olya Badulina's are beautiful. 

In this post, Jean shares what it's felt like to enter into the world of being a published author. 

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BRING IT ON, JEAN!

Becoming an official author is an emotional roller-coaster!

My family thinks I’m up there with James Patterson and is celebrating my “fame!” I love them and their enthusiasm for this time in my life.

I feel excited to be in the spotlight right now – no matter how small that spotlight is!

Gratitude to God swells up in me each time I read the book, God’s Blessings of Fall on real paper with real ink. God does give us dreams in our lives, and He helps us make them a reality sometimes. This experience is a dream come true for sure.

Writing friends are high-fiving me on social media, at conferences, via email. It’s fun to have a tribe ya-hooing with me. 

Current friends are excited to think they know a REAL author! My Sunday School class have no small children, but they are rushing to Amazon and Barnes & Noble to order copies of the book.

I especially enjoy my visits to kindergarteners, first and second graders in Christian schools. The kids are excited. The teachers are excited. I’m excited. So much enthusiasm for what the Lord has done.

And for a few moments I feel like a celebrity.

The school visits are tiring for this old lady, but I love them. Such wonderful memories rush back as I stand or sit in front of dozens of adorable kids glued to the pages of the book. Many thanks to Olya Badulina and Little Lamb Books for creating gorgeous artwork to bring the text to life. 

I might sing a childhood hymn with the little ones as they keep rhythm (“All Things Bright and Beautiful” or “This Is My Father’s World”). Or we might make paper plate owls together. I help kindergarteners cut large paper leaves and string them up. Teachers get the fun of figuring out how to suspend them from the ceiling.

It’s all fun! And that is what reading is supposed to be. I am glad for every class, every school, every opportunity to share with children:

• The beauty of God’s creation
• The language of art
• The beauty of words
• The joy of reading
• The fun of sharing
• 
  

If you write books for young children find some schools that will let you in!

There’s a lot of work and preparation for each visit, but it is so worth it. If you write for older kids, you can share the fun and hard work of writing and creating with students. Most of them are hungry to learn. And they are fascinating by the writing and publishing process.

Teachers are, too.

So, dive in! Hunt down the schools in your area. Make a spreadsheet of contact info. Spend a few hours on your phone and email. You can do it. 

Then you, too, can feel like a celebrity.

And share God’s blessings with the next generation of readers and writers. 

GIVEAWAY

Jean is giving away a copy of God's Blessings of Fall to one fortunate blog reader. Leave me a comment (make sure you leave your email address!) and I'll enter your name. For an additional chance to win, post this on social media and let me know what you did. Giveaway ends November 7. Continental United States only. 

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Jean Matthew Hall has spent most of her life singing songs, reading books, playing games, cutting, coloring and gluing with children of all ages. And, she loves it! Creating encouraging board books and picture books is her idea of fun, but her favorite times are spent with her eight grandchildren. 

Contact Jean or learn more about her here:

Website/Blog               www.jeanmatthewhall.com

Facebook                     Jean Matthew Hall Author

Twitter                         Jean_Hall

Pinterest                      JeanMatthew_Hall

Four Writers and Four Writing Stages--Part II

As I mentioned last week, this is the second post in a two-part series on the variety of stages writers go through when producing a book. Thanks to Jean Hall who said that she is "always in the middle of creation or revision of picture books." Julian Daventry said, "I'm about to start editing my trilogy, after getting all three books drafted. There's still much to be done, but reaching the 'all books are drafted' is a nice milestone. I'm ready for the next step!" Gray Marie contributed, "Sadly school has been detaining me, but I hope to speed up my progress this summer. I am currently outlining and writing out a few of the scenes in my attempt to piece together this puzzle of a story in my head." Sheri Levy wrote, "I am writing the my first draft of the third novel in the Trina Ryan series, For Keeps. My ideas are moving in the story, and I'm trying to write to the end before I start restructuring the plot. This part of writing is fun, but a long process."

JOYCE HOSTETTER

My book, DRIVE, (a story of twins, NASCAR, the Cold War, and competition) is in the design phase so it came back to me recently formatted by a typesetter.  At this point my task was to read through in search of typos, misplaced quotation marks, spacing issues, etc.  Of course, we writers are always tweaking so I slipped in quite a few requests for other small changes.

I began writing DRIVE in August 2016 at a Highlights workshop with my editor, Carolyn Yoder. Since it’s part of a series, I submitted a query and received a contract within a few months. I submitted it within seven months but should have allowed more time in my contract because writing two viewpoints is so hard!  I revised and resubmitted in July and it went through another round of revisions after that. All told – about a year and a half.

My first draft was a mess. Someone died who I decided not to kill after all. Also the twin protagonists weren’t attracted to the same boy and in the final version they are. Polio figures into the final version more than it did previously. The final version feels much more cohesive and I think the twins are more differentiated. Hopefully you still won’t know who to pull for.

