Seeds of Inspiration: Beulah Lee, Giveaway

The Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event brightened up what otherwise has been a pretty dark, dismal spring season here in our corner of the world. Horrible floods, relentless rain, and cold days have delayed the usual joyful spring days. Through all this crazy weather, the tulips bloomed, the flowering trees are boasting that spring is here by showing off their gowns of abundant of color, filling the air with their sweet fragrances, and the grass is practically neon green because of the rain. Spring is pretty stubborn about getting through the tough times and then celebrating with a lavish display of splendor.

Thank you to my guest authors who added joy into the spring season with their stories of inspiration. Readers, if you have a minute, click through the past weeks and visit their guest posts to discover who or what inspired them to write. We have diverse genres represented by these talented authors. I encourage you to look up their books and add them to your TBR.

MARCH
6	Heather Fraser Brainerd
13	Janie Franz
20	Roseanne Dowell
27	Miss Mae
APRIL
10	Gail Roughton
17	EASTER
24	Conda Douglas
MAY
1	Helena Fairfax
8	Katie Carroll
15	Susan Bernhardt

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This week wraps up the spring event so, being the best host possible, I take the final date for the event. It is my turn to tell you about the person who planted that seed of inspiration in me to become a writer. 

My Grandmother, Maw by J.Q. Rose

Beulah Lee, yes, that’s my mother’s mother, was a schoolteacher. She loved reading and especially loved reading her Bible. She’s the one who pointed out many verses to me and directed me to the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6.

Maw, as she was called by our family, was an intelligent woman who was stubborn as could be. Yes, somewhat like our spring this year. When she made up her mind to do something, she did it and there was no stopping her. She and my father locked horns quite a few times.

She wasn’t exactly a warm, cuddly, mushy kind of grandma who made cookies for every visit. But she did love to sew and made several doll outfits for my beloved Ricky Jr doll on her foot pedal sewing machine.

We had a special connection and not just because we loved to shop. (When her social security check came in, she cashed it into small bills and stuffed it in her wallet. She delighted in showing me the stack of cash she had for us to go shopping.)

We both were readers. Her reading probably spurred my love of reading which in turn developed my desire to write stories for others to read. I began writing little stories when I was in second grade and developed a writer’s bump on my middle finger from writing constantly. (Anyone else get that bump?)

By seventh grade I decided to tackle writing my first novel. The story line was about a horse and a girl due to my love of the book, Black Beauty. I wrote the entire book on lined yellow tablet paper and showed it to Maw. Taking those awful scribbles of sentences and typing them into a manuscript became her major project.

Courtesy of  thaikrit at freedigitalphotos.com

Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement when she handed me the typed pages. I almost cried. I was overcome with the idea she had “published” my book for me. I was thankful for her taking the time to work on this manuscript.  She got a kick out of my reaction, but she also loved the story and encouraged me to write more stories for more people to enjoy. From that day forward, I knew I wanted to tell stories and have them published so I could share them with readers.

I wish Maw were here now to be a part of this writing experience. Somehow I think she is with me with her blue eyes sparkling with pride.

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Who influenced you to become a writer? a reader? 

Thank you all for coming to visit the Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event. I am giving away a short story to a lucky commenter. Just leave a comment and I will send the winner of the drawing a pdf copy of the typewritten story. (Reminds me of Maw and her typing away on her old typewriter. She would be amazed at these keyboards and laptops, wouldn't she?)

Teleseminars and Webinars--Are They for You? This Week, Giveaway

Webinar Time

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This past couple of months I have been taking time to listen and watch teleseminars and webinars You've heard of seminars so you are probably familiar with the idea of a group of college students or in our case, writers, getting together to exchange information and discuss a topic. 

A teleseminar is an audio only seminar and a webinar is a video with slides and/or live presenter leading the workshop. The ones I have watched are FREE. Yes, free. I know you are thinking the information is worth just what you pay for it. Think of the FREE seminar as a promotion tool because the last ten or fifteen minutes are devoted to explaining the presenter's book, e-course, program and offering it for a good discount. I don't begrudge them the time to reach the audience with their goods because most of the time I have gleaned a nugget of information that I will try out for myself or been inspired to continue a project. Sometimes I do check further into their books and make a purchase when I feel more in-depth information would benefit my goals for my books.

Looking over my calendar I see I have attended several presentations this month either live or in replay. The replays are fine for me since I can watch them on my own schedule. When watching or listening to the live seminars, you can ask questions and interact with the speaker and guests.

Recently I watched a marketing seminar by Danny Iny, a Scrivener tutorial, information on how to make a tips booklet, and probably more that are not on my calendar. 

I am now attending a thirty day Book Marketing Challenge with D'vorah Lansky.  D'vorah is a book marketing guru with lots of experience in marketing non-fiction books, but this challenge can also be used by fiction writers. 

http://buildabusinesswithyourbook.com/

 If you have not published a book either traditionally or self-pubbed, you will not realize how much time and effort is needed to sell your book. I'm sure you suspect writing your ms is just the beginning--editing, re-writing, submitting, and then the marketing once you have signed the contract (or even before.!) Let me tell you, the "getting the word out" about the book is very important and can become all-consuming.

