tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70177977258394125042024-03-05T05:46:41.359-05:00Jillian Kent BlogJillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-59460114338532670372013-09-17T17:08:00.000-04:002013-09-17T17:08:35.519-04:00Moving DayHello fantastic fans of Jillian Kent! The web management team is highjacking Jill's blog today to inform you of Jill's new blog address. We've recently transitioned her website to WordPress and invite you to visit her "new" online home. <div>
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Visit <a href="http://www.jilliankent.com/blog">www.JillianKent.com/blog</a> to continue following her updates and receive her posts directly in your inbox by registering your email in her blog sidebar. Also, take a look at her newly launched <a href="http://jilliankent.com/jilliankent-wp/jillsquill/">Jill's Quill page</a>!</div>
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See you there! </div>
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Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-22660392419765993112013-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:002013-07-04T00:00:00.282-04:00Happy July 4th! And the winner is . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The winner of my non-blog contest is JEANNIE CAMPBELL!<br />
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Jeannie came up with the name Jill's Quill, which I decided was the best choice for my upcoming journal. I hope to have fun with it and I hope you will too. The journal will probably make it's appearance in early August after <a href="http://joneshousecreative.com/">Jones House Creative</a> has time to design. Stay tuned for more information. I thank each of you who stopped by to participate and hope you will continue to hang out with me from time to time.<br />
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I also plan to get my next newsletter out soon so if you haven't signed up for it please do. I don't send them often, in fact this will only be the second one. Maybe it should be titled, Jill's Quill. :)<br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-30028722125208022942013-05-28T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-28T00:00:02.782-04:00THE NON-BLOG EXPERIMENT AND CONTEST<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This might be fatal but I'm going on a summer blogging hiatus that might become permanent. I plan to switch over to journal mode and add a page when the gang at <a href="http://joneshousecreative.com/">Jones House Creative</a> can help me out. And rather than just call it Jillian's Journal I'd like to open this up for my readers to help me out.<br />
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If you're interested in participating, I'm going to giveaway all three books of my Ravensmoore Chronicles and a $25.00 gift certificate from Amazon for the winner. All you need to do is be creative. <b>What should I name my new journal page? </b>I'll pick the one I like best and <b>I plan to post the winner on the Fourth of July.</b> So get creative, mark your calendars, and don't forget to leave your e-mail address in your comment. You can only enter one time and must be a resident of the U.S.A. The contest will end on July 1st Pacific Time.<br />
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So why am I going on a blogging hiatus? Because I want to spend more time doing other things like reading, writing novels, and enjoying this summer with my family. <br />
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It may not seem like a big deal but everything we writers add to our plates takes time away from getting the work done. Some writers are experts at this and I marvel at what they can accomplish and what they have to say. The need to blog to reach our audiences is changing and has been changing for some time now. If you missed this blog post over at Jody Hedlund's Blog and you're a writer I suggest you check it out: <a href="http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2012/10/do-agents-and-editors-expect-novelists.html">Do Agents and Editors Expect Novelists to Blog</a>.<br />
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Each of us is gifted in different areas of our lives and as writers we need to stay in touch. However, there are all kinds of ways to do that. I will continue to blog once a month at <a href="http://justthewritecharisma.blogspot.com/">Just The Write Charisma Blogspot</a> and on the 29th of every month over at the <a href="http://christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/">Christian Fiction Historical Society</a>. I think group blogs are the easiest so I hope you'll visit often.<br />
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I enjoy Twitter more than blogging every week and more than (dare I say, Facebook?) I like the idea of a journal. Short and sweet updates when I want to say something more than I can on Twitter, but much less than a typical blog post.<br />
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So this is my last official blog post for the summer here on my page with the exception of when I pick the winner of my future journal page on the Fourth of July. I appreciate all my followers and hope you'll sign up on my mailing list if you haven't already. I'd love to be able to reach you when exciting things are happening. This blog will remain available for all to read. Don't forget all the great blogs posted to the right of this page. There's much to explore. Have an awesome summer.<br />
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What's your favorite form of social media?<br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-5153339227293309852013-05-27T10:42:00.000-04:002013-05-27T10:42:52.371-04:00The Winner is . . . <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Congratulations TiGi! Christi's hubby pulled the winner last night. Hope you enjoy the goodies. Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-25616945293534526662013-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-21T17:14:14.788-04:00The Not-So-Glamorous Story of How I Got My Book Deal<br />
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Please welcome my awesome guest blogger, Christi Corbett. Christi and I have been through some interesting times together in the publishing world. She's got a lot of knowledge to impart regarding the rocky road to publication. I know you'll enjoy this post and her debut novel which I happily endorsed. <br />
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Christi is giving away a fun package of writing goodies (notebook, sticky notes, pens, and other fun supplies) to one lucky commenter, so be sure to answer the question at the end of this post to be entered to win. I'll pick a winner on Sunday evening after 9:00pm Pacific Time so be sure to leave a comment before then if you're interested in winning the goodies.</div>
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</style><span style="color: #333333;">Publishing is a tough business and not for quitters. While right now I’m happily reviewing cover concepts and thinking of how to best promote my debut novel, it took over THIRTEEN years to get to said happiness. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Yes, it took me thirteen years to go from, “Hey, I’ve got a really great idea for a book!” to signing the publication contract from Astraea Press. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">And there were plenty of times during those thirteen years when I considered quitting. Considered that maybe I didn’t have it in me to go the long haul. Considered that maybe the process was just too hard. Considered that maybe my story idea was stupid and no one would want to read about a family’s adventures and misfortunes on the 1843 </span><span style="color: #333333;">Oregon Trail</span><span style="color: #333333;">. Considered that maybe to get published I’d have to compromise my beliefs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">But, even though over those thirteen years there were plenty of days, months, and even years when I didn’t write at all, there was always a little voice deep inside me, rooting me on and saying “Don’t worry. Right now you’re dealing with a lot, but when things calm down you’ll get back to this story.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">So, I listened to that little voice while I was pregnant with our twins in what turned out to be a high-risk pregnancy that forced me into two months of complete bedrest. I listened to that voice when our twins were born one month premature. I listened for the next two years while I was buried in diapers, toys, drooling smiles, potty-training, and tears of exhaustion and joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I listened to that little voice while packing, unpacking, and then packing up again through a total of four out of state moves (</span><span style="color: #333333;">Washington</span><span style="color: #333333;"> to </span><span style="color: #333333;">Minnesota</span><span style="color: #333333;">, </span><span style="color: #333333;">Minnesota</span><span style="color: #333333;"> to </span><span style="color: #333333;">Montana</span><span style="color: #333333;">, </span><span style="color: #333333;">Montana</span><span style="color: #333333;"> to Washington, and then Washington to </span><span style="color: #333333;">Oregon</span><span style="color: #333333;">).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Then, once our twins were two years old, that same little voice helped me to eek out five minutes of writing time here, another five minutes of writing time there, until lo and behold, my twins were five-years-old and I’d finally finished my book.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">And then I realized that my book was horrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">But that same little voice was still with me, now saying, “Ok, you’ve got a lot of work ahead, but you FINISHED and that’s something to be proud of. Now get to work on making it BETTER.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">So I did. I went to my very first writing conference and realized there were people just like me, striving to write until they got it right. I made some great writing friends at that first conference, and in a roundabout way, that was how I met Jillian.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Now, armed with my own little voice and a few writing friends with actual voices, all of whom were giving lots of encouragement, I ripped my book apart and revised it, from the first word to the last…SIX TIMES. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Then I found a local writing group and two critique partners (lots of love here to Artemis Gray and Margo Kelly!) who showed me I had a lot more work to do. So I revised it again…TWO MORE TIMES. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Then, I went to a conference in August of 2012. Conferences are expensive and I could only afford one of the three days, and getting that money took holding a yard sale. But, my husband and entire family are very supportive, so clutching my yard sale proceeds in one hand and my query letter in the other, off to the conference I went.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I met more amazing writers, got requests for partials from three of the three agents I met with, and then drove home with my dreams soaring—dreams that were quickly dashed when I got rejected by one of the agents and never heard back from the other two. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">But still, that little voice inside just wouldn’t let me quit. I revised my query letter until it shone, showed it to everyone who would look at it, revised it TWENTY more times (no, I’m not kidding) and then one minute after I put my twins on the school bus for their first day of second grade I began querying in earnest. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">A few months into it I had around forty rejections, but I also had six agents and three editors (Medallion Press, Tor/Forge, and a small press) reviewing requested partials/fulls, an R&R offer from an agent, and an offer pending from another small press.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333;">Then, it happened. </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"> I was rejected by an agent who called my book lovely and sweet, raved about my writing and the storyline, but ended with the statement, “…let your characters engage in sex and describe the sex. As it stands, I’ll pass. Put the sex in and I’ll take another look.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I assure you, I have thick skin when it comes to rejections. I’ve racked up my fair share since I began querying, and normally took them with a grain of salt (and chocolate—lots of chocolate), but this one really bothered me. I understood if a rejection was based upon my writing style, the likeability of my characters, or a flaw in the storyline—but to be rejected solely on the basis that I<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>choose</u></b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>NOT to include sex? That one didn't go over well.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">So much so that I finally decided it was time to query the one publisher I’d had my eye on for months. A publisher that cares not only for the authors, but for the kind of work they attach their name to. I'd discovered Astraea Press before I started querying in September and really liked the stance the owner, Stephanie Taylor, took against unnecessary sex.