October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Hello Readers,

Thank you for your patience as I continue to work on my other projects.

Today, however, I would like to share with you that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Because Hope for Joy deals with this very topic, I would like to announce that the proceeds from the sale of my book for the month of October will be donated to a local charity to support domestic violence victims.  I will name this charity at a later date.

Below is a link to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  They have a lot of valuable resources for those who may be victims or know someone who is.  In addition, there are many resources available locally that are just a quick search online or through a phonebook.

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

I'm also including a link to Focus Ministries, which provides Christian support to victims of domestic violence.

Focus Ministries

I would like to share your stories on my blog throughout October.  If you have a story of survival, or perhaps some encouraging words, scripture or prayers for victims, please feel free to email me at RebekahBurtonsWords@gmail.com.  You can remain anonymous if you prefer, and no identifying details will be used.

I am also doing a free giveaway of the paperback copy of Hope for Joy.  Anyone can enter.  To enter, simply email me at RebekahBurtonsWords at gmail.com with the word "Giveaway" in the subject.  The deadline to enter is October 31, 2012 and winner will be chosen the following week.  If you win, I will notify you by email to request a mailing address.

My prayer is that those suffering will receive help and find their way to safety.

Thank You,
Rebekah

Writing Through Experience

I talked with a friend the other day about my book Hope for Joy.  She asked how much of it reflected personal experiences I had.  This is something that every writer faces: how much of their own experience do they draw on for their writing?

I will start by saying this:  many of the experiences I have had or those I have heard of firsthand have made it, in disguised form, into my writing.  For me, I couldn't write if I didn't have a frame of personal reference for my fiction.  Other writers may feel differently, but the idea of "write what you know" has always helped me get started.

My experience as a teaching assistant gave me a good story for the opening of my book.  I will say that the specific experience in the Hope for Joy opener did not happen to me, but I did experience a similar incident where a student was reading a  magazine in my classroom and it fell to the floor.  In my experience, the magazine's cover had a celebrity that looked *just like* my student. I made a few comments, held the magazine up for all to see, and I never *saw* a magazine open in class again. (Of course I am well aware that they may have found a better way to conceal them).

There's more to share, but I'll save it for another post.    See you next time!

Slow But Steady?

Have you ever heard the phase "slow and steady wins the race"?  Well, I'm not exactly racing but I am working toward my goal of publishing The Independence Inn soon.  I've hit a few snags in time management lately.  My days have become a bit busier since taking on an old but familiar part time job.  I've also had visits with family and friends, and the hot Texas sunshine has kept my attention elsewhere.  However, I am editing and making changes daily and will keep you informed on my progress.  Thanks for your patience!

Editing on the Road

My apologies for not writing something in the past couple weeks.  Brian and I went to Mount Rushmore for the Independence Day holiday and I did quite a bit of editing on the road.  I printed out my pages from The Inheritance Inn, and read through almost the entire book, making notes along the way.  I did try to do more actual writing, but even on smooth, boring stretches of road, I had a hard time concentrating and keeping my hand still.  Anyway, I managed to get some much needed work done and I am working on meeting personal deadlines.  Can't wait to share it with you when it is done!

A Few Favorites

Okay, so please read last week's post if you haven't already done so.  Today is a continuation of sorts, where I am going to discuss some of my "favorite" authors.  I have a difficult time picking and choosing, and my preferences have changed since discovering new authors in the years since I got my Kindle.

Lynn Austin is one of my favorites.  Among other things, she writes Christian historical fiction.  The stories are well developed and take the reader back to another time and place, depicting realistic scenarios of struggles representative of the time.  I truly feel as though I *know* her characters by the end of the book.

Another favorite is Melody Carlson, whose protagonists are women from various seasons of their lives.  I particularly like her True Colors series.  Each book in the series focuses on a different modern day problem that teen girls face and tackles it within a Biblical worldview.  To me, these issues are not often talked about in teen Christian fiction, which is perhaps why they stand out as some of my favorites, although I am older than the target audience.

I have others, but need to save some for next time, right?

How Do I Choose What to Read?

I've had a few people ask me who some of my favorite authors or books are.  I really have a difficult time answering that question, because I don't have favorites when it comes to books.  I don't generally reread, even the best books.  Sometimes, if something has struck a particular chord with me, and I haven't read it in years (and I mean long enough to forget much of the message or plot), then I might pick it up and read it again.  Otherwise, I'm constantly in search of new books to enjoy.  I do have favorite authors, which I'll talk more about next time.

I'll continue to say that I don't read a lot of  books that are a part of large trends.  You know the ones, that fly off the shelves and usually are followed up with a blockbuster movie.  Sometimes it is the movie that makes the books popular.  For whatever reason, a lot of these stories don't have plots that I am interested in. There are exceptions to almost every rule, and so there have been books that I've enjoyed that have been very well known and/or movies at some point in time. However, I tend to read something because the blurb catches my attention, and continues to hold my interest as I read.

What about reviews?  As a writer, I love to get reviews of my book (soon to be books).  I know that reviews hold value and many readers select partly based on reviews.  As a reader, I don't read a lot of book reviews when it comes to fiction.  If I do glance at them, I keep in mind a few things: we all have different preferences, some reviews are left by people who haven't read a book but have ulterior motives, and others don't read enough about a book and then find themselves disappointed when they wanted a light beachy read and get a dark memoir instead.  What does this mean for me?  The premise that the book is built upon is still the strongest reason for me to choose to read or not read a book.

Stay tuned for next week where I talk about some of my favorite authors.

A Moment of Thanks

I want to take the time to thank those who have supported me the past couple of months, and really, beyond.  I've found readers from places that I haven't expected, and that makes me smile.  When a book sells in a faraway place like the UK, I know that there was a reason for me to write.  It also helps me keep going.  Sometimes a writer needs encouragement, just like anyone who pursues turning a hobby into something more.

Meanwhile, I have been busy working on a couple of projects and hope to have at least one of them ready soon.  Keep reading in the weeks ahead to stay updated with The Inheritance Inn and Seasons of Joy.