D'vorah and her guests have opened my eyes to many possibilities for more exposure for my book  She is well-organized and very professional. I'm sure she is reaching a lot of new people who will opt in for her program. And I am sure many of her guests are selling their books and information because of the Book Challenge. Yes, I am checking out all the resources mentioned on the Challenge too.

Have you participated in any seminars online? What was your experience with them? Are you thinking of producing a teleseminar,  webinar, podcast, or appear as a guest or host on blog talk radio? Please share your ideas for your book promotion ideas.

This Week:

Thursday, May 22--We are wrapping up the Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event this week with my turn to share my inspiration for writing and to give away my cozy mystery/sweet romance, Coda to Murder. Please stop in and share your inspirations and leave a comment to enter the drawing for the e-book.

Monday, May 26--Happy Memorial Day in the USA. Burgers, brats, and hot dogs will be on the menu for sure. This weekend is always the official unofficial opening for camping in Michigan. Whatever you do and wherever you are, I hope you have a fantastic holiday weekend!

Seeds of Inspiration Mystery Author Susan Bernhardt, Giveaway

Welcome mystery author Susan Bernhardt to the Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event!. Susan is giving away her mystery, the Ginseng Conspiracy. I read this book this winter and it certainly kept me guessing. Lots of twists in it. If you like to figure out a mystery puzzle, you'll enjoy this read. Be sure to leave a comment to enter the drawing to win the book! Deadline for entering is Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EDT.

Susan Bernhardt is an author living in Wisconsin. Like Kay Driscoll in her cozy mystery, The Ginseng Conspiracy, Susan is a retired public health nurse who volunteers at her local free clinic. An avid reader of mysteries, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, Inc. Her other published works include "October 31st", "Midsummer", and "John and Madeline."

 Susan's town in northern Wisconsin was an inspiration for the quaint setting of her novel. She lives with her husband, William, and has two sons, Peter and David.

When not writing, Susan loves to travel, bicycle, kayak, and create culinary magic in her kitchen. She works in stained-glass, daydreams in her organic garden, stays up late reading mysteries, and eats lots of chocolate.

Visit Susan on the web at the Susan Bernhardt Website.

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A Personal Challenge by Susan Bernhardt

I have been an avid reader of mysteries from the time I was a young girl reading the Nancy Drew series. One of my favorite cozy mystery authors is M.C. Beaton. She writes the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth series. Several years ago while reading one of her novels, I thought I could do this...I could write a cozy mystery. And that moment was my seed of Inspiration. It was a personal challenge.

I came up with the idea of writing about ginseng. Ninety-five percent of American cultivated ginseng is grown in Wisconsin where I live. Living close to a college, I decided that a professor who was researching the local ginseng crop, would discover some alarming findings in the analysis of the ginseng samples resulting in his murder.

I draw from real life experiences so I decided that the protagonist would be Kay Driscoll a newcomer to Sudbury Falls who volunteered at her local free clinic, much like I was a newcomer to an insular town in northern Wisconsin and also volunteered at the local free clinic.

When I decided to indeed write this cozy mystery, I took several writing courses over two years. I joined writing groups and wrote a manuscript that I revised five times before enlisting my son, Peter and friend, Lorenzo to be co-editors of my cozy mystery. I queried a number of agents and then decided to go directly to publishing houses. I queried MuseItUp Publishing. They accepted my manuscript, and the rest is history.

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Back of the Cover of The Ginseng Conspiracy:

On her way to attend a Halloween Ball, Kay Driscoll, a newcomer to town, witnesses the murder of a local professor. When the official coroner's report rules the cause of death to be accidental and the community accepts the judgement, Kay decides to uncover the truth for herself. Through her personal investigations, Kay exposes a complex conspiracy, woven deep within the thriving local ginseng industry, that involves some of the more prominent figures and families of Sudbury Falls.

With her new friends, the free-spirited herbalist Deirdre and the untamed modern woman Elizabeth, Kay discusses new clues over tea and pastries at Sweet Marissa's Patisserie, their crime-fighting headquarters. As Kay gets closer to the heart of the conspiracy, additional murders happen in quick succession. Before long, Kay learns that the villains are gunning for her, too. Phil, her musically talented but preoccupied husband, determined to keep her safe, withholds from her the one thing she needs most: the truth.

Buy Links for The Ginseng Conspiracy by Susan Bernhardt:

Amazon:  

Barnes andNoble:

MuseItUpPublishing:  

I had no idea ginseng was grown in Wisconsin. Did you? Do you have a crop, a product, a landmark, a famous person (besides you) in your area? Leave a comment here and tell us about it. Your comment will automatically enter you in the drawing to win Susan's cozy mystery.

Seeds of Inspiration YA Author Katie Carroll and Giveaway

Welcome YA author Katie L. Carroll to the Seeds of Inspiration Spring Event. Be sure to leave a comment to enter to win the drawing for her Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy, Elixir Bound. The winner will be chosen after 12:01 a.m EDT Sunday.

