Craving the Supernatural

Howdy, y'all! Wow, it's been a while. Oopsie. Sorry for the delay, but I am the coordinator for the American Christian Fiction Writer's Book of the Year contest. The deadline just came/went, so that completely devoured the last couple/few weeks of my life. Whew! But the books are out to the judges, and I'm getting my life back slowly.

Soooo...a few months back, I tried creating a trailer for my new spy thriller, Dead Reckoning. The only thing I got out of the thing was a lot of frustration. Once Book of the Year was done (as far as sending out books), I tackled it again. Tell me what you think:

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Okay, so I admit--with red-hot cheeks--that a MONTH ago when I thought I was LATE doing Camy's blog...well, I was actually a MONTH early. So anyway, here's the REAL DEAL with Camy--and the interview, along with that same promise to WIN A FREE COPY of ONLY UNI by the amazing CAMY TANG!!!


1. You now have two books available for the public, with your third coming out in August 2008. Is there anything you've learned in the process since you signed that contract that you want to share?

Not all publishing houses are the same, and certain editors/marketing directors/art departments have a better fit with certain author personalities. I know for a fact God completely guided my publishing house to me, and I'm very grateful. The intricacies of how people work together and are compatible are too complicated for my brain, but God knows and He knew Zondervan was the right fit for my debut novels. For any other aspiring writers out there--be patient and wait for that right fit. It will make ALL the difference as you go through the editorial and marketing process.


2. I know you have to be tight-lipped about what you're working on now (otherwise you'd have to kill us...oh, wait, that's my character), but can you share a bit about the direction you're now heading in?

I have a young adult proposal out there, and also a contemporary
romance proposal that hasn't been accepted yet (but hopefully will
be).


3. You've mentioned before how much Gayle Roper has helped you. Would you encourage new/beginning writers to work with a mentor (we all know you can't just "go out and find one")?

Gayle Roper's fiction mentoring clinic at the ACFW conference (she
does them at other conferences, too, like Mount Hermon) was one of the turning points of my career. She's a fabulous teacher as well as being a terrific writer, and she can give guidance in terms of writing craft and writing business, because she's been a writer for so long. If anyone can get into one of her clinics, it's well worth the time and money. I learned as much from what she said about my fellow students' manuscripts as what she said about my own writing.

However, before someone shells out the money for that or any other
mentoring clinic, I really want to encourage people to find other less expensive ways of leaning the basics. Gayle's class is for
intermediate to advanced writers, and wouldn't be as helpful if a
writer is just beginning. My suggestion for beginning writers--actually, ALL writers, no matter what their level, should be doing this--is to read lots of writing craft books, get the MP3 recordings of conference workshops, read lots of writing articles on
the web.


4. You have a dog named after a candy bar. Does that say something about you? *grin*

That I love sweets? You betcha!

Actually, Snickers was the only name my husband and I both liked when we were trying to come up with a name for our newly adopted dog. She had previously been named Chocolate, but we reasoned that yelling "Chocolate!" at a runaway dog isn't as effective as other consonant and vowel combinations. "Snickers!" was much easier to scream down the street.



5. What do you believe is the single most important aspect of a story (Yeah, I know...that's a tough one, but you're a writer, so be creative!)?

STRUCTURE. People who know me are probably sick of me talking about
this, but I fully believe that good story structure is one of the most important things that make an editor decide to buy a manuscript. How many times have writers heard, "The middle sags" or "The book fizzles near the end" or "The pacing isn't quite even"? It's because their structure is flawed, and good, solid story structure (like the skeleton of a body) will combine with great writing and unique characters to bump the story up a level to where a publishing house will buy it.

Thanks for having me here, Ronie!
Camy

Well, it's been an interesting few weeks for me. My husband is now working away from home, living in another city during the week, while I remain at home with the kids. It's a challenge I've never faced before, and one that has brought me to my knees more than once already. But in the middle of all this, we're beginning the journey toward restoration in our lives.