After the latest changes have been applied by the typesetter I’ll be rereading again for nitpicky formatting issues. I’m quite certain if I ask for other changes my editor will disown me.

Here is the opening of DRIVE:

As terrible as it sounds, I wanted to rip the ribbons right off my twin sister’s drawing. First place in still life and grand prize! 

Ida stood beside me in the hallway at Mountain View School. She wasn’t saying much even if she was thrilled—which of course she was. But I knew she felt guilty about me only winning honorable mention in my category. For some reason I’d thought a portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower would help me take first place. 

“I’m sorry, Ellie,” whispered Ida. 

“It’s okay,” I said. But I had to bite my lip to keep it from trembling. 

“Maybe you should’ve submitted that drawing of the red high heels. It was really good.” 

“No,” I said. “Because that would have been a still life and I wasn’t about to compete in the same category as you. But of course you beat me anyway.”

In her award winning BLUE, Joyce told the story of her hometown’s compassionate response to a polio epidemic. The characters of this quiet neighborhood took up residence in the hearts of readers so that now Bakers Mountain Stories include AIM, BLUE, COMFORT and the forthcoming DRIVE. When Joyce isn’t writing, researching, or speaking about her books she is usually living the quiet friends-and-family lifestyle exemplified in her stories. She does, however, enjoy travel because the world is actually so much bigger than where she is from!  

CAROL BALDWIN 

Last June I switched over to writing Half-Truths from Kate's POV. That required digging deeper into Kate's backstory, re-thinking, moving chapters, writing new ones, and deleting a lot of material. I'm now close to the end of that draft. Next, I'll print the  manuscript and read it out loud. I'll fill in details that I hadn't taken time to research, check character arcs, hunt down cliche's, tighten, and polish. It will then go to a few beta readers, my two critique partners, and Rebecca Petruck, my wonderful writing coach. After that...I hope it'll be time to start querying agents! 

As some of you know, it has taken me over ten years to get to this point. Although the story takes place sixty years ago, I hope the themes of friendship, racism, and generational legacies will inspire introspection and communication among today's readers.

Here is a snippet from one of the ending chapters. This follows Kate's conversation with her grandmother about their family history:

I ache for my grandmother. For the little girl who was ripped away from her mother and grew up with half-truths fencing her in.  

Half-truths like long spindly fingers that reached out from the grave and strangled us all.

You Heard it Here First: Jean Hall's Dream Comes True!

Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won The Pursuit of Italy from last week's blog. She definitely is my all time highest winner! 

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This week I am happy to share publishing news from a dear and long-time friend, Jean Hall. Take it away Jean!

Jean and I at a writing retreat.
April, 2011

AGENT QUESTIONS

CAROL: How did you meet your agent, Cyle Young? Was he one of many agents you subbed to? 

JEAN: Six or eight years ago I tried sending proposals to several agents for my picture books. I received no responses and I was crushed. It’s a difficult truth to learn about the publishing business that agents and editors are too busy to respond to every proposal or submission. They receive hundreds, thousands of submissions and most of the time only respond to the best of the best and to those which fit into their philosophies, mission statements and current needs.

After that I continued to write and pray about my writing but didn’t have peace from the Lord to seek representation from any agency. Then, in 2016 I was introduced to Cyle by another author who is also his client. I eventually met Cyle face-to-face at another writer’s conference.

What you’ve heard is true. The best ways to make contact with agents and editors is either at writer’s conferences, or through personal introduction.

I emailed Cyle and asked if I could send him a sample manuscript. He agreed. Afterwards we arranged a phone call during which he explained how their representation works, then we agreed to pray about the decision. Later we agreed it was the Lord’s will to work together. I signed with him in June, 2016.

CAROL: Why do you think he signed you on?

JEAN: I think he decided my writing had reached a marketable level and because I was ready to make a commitment to work hard to get my stories published and to do a lot of work toward marketing them myself. He also believed it was God’s will.

And from Cyle's point of view: "Jean is an amazing writer with a great voice. I am honored to represent her." 

CAROL: Was this the project you originally subbed to him, or were there others? 

JEAN: The first book of this set (of four) was the first thing I sent him. Cyle suggested that I make that book part of a series, so I redid the proposal for a set of four and worked on the second book. He's an extremely involved and innovative agent. He pushes me to stretch myself and try new things.

CAROL: How long did it take before you received an offer?

JEAN: One year later, Cyle and Little Lambs Books started discussing the contract. I actually signed with them in September, 2017.

BOOK QUESTIONS

CAROL:  What process did you go through in writing these four books? How long did you work on them? 