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">During a 2011 interview,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Six Questions for Stephanie Taylor</i>, she made the following statement: “…Astraea offers a safe haven for good books where the focus is on the STORY and not the sex”.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I sent off a query to Stephanie at Astraea Press late one afternoon, and woke up the next morning to an offer! And it was my birthday too!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I immediately pulled my novel from consideration from all the others who were reviewing partials/fulls/had offers pending, because I believed so strongly in Astraea Press, and the niche they’ve carved out for themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I am thrilled to announce my novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Along the Way Home</i>, will release June of 2013 in e-reader format and then in July of 2013 in print.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I hope you’ve enjoyed my “Not-So-Glamorous Story of How I Got My Book Deal”, and I hope it inspires you to never ever EVER give up on your dreams!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Speaking of dreams, here’s the back cover copy to my debut novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Along the Way Home</i>.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kate Davis is intrigued when her father reveals his dream of starting a horse ranch in </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oregon</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Territory</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. Settlers out west value a strong woman, and though she manages the financials of her father’s mercantile her competence earns her ridicule, not respect, from </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virginia</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">’s elite society. </i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jake Fitzpatrick, an experienced trail guide, wants land out west to raise cattle and crops. But dreams require money and he’s eating dandelion greens for dinner. So when a wealthy businessman offers double wages to guide his family across the </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oregon Trail</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, Jake accepts with one stipulation—he is in complete control.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">Departure day finds Kate clinging to her possessions as Jake demands she abandon all he deems frivolous, including her deceased mother’s heirlooms. Jake stands firm, refusing to let the whims of a headstrong woman jeopardize the wages he so desperately needs—even a beautiful one with fiery green eyes and a temper to match. </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">Trail life is a battle of wills between them until tragedy strikes, leaving Jake with an honor-bound promise to protect her from harm and Kate with a monumental choice—go back to everything she’s ever known or toward everything she’s ever wanted?</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Jillian, I thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today. And to her readers, thank you so much for reading about my journey to publication. If you’re interested, I post more tidbits about my writing journey in the following locations. I’d be honored to hear from you. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Blog: <a href="http://christicorbett.wordpress.com/">http://christicorbett.wordpress.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Facebook Author Page: You can find me under “Christi Corbett—Author”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Twitter: @ChristiCorbett</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Pinterest: </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/christicorbett/">http://pinterest.com/christicorbett/</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I have a page dedicated to my inspirations behind Along the Way Home, plus some fun Oregon Trail pages too.)<span style="color: #333333;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333;">How about you? How do you keep writing/pursuing your dreams when it gets tough? </span></b><span style="color: #333333;"></span></div>
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Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-6036055559774955432013-05-14T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-14T00:00:01.897-04:00CHAMELEON FINALS IN SELAH AWARDS
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selah Awards Press Release</td></tr>
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I'm so excited. The second book in my Ravensmoore Chronicle Series, Chameleon, has made it to the final round in this years Selah Award Contest. You can read more <a href="http://altongansky.typepad.com/writersconferences/#">here.</a> There is a list of eleven categories with two or three finalists in each. Check it out and see if some of your favorites are there.<br />
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Also, this year at BRMCWC the awards night is going to be streamed live for all the world to see. That should be interesting. So stay tuned. You can find all the information at the above link. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh310GvZvrmzi1w9yvpysK8eCUzfzs1T1DZZLKJyTrhr19OwunchQc2yWrvSKi00CA2PW_8-lG9iNalEWiXGnaZJY-7qz5-5j3pNdA6exSYyq9JFgaJyY8JKLz2FvjrcB_1yuZAdEasdXo/s1600/Kent-Chameleon+Cover-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" pua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh310GvZvrmzi1w9yvpysK8eCUzfzs1T1DZZLKJyTrhr19OwunchQc2yWrvSKi00CA2PW_8-lG9iNalEWiXGnaZJY-7qz5-5j3pNdA6exSYyq9JFgaJyY8JKLz2FvjrcB_1yuZAdEasdXo/s200/Kent-Chameleon+Cover-1.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
Chameleon is the story of Lady Victoria Grayson, fondly referred to as Snoop by her physician brother, Lord Ravensmoore. Lady Victoria journeys to London for the first time in her adult life after battling a chronic childhood illness that kept her home bound for years. She is embroiled in a hornet's nest of intrigue when her brother is called upon to treat a Member of Parliament after a brutal attack.</div>
<br />
<br />
The Prince Regent has called Jonathon Denning, Lord Witt, from his home in the country to investigate Ravensmoore's activities. The Regent isn't so sure he wants one of his lords working a trade and expects to put an end to what he considers eccentric behavior. Jaded by his profession as a spy, Witt understands that some people are not what they pretend to be. When he meets Victoria his cynical nature is challenged along with his doubts about God. Together they must confront their pasts in order to solve a mystery that could devastate their future.<br />
<br />
<u>ENDORSEMENTS</u><br />
<br />
A delicious Regency house of mirrors, Jillian Kent's <i>Chameleon</i> is an enthralling mix of Sherlock Holmes meets Jane Austen . . . — Julie Lessman, author of Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series<br />
<br />
<br />
A fascinating story of intrigue and romance. Chameleon is the perfect novel for a rainy evening with a bottomless pot of English tea at one's side. —Serena Miller, author of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio and The Measure of Katie Calloway<br />
<br />
You can read more endorsements <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chameleon-Ravensmoore-Chronicles-Jillian-Kent/dp/1616384964/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368495321&sr=1-4&keywords=jillian+kent#reader_1616384964">HERE.</a> And you can read the first entire first chapter <a href="http://jilliankent.com/books.html">HERE</a> along with the other books in the series. Enjoy.<br />
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<br />
Chameleon is dedicated to the brokenhearted, to anyone who has ever felt left out, and to those who hold secrets close to their hearts. <br />
<br />
<br />
Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-66733004485302820852013-05-13T12:10:00.000-04:002013-05-13T12:10:03.317-04:00CONGRATULATIONS!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6-FSv5YP4MlW1Fmfhq8yB_7lPIeuMLRyi-EcYTLvYID-5XjzG2g8b-mePMd5466GY6sdCFS51jfBZCJ18aJ5tTKWdPLGILa17cb82AloFPrj1fK0uCzPlJx-9YzmIIlH0fC0W2Md1OA/s1600/Bachelor+Buttons+(Sample+with+New+Banner).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_607302388="1" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6-FSv5YP4MlW1Fmfhq8yB_7lPIeuMLRyi-EcYTLvYID-5XjzG2g8b-mePMd5466GY6sdCFS51jfBZCJ18aJ5tTKWdPLGILa17cb82AloFPrj1fK0uCzPlJx-9YzmIIlH0fC0W2Md1OA/s320/Bachelor+Buttons+(Sample+with+New+Banner).jpg" width="215" /></a>I wanted to thank Kathleen for sharing her thoughts with us about unsavory aspects through history and for introducing us to her novella, Bachelor Buttons.<br />
<br />
Kathleen's winner via random.org is Amy C. who will receive the novella and the Irish goodie basket. Congratulations to Amy. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment or read the post. I value your input and I know Kathy does too. Please spread the word about this very special novella.<br />
<br />
Check in tomorrow for a special announcement.Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-15426028464496356702013-05-07T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-07T00:00:04.091-04:00When History Has Been Unsavory and Giveaway<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6-FSv5YP4MlW1Fmfhq8yB_7lPIeuMLRyi-EcYTLvYID-5XjzG2g8b-mePMd5466GY6sdCFS51jfBZCJ18aJ5tTKWdPLGILa17cb82AloFPrj1fK0uCzPlJx-9YzmIIlH0fC0W2Md1OA/s1600/Bachelor+Buttons+(Sample+with+New+Banner).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6-FSv5YP4MlW1Fmfhq8yB_7lPIeuMLRyi-EcYTLvYID-5XjzG2g8b-mePMd5466GY6sdCFS51jfBZCJ18aJ5tTKWdPLGILa17cb82AloFPrj1fK0uCzPlJx-9YzmIIlH0fC0W2Md1OA/s320/Bachelor+Buttons+(Sample+with+New+Banner).jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Please welcome my guest today, Kathleen L. Maher. She has kindly offered to </span>give away a copy of this wonderful novella, plus a shamrock mug, tea and
cookies. You can't beat that! And isn't that book cover beautiful!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sometimes history is not very uplifting. If
you’re like me, you long to escape the stresses of modern life, and that’s why
you read historicals—to experience a kinder, gentler time. When past events prove
as ruthless as the worst nightly news, what is an author of inspirational
fiction to do?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My novella <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bachelor
Buttons</i> deals with one such unsavory bit of history. As contributor to a
collection of novellas and short stories set in 1863 commemorating the
sesquicentennial of the Civil War, I chose to write about the New York City
Draft Riots. The protests to Lincoln’s Conscription Act escalated into one of
the worst racial hate crimes in American history. It casts blight, not just on
American history, but on Irish immigrant history in particular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why did I choose to write about such a
disturbing event? Should writers like me avoid the horror and dismay of the
past altogether? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">One reason I felt passionate about writing this
story is summed up by George Santayana’s famous quote. <b>"Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat its mistakes." </b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Fiction provides the perfect medium to gain a better
understanding of history’s lessons. Context sheds light on the background, and
offers a basis for comparison to current events. The Draft Riots were a tragic
and frightening week of anarchy, violence, and mob rule. Many immigrants from
the Emerald Isle, escaping famine and seeking a better life in America, settled
in New York City and struggled to find work. Signs reading “No Irish need
apply” greeted <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnyyxQJT99VBfiUFccOd7vNTOEvKoWsHcT2VdJK9ETSfzIweVy0QdCYtDnnvg2IDL33ze91bNBfjSfrMewlQEd1m-vEKgR5N92891SHgkH-2h3zISWELILjyXpcD3r3SrB4Ohs6oIe5s/s1600/Irish+blog+giveaway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnyyxQJT99VBfiUFccOd7vNTOEvKoWsHcT2VdJK9ETSfzIweVy0QdCYtDnnvg2IDL33ze91bNBfjSfrMewlQEd1m-vEKgR5N92891SHgkH-2h3zISWELILjyXpcD3r3SrB4Ohs6oIe5s/s320/Irish+blog+giveaway.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irish Giveaway Gift</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
them wherever they went. To make matters worse, the main
competition for the unskilled labor jobs that were available came from freed
slaves. Frustrated and without a political voice, many turned to vigilantism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The draft lit the fuse of a powder keg. Tensions
over job security ratcheted up a notch each time the Lincoln administration
espoused abolitionist causes. The Emancipation Proclamation stirred up the
deepest fears among recently immigrated Irish that a wave of freedmen would
sweep Manhattan and take all the jobs for themselves. Sadly, this fear and
hatred spawned deadly attacks on peaceful black citizens all over Manhattan for
four days in July, 1863. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Draft Riot was a terrible event, fraught
with loss of life and property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
again, why memorialize it in story? I believe that when darkness sinks to its
nadir, that is when the light of Christ and His people shine the brightest.