Five years ago our family endured the brutal loss of our first home to foreclosure. Since then, Brian has been laid off five times in four years. Our financial situation has been strained, at best, and null at worst. But now, God has placed our feet on a new path. Brian's new job is one that he's actually set to earn more money than he has ever earned before! And we're starting the process to buy a home. All good things, yes? Yet, it seems at every curve and bump in the road, I find myself saying, "See? I knew it wouldn't work. Good things don't happen to us."

I'm very ashamed and broken over this. This horrible lack of faith on my part was first shown to me earlier this week when I was reading about the Israelites in the desert. They were divinely provided with manna. Now, we don't know exactly what this stuff looked like, but the Word says that when the Israelites ground it up and made flat cakes, it tasted like PASTRIES!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I'm digging that. LOL then again--I can certainly understand getting tired of manna after a while. I mean, how many times am I willing to eat tira misu, or biscuits with melted butter and drizzled with local honey??? LOL However, the Lord did not tolerate their complaints. As a matter of fact, He became angry with them. Asked, "Has my arm lost its strength?" Then he vowed to give them so much meat over the next thirty days, that they'd gag on it!! Oopsie.

Well. Sigh. I already know I'm more closely related to the grumbling Israelites, despite my working NOT to. LOL But I certainly don't want to be gagging!

I readily admit it's hard for me to believe that this will get better. Five years of praying and hoping for the "tide to turn," and things just got worse every time. And now, I'm challenged to have faith that we can get into a home again. Despite the foreclosure. Despite the bad work record for Brian. Despite the not-so-great credit history. Despite my wounds.

But God is great. His name is great. When the Word was being transcribed, those who were taskedwith copying the texts, would not even write out His full name. And when they did write his name, they would use a pen that had not been used before, then threw it away after writing his partial name.

God is powerful. His name is powerful. If we'll only let Him work...

Oops! She did it again. Susan May Warren, that is. She's done it again with yet another fabulous Noble Legacy Series book! Sigh. I have told Sara that I think Susie has become my new hero in writing. The way she hauls me into her stories with a tight rope (yes, pun intended, even if it is lame), hunky characters (come on, admit it! Rafe and Nick are gorgeous men!! Why else do you think they're on her covers!), and carefully crafted stories. Without further ado, here's Rafe...sort of:

First--a fabulous new contest! Enter to WIN A STEAK DINNER WITH RAFE NOBLE!! (an Omaha Steaks gift certificate and a copy of Taming Rafe!).



Rather than supply a typical excerpt, I'm going to once again show you a line that made me laugh, and in a way, captures the essence and flavor of Taming Rafe awesome writing:

"Oh, please, there isn't a woman alive who wouldn't stand on a bed of coals to sit next to Lincoln Cash."
"He's not my type, which only adds to the fact that my mother and I were nothing alike. I prefer well-barbered, silk-suited man to a whiskered, rough-edged scoundrel who considers a wink the invitation to dinner or more. Besides, I have Bradley."
Cari sighed. "Right."
"Bradley is stable. And patient. Everything a woman could want."
"If you're a houseplant."

I love that part! Classic. Keeps the edgy tension balanced with a bit of humor. I love doing that in my own stories.

Now, here's where you can Taming Rafe 1st Chapter.

Susan's website

Super cool -- the Book and series trailer

And last, but certainly not least, here is the Rafe blog.

OH...Because I think Susan is soo kewl, and because we share the same agent extraordinaire (Steve Laube), and because you can't NOT read this book...I'm going to do something I don't normally do. I'm going to buy a copy of this fabulous book for ONLY BLESSED WINNER (between Shoutlife, Edgy Christian Fiction Writers, and this blog). So, make sure to leave your name and a phish-proof email address!!!

Betsy tagged me with this blog game!

Here's the rules:

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!