JEAN: I enjoy the changing seasons, especially fall. About ten years ago I was working on a lot of poetry. I was trying to improve my skill with using poetic devices. One such poem was about fall. On the twentieth or so revision I saw it could become a picture book. I polished it and sent it to a contest with ICL (I think). I got positive feedback from the person who critiqued it. But she insisted to be a story it needed a main character. So, after weeks of struggle I developed a boy six or seven years old to walk through the story scenes.

That isn’t the best way to do it, however. It’s a bit backwards. Most of my story ideas start with a strong main character.

CAROL: What was the inspiration behind the Four Seasons stories? 

JEAN: My inspiration was the beauty of every season of the year. The pastels of spring, the vibrant colors and sights of summer, the rapidly changing palate of fall, and the stark contrasts of winter are all beautiful to me. I wanted to share that beauty and the One who created it all with children and the adults who read to them. I wanted to show the love of God to children through the everyday scenes and events of their lives.

CAROL: What input did you receive from critique buddies? 

JEAN: Nothing I write would be worth publishing without my critique partners. I’ve learn to trust their various skills and areas of expertise. I have about twelve children’s writers whose suggestions and questions I trust. I weigh what they say, try the things that might work, and use those that make the stories better for my audience—children in preschool, kindergarten and first or second grade.

I tip my hat here to the amazing writing friends God has brought into my life the past fifteen years. They encourage me, teach me, reel me in, make me think in new ways and consider new possibilities. Here’s an example.

The editor at Little Lamb Books who liked my first two manuscripts in the Four Seasons series sent Cyle a message to ask me how soon I could finish all four. I asked, “When do you want them?” She replied, “By this weekend.” That was on a Tuesday. I prayed a 911 prayer, took a big breath and said I would give it my best. They had been floating around in my head for months, but I had nothing on paper or screen.

I immediately emailed the writing friends who have helped me for years, and a few that I had recently connected with. I explained my situation and asked for their prayers. All replied that would be praying! I also asked if anyone could be “on call” to respond to emails from me for critique and input. Six or seven replied that they could.

And they did. I sat at my computer for ten hours a day Wednesday through Saturday. With every change I’d send an email to these terrific friends. And they responded. Without them I could never have completed those manuscripts at all, much less in a few days.

Late Saturday night the manuscripts reached a point where I felt they were the best WE could make them at that time. So, I hit SEND. The editor liked all four stories.

Of course there will be edits. Some major. Some minute. I’m confident that just as God used my team of fellow writers, just as He used my agent, He will use the staff of my publishing house to make these four books the best they can be so they will bless children and their parents and caregivers.

I’m grateful and humbled by this opportunity.

Jean celebrating her publishing deal--
twelve years after learning to write for publication.

Look for the Four Seasons series in 2019. I'll plan to review at least one book and give it away on my blog. Meanwhile, Jean is continuing to revise the books and is working on a book about deserts and a picture book about a child inventor. 

Writing Tips #5: Nuggets of Wisdom on Editing & Revision

Congratulations to Kathy Weichman who won Beginnings Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress.  Thanks to all of you who contributed to the this series. You can find the previous posts here: Part I and II included General Advice; Part III was on Deep Point of View; and Part IV was on Story Making. 

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"During my time as a facilitator of various writing groups, I saw the tendency of overusing the words ‘that’ and ‘was’.

THAT is a word THAT should not be used THAT often. 

It is reasonable to say, eighty percent of that’s are not necessary.

"WAS is another overused word that takes away from the action.  I once had a writing assignment in college where the professor wanted a two thousand word story written without the use of ‘was.'  Almost impossible to do.  Try replacing 'was' with action words or dialogue.  If you use it more than ten times in a two thousand word story, you are abusing the word.   

"Misplacing a comma can turn the meaning of a sentence into something other than intended. Always place a comma before a person’s name when used in dialogue.   

 “Let’s go out and eat Nancy.”

 “Let’s go out and eat, Nancy.”

"In the first example, it looks like Nancy is dinner. 

In the second example, with the comma before Nancy’s name, the meaning isn’t so graphic."  Tommy Styles, short story writer.

"Editing will require you to kill phrases, paragraphs, maybe even entire chapters or characters that you love. Sometimes they’ll be the bits you think are clever and beautiful and certain to be the ones your fans will be quoting and sharing on social media. You must be willing to do it anyway. You must learn to become brutally analytical about your own work. If it doesn’t help the story, it is not necessary. Period."  Shannon Wiersbitzky, author of What Flowers Remember.

"I am beginning an extensive revision and working hard to cut what needs to be cut, but it helps to remember that what is cut doesn't need to be trashed. It can be saved to be used another day. Maybe it won't, but it's easier to cut when I have that mindset." Kathy Cannon Wiechman, author of Like A River.

"When you cutting, words, sentences, paragraphs don't just throw them away. That's too emotional for many of us. Open a "shards" or "discards" file for each WIP and save those cuttings. You'll be able to use them another day in another project." Jean Hall, founder of Write2Ignite.