Every story I write weaves a theme of redemption, and so it is with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bachelor Buttons</i>. The hero—an Irish
immigrant teacher—becomes an unwitting champion, rescuing those in harm’s way
even at risk of personal loss and danger. He represents the call on every
Christian’s life, to be light in darkness, an overcoming force standing for
truth and goodness when the world turns upside down. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1PaqfYMTqfZXSjWtkoIow_0SIdbbHXSokBrjHLAckjm_H54NcxtdihvJiJOBazI2rDJ5T8AzSMl5kH2l7Jdv18qA26jihZFeU6-tDEZi8HEXYB3WPifKnuN4e67EZoOCo2Gn9yrTNqc/s1600/Kathleen+L.+Maher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1PaqfYMTqfZXSjWtkoIow_0SIdbbHXSokBrjHLAckjm_H54NcxtdihvJiJOBazI2rDJ5T8AzSMl5kH2l7Jdv18qA26jihZFeU6-tDEZi8HEXYB3WPifKnuN4e67EZoOCo2Gn9yrTNqc/s200/Kathleen+L.+Maher.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sometimes history is downright ugly. But the
Author and Perfector of our faith, the One penning the story of His dealings
with man, triumphs over the facts of man’s sin with His Truth. Good really does
triumph over evil with God’s help, and we <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>learn from the
past through both good examples and bad. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Question: What books have you read that handled dark historical events with a redemptive
light?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Bachelor Buttons can be purchased <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murray-Puras-American-Series-ebook/dp/B00CLJD4JW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367458215&sr=8-1&keywords=Bachelor+Buttons+by+Kathleen+L.+Maher">HERE.</a> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You can visit Kathleen's Blogspot <a href="http://kathleenlmaher.blogspot.com/">HERE.</a></span><b></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Kathleen L. Maher’s
novella <i>Bachelor Buttons</i> releases May 1 as part of a
Civil War sesquicentennial collection by Helping Hands Press. She won the 2012
ACFW Genesis contest, and finaled in several others since 2009. Represented by
Terry Burns of Hartline Literary Agency, Kathleen blogs about </span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">New York</span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">State</span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> history. She and her
husband live in a 100-year-old farmhouse in upstate NY with their three
children, two </span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Newfoundland</span><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> dogs and a tuxedo cat. </span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></b></div>
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Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-36715305699565879122013-04-30T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-30T20:58:07.109-04:00100 Ways to Motivate YourselfSteve Chandler wrote a little book with a lot of great ideas.
Actually, there are 100 great ideas in his book titled, 100 Ways to
Motivate Yourself. Change Your Life Forever.<a href="http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/Blog%20pics/?action=view&current=51t8MAl13nL_BO2204203200_PIsitb-sti.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/Blog%20pics/51t8MAl13nL_BO2204203200_PIsitb-sti.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
If
you've ever had difficulty getting motivated to do anything I suggest
you go out to your local library or favorite bookstore and pick up a
copy of this little gem that packs big ideas.<br />
<br />
For
instance, from pages 60-61 Steve recommends you Find Your Inner
Einstein. I've never even imagined that I could have an inner Einstein.
E=MC2. Do I have an inner Einstein? I don't think so. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/?action=view&current=thinking-man.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/thinking-man.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
But
then I read Steve's pages. He says that Einstein said, "Imagination is
more important than knowledge." Wait a minute! Wait just a minute. Maybe
I do have an inner Einstien. I have imagination!<br />
<a href="http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/?action=view&current=z186105215.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/z186105215.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Steve
goes on to tell us about a song for teenagers that Fred Knipe wrote so
that teens could visualize themselves succeeding at what they wanted to
do:<br />
"That's you/in your wildest dreams/doing the wildest things/no
one else can do. If you/just love and keep those dreams/the wildest
dreams/you'll make yourself come true."<br />
<br />
I LOVE THIS!
It's motivating to me. Steve goes on to say,"But the greatest thing
about active dreaming is not in the eventual reaching of the goal-- the
greatest thing is what it does to the dreamer."<br />
<br />
Are you making yourself come true? How? What are you doing? How do you stay motivated?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://s871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/?action=view&current=Flowers.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i871.photobucket.com/albums/ab277/storyteller111/Flowers.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
JUST IMAGINE.Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-31784641125528333752013-04-23T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-23T00:00:03.971-04:00Encouragement for Writers<span id="goog_569856488"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_569856489"></span><br />
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I sometimes search You Tube when I need a blast of encouragement, a writer-like therapy session, a kick in the pants. I can only write for so long, fighting doubts and demons before I turn to those who have more experience. We all have to find our own way to get back in the chair and do the work. Just do it. What is "it?" Writing the next book of course.<br />
<br />
It's not a matter of what some call writer's block. I know what I want to write, I've been thinking about it for months. I don't do much outlining, being and organic writer. I know how the book starts, some of the middle, and the end. Now comes the hard part.<br />
<br />
I'm headed to <a href="http://ridgecrestconferencecenter.org/event/blueridgemountainchristianwritersconference">Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference</a> next month to get some hands on work done in a brainstorming class with <a href="http://infinitesuspensefromlynetteeason.blogspot.com/">Lynette Eason</a>. This will help me round out some ideas and dig deeper. I'm looking forward to the class and everything Ridgecrest has to offer. I have a certain number of words I want to get done before that time arrives. But I needed that proverbial shot in the arm this week and found some. So I'm sharing it with you now so you can get back on target if needed. Or maybe you're just thinking about writing and need to hear from others. This will help newbies and seasoned writers alike. So click on any of the links below to get a bit of encouragement, guidance, inspiration, kick-in the-pants, whatever you might need at this moment. You might want to save a favorite or go looking for your own. Build your own file of encouragement blasts and use as needed. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1h4rm57UIg">Inspiring Writers</a></li>
<li><span id="goog_569856486"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_569856487"></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA">Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL1HFmgr1nE">Dennis Lehane</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6lrAkJg-bU">Karen Kingsbury: Liberty University Convocation</a> 2011</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UETPWnKXEoU">Harlan Coben</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHGqp8lz36c">J.K. Rowling: Harvard Commencement 2008</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ixZJzrkZ2g">James Scott Bell</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VIeMXRbSOE">Beverly Lewis Interview</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG4jLz4j5V4">Ted Dekker</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn31QPcShDI">Anne Perry</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNicTBmqTCE">Diana Gabaldon</a> </li>
</ol>
<br />
<ol>
</ol>
Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-40423352618146519922013-04-16T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-16T00:00:11.925-04:00What Have Your Pets Taught You?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1z0uCyqN9f99qsA2todD7-EM4bGexIjcmfKPGhjF044C-UXtZxeRX-Njuho_z2b60Cc1UsM-R_hL3Zv3kMnbqn8SdypCiWlHUSm0VMREHvVjExPQMGyRE1DJG7wxaGakYCSdo-0JLuU/s1600/catphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1z0uCyqN9f99qsA2todD7-EM4bGexIjcmfKPGhjF044C-UXtZxeRX-Njuho_z2b60Cc1UsM-R_hL3Zv3kMnbqn8SdypCiWlHUSm0VMREHvVjExPQMGyRE1DJG7wxaGakYCSdo-0JLuU/s320/catphoto.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuma and Lucky</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm one of those readers who does not like it one little bit when authors kill off animals in their stories. Life is tough enough without reading about the death of critters. Just the way I am.<br />
<br />
In February, Jordan Dane over at the Kill Zone wrote a post I fell in love with titled, <a href="http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-my-cat-has-taught-me-about-writing.html#.UWyXE0okSJo">What My Cat Has Taught Me About Writing.</a> Just love it! So today I want to brainstorm thoughts with you about what your furry friends have taught you.<br />