Find page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

The book closest to me at the moment is Taming Rafe by Susan May Warren. So far, I LOVE it--Susie's one of the few writers whose writing actually grab me and don't let go, much like Rafe's grip on that bull rope--yeeeouch!! I think Susie is one of my writing heroes...or should that be heroines? LOL I'll be doing a post for her blog tour on this novel soon, so stay tuned for more details on this great read!!

Here's p. 123! (which I haven't gotten to yet! oh the suspense!)

She heard him sit beside her. Silence passed between them, but she didn't feel the need to fill it. She just watched the wind push the clouds across forever.

Hmm, many of my friends have already been tagged, so...I will tag:

**Sara Mills
**Lisa Harris
**Mindy Obenhaus
**John Olson (hey, the dude has a PINK page on Edgy Christian Fiction...check it out)
**Robin Miller/Caroll

Hey, everyone! Wow, things are just insane right now. Let me update y'all. It's been a very tough road since 9/11 hit and the technology industry tanked. We've been through a lot, including foreclosure and we're about to hit four moves in five years!! UGH! I hate that. Four years ago, it was spoken over us at church that the "tide was turning." We expected and wanted that tide to be a Tsunami and to hit us fast and hard.

Didn't happen.

God had other ideas. But now, we're here, and after a very long journey through the desert (along with the blisters, snake bites, and sunburns to prove it), I believe we're coming out on the other side.

About three weeks ago, Brian got a call that there was a job up in the D/FW metroplex doing exactly what he loves doing--selling internet security-type stuff. The type of job he's always done so well at. He dashed off his resume. Got a call within ten minutes. He interviewed the next day.

Not only did he get the job, but he's assigned the best territory with a pay and benefits package that will get us back on our feet (read: be able to pay our bills) for the first time in three years. The official offer letter/package arrived Friday. Woo-hooo!!!!! He signed the letter and emailed it back immediately. That means his start date was officially Friday--which (should) mean he gets paid at the end of the month (that was a concern)!! Brian is leaving tonight to head up there and begin his new career.

And God reminded me of something today. In January, I charged a new bedding set that was on clearance at my work. Between the clearance price and my associate discount, I got a fabulous deal. I was very proud. But almost as soon as I made the purchase, I had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. God really nudged me hard to return the comforter, prompted me that this was the year to get out of debt. I have to tell you, I REALLY wrestled with that. It was a great deal and our other one is torn and falling apart. Besides, I couldn't see how we would ever get out of debt, especially since we were living on my part-time income. I was like... "Um, hello, God? Are you missing the part where Brian has no income? And Brian gave me *permission* to buy the comforter!!!" (That alone was a miracle, I thought. LOL)

As you can imagine, the discussion was one-way. LOL God wasn't budging. He gave me His wisdom. I had a choice. Return it or not to return it.

I returned it.

And then Brian got this job. And then we got a HUGE tax-return...so much so that we paid off four bills and caught up on the others. When I shared this with Brian, I told him it wasn't that my returning the comforter brought about those things. But without that experience between God and myself, I wouldn't have recognized the Hand of God moving in our lives as much, and I wouldn't have appreicated as much the whole getting out of debt thing the way I can now. Obedience in such a small thing opened my eyes in a BIG way...even though it didn't make sense when it was happening.

We are far from being clear and free. But we're on the road.

Confession: It's really hard, however, to rejoice in all this, knowing that my dearest friends are still in their deserts, their dark tunnels. I know we all have different journeys God calls us to, and we're all at different phases, but it's still hard to see my friends hurting so much....

