We have WINNERS and a Review

Before I announce the winners of The Renewal contest, I must share with you about the book.

I finished reading The Renewal by Terri Kraus this weekend. The first evening, I read all the way to Chapter 18 - could not put it down. At 1 a.m. I FORCED myself because I had to get up at 4:30 the next morning. (Overslept, but we still made our destination in time. Whew!) Then I finished the book the next night.

Terri knows how to torment her characters. The book was riveting - a definite page-turner. I found myself either really liking and loving the characters, and really hating other ones. I cheered for the heroine, and kept hoping things would work out with the hero. The setting was fantastic, and the secondary characters were memorable and unique.

I became a HUGE Terri Kraus fan overnight, and hope you'll seek out her books. You'll become a fan, too.

Now - we have WINNERS!!

The winner of the first $25 amazon gift card is Bunny. She will be awarded the gift card and an autographed copy of The Renewal. Sometime this week, she'll hold a contest on HER website, and the winner there will receive the second $25 amazon gift card and a copy of the book.

The winner of the autographed copy of The Renewal is Cindy Wilson.

And I couldn't leave out Lynda Schab, who helped promote Terri's books, so we're also sending her a copy of The Renewal, too!

I'll announce Bunny's winner when she has one.

Thanks for participating, and thanks for reading along.

Go get a copy of The Renewal, or The Restoration, or any of Terri's other books!!! More great summertime reading!

Ghostwriter - An Awesome Summer Read

If you like fast-paced drama, bizarre twists, total suspense - you'll love Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher as much as I did! I could not put it down - I had to know what was going to happen next.

The format/layout of the book was a bit confusing/distracting at first, and even noticeable all the way through, but I didn't have time to figure it out, I just had to keep reading!

This book is not for the squeamish or faint-hearted. I probably could not watch this book if it were a movie - some parts are just a bit gory for my tastes. But I handled the book just fine. Read it!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Ghostwriter

FaithWords (May 28, 2009)

by

Travis Thrasher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

It was during third grade after a teacher encouraged him in his writing and as he read through The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis that Travis decided he wanted to be a writer. The dream never left him, and allowed him to fulfill that dream of writing fulltime in 2007.

Travis Thrasher is the author of numerous works of fiction, including his most personal and perhaps his deepest work, Sky Blue, that was published in summer of 2007. This year he has to novels published, Out of the Devil’s Mouth, and a supernatural thriller, Isolation.

Travis is married to Sharon and they are the proud parents of Kylie, born in November, 2006, and Hailey, a Shih-Tzu that looks like an Ewok. They live in suburban Chicago.

Stop by and visit Travis at his Blog where you can sign up to follow him on Facebook and Twitter!

Also check out the radio interview with Travis on Monday June 8th at BlogTalkRadio/FaithWords

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For years Dennis Shore has thrilled readers with his spooky bestselling novels. Now a widower, Dennis is finally alone in his house, his daughter attending college out of state. When he's stricken by a paralyzing case of writer's block and a looming deadline, Dennis becomes desperate. Against better judgment, he claims someone else's writing as his own, accepting undeserved accolades for the stolen work. He thinks he's gotten away with it . . . until he's greeted by a young man named Cillian Reed--the true author of the stolen manuscript.

What begins as a minor case of harassment quickly spirals out of control. As Cillian's threats escalate, Dennis finds himself on the brink of losing his career, his sanity, and even his life. The horror he's spent years writing about has arrived on his doorstep, and Dennis has nowhere to run.

To read the first chapter of Ghostwriter, click HERE.

PUGS Pointers #27: Was or Were?

PUGS* Pointers
(*Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling)
by Kathy Ide

In this column, freelance author, editor, and speaker Kathy Ide shares tips on Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling (“PUGS”).

PUNCTUATION TIP

Vertical Lists after Introductory Phrases

If a list completes a sentence that begins with an introductory phrase, don’t use a colon after the introductory phrase. If any of the phrases or sentences in the list have internal punctuation, semicolons may be used at the end of each item. Each item begins with a lowercase letter. A period should follow the final item.

Here’s an example:

You can reduce redundancy in your writing by
avoiding repetition;
stating what you mean in the fewest words possible;
omitting unnecessary adverbs and adjectives;
eliminating weak words like actually, basically, definitely, extremely, so, and very.

See The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition) #6.129 and The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style p. 288.


USAGE TIP

council/counsel
council (noun): an assembly/meeting or an advisory or legislative group
“city council”

counsel (noun): advice, or a lawyer or consultant
“Tracie gave me good counsel when she suggested I hire legal counsel.”
counsel (verb): to advise or consult
“June counseled with her agent before signing the book contract.”


GRAMMAR TIP

was vs. were
The subjunctive mood (were) is used to express the following:

1. A condition contrary to fact
“Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.”
(Of course, I’m not. But that jingle will be stuck in your head all day now, won’t it?)

2. A supposition
“Suppose Marci were to arrive right now.”

3. An improbable condition
“Carrie drank the Pepsi as if there were no tomorrow. (Highly unlikely)

4. Uncertainty or doubt
“If I were to marry you, how would you support me?” Irene asked.
(There’s uncertainty/doubt about whether she will marry him.)

5. Necessity
“If it were absolutely necessary, I could rewrite my manuscript,” David said.

6. A desire
“Joan wishes she were going to the prom with Brandon.”


SPELLING TIP

insofar as

For more PUGS Pointers, or to purchase her book Polishing the PUGS, see Kathy Ide’s Web site.