<br />
Yuma and Lucky are two of the four cats living at our house. Yep, four! All were rescued. Makes it hard on the one little dog we have. But all the animals that have walked, scampered, galloped, hopped, ran, scurried, and flew into my life have left their special little instructions for living in my heart and mind. Here are a few of the many things that critters (living and dead) have taught me.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Life is short so you better climb trees for the best view you can get and run wild in the field kicking up your heels just for the fun of it.</li>
<li>It's good to have friends, so play nice, share your food, go for a walk, and if cranky take a nap.</li>
<li>Entertainment can be cheap. Chase a ball or a pink mouse.</li>
<li>Therapy is free! Lay on the couch and tell me all about your day.</li>
<li>Before crawling out of bed stretch, yawn, blink, sniff the air for food, and if you don't smell anything cooking go back to sleep.</li>
<li>Greet family with exuberance when they come home.</li>
<li>Never hold a grudge. </li>
<li>If you run fast enough, jump high enough, or just wait to pounce, you'll probably catch that thing your chasing.</li>
<li>Trust your instincts.</li>
<li>You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.</li>
</ol>
<br />
Okay. Your turn! I know there must be a lot of cat and dog lovers out there and probably multiple other critters in your lives. I never get tired of animal stories. So how many animals live with you? What have your animal friends taught you?<br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-22031553833686863972013-04-15T19:47:00.000-04:002013-04-15T19:47:07.050-04:00And the Winner is . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hNPKUsd0qhASvWQjoZNRAltW1wJXPntBU8HM8sAxDCKxgqATnikY0z4jyqeQY4tXC_RKXb8DJsEK58Uv0UXi6f6VHEWv-xTTzC6k9_ReXXtBsf2QSFUAiu_oQYqkyPgLSvFu03oRdD0/s1600/01ShirleyPlantation_RtSP_cover%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hNPKUsd0qhASvWQjoZNRAltW1wJXPntBU8HM8sAxDCKxgqATnikY0z4jyqeQY4tXC_RKXb8DJsEK58Uv0UXi6f6VHEWv-xTTzC6k9_ReXXtBsf2QSFUAiu_oQYqkyPgLSvFu03oRdD0/s320/01ShirleyPlantation_RtSP_cover%255B1%255D.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Pam K. is the winner of Carrie Fancett Pagels, Return to Shirley Plantation. Congratulations Pam! Carrie will be in touch.<br />
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Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented on the very important topic of Autism Awareness.<br />
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Have a great week!Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-83175327252513442222013-04-09T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-09T00:00:05.142-04:00Carrie Fancett Pagels and Autism Awareness Month: Our Journey Through Autism—A Glimpse <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8v9M2wyDVavfVbvJCWEEN4hGvnTwgdubZLky9wDDa3NLDVWFPRBttS_jF6pQ9z74I8jgg_GwO2-QCQfV3wvMXNtOE9SLe3oZlPopEBccyeHjuRdLmAVoy1gXPOHwJOnUi9iXGJShaz24/s1600/01ShirleyPlantation_RtSP_cover%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8v9M2wyDVavfVbvJCWEEN4hGvnTwgdubZLky9wDDa3NLDVWFPRBttS_jF6pQ9z74I8jgg_GwO2-QCQfV3wvMXNtOE9SLe3oZlPopEBccyeHjuRdLmAVoy1gXPOHwJOnUi9iXGJShaz24/s320/01ShirleyPlantation_RtSP_cover%5B1%5D.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Hi! Jillian Kent here with Carrie Fancett Pagels who has graciously offered: <strong>A Kindle copy</strong> of her new release, Return to Shirley Planataion: A Civil War Romnace. Please leave a comment and a winner will be chosen next Sunday, April 14th. The contest will close at midnight Pacific time on Sunday and winner posted on the afternoon of the 15th. Carrie's got an interesting post that is important to many of us. Please welcome Carrie.<br />
<br />
Did you know that April is Autism Awareness Month? And that there are many Christian authors who have children on the Autism Spectrum? Believe it or not, my son’s issues in his journey of overcoming autism (an ongoing process and he is doing great, PTL!) actually started me on the road to writing again. Early in life God called me to write. Then I went off in my own direction and I became a psychologist. <br />
<br />
When my son was 13 months old he was given a MMR shot (I didn’t even know what shot it was he was given that day that was “different” from the others because he had gotten all of his shots and I didn’t pay any attention to what exactly was given. ) He quickly developed horrible diarrhea that would not clear up. This was right before our vacation and during the trip he was completely different than he was normally—not wanting music for instance whereas he loved lullabies and music prior to that time. He also had been a happy interactive child but became fussy and inconsolable. I had to keep him separated and quiet to have him soothed. Needless to say that was nightmare vacation. His pediatrician thought he’d picked up a virus on the trip but he’d had the symptoms before we left. <br />
<br />
He was nursing still so we determined it wasn’t from formula (later, however, we did discover his allergy/sensitivity to milk.) We took him to a pediatric gastrointestinal specialist who ran a bunch of tests, threw up his hands, and told us there was nothing he could do to stop Clark’s persistent diarrhea. So now we are two months out with a child who is now fussy, avoiding eye contact, and behaving differently than he ever had before and with a chronic issue with his tummy. His fine motor skills stopped developing. I took him to a naturepathic medicine doctor who diagnosed his issue as likely caused by his last vaccination. She gave him drops to take that had his diarrhea stopped within twenty-four hours! And recommended he not have any more. We had improvement with his tummy . Still some issues, particularly with fine motor. As a psychologist and someone who’d worked in a hospital with neonates for several years, I was a little skeptical and worried about missing any more vaccines but we waited. I was working, had a teenager, was coping with my own rheumatoid arthritis, which had worsened, and coming home to a child who was having some continuing problems. <br />
<br />
At two years old, at a sick child appointment, I allowed them to give my son another vaccination. Bad move. After that shot, he spiraled down into screaming fits, had staring spells, ended up doing so many bizarre things I’d rather not include them here, but needless to say, I did, then, research what did he have given at 13 months and 24 months and it was MMR vaccination. I know there is conflicting research on this but I can only say from our experience what happened. I believe there are a combination of factors that make the MMR result in a child going into autism and one of these days we might know what the exact mix is. But what some professionals say is that a genetic predisposition combined with illness (kids are not supposed to get shots when they are sick) and specific vaccines can bring on the onset of autism symptoms.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfQBUtLtJGaS2oy8yaQrG919QC7aA5Sw-tLG2RJfcWaNXkv4ECcVIBmHqCkms7zD7cqpReNfRboU3zZpTGn91cy4UqUBBe_UpgpxREn5Fd2YXzlPX37Fy6JkcWE0bgOwhwR2dDQv8Pa4/s1600/carrie_head_shot_shrink_(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfQBUtLtJGaS2oy8yaQrG919QC7aA5Sw-tLG2RJfcWaNXkv4ECcVIBmHqCkms7zD7cqpReNfRboU3zZpTGn91cy4UqUBBe_UpgpxREn5Fd2YXzlPX37Fy6JkcWE0bgOwhwR2dDQv8Pa4/s320/carrie_head_shot_shrink_(2).jpg" width="320" /></a>How does that affect my writing? When Clark was at his worst and I wondered how I could cope, I told my daughter that we should write a fantasy story about the stuff he did and do a story where there was, ultimately, a good resolution. So when he’d nap, I’d sit and pound out a story about a time traveling autistic baby and toddler and ultimately young man. I hadn’t written that much since I’d dropped out of grad school to write a secular manuscript--that one is copyrighted but thank God was never published. It was very therapeutic to write a story that held a message of hope for myself, my son, and my daughter, who was also stressed by her brother’s change. She babysat him and he’d been a wonderful baby, cuddly and sweet. At 9 months old he’d roll a ball, giggle, and make great eye contact with his older friend. I have pictures from 12 months, when his grandparents and family friends were visiting, right before the shots that started the change. We had a happy interactive little guy. We’ve been on a long journey. But God is right beside us. And as part of my journey, I began writing again and joined ACFW . And I just published my debut fiction novella “Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance.”</div>
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Question: Do you have a friend who has a child with autism? If so, have you been able to do anything to help your friend, such as babysit and if so, how did that work out?<br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-14698874953801703392013-04-02T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-06T12:43:23.253-04:00Scrivener Cork Board vs. Pinterest Secret Board<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n311/funnybunny_012/hugh-jackman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n311/funnybunny_012/hugh-jackman.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hugh Jackman via Photobucket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Okay. I know I'm not comparing apples to apples here. Scrivener is a software program for writers. Pinterest is well, Pinterest, and useful social media. I love using pictures to create my heroes and heroines. A picture can be worth a thousand words and a picture can help me write a thousand words. Just take a look at this picture of Hugh Jackman. I bet a lot of us could build a thousand words around this picture. It was only recently that I discovered the Secret Boards at Pinterest thanks to a Monday night chat over at My Book Therapy. If you Google Pinterest Secret Boards you'll easily find what I'm talking about if you haven't already. This may be old news to you but if not you're about to have a lot of fun!<br />