Other daughter after her violin concert

In an earlier post, I mentioned my writing rest. And how I was already ready to be released from that rest. December 23 is when I felt the "hold" hand on my shoulder lift. Not wanting to rush forward in case I was wrong, I allowed myself to do some light editing, but I still did not write. In my mind, I'd hoped for the day after Christmas...and that's exactly when the well unstopped. :-P

I started a new fantasy...and I just wrote. And wrote. I'm up to 13K since December 27. That's not a record for my by an means (hey, I wrote almost 30K in one weekend before!), but it was a beautiful sensation. I would write after I got home from work, then go to bed at a decent hour (no all-nighters for me LOL).

the really incredible thing for me is this--it opened my creative juice vein. Last night, I sat thinking about my new military thrillers series. I've tried to figure out what's going to happen in that story all month and got...NUTHIN'!!! But last night--it came flooding out. I am soooo excited. It took a month of not writing or editing or critiquing, then a handful of days where I just wrote (internal editor squashed flat as I wrote and wrote with redundancies and repetitions and misspellings...shhh, don't tell her. LOL).

So. I'm back. but in this New Year, I want to be focused on four things:

FATHER
FAMILY
FRIENDS
FICTION

Okay, so that pretty much encompasses my entire life, save my day JOB (but hey, even those hours got cut!!). :-D But I'm determined to make the last three a priority in my life as the first one GUIDES my life by increasing my daily time with Him.

Last year, i felt strongly it would be a YEAR OF TRANSITION. And let me tell you, if God ever speaks that to you, brace yourself! LOL But for this year, I believe the phrase came to me in october. It's going to be a YEAR OF PROMISE!

I like the sound of that.

How about you??

Okay, I altered this CARDED meme to include a Spiritual Wish list. I think that way we can know how to pray for each other, both spiritually and physically. *grin*

THE RULES:
1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for Christmas.
2. People who are "CARDED" need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get "CARDED" and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they're "CARDED", and to read your Blog.

My Materialistic Gift/Wish List:
1. Okay, I'll be 100% honest and "materialistic"--a book contract. There. I've confessed. :-D
2. A certain kitten from the animal shelter
3. for our finances to heal enough that I can stop working retail
4. Skillet shirt :-D
5. Romance or Tommy Girl perfume

My Spiritual Gift/Wish List:
1. To get my life organized in a way that I can have the prayer and worship time I need
2. Come Christmas, I pray to be released from this time of relaxation (cuz really, I'm not relaxing when I can't write!!!!!!!!!!!)
3. To write a compelling and gratifying book that will bring the healing of Christ to others
4. To start a Beth Moore Bible study
5. More of HIM, less of me *wink*

The people I have carded (in alphabetical order):
1. Dineen Miller
2. Robin Miller
3. Sara Mills
4. Mindy Obenhaus
5. Camy Tang

Well, I've felt God nudging me the last few months to take a short break from writing. Not in the sense that He's asking me to give up writing, but to relax, take time to focus on Him, my family, and relationships. I confess I fought that nudging--fought it out of fear. You see, I was scared God would remove this gift He'd given me. That alone was irrational because God's not an "Indian Giver." I love writing. it's fulfilling and extremely satisfying. At times, it's even my therapy after a hard day. Yet I still feared taking the time off, feared, I'd come back to write one day and....couldn't.

However, after a difficult rejection, my fab-o agent suggested I spend the next few weeks concentrating on friends and family. I knew then that what he said was a confirmation of what God was urging me to do.

So. I am. I'm not holding fast to my daily writing goal. As a matter of fact, I am not writing. Period. I'm not critiquing either. However, I am reading and studying...and in the midst of all this, my well that had run dry is once again bubbling up with story ideas and thoughts on how to make some of my stories better. After Christmas, I am praying that I can return to writing with a renewed vigor and vision to be all that God wants...to write compelling stories that drive God's message into the hearts of the hurting and searching.

And in the middle of all *that*, I'm enjoying my family, surviving my job in the retail world, and taking it easy. I almost feel guilty. :-D I said ALMOST. LOL

Hey, y'all! Wow--this month is just zipping along. It's been frought with a lot of stress, but also a lot of joy. This is the first year Brian and I have lived close to his parents--close enough to wake up Christmas morning and pop in at their house to open presents. We can't wait!! :-D Other good things: I've seen God move on behalf of several friends, and I've seen four friends receive contracts (or promises of one) in the last 30 days. HOW KEWL IS THAT????