PUGS Pointers are based on the current industry-standard references in the United States.

For books (and most mainstream magazines):
The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition, © 2003)
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition, © 2003)
Christian publishers also use The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style (© 2004)

For newspaper articles (and journalistic magazines):
The Associated Press Stylebook (© 2004)
Webster’s New World College Dictionary (© 2002)

Many publishing houses have their own in-house style guides that may differ in some aspects from the standard references. However, unless you’re writing exclusively for one particular publisher, it’s best to follow the standard references and let the in-house proofreaders adjust to house style.


AUTHOR BIO:

Kathy Ide has been writing for publication since 1988. She has written books, articles, play and movie scripts, short stories, devotionals, and curriculum. She is a full-time freelance editor, offering a full range of editorial services for aspiring writers, established authors, commercial book publishers, subsidy publishers, magazines, and CLASServices. Her services include proofreading, copyediting, substantive/content editing, coauthoring, ghostwriting, and mentoring/coaching. She also speaks at writers’ conferences across the country. She is the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network and the Christian Editor Network. To find out more, visit Kathy's Web site.

The 2 Most Important Factors, Part 1

Taking a good photograph is not a reflection of what camera equipment you use. Many times people find out that I do not use a DSLR and are surprised. My decision to continue with a "point-and-shoot" digital camera (a term I do not particularly like as many upper end digital cameras have as many manual settings now as automatic ones) involves both the cost of the more expensive DSLRs and the weight toting more gear would bring to any photographic event. With that said, I believe there are 2 primary factors towards making a visually appealing photograph: light and composition.

LIGHT

It is so important for a photographer to learn the basic elements of photography. An understanding of the relationship of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO is the only way you will be able to make definite, concrete decisions on the correct exposure for a scene. And exposure is all about light. The photographer must know how to use the provided light at that particular moment in time. Further, knowing how your particular camera will render that scene based on the chosen aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, is fundamental. Every camera is slightly different. You must be able to make the correct choice for what your camera, and by default its lens, will or will not do.

In the following photograph, I wanted to capture the rays of light. By switching over to spot metering and choosing one of the brighter points in the scene, I knew I could achieve better contrast between the rays of light and the surrounding diffused light. Spot metering causes the camera to only see the light at a certain point in the picture. It also helped me to keep the detail of the oak tree and not plunge it into everlasting darkness.

Morning Sunlight In The Oak Hammock
1-21-2006

In this next photograph, I faced a similar choice. I did not want to lose either the detail of the fading mountains or the green of the trees. But instead of using spot metering, I opted for a graduated neutral density filter. This type of filter is essentially dark on one half and clear on the other. It's purpose is to allow less light into one portion of the scene. In this case, I placed the darker portion over the background mountains, but my metering remained at average, the camera seeing all the light in the scene.

Amazing View, Top of Clingman's Dome, Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Darker scenes require more manual adjustments. You essentially have 3 choices. You can up your ISO. This makes your camera more sensitive to what light is available. You can choose a larger aperture. The larger the aperture, the more light allowed into the lens. Or you can use a slower shutter speed, thus extending the period of time the light can reach the camera. Each of these 3 methods has their place.

In this scene, the forest around me was relatively dark. I wanted to feature the bromeliad flower in the center of the scene, so I metered for the flower and not the surrounding forest. This caused the background portion of the image to darken and be less distracting. I also upped my ISO to allow more light to reach the scene and thus eliminate too long of a shutter speed for a hand-held photograph.

A Silent Place, Gatorland, Orlando, Florida

Having the correct exposure, just the right amount of light, in each image is something that comes as a result of learning to make the right choices when you are on the scene. The more you practice at it, the more time you spend thinking about what settings your camera needs, the easier and quicker it will become. It is a fact that in any sport you are only as good as you are dedicated to time spent in practice and to learning the rules of the game.

Next week, I will cover the 2nd key factor: composition.

---------------------------------------------

Suzanne Williams Photography
Florida, USA

Suzanne Williams is a native Floridian, wife, and mother, with a penchant for spelling anything, who happens to love photography.

You Gotta SCREAM!

I've not yet finished this book, but I'm definitely hooked - the suspense is GREAT!! I loved Mike's first book, The Hunted, and I think this one may even be better. Excellent!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Scream

Realms (March 3, 2009)

by

Mike Dellosso

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Mike now lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Jen, and their three daughters. He writes a monthly column for Writer . . .Interrupted.

He was a newspaper correspondent/columnist for over three years and has published several articles for The Candle of Prayer inspirational booklets. Mike also has edited and contributed to numerous Christian-themed Web sites and e-newsletters.

Mike is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the Relief Writer's Network, and International Thriller Writers. He received his BA degree in sports exercise and medicine from Messiah College and his MBS degree in theology from Master's Graduate School of Divinity.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Otherworldly Screams...

A Madman on the Loose...

This Time the Stakes Are Higher Than Ever

While talking to his friend on the phone, Mark Stone is startled by a cacophony of otherworldly screams. Seconds later, a tragic accident claims his friend's life. When this happens several more times--screams followed by an untimely death--he is compelled to act. Battling his failure as a husband and struggling with his own damaged faith, Mark embarks on a mission to find the meaning behind the screams and hopefully stop death from calling on its next victim. When his estranged wife is kidnapped and he again hears the screams as she calls from her cell phone, his search becomes much more personal and much more urgent.

To read the first chapter of Scream, click HERE.