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I'm very far behind in my ability to use Scrivener. I purchased it over a year ago and even signed up for Gwen Hernandez's online class, but do to life issues that always interfere at the most inopportune times I must revisit all the online work that Gwen did because I couldn't keep up with the class. Here is a place I found on YouTube related to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-h-ybKMAXk">building characters on Scrivener.</a> And for those of you interested in taking Gwen's class here is the link to her site <a href="http://gwenhernandez.com/scrivener-online-classes/">The Edited Life.</a> Here is the link for Literature and Latte where you can purchase <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php?show=features">Scrivener.</a><br />
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Maybe it's because I just recently discovered the secret boards that I'm so enamoured with them and when I'm in Scrivener I'm more focused on what I plan to write. Both are great ways of utilizing our creativity when building our story worlds. If you are like me you might want to use Pinterest to build your character pictures and places, etc. You'll have a whole picture outline before you know it and that might be the most fun for those of us who consider ourselves organic writers as opposed to outliners. This could become the best cure for anyone who thinks they have writers block. Build your own visual outline on a secret board at Pinterest and then jump over to Scrivener to write your story.<br />
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Those are my thoughts. What about you? Do you use the secret boards or Scrivener or both? What's your experience?<br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-40422237572745302602013-04-01T10:24:00.002-04:002013-04-01T10:24:20.693-04:00And the winner is . . . <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia480BIJZS72viCsGVNJOJxRvizSDHCjMUiDTk2ONQNmvxWcjk6vZ4pThetxnq4TGorEtwys99c-FXc7VY_MT8gB-ggiGwkF4hrY9ACfDuihThziMAA_al70ng5Dz3KAKYOnWPqve2t0c/s1600/Marriage+By+Arrangement+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia480BIJZS72viCsGVNJOJxRvizSDHCjMUiDTk2ONQNmvxWcjk6vZ4pThetxnq4TGorEtwys99c-FXc7VY_MT8gB-ggiGwkF4hrY9ACfDuihThziMAA_al70ng5Dz3KAKYOnWPqve2t0c/s320/Marriage+By+Arrangement+Cover.jpg" usa="true" width="195" /></a></div>
The winner of Anne Greene's novel is Catherine Castle. <br />
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Congratulations, Catherine! Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-69126872885009044582013-03-26T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-26T00:00:03.181-04:00 MAKE YOUR MANUSCRIPT SPARKLE WITH LIFE <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia480BIJZS72viCsGVNJOJxRvizSDHCjMUiDTk2ONQNmvxWcjk6vZ4pThetxnq4TGorEtwys99c-FXc7VY_MT8gB-ggiGwkF4hrY9ACfDuihThziMAA_al70ng5Dz3KAKYOnWPqve2t0c/s1600/Marriage+By+Arrangement+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia480BIJZS72viCsGVNJOJxRvizSDHCjMUiDTk2ONQNmvxWcjk6vZ4pThetxnq4TGorEtwys99c-FXc7VY_MT8gB-ggiGwkF4hrY9ACfDuihThziMAA_al70ng5Dz3KAKYOnWPqve2t0c/s320/Marriage+By+Arrangement+Cover.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
Please welcome my guest blogger, Anne Greene, who will be visiting here through next Sunday. Anne will be giving away a copy of her new novel, Marriage By Arrangement. Please remember to leave your e-mail in this format: jill (at) jilliankent (dot) com. You can enter to win a copy of the book until midnight Pacific time on March 31st. Just tell us you're interested and if you have a question please ask. Anne loves to connect with others. The winner will be notified and posted on Monday, April 1st. Void where prohibited. Now please give Anne a warm welcome. <br />
<br />
Anne Greene here. When
I wrote my book, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Masquerade Marriage</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i>
I discovered the secret to making each manuscript I write come alive to my
readers. In the second book of my <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scottish Marriage Series</i>,</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Marriage
By Arrangement</i></b>, I honed that secret to a fine art.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
I’m a great proponent
of improving each manuscript I write. So, I’ve worked diligently to create a
better book so readers will love, keep, and reread my books. My highest hope is
for my readers to enter new worlds, meet fictional friends for life, and find a
spiritual message to encourage and help them along through this life journey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
So I was excited when I
discovered this secret.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
During the writing of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Masquerade Marriage</i>, I thought I knew
what being in deep point of view meant. I thought I wrote deep point of view. I
knew I had to stay inside the character’s head. I lived inside the character’s
skin. I showed nothing that the POV character couldn’t have seen. I showed only
what the character saw, thought, and experienced in the moment.Yes, I did that. But
that was not enough.While writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Marriage By Arrangement,</i> I dove even
further into deep point of view, dipping both feet into that other important
realm in writing—show, don’t tell. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGu9ZufXKCfim__pxO0JPIFeKGoIIPVMK2mxOkfCu9pJyIryUhuZbxID5A_wRI1nJUgoJiJbJtoaLmOYUcwt1P0s2GLIBai7fO5mRYxLmBpKi_6tQM7HLkUlKQCWixkImhED4HDdm6F4g/s1600/LARGE+MMCOVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGu9ZufXKCfim__pxO0JPIFeKGoIIPVMK2mxOkfCu9pJyIryUhuZbxID5A_wRI1nJUgoJiJbJtoaLmOYUcwt1P0s2GLIBai7fO5mRYxLmBpKi_6tQM7HLkUlKQCWixkImhED4HDdm6F4g/s320/LARGE+MMCOVER.jpg" width="193" /></a>I discovered that in
Very Deep POV, no thought or action is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">told</i>.
Everything is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shown.</i> </b>So I couldn’t use words like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wished, hoped, thought, felt, caused, watched, knew, wondered,
realized, speculated, decided.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
I couldn’t use
wonderful verb phrases like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">happiness flashed
through her, despair tugged at her, jealousy flattened her, love took her
breath away</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
I couldn’t write <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that she smiled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">with </b>satisfaction, her skin prickled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">with</b> fear, the explosion <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">made
</b>her jump, the pollution <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">caused </b>her
nose to itch, her heart beat fast <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">with </b>excitement.
</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
No. Emotion by emotion,
each has to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shown, not told</i>. I’ll
give just a few simple examples.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Which is better?</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
A - Happiness exploded
inside her heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or…</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
B – She couldn’t keep a
grin, almost the size of Texas, from her face. If her sneakers trod on the
polished gym floor, she didn’t know it. Life couldn’t get any better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
A - Despair ground into
her heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or…</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
B - She wilted at her
desk, then dropped her forehead to her folded arms. There just wasn’t any
point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
A - Hot jealousy burned
a hole in her heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or…</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
B - Her face burned all
the way to her ears. She hid her head inside her Journalism book. If he could
date someone else, maybe she needed to show him that she could too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54EnUKoV_ah2HB1lBFFVhcbu6s60zTe67CLapz3NGkdE8w5pWhcKc-pv-EH-tYeB6COzX77c2BTHuLIkr-2_4fPZ4T2Pq-utLgqDV5iSwilf0rcHCqDE57v1Bkf4Q1cL90lxgTzsuqcU/s1600/ScottishAnne5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54EnUKoV_ah2HB1lBFFVhcbu6s60zTe67CLapz3NGkdE8w5pWhcKc-pv-EH-tYeB6COzX77c2BTHuLIkr-2_4fPZ4T2Pq-utLgqDV5iSwilf0rcHCqDE57v1Bkf4Q1cL90lxgTzsuqcU/s320/ScottishAnne5.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
A - Fury hit him like a
locomotive at full speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or…</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
B - He slammed the door
to her classroom behind him, tramped to where she sat, his shoes slapping the
floor like bullets, and smacked a hand on her desk. This time, she wouldn’t get
away with it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
All the As are telling.