Well, since I'm working and stress (customers get snippier and snarkier as the day of wonder draws closer!), I'm posting this Christmas Carol Riddle in lieu of a full/real post. Enjoy!!

Name the Christmas Carol described in each riddle.

1. Wanted in December:Top forward incisors

2. The lad is a diminutive percussionist

3. Oh small Israel urban center

4. We are Kong, Lear and Nat Cole

5. Our fervent joy is that you thoroughly enjoy your yuletide season

6. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully

7. Jubilation to the entire terrestrial globe

8. Do you perceive the same vibrations which stimulate my auditory senses?

9. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans

10. Leave and broadcast from an elevation

I have always loved Tricia Goyer's writing...and this book is no different. She's not only an amazing storyteller, but the way her characters grip your heart is just incredible!!




Book 2 in the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series
Sophie discovers that nothing is as she first imagined. When Walt, the reporter who helped her over the border, shows up again after Guernica is bombed, Sophie is given an impossible mission. She must leave behind the man she's fallen in love with and return to the person who betrayed her. Another layer of the war in Spain is revealed as Sophie is drawn into the international espionage schemes that could turn the tide of the war and help protect the soldiers from the International Brigade ... she must find a way to get a critical piece of information to Walt in time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q and A with Tricia!

Q: A Shadow of Treason follows A Valley of Betrayal. This is the first time you've written books as a series instead of stand alone. Which way do you like better?

A: I love writing in series. It was great to continue with the same characters. In my stand-alone books I fell in love with these people and then I had to say good-bye after one book. It was wonderful to be able to continue on.

Q: In A Shadow of Treason Sophie must return to the person who betrayed her in an effort to help the Spanish people. It makes the book hard to put down because the reader has to know how Sophie's heart will deal with it. Why did you decide to make this an element of the book?

A: There are very few of us who go through life without giving away a part of our hearts to someone who didn't deserve it. Even though Sophie had the best intentions, she gave away her heart and she was hurt-not only that she must revisit those emotions.

I wanted to include this element-to delve into the topic that emotions are sometimes as big of a trap as any physical cage. Emotions are real and they guide us -- even when we don't want to admit it. Poor Sophie, not only does she have to deal with a war around her -- she also has to deal with a war within herself. It's something I've battled, and mostly likely others have too.

Q: There is an interesting element that arises in this book and that is Spanish gold. I know you can't tell us what happens in this book, but can you give us a brief history of this gold?

A: Sure. When I was researching I came upon something interesting. The Spaniards, as we know, had taken much Aztec and Inca gold during the time of the conquistadors. Well, at the start of The Spanish Civil War much of this gold was still held in Madrid. In fact Spain had the fourth largest gold reserves in the world at that time. The Republican government was afraid Franco would take the city and the gold. They had to get it out of Madrid and this included transporting priceless artifacts. The element of gold does make its way into my story. It was great to include this little-known (and true!) element into my story.

Q: Another historical fact I learned about was the Nazi involvement during this time. Not only were the Germans active in Spain, but they had spy networks busy around the world. How did you find out about this?

A: I love reading tons of research books. Usually I find one little element that I dig out and turn into a plot line. This is what happened with my plot-line for the Nazi pilot, Ritter. I dug up this bit of research of Nazi involvement in Spain -- and the United States -- because a lot of people aren't aware of the Nazi involvement prior to WWII. The truth is they were busy at work getting the land, information, and resources they needed far before they threatened the nations around them. The Germans knew what they wanted and how to get it. And most of the time they succeeded!

Q: A Shadow of Treason is Book Two. When will Book Three be out? Can you give us a hint of how the story continues?

A: Book Three is A Whisper of Freedom. It will be out February 2008. The characters that we love are all still in the midst of danger at the end of Book Two. Book Three continues their stories as we follow their journeys in -- and (for a few) out -- of Spain. It's an exciting conclusion to the series!