Katie L. Carroll began writing at a very sad time in her life after her 16-year-old sister, Kylene, unexpectedly passed away. Since then writing has taken her to many wonderful places, real and imagined. She wrote Elixir Bound and the forthcoming Elixir Saved so Kylene could live on in the pages of a book. Katie is also the author of a picture app called THE BEDTIME KNIGHT and a book editor. She lives not too far from the beach in a small Connecticut city with her family. 

Visit her at the Katie L. Carroll website 

Follow her on Twitter @KatieLCarroll.

The Specific Moment of Inspiration by Katie L. Carroll

No two story ideas have ever come to me from the same lightning strike of inspiration. The first book I ever wrote was inspired by my sister who passed away at the age of 16. My dad encouraged me to write a fantasy adventure for her to live on in the pages of a book. The second book I wrote had a setting based on a very real place in my hometown and a character voice in my head that wouldn’t go away. Then I wrote a picture book after noticing how the ceiling fan above my bed closely resembled a giant.

My current work in progress grew from a very specific moment of inspiration. While I was relaxing out on my back deck—probably reading—a butterfly flitted by. Seeing a butterfly wasn’t a rare occurrence as I have a beautiful butterfly bush in my backyard that attracts all manner of insects (and the rare hummingbird), but it was the color of this butterfly that caught my attention. It was a velvety black, so incongruous with the yellow and orange I was accustomed to seeing.

The contrast of the sinister symbolism of the color black and the association of the butterfly with transformation struck a chord in me. And then came the what-if that so often inspires story ideas: What if a young woman with a very dark past lost her memories and was given the chance to start over? From this stemmed a whole barrage of new questions, ideas, and images. What would happen when she began to remember her past? Can people really change when give the chance? Why was her past so dark? Etc…

That was the birth of a story aptly named BLACK BUTTERFLY, which I am currently drafting. It’s been really fun to play with the symbolism I mentioned earlier and to tease the main character (and the reader) with a slow reveal of her past.

And just the other day…oh, never mind you don’t really want to know about yet another story idea. Seems I have more seeds of inspiration than I could ever sow in a lifetime. I’m a firm believer that story ideas are everywhere. I like to let them simmer in my mind for awhile before I act on them. It’s the ones that stick around, the ones that won’t let me forget them, that get made into stories.

Remember that story inspired by my sister? That became my YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND. One lucky reader can win an ebook of it.

ELIXIR BOUND blurb:

Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.

It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

Buy links: Available as ebook or print

MuseItUp Publishing

IndieBound:

Amazon:

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Liebster Award, This Week, and Giveaway

Who me? I won the Liebster award again? Amazing. The Liebster Award is given from one blogger to another just because they enjoy the content and personality of that particular blogger and they want to spotlight the blog for more readers to discover. Pretty cool idea. 

Heather Brainerd, a real fanatic for all things Disney, honored me today with the award from her Disney blog, Disney for Five+. I love visiting Disney World too. If you are thinking about it or just curious about the world of Disney, then take a trip over to Heather's jam-packed blog full of information and stories about the land of the most famous mouse in the world.

Now, the rules say that

• I have to link back to the blogger who nominated me. That's easy--Thank you Disney for Five+
• answer the questions given to me by the nominating blogger--Heather only gave me 3 questions to answer. (Click the link to discover her answers. Question #1 --Coke or Pepsi?--Diet Coke and Question #2--What are you doing today in another universe, if parallel universes actually exist? Let's see--scratching my head--I am probably an award-winning journalist investigating the latest crime by the mob. Of course, I will find evidence that will provide police all they need to lock up the bad guys! 
• and choose more bloggers to nominate. Here is my list of bloggers to nominate and if they want to play along they can answer the two previous questions and one from me--Question #3--Choose a character in your latest story and tell us how he/she is similar or not similar to you.  In Coda to Murder, my main character is Pastor Christine Hobbs. She is similar to me because we share the same values, but I would never, ever begin to investigate a murder with the help of my best friend. No way! She's a lot braver and more determined than I could ever be--or perhaps she was a bit foolish for playing detective? The cute detective with the gorgeous brown eyes was NOT happy with the two women meddling in the investigation.

Here is my list of bloggers I enjoy reading. I bet you will too. Check them out.

Alex J. Cavanaugh--This guy has more irons in the fire and tons of enthusiasm for writers and is the founder of the Insecure Writers Support Group.

L.Diane Wolf's Spunk on a Stick

M.J. Joachim

Katie Carroll

Marsha R. West

Matthew Peters

This Week:

Wednesday, May 7--The first Wednesday of the month is the date I join the many bloggers in the Insecure Writers Support Group who write posts on their own writing problems and many bloggers offer help and encouragement.  Join us on Wednesday and join the group too! It's lots of fun and a major method of learning about writing and meeting new authors/writers.

Thursday, May 8--YA Author Katie Carroll comes to visit AND she's giving away her paranormal, fantasy book, Elixir Bound. Come back to discover who inspired Katie to be a writer.