All the Bs are showing deep POV. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
So, if you prefer the
Bs to the As<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, never name the emotion. Let
actions <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">show</b> the emotions. And add
the thought inside the character’s head. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
This type of Very Deep
Point of View brings the book and characters to life. Do you already write Very
Deep Point of View in your books? Do you enjoy reading Very Deep Point of View
books. I’d love for you to comment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
Award winning author
Anne Greene writes action-packed, historical fiction filled with heart-warming
romance. You’ll fall in love with her wounded heroes and identify with her
spunky heroines. Visit with her at <a href="http://www.annegreeneauthor.com./">http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. </a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7017797725839412504" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
Okay everyone. Jill here again. This is a great topic to explore. Please feel free to jump in and comment or ask questions.<br /><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-68280332894443571352013-03-25T07:55:00.001-04:002013-03-25T07:55:30.630-04:00Winner of Moonlight Masquerade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2mB_dRYNh3yeGLcXHvjWHgsvtQJy0VcZ8MtSkiJCyhRB1-71ppND4FDc0x2GPlvPeMrxDVWYIkoqBfXKVFb-YYTmgI7rYli6SzJcVyregfHzuq5nRJ4rJfqipxWDvRWoQe_snCq0iKQ/s1600/moonlight-mas-cover-update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2mB_dRYNh3yeGLcXHvjWHgsvtQJy0VcZ8MtSkiJCyhRB1-71ppND4FDc0x2GPlvPeMrxDVWYIkoqBfXKVFb-YYTmgI7rYli6SzJcVyregfHzuq5nRJ4rJfqipxWDvRWoQe_snCq0iKQ/s320/moonlight-mas-cover-update.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">T<b>he winner of Moonlight Masquerade is Ginger Solomon! </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Congratulations Ginger!</b></span>Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-89417966562488440492013-03-19T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-19T00:00:00.234-04:00Ruth Axtell and Setting for a Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1_Li-c14pApVAtBFJ6WrmAl0xDLXZiyZ4umi1J92niD8TDN0aXoSe2SfQhAQvM18g4Daa9lT9Agyu10zJcDMULpK9tq4yOsy7HoH0zK4KZ_s5HdM2y0rgzeasEPZFf_azEKEoMypNMA/s1600/moonlight-mas-cover-update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1_Li-c14pApVAtBFJ6WrmAl0xDLXZiyZ4umi1J92niD8TDN0aXoSe2SfQhAQvM18g4Daa9lT9Agyu10zJcDMULpK9tq4yOsy7HoH0zK4KZ_s5HdM2y0rgzeasEPZFf_azEKEoMypNMA/s320/moonlight-mas-cover-update.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Please welcome Ruth Axtell, an exquisite storyteller. I always learn something new from Ruth. I think you'll find this post and her new book enjoyable. And speaking of her new book, Ruth has kindly offered to give away a copy of Moonlight Masquerade. Please leave your e-mail in a spam safe format, ie., jill (at) jilliankent (dot) com. The cut off date for entries will be at midnight on March 24th, PST. I'll post the winner sometime on Monday the 25th. I love a masquerade and look forward to reading this book. Now, here's, Ruth.<br />
<br />
<b>How do we find settings for our regencies?</b><br />
<br />
So much depends on our historical research. As a plot develops, many tidbits of information are uncovered in the research. For example, in my current romance, Moonlight Masquerade, most of the action takes place in the posh Mayfair mansion of my heroine, Lady Céline Wexham. However, I needed to get her out of town, preferably to a country estate, where she could have more encounters with her hero, a man posing as her butler. But I wanted her in a less formal setting, where their chance meetings would allow her to see him more as a man and less as a butler.<br />
<br />
Since Lady Wexham is spying for the French, I ended up reading quite a bit about the exiled French community in England at the time, known as the émigrés. The most important was the Comte de Provence, one of Louis XVI’s younger brothers. Louis, as we all remember from history, was beheaded during the French Revolution, along with his wife, Marie Antoinette. His younger brother, the Count of Provence, escaped from France and claimed for himself the right of succession. <br />
<br />
The count, or Comte de Provence, aka Louis Stanislas Xavier, spent several years in exile in various European countries, until the British government took pity on him and gave him a small allowance and a place to live.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF4_MZHcNgR09Y9NnzdFrWVRBmjQg4z-7cC2iU44qJVc357QDPtsyvvqHqd3xtsrhIJRe774yrUrwRPFAvu4U9j1wQ4BPc53h-By49OiSRgjAZcdZquHFaPKmAW3ixUvGs9g0KP2p008/s1600/300px-Hartwell_House,_Bucks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF4_MZHcNgR09Y9NnzdFrWVRBmjQg4z-7cC2iU44qJVc357QDPtsyvvqHqd3xtsrhIJRe774yrUrwRPFAvu4U9j1wQ4BPc53h-By49OiSRgjAZcdZquHFaPKmAW3ixUvGs9g0KP2p008/s1600/300px-Hartwell_House,_Bucks.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hartwell House/Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Between 1809 and 1814 the Count of Provence resided at Hartwell House, a beautiful estate in Buckinghampshire, England, not too far from London. However, the impoverished count and his vast retinue soon turned the elegant country house into a mini Versailles with various farming enterprises going on upon its lead roofs and bakeries and small crafts shops established in the outbuildings. <br />
<br />
For my story purposes, this house and its vast grounds sounded like the ideal place for my hero and heroine to go unnoticed a bit. It was also the perfect locale for a masquerade ball…and an unexpected encounter between my hero and heroine, hence the title “moonlight masquerade.” <br />
<br />
I hope you’ll enjoy traveling back to the regency era, when England was at war with France. It’s a time of intrigue, but more importantly, my story centers around two people who find themselves attracted to each other at an inconvenient time and place but who find it impossible to resist the pull.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRfKdpHmd4AlAy5C75XRfWTEkZTA0JNeLK85_POndQBCvkEvokeCzOUG6aH0gLbudSt19eaYUOAmhIe42-bwgBY7gbDVtx07cLLc9QIid4vtMJfXSBuoRGeKBdTaouINOQSWqF61Wzgo/s1600/Ruth+Axtell+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRfKdpHmd4AlAy5C75XRfWTEkZTA0JNeLK85_POndQBCvkEvokeCzOUG6aH0gLbudSt19eaYUOAmhIe42-bwgBY7gbDVtx07cLLc9QIid4vtMJfXSBuoRGeKBdTaouINOQSWqF61Wzgo/s200/Ruth+Axtell+(2).jpg" width="147" /></a></div>
Ruth knew she wanted to be a writer ever since she wrote her first story—a spy thriller—at the age of twelve. She studied comparative literature at Smith College, spending her junior year at the Sorbonne in Paris. After college, she taught English in the Canary Islands then worked in international development in Miami, Florida, before moving to the Netherlands, where for the next several years, she juggled both writing and raising her three children.<br />
<br />
In 1994, her second manuscript was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart competition. In 2002, her sixth manuscript took second place in the Laurie Contest of RWA's Smoky Mountain chapter. The final judge requested her full manuscript and this became her first published book, Winter Is Past, which was spotlighted in Christian Retailing magazine. Since then, Ruth has gone on to publish thirteen historical romances and one novella. Her books have been translated into Dutch, Italian, Polish and Afrikaans. Her second historical, Wild Rose, was chosen by Booklist as a "Top Ten Christian Fiction" selection in 2005.<br />
<br />
Ruth lives on the coast of Maine where she enjoys gardening, walking, reading romances and gazing at the ocean plotting her next romance. You can read more about her at <a href="http://ruthaxtell.com/">http://ruthaxtell.com </a>and <a href="http://ruthaxtell.com/blog">http://ruthaxtell.com/blog </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-27602010623668337052013-03-12T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-12T00:00:10.561-04:00Great Blog Posts <div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">I've read some fascinating blog posts lately so I thought I'd share them with you this week.</span></b></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2013/03/field-report-from-e-book-revolution-3_10.html#.UT52fzckR2A">Field Report From the E-Book Revolution #3: The New Equilibrium </a></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I
was all ready to lay down my binoculars high in
my observation tower and note that a certain peace had settled upon the
land of
publishing. Battles fought a couple of years ago, full of fury and bile,
seem largely to have quieted down to the level of a spirited
discussion. Both sides,
traditional and indie, had reached a tentative, though perhaps still
wary,
acceptance of each other's existence. And then came the Hydra's head. </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">James Scott Bell</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> 2. <a href="http://www.rachellegardner.com/2013/03/author-rights-and-responsibilities/">Author Rights and Responsibilities</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe that as an author, you can expect certain rights when it comes
to dealing with agents and publishers. I also believe that rights come
with responsibilities. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rachelle Gardner </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/02/20/write-publish-non-fiction/">10 Steps to Write and Publish Your Non-Fiction Book</a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Four years ago I wrote and published my first non-fiction book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ER3UYE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008ER3UYE&linkCode=as2&tag=hotoenyojo-20" target="_blank" title="Career Change">Career Change</a>
(recently rewritten and updated). I learned so much during the process
that I started this site and since then it has been my mission to help
people release the book inside. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Joanna Penn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
4. <a href="http://jordynredwood.blogspot.com/2013/03/types-of-serial-killers.html">Types of Serial Killers</a> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I'm honored to have licensed marriage and family therapist Jeannie
Campbell at Redwood's today as we do a cross-blogging adventure.