Q: Wow, so we have a least one more fiction book to look forward to in the near future. Are you working on any non-fiction?

A: Yes, I have two non-fiction books that will be out the early part of 2008. Generation NeXt Marriage is a marriage book for today's couples. It talks about our marriage role models, our struggles, and what we're doing right as a generation. It also gives advice for holding it together.

I've also been privileged to work on the teen edition of Max Lucado's book 3:16. It was a great project to work on. What an honor!

Tricia is available for further interview. Contact Amy with your ideas and questions!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tricia's Bio:

Tricia Goyer has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Today's Christian Woman, Guideposts for Kids, and Focus on the Family, and is the co-author of Meal Time Moments (Focus on the Family). She has led numerous Bible Studies, and her study notes appear in the Women of Faith Study Bible (Zondervan).

She has written seven novels for Moody Publishing:
From Dust and Ashes (2003)
Night Song (2004)
Dawn of a Thousand Nights (2005);
Arms of Deliverance (2006)
A Valley of Betrayal (2007)
A Shadow of Treason (Fall 2007)
A Whisper of Freedom (February 2008)
Night Song was awarded American Christian Fiction Writer's 2005 Book of the Year for Best Long Historical. Dawn of a Thousand Nights won the same award in 2006.

Tricia has also written Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom (Zondervan, 2004), 10 Minutes to Showtime (Thomas Nelson, 2004), and Generation NeXt Parenting (Multnomah, 2006). Life Interrupted was a 2005 Gold Medallion finalist in the Youth Category.

Also, coming out in the next year are: My Life, Unscripted (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Generation NeXt Marriage (Multnomah, Spring 2008), and 3:16-the teen version of the a book by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, Spring 2008).

Tricia and her husband John live with their three children in Kalispell, Montana. Tricia's grandmother also lives with them, and Tricia volunteers mentoring teen moms and leading children's church. Although Tricia doesn't live on a farm, she can hit one with a rock by standing on her back porch and giving it a good throw.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Important Links!

First Chapter:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001gmyNI3LG9MLxwLPN69On3xEhpcN1h6liE1oARX6NJ9TD4sMMLJha69wQMJVaU-KsxqwiHF5wXOP1BrYyK667h368F3uFctKzafk9FHoexUxZuS8SB01GH8r3ljrm5fNr7_1MJV11GNwj4qg3zRz-9vTyL6Hi9uNAgKkndg5fq-I=
Amazon Link:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001gmyNI3LG9MJiAaEKTPURRwAdkZtiM05QIctbo0OcnFPWmD9Q4XsY3uuY3x2ETVAh8-l5dy-q586BdWSW43wU4QnqiJDMG1FrwcgQGLg3kB6sq0eg3IDtC4r5gnZgU0kjnXzY6kYtWKzsTK3KT0S9c_OMLLPJP88gvQ8nroyC7g2fxcTUu8bY5V6unIwOmxSv

Book 1, A Valley of Betrayal:
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001gmyNI3LG9MI7vuQEUFhxr38nKKTgByjqxlmDPo2fUyoRgQaoqnH6HMDbmSIG-QsyVDFfJx5o4puji0j6_7gj7UXCSj7dUc9LoOq71pfB1SHk-cbuJIOLgmg1naWr2D5y1q8BCxzrEBtsYlatpONgu903Mp_hq7SUUHAW7w2Q8gaXh8sxDGmU44jz659_TkK8

Tricia's Website:

Well, I spent the day traveling to attend a Veteran's Program in Grand Prairie, TX (two hours north of us). It was so very moving, and it was so beautifully time with the building concept of my new series.

Below, you'll find a salute to veterans created/forwarded by the incredible Tricia Goyer. Check it out!! From the bottom of my heart and my family's--THANK YOU TO ALL SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN!!