"Writing and publishing is a long-term pursuit, so don't rush what you are working on, and don't submit before it is polished. Revision is the key to publication." Christine Kohler, author of No Surrender Soldier.

Found on http://madwomanintheforest.com/wfmad-day-18-revision-roadmap/ 

"Put away your work for a good while before revising." Rosi Hollenbeck, SCBWI critique group coordinator for Northern and Central California and blogger.

"There comes a time to put down the writing books, the notes from conferences and classes, the "he said she said" telling you what to do or not to do and JUST WRITE THE STORY THAT'S IN YOUR HEART. Sandra Warren, author of Arlie the Alligator.

If you need more inspiration, check out Janice Hardy's month of outstanding at-home revision blogs. Kathy Temean has an excellent list of things not to miss when editing your work. And here are some top editing and proofreading tips from the folks at Romance University.

Finally, here is advice from a fourth-grade teacher; I use this quote whenever I teach writing: 

  "The red pencil is your best friend." 

Write 2 Ignite! 2015

Congratulations to Susan Moger, one of my newest blog readers, for winning an autographed copy of Rose Under Fire. Thanks to all who entered and left comments.

This week I'm posting an additional blog on an upcoming Christian writing conference. If you are interested in attending you can take advantage of the early bird discount.

Without further ado, please welcome my dear friend Jean Hall, founder and organizer of Write2Ignite!.

Jean and I, October 2014

Thanks, Carol, for this opportunity to talk about Write2Ignite!

The Write2Ignite! Conference for Christian Writers of Literature for Children and Young Adults is designed specifically for writers who seek to write from a Christian perspective. Whether your desire is to be published in the general market or Christian market; by major publishing houses or small publishers; or an array of other publishing options, Write2Ignite! is here to  help you.

Are you working on a YA novel? A MG book? Devotionals?  A PB? Nonfiction magazine articles? We’re here to point you in the right direction.

This year our speakers include authors Tim Shoemaker, Karen Whiting, Jenny L.Cote, Vonda Skelton, Torry Martin; artist Tony Snipes, and writing teacher Kim Peterson. An array of editors will meet individually with attendees.

OUR PURPOSE is to educate, encourage and inspire Christian writers while helping them network with publishing professionals. We aim to provide Christians who write for children, youth and adults with practical workshops and help them connect with the publishing industry.

OUR VISION for Write2Ignite! Is to eventually provide conferences, workshops, support groups, webinars and other services to Christians who create, publish, represent or sell literature for children and youth. 

We want you to leave Write2Ignite! 2015 with three things:

·       The knowledge that you heard from God about something specific in your writing and/or personal life

·       New or improved skills to use in writing, illustrating, marketing and/or publishing

·       New or strengthened connections with other writers, illustrators, teachers, librarians, agents, editors, reviewers, and/or book sellers – anyone associated with children’s publishing

Registration is now open. Early Bird Fees are good through February 28, 2015. We offer workshops for adult writers AND a special track with seven workshops for teens to choose from. BTW - we LOVE homeschoolers at Write2Ignite!

You can sign up for our blog updates, register for the conference, and find lots more information at www.write2ignite.com. Professional critiques are available for an additional fee.

We hope you’ll check us out and register for our March 27-28, 2015, conference at North Greenville University in Greenville, SC.

Please like us and tweet us @WriteTOignite and friend us on FB at Write2Ignite Conference.

Get Ready For Write 2 Ignite 2013!

Here is a guest blog by my friend and critique partner extraordinaire, Jean Hall, founder of Write2Ignite!

Whether you write for toddlers or teens, science or history magazines, school curriculum or drama clubs you’ll find a place at Write2Ignite! 2013, March 15-16 at North Greenville University, South Carolina.  And if you write for general markets or for Christian publishers, you’ll find education, encouragement and inspiration at Write2Ignite!

Our purpose is to offer you:

• Instruction in the craft of writing and publishing.
• Encouragement to keep on keeping on.
• Inspiration to keep you in tune with the calling God has on your life.
• Connections to assist you in the world of publishing.

We are thrilled this year that we can again offer outstanding and generous speakers and workshop leaders. Author Cecil Murphey (who has more than 150 published titles) will inspire us through keynote speeches. Familiar names like Kelly Starling Lyons and Joyce Hostetter are part of our line-up. At Write2Ignite! 2013 editors from Club House, Lighthouse Publishing, JourneyForth, The Kid’s Ark and more will offer private consultations.  Literary agents who represent children’s writers will join us, and make themselves available for individual consultations.

Another of our Write2Ignite! offerings is a special track for middle school and high school students who write. This year a whole team of professionals will instruct and challenge the Teen Track students.

Registration is now open, and now is the time to apply for one of our scholarships. Check our website for information and Registration at www.write2ignite.com or contact us at write2ignite@jeanmatthewhall.com.