Jeannie does what I do only with matters of the mind so I hope you'll
check out her blog (and become an enthusiastic follower) <a href="http://charactertherapist.blogspot.com/">The Character Therapist</a>. Jeannie also has a great book for writers called <a href="http://charactertherapist.com/store/"><i>Breaking Character Stereotypes</i></a>. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Jordyn Redwood</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
5. <a href="http://writinghistoricalnovels.com/2013/01/07/medicine-in-historical-novels-by-anne-perry/">Medicine in Historical Novels</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Medicine and science meet on many levels, from the purely practical,
through the adventurous, all the way to the stuff on the borders, and
sometimes breaking them, into religion and morality. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Anne Perry</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Have you read a great post lately that you want to share and provide the link and name of the author? </b> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-37621975531783525782013-03-11T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-11T00:00:07.878-04:00Christian Fiction Historical Society Winner!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTab_daSZYZYQ8_C4FmtCl_ccfG0Y-z-7Av48jnB8iFWBoJLxkgrXSEpYOteyU8sfP9ylLuuibrds3u5rbaQqRYmRqCBgdrOetiJUHgZfw23mKQFouJg7xRHRZCDt4FCE1jEBxnOq0Rnw/s1600/DSC03859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTab_daSZYZYQ8_C4FmtCl_ccfG0Y-z-7Av48jnB8iFWBoJLxkgrXSEpYOteyU8sfP9ylLuuibrds3u5rbaQqRYmRqCBgdrOetiJUHgZfw23mKQFouJg7xRHRZCDt4FCE1jEBxnOq0Rnw/s320/DSC03859.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">It's been wonderful having Debbie visit the blog this week. I think you now have a great idea of what will be offered at <a href="http://christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/">CFHS</a>. I've also enjoyed seeing new visitors and followers. Thanks so much for taking the time to drop by. Now here's Debbie with a few parting thoughts and the winner of her awesome giveaway! Take it away, Debbie. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUL-c-BMk69Cd9BiUBMFUQKJclcYbJgbrDpZ2ZilFGy0vb56jswWIRIxLAwzYgHpxepgkRrqS2sWS275uqyvskzv2rE58fs7JNOoBzdEVx5bDYFmZ6terZPHJUvYxEm5haOLbVwF6FG0/s1600/DSC03858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUL-c-BMk69Cd9BiUBMFUQKJclcYbJgbrDpZ2ZilFGy0vb56jswWIRIxLAwzYgHpxepgkRrqS2sWS275uqyvskzv2rE58fs7JNOoBzdEVx5bDYFmZ6terZPHJUvYxEm5haOLbVwF6FG0/s1600/DSC03858.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I had a fabulous time this week chatting
with each of you. Thank you everyone who stopped by this week to say hello and
encourage me with your kind words and enthusiasm. I hope each one of you who visits us at Christian
Fiction Historical Society will enjoy the large variety of posts as much as we
enjoy writing them. Each time you come by our desire is that you will take away some historical tidbit. We are looking forward
to getting to know everyone who comes by and we hope you'll get to
know a little more about. Don't forget that every day of March at CFHS we will
be doing a different giveaway. And remember
even if you don't win the daily your name goes into the hat for the Kindle and the
$25 gift card!<br /><br /><b>Our winner of the basket and antique bracelet is LibertyLady</b><b>, Janet E. Congratulations! </b><br />See you over
at CFHS!
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--></style><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #00b0f0; font-family: Tahoma;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">In His
Love,<br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Debbie Lynne Costello</span></i></span></span></div>
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Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-85608950886388737292013-03-05T00:00:00.000-05:002013-03-05T00:00:12.396-05:00Christian Fiction Historical Society and Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">It is so exciting for me to have Debbie Lynne Costello here on the blog all this week to tell you about the awesome new <b>Christian Fiction Historical Society </b>blog<b> </b>where I will probably be spending a lot of my future time. If you love history and/or write during historical time periods this is going to be a favorite. I promise! Debbie collects antiques so I have spread her wealth of pictures throughout this post. Enjoy! Here's Debbie! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">Thank you for having me on your blog, Jill. I am
thrilled to be here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">You had asked me to tell you a little about our new Historical blog
and why I started it. I’m one of those people who are always thinking about
ways to reach readers. I’d been tossing around a third blog for a while. I have
my personal blog (can you link personal blog to </span><a href="http://www.theswordandspirit.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">www.theswordandspirit.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">) which is dedicated
to authors. My second blog ( can you link second blog to </span><a href="http://www.fictionaddictionfix.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">www.fictionaddictionfix.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">) is with Kathleen
Maher, my crit partner, and it is dedicated just to giveaways. The idea behind it
was that we would connect readers with blogs doing giveaways. We put links to
book giveaways and readers can come by and easily find free books! But even
with these two blogs I kept thinking we are writers we need to connect with our
readers. I knew I couldn’t take on another full time blog and that was when the
inspiration hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">Authors have fans and followers. What if we took 31 authors and gave
each of them one day a month to post. Readers could come to one blog and meet
31 different historical writers. So the frame work was in motion and I just had
to tweak it a bit. I wanted a blog that would really reach out to readers of
historical romance and allow the readers to get to know the authors they love.
And that was my answer. I sent out a call to authors and gave a short summary
of what the blog was all about. Within a few days I had all the slots filled. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVyGdHUQnPNYRDD_vgBqS1E93NhiFtl9cj1xZiut27-dJCIVPbQY8SSr4JqY5DJOSvrdUBa4nStxETdCGx0lYR9YnYohFRcsS-lNm5ICkNTPoZ4TT91fvfMzaiY7uV-LaLJvj22uQOdw/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVyGdHUQnPNYRDD_vgBqS1E93NhiFtl9cj1xZiut27-dJCIVPbQY8SSr4JqY5DJOSvrdUBa4nStxETdCGx0lYR9YnYohFRcsS-lNm5ICkNTPoZ4TT91fvfMzaiY7uV-LaLJvj22uQOdw/s1600/3.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">CHRISTIAN FICTION HISTORICAL SOCIETY was born. The month of February
we each took a day to introduce ourselves to our readers. CFHS blog will always
leave the reader with some historical tidbit. Our authors will be posting
anything from posts filled with all kinds of his historical information to
posts about their hobbies, family, vacations, or who knows what. But no matter
what we write on you will glean at least a nugget of history to take away with
you. And we hope by posting about things we are interested in and about our
lives that readers will get to know us better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">The other very cool thing about CFHS is that we cover all history. We
have authors that write as far back as ancient times and as recent as WWII. And
then of course we have everything in between which makes us different from most
blogs. The authors of this blog are talented, dedicated writers who want to
connect with the readers of their books. This gives them the opportunity to do
so. If a reader would like to see a post on a certain subject they just need to
ask and one of our 31 authors will be happy do a post on it. So in a nutshell
that is what <b>CHRISTIAN FICTION HISTORICAL SOCIETY</b> is all about. I want to
invite everyone to stop by everyday this month. Each day of March one of the
blogs authors will be doing a giveaway on their day. Leave a comment to be
entered. Your comment will also enter you in the grand prize of a Kindle and
also a 2<sup>nd</sup> place prize of a $25 Amazon gift card. If you comment on
all 31 March posts you will receive 31 entries on top of being entered in each
daily giveaway. So stop by </span><a href="http://www.christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">www.christianfictionhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> for a chance to win
over 33 prizes!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpIPm8AhIbPzxmmOA-lEIHj-whfAKtyjCAe0GuWOJeasNYBLa85wln-ErrpWP-DorF8gobOfdcAcCAI_gBovFhV1jqt090UNrL-oLXyzOwWWmqEWFn-96XjlgXJ_7-7NBgrHqiayOFWY/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpIPm8AhIbPzxmmOA-lEIHj-whfAKtyjCAe0GuWOJeasNYBLa85wln-ErrpWP-DorF8gobOfdcAcCAI_gBovFhV1jqt090UNrL-oLXyzOwWWmqEWFn-96XjlgXJ_7-7NBgrHqiayOFWY/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">With starting another historical blog you can guess that my love lies
in history. I do love anything historical, but my true love is in Charleston,
SC in the late 19<sup>th</sup> century with Savannah running a close second.
I’ve finished 5 full length novels, 3 of which are set in Charleston, 1 in
Savannah, and one in Europe. But I’ve plotted out over a dozen with the
Charleston and Savannah settings. We don’t live far from Charleston and so I
love to get down there whenever we can. The city has so much wonderful history
and has truly retained much of what makes Charleston the intriguing city it has always been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">Of course to go along with my love of history is my love of antiques!
If it’s old I probably will love it. I collect antique bibles and very old
cookie jars. Half my house is antiques. I just bought an 1870 settee at an
auction! The workmanship is just beautiful in older pieces. I also have a quilt
that was made in the mid to late 1800’s. It was passed down to me from our
pastor’s wife. It had been her grandmothers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">Thanks so much to everyone for stopping by. </span><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">I’m giving away a gift
basket with a handmade bracelet made from 19<sup>th</sup> century silverware.