~~Forever Grateful~~

Veteran's Day is a time to remember:

In 2000, I got my idea for what came to be my first historical novel, From Dust and Ashes. Wanting to know more about the 23 men who liberated Mauthausen concentration camp, I contacted the 11th Armored Division who put me in touch with six of the veterans. These men then invited me to attend the 59th reunion of their division. I wasn't expecting that at all. I thought they'd point me to a good research book or allow me to interview them over the phone.

I felt SO unworthy to meet with these men. I knew very little about WWII, and I didn't want my inexperience to show. Not to mention the $1000+ for airfare, hotels, rental car for a book I didn't have a contract to write.

I urged a friend to go with me, and I've been so thankful we went. The men were caring and opened their hearts to me. They shared stories with me that they hadn't shared with anyone before. They laughed. They cried. They took my hands and thanked me for caring about their story. They hugged me and kissed my cheeks.

When it came to writing my novel, I wasn't writing about fictional characters. I was writing pieces of Charlie's story, bits of Arthur's experiences. The memories that made LeRoy cry made it into my book. The snapshots that Tarmo carried around in his mind for 60 years transformed into scenes in my novel (and the novels to follow!).

I get many letters from readers who say that my novels come to life on the pages--that's because the men's experiences came to life to me as I looked into their eyes and saw glimpses of young heroes. Also, the following year I went to Europe and walked the streets of the SS housing with a man who'd been nine-years-old when the camp opened near his home. Again, I "saw" the story in his eyes as he shared--this time from someone on the outside.

There was an added benefit to this diligent research that I didn't expect. After my second novel Night Song came out I received a letter from a veteran. He made a list of twenty minor research points that I'd gotten right, and then he asked, "One thing I didn't understand was the faith element of this story. Can you tell me more about your faith in God?"

YES!

Because I had done the research, I'd was able to share about my Jesus with a veteran who has since passed away.

One more fun thing I didn't expect. One of the men I met at the reunion was Pete. Pete was a medic--the one medic I met. Years later I received a letter from a reader who had read From Dust and Ashes. She was a survivor of Mauthausen--actually, she was born there. When she was 3-weeks-old she was close to death. When the gates were open a medic spent a full day lancing and cleaning infected boils on her skin, saving her life. She asked me if I knew any medics. I knew one, and I passed on his phone number. It turns out Pete was the one who saved her life! They have since met on numerous occasions.

If I hadn't gone to that reunion I wouldn't have met Pete, and I wouldn't have been able to connect him with Hana--what a God thing!

Of course, I do have regrets concerning research, too. In my most recent series on the Spanish Civil War I received a letter from a SCW veteran who said he was willing to help me with research. The letter got put into my "very important" pile on my desk and weeks and months passed. I pulled it out again, and I planned on calling him when I heard from someone else that this man had passed away. That has happened more than once with men who offered to be interviewed, and I'm always regretful of the "one more story" I missed. After all, once gone they are gone for good.

If you have a veteran in your life ... today is the perfect day to reach out--to listen to his or her story. Don't let the stories die, when you have a chance to make a difference.

Below are photos of a few of the men I've interviewed.

To read some of their stories, go to:

http://www.triciagoyer.com/ww2stories/

To see more photos (including real photos from the liberation of Mauthausen) go to:

http://www.triciagoyer.com/dustandashes/

To watch my NEW video about my WWII Liberators Series, go click here.

Okay, those who are writers already know that writing is challenging. And lately, the mere act of finding time to write since I work now has been a HUGE challenge. All the same, I'm working on a new story concept that I'm very impassioned about...and I sent the kernal of an idea to my agent. He said it was very strong, but at the same time, he encouraged me to not let the story come out of the first thing that comes to mind (which is typical, sage advice--we should always go deeper!!). To let it percolate. I'm so glad he challenged me with this story because I've tried this last week to write on the story, and of the five scenes, 2.5 chapters, I've written (which pales in comparison--I usually write two chapters in a DAY, not a WEEK--booohoooo!!!!), I've scrapped all but one chapter. That's not normal for me...as a matter of fact, it's been quite depressing. So, I've been praying about this a lot.
And I just kept praying, "Jesus, help me. Please help me."
He did. An idea hit me last night. One that made me stop and just suck in my breath. At first, I admit that I rejected the idea, thought it might belong to a sequel of this series. But I couldn't get away from the idea. So I decided I'd write out a short blurb on each of the subsequent book concepts to see where the idea fit. That's where i discovered this new idea--which a major plot twist--fits exactly in this new story. I brainstormed with my amazing husband, and I'm getting stoked about this story. Elements are taking shape. Conflict is ratcheting. My exitement meter is rising! :-)

What about you? What challenges are you facing in your own writing at the moment?

The Lost Sheep by Brandt Dodson is a great read. The characters are sharp and on the go. Brandt sets up a compelling mystery, this time entangling hero Colton Parker’s daughter in the web of danger and intrigue. So many times mysteries disappoint me with their endings, the climax feeling contrived or wane. Not so with Brandt’s book. I felt very satisfied with the culmination of the story. Recommended for all those PI-style readers out there—and those who aren’t! Hurry over to Amazon and grab yourself a copy now!!!

This is so cool! Camy Tang gave me this award. She’s so sweet!

It is presented "to awesome BLOG owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting (NOT spammy) and worth reading and keep their subscribers looking forward to each and every post."

Camy said that she awarded my blog because: "she is always so transparent on her blog posts."

THANKS, CAMY! I try to be transparent. it's all part of that whole "more of God, less of me" thing I'm doing here. :-D

I'm awarding (and I'm trying to be diverse this time LOL):

Lisa Harris - I love reading her posts about missionary life in South Africa. Although, right now, she and her family are packign up and moving to Brazil for a year's worth of language school. Praying for you, girl!

Um, that's it for now...I can't think at this early hour and I have to get to work. :-D Maybe I'll come back and add more later. hehe
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Writing...I am very excited! Last night, I wrote the final chapters on Dead Reckoning, my newest spy thriller. I'm not 100% satisfied with my epilogue, so I'm going to go back and probably rewrite that. And there's one aspect of the final climax that I want to tighten, but overall, I'm very pleased. Shiloh (my heroine) comes across strong. Reece (the hero) is just as I expected him to be. And of course, they save the day (though not everyone comes out of this alive...LOL). I think it came out surprisingly well. My toughest critic will be my agent, Steve Laube. I'd rewritten my ending on my other thriller, Midnight Zone, and then rewrote it for an editor, and Steve busted me on it. He knew it wasn't the right ending.

I've discovered, however, that there is a new word in my writing dictionary. It's conclusophobia: the fear of writing climatic endings. It's not so much about having a climatic ending, but more the fear that the ending won't be...well, climatic. :-D How's that for insanity. Conclusophobia hits me every time I start to write the final three chapters on a new book. And this has happened dozens of times, so you'd think I'd have faced this fear and beaten it by now. Nope! LOL

Camy Tang & Patricia Carroll (PacJac) tagged me! I am supposed to tell where I was 10-20-30 years ago.

• 10—1997...Hmm, I was well into the first draft of my futuristic, Liberty's Son. My mom had died the previous year. I had two children. Live in Fort Worth and we were small home group leaders for our church.
• 20—I was in my senior year at Killeen High School. This is the point in my life where I was starting to find myself...Had an amazing English Teacher who impacted my life in a HUGE way. (Love you, Mrs. Montgomery!)
• 30—I was seven years old. Beginning to realize that what was happening to me was *wrong* (I was abused). Lived in Massachusetts...or were we still in Germany at that point? I can't remember. I honestly don't remember much of my young childhood because of the abuse.

I tag Sara, Lisa Harris, Shannon McNear, and the Lena Dooley. It was started by Mary DeMuth, so blame her. :)