Let me know what and when your favorite setting is or just leave me a comment
to be entered. If you follow Jill’s blog and CFHS blog I’ll give you 2 more
entries for a total of 3. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">And don’t forget to stop by daily at CFHS!</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Andalus; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Debbie
Lynne Costello</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. She attended
Heritage University, where she studied Journalism and worked in the editing
department.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">She
has completed five full length novels set in the Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA
area in the late 19th century and is now seeking homes for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">She
and her husband have four children, 2 dogs, a cat, a miniature donkey and an
Arabian horse. They live in upstate South Carolina with their family. She spent
thirteen years coaching cheerleading and trying to make a difference in young
girls’ lives. Debbie Lynne has raised Shetland sheepdogs for seventeen years and
occasionally shows them. In her spare time, she sews, paints, knits, camps (in a
fifth wheel) and plays with the grandbaby.</span><br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com96tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-33547350705246379042013-03-04T14:38:00.000-05:002013-03-04T14:38:23.629-05:00Winners and Announcement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g424/lildebbie5/congratulations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g424/lildebbie5/congratulations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The five lucky winners who will receive a copy of Mystery of the Heart are:<br />
<br />
1) KATIE J. from Florida<br />
2) AMBER S. from California<br />
3)MICHELLE SUTTON from Arizona<br />
4) LINDA MCFARLAND from Red Lion, Pa.<br />
5) MAXIE from Texas<br />
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I will be in touch with all of you soon. Congratulations and thanks for playing the first sentence game. I'm grateful to all of you who stopped by and if you didn't win keep reading.<br />
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Now for those of you who are interested I have a very special guest tomorrow. Debbie Lynne Costello will be here to tell us all about the new Christian Fiction Historical Society blog and lots more opportunities to win here and there. Don't forget to check in tomorrow for more fun.Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-76583153056935830772013-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-28T16:49:51.336-05:00Five Free Copies of Mystery of the Heart<a href="http://clashofthetitles.com/" nbsp="" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Conqueror Button" height="320" src=" http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h468/Mochashello/iconqueredcottimage.jpg" width="193" /></a>
On Thursday, February 21st Mystery of the Heart won the Clash of the Titles. In honor of that I wanted to give back. My awesome publisher, Realms at Charisma Media agreed. So in order to make this a little more interesting I'd like you to do a couple things if you're interested in getting a free copy of Mystery of the Heart.<br />
<br />
This can also be used as a lesson in hooks. What pulls a reader in and catches their interest. <br />
<br />
1) Share the first line of the novel you are currently reading, the author, and the name of the book or the first line of any fiction book you've read, the author, and the name of the book. <br />
2) Let us know your first name and what state you live in.<br />
3) Leave and e-mail addy in this format: jillian (at) jilliankent (dot) com to help protect from spam. <br />
<br />
I'll get us started. "For eight years I dreamed of fire." Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers. Jillian from Ohio. jillian (at) jilliankent (dot) com<br />
<br />
Okay. You get the idea. I'll run this contest through Sunday, March 3rd. This contest will end at midnight on Sunday, PST time and is void where prohibited. U.S.A. residents only. However, if you live outside the U.S.A. and want to contribute your favorite please join the party. I'll post winners sometime Monday afternoon on March 4th.<br />
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<br />Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-79832933944027025762013-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-19T00:00:04.001-05:00Making Decisions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I get stuck. I'm a thinker and frequently over think, over analyze, etc. I call this getting in my own way. It's also an aspect of the twin demons I've talked about in the past. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7017797725839412504#editor/target=post;postID=7510396582111553225">Perfectionism and Procrastination</a> can bring the best of intentions to an abrupt halt. I found a way out of that mess this week in several places. The first one was actually a sermon titled, <b>Direction Without Doubt</b> by Dr. Charles Stanley and you can listen to it <a href="http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv">here</a> if interested. The second one was <a href="http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/02/11/how-to-write-more-daily-writing-habit/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCreativePenn+%28The+Creative+Penn%29">here</a> at The Creative Penn where Joanna Penn is talking about, <b>How To Write More And Create A Daily Writing Habit. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">What I loved and gave me great encourage<span style="font-size: large;">ment was thinking about how much work I wanted to<span style="font-size: large;"> complete this year befo<span style="font-size: large;">re I watched that big ball in New Yo<span style="font-size: large;">rk city bring in 2014<span style="font-size: large;">. Time goes so fast and I don't want to waste it. I <span style="font-size: large;">decided to shoot for 100,00 <span style="font-size: large;">words. That's an 80,000 word novel and ei<span style="font-size: large;">ther two short stories or possibly a novella. When I div<span style="font-size: large;">ided 100,000 words by the number of days left in the year, 318<span style="font-size: large;">, I got 314.4 words a day that I had to write. That's only a bit more than one page. ONE PAGE<span style="font-size: large;">!</span> Well I know I can do better without overwhelming myself. So I doubled it.<span style="font-size: large;"> That's 628.9 words a day a<span style="font-size: large;">nd <span style="font-size: large;">that <span style="font-size: large;">equals (drum roll) 200,000 WORDS!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I work full time<span style="font-size: large;"> and have multiple family responsib<span style="font-size: large;">il<span style="font-size: large;">ities and s<span style="font-size: large;">till <span style="font-size: large;">I know I can do this if I <span style="font-size: large;">don't procr<span style="font-size: large;">a<span style="font-size: large;">stinate. That means not w<span style="font-size: large;">orrying about being perfect, no one is so why try. But do the best I can do and even if I only end up with 150,000 words that's amazing. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m158/SajidIqbal/typing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m158/SajidIqbal/typing.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">So don't count yourself out in making some awesome word counts this year. You kn<span style="font-size: large;">ow some days are better tha<span style="font-size: large;">n o<span style="font-size: large;">thers and even with a cris<span style="font-size: large;">is or two we should <span style="font-size: large;">be able to write a book a year. And once that habit is formed there is no holding you back. </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">And speaking <span style="font-size: large;">of habits. You can use a calendar to track your pro<span style="font-size: large;">gress or you can use whatever encourages you.<span style="font-size: large;"> I like <a href="http://habitforge.com/">Habit Forge.</a></span></span></span> M<span style="font-size: large;">aybe you will too. If you think this post was helpful please tweet it or F<span style="font-size: large;">ace<span style="font-size: large;">book it<span style="font-size: large;"> and spread the word.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">All comments are welcomed and encouraged. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have an awesome week. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7017797725839412504.post-1307951021770614132013-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-13T00:00:04.384-05:00Clash of the Titles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>THE ULTIMATE LITERARY CHALLENGE WHERE AUTHORS BATTLE AND READERS JUDGE </b></div>
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Beginning February 13th, Mystery of the Heart, will be in the <a href="http://www.clashofthetitles.com/">Clash of the Titles </a>battle. This is great fun and provides exposure for newly released novels. I'm grateful for the opportunity and consider it a great way to celebrate romantic fiction during Valentines Day week.<br />
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<b>Voting will remain open for one week. So here's your opportunity to vote if you deem Mystery of the Heart worthy. </b><br />
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<h2>
Editorial Reviews</h2>
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Review</h3>
<b>“</b>A riveting tale of intrigue, courage, romance, and faith. I was hooked from the first page.” —Serena B. Miller, author of <i>The Measure of Katie Calloway</i>, 2012 RITA award for best inspirational romance<br />
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“A
deliciously credible and moving account of a nineteenth-century woman
pursuing her dream to become a doctor. I couldn’t put this one down!”
—Sue Harrison, author of international best seller <i>Mother Earth Father Sky</i></div>
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“Jillian
Kent writes a sweeping romantic intrigue, brilliant with well-drawn
characters and meticulous research of Regency England.” —Linda Windsor,
author of <i>The Brides of Alba</i> historical series: <i>Healer</i>,<i> </i><i>Thief</i>, and <i>Rebel</i><br />
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<h2 class="orange" id="customerReviewsHeader" style="font-size: 18px;">
Customer Reviews</h2>
<span class="fl" style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"></span> <span class="block" id="advice-quote-0" style="margin: 0 0 0 12px;"><span class="block" style="left: -4px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RQWNWPDAENSNZ/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_0?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1621360156&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-RQWNWPDAENSNZ-2-268-119" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-RQWNWPDAENSNZ-2-268-119" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by Maureen"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">"That being said, I recommend that your read the first two books, they are equally as good, but this can be read </span> </a><span class="inlineblock" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RQWNWPDAENSNZ/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_0?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1621360156&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-RQWNWPDAENSNZ-2-268-119" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-RQWNWPDAENSNZ-2-268-119" style="color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by Maureen">alone.</a>" </span> </span> <span class="block" style="margin-top: -5px;"> <span id="advice-quote-author-0"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;">Maureen</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;"> | </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;">3 reviewers made a similar statement</span> </span> </span> </span><br />
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<span class="fl" style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Times New Roman,New Century Schoolbook,Times,Serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; left: -1px; position: relative; top: -1px; vertical-align: top;"></span> <span class="block" id="advice-quote-1" style="margin: 0 0 0 12px;"><span class="block" style="left: -4px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R12MF8SQ5C35WJ/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_1?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1621360156&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R12MF8SQ5C35WJ-2-2294-70" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R12MF8SQ5C35WJ-2-2294-70" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by lighthouse88"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">"The pages are filled with mystery, adventure, intrigue and </span> </a><span class="inlineblock" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R12MF8SQ5C35WJ/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_1?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1621360156&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R12MF8SQ5C35WJ-2-2294-70" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R12MF8SQ5C35WJ-2-2294-70" style="color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by lighthouse88">excitement. </a>" </span> </span> <span class="block" style="margin-top: -5px;"> <span id="advice-quote-author-1"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;">lighthouse88</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;"> | </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;">3 reviewers made a similar statement</span></span></span></span></div>
<span class="block" id="advice-quote-2" style="margin: 0 0 0 12px;"><span class="block" style="left: -4px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R19IQJ4I9XF13Q/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_2?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1621360156&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R19IQJ4I9XF13Q-2-977-96" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R19IQJ4I9XF13Q-2-977-96" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by D. Duncan"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px;">"Very hard book to put down, I found that I wanted to know what happened next and kept </span> </a><span class="inlineblock" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; white-space: nowrap;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R19IQJ4I9XF13Q/ref=cm_cr_quotes_dprb_2?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1621360156&nodeID=133140011&store=digital-text" id="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R19IQJ4I9XF13Q-2-977-96" name="advice-quote-list-dpReviewsBucketSummary-B00AXS6TM2-R19IQJ4I9XF13Q-2-977-96" style="color: #333333; cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;" title="Read the full review by D. Duncan">reading. </a>" </span> </span> <span class="block" style="margin-top: -5px;"> <span id="advice-quote-author-2"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;">D. Duncan</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;"> | </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; line-height: 36px;">3 reviewers made a similar statement</span> </span></span></span>Jillian Kenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.com1