Congratulations
…to Inspire Writer Keli Gwyn for her outstanding achievement in the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards!
Keli’s debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California was awarded first place in the Inspirational Romance category and second place in the Best First Book category.
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Chris will be on hand to sign your copies of The Prisoner of Carrot Castle. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in all the day’s events:
Farm Stand
Purchase fresh, local, organic vegetables & fruit
Cooking Classes & Workshops
Farm Tours & Nature Walks
Kid’s Garden Activities
Face Painting & Photo Booth
Community Education Tables
Local Arts & Crafts
Live Music: Mind X Quartet & More!
Morning Food, Snacks & Lunch
Learn About:
American River’s Native Plants
Gardening • Composting
Raising Chickens
Beekeeping • Cooking
Native Edibles • More
To celebrate the launch of the book in print, the iPad version is FREE for the first time ever! Hurry! FREE offer is good from (May 16-19)
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I’m delighted to announce that Inspire Christian Writers is expanding to Sonoma County with a brand new group in Santa Rosa!
If you’re looking for a Christian writers group to provide encouragement, prayer support, feedback and fellowship, join us on Saturday, May 11, for an informational meeting with Christy Hoss, our newest group leader. Jennifer Hamilton and I will both be on hand to answer your questions and get the new group off to a great start.
Meet with us at 10 am at Starbucks, 860 Hopper Ave in Santa Rosa.
For more information about this group, contact Christy at Christy.Hoss@gmail.com
If you have questions about joining Inspire Christian Writers, contact JenniferHamilton@InspireWriters.com
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If you have a story you’d like to share about a supernatural experience (from a Christian perspective), here’s a great opportunity for you!
Jeanette Littleton is gathering and editing stories for Whitestone Communications and Bethany House. These stories will form a sequel to the book, Angels, Miracles and Other Heavenly Encounters.
The book will be released in 2014, but submissions must be received by July 1st (sooner is better!) There is a one-time fee of $50 for stories 1,500 words and over, and $25 for stories under that word count.
Please direct all inquiries and manuscript submissions to Jeanette Littleton, at supernaturalstories2@earthlink.net.
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The whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). Will you write words, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that cause the hearts of the nations to burn for Jesus? Join us for three days of training, impartation, worship and encouragement as we answer the call to penetrate every domain of society with the Word of truth.
Dates: June 5-7, 2013
Place: Bethel Church, 933 College View Drive, Redding, CA
For more information and to register, please see: http://www.ibethel.org/events/2012/12/writing-unto-the-glory-933-college-view-dr-redding-ca-96003
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On Wednesday, April 10 at 6pm (CA time) we’ll host a Tweet Chat with Jenny Lundquist.
You can participate on Twitter by:
1. Type #InspireChat in the search line in Twitter. You’ll see the tweets from our chat streaming.
2. Join in by commenting or asking questions. Be sure to use the #InspireChat hashtag each time you tweet.
3. Don’t hold back, we’ll be giving away a copy of Plastic Polly three lucky participants.
Plastic Polly is Jenny’s second published middle-grade novel. The story is told through the eyes of Polly Pierce as she discovers the pitfalls of popularity.
Polly Pierce likes being the second-most popular girl at Winston Academy, right after her BFF, Kelsy.
Popularity comes with special privileges, like a seat at the best table in the cafeteria and a coveted spot on the planning committee for the school’s big talent show competition, Groove It Up! And since all Polly has to do is agree with whatever Kelsy says, being popular is easy—even if kids do call her “Plastic Polly” behind her back.
But when a freak accident takes Kelsy out of the picture, Polly is suddenly in charge of the Groove It Up! committee. She’s not prepared for her new status—and neither is anyone else. Backstabbing friends, an intimidating crush, and diva demands from an injured Kelsy all threaten to derail Polly’s plans. Can she prove to everyone—and herself—that she has a personality of her own?
You’ll get a bonus entry in our give-away when you leave a comment here answering this question: What was the hardest thing about middle school for you? (We called it “Jr. High” back in the day.)
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Ever wish you could be invisible to others, tucked safely away from criticism, rejection and the unavoidable losses that come with living and loving?
Ellyn, Twila and Sabina each wrestle with various forms of self-inflicted invisibility in the powerful new novel, Invisible written by our friend Ginny Yttrup.
Here’s a little teaser about the book:
Ellyn DeMoss is a talented chef and cafe owner who carries extra weight as buffer from getting close to others–especially others of the opposite sex. But Dr. Miles Becker, a handsome widower, is undaunted by her rebuffs. What does he see in her?
Sabina Jackson seems to have it all. She’s tall and slender, attractive. She has an adoring husband, an adult daughter and a thriving counseling practice. She leaves all that behind and seeks refuge in a small coastal town in Northern California.
Twila Boaz has been invisible long enough. In her recovery from an eating disorder, she’s learning to rely daily on God’s strength to overcome self-destructive behavior. Her serenity and health are threatened when her eating disorder is triggered again.
A tender friendship blossoms among the women as they discover they’re far more alike than first appearances would suggest. Together, they learn to exchange their distorted self-images for the truth that they are created in the image of God–and of tremendous worth to him.
Ginny Yttrup’s writing always takes me on an emotional and spiritual journey. It shines a light in places of my heart that I didn’t know needed illumination.
As I read Invisible and related to the characters, God gently nudged me about my own issues with self-image. Through this novel, God began a conversation with me that I know will continue long into the future. That’s what really great Christian writing can do.
Upcoming TweetChat with Ginny Yttrup:
On Monday, April 8, I’ll be interviewing author Ginny Yttrup at 5pm (PDT) on Twitter. Join us for this Tweet Chat by using the hashtag, #InspireChat in all your comments and questions. At the end of the #InspireChat, we’ll give away a copy of Invisible to three lucky winners.
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Has God given you victory over a situation or circumstance in your Christian walk? Or, do you know someone who has overcome loss, adversity, illness or other obstacles with God’s help.
Now is your opportunity to tell that story in non-fiction, short fiction or poem.
Inspire Christian Writers will publish our third annual anthology, Inspire Victory, in the Spring of 2014.
Our anthologies are written exclusively by members of Inspire Christian Writers.
We are accepting submissions between May 1 and August 1, 2013. Start writing and editing your story now. Then come back May 1, to submit your piece(s). Submissions will be accepted through this website.
1.You must be an Inspire member to submit. Not a member? You can join today on our website.
2. You may submit inspiring fiction or non-fiction manuscripts, up to 1500 words, or poetry up to sixteen lines.
3. Write from your heart—be open, transparent, and vulnerable.
4. As soon as you submit your piece using the online form, you will receive an e-mail confirming that we’ve received your manuscript.
5. Submit as many pieces as you like. You will receive two books for your published contribution.
6. The Inspire Victory editors will evaluate all incoming stories and determine which will be included in the book.
1. Choose a creative title.
2. Use a strong hook in the first sentence or paragraph.
3. Show conflict and resolution.
4. Use multiple scenes.
5. Include the five senses in your descriptions using few or no adverbs.
6. Show—don’t tell.
7. Include engaging dialogue.
8. Make the turning point clear—when the person or character changes in thought or deed.
9. Make the takeaway clear without spelling it out.
10. Offer a spiritually satisfying ending.
If you have questions about Inspire Victory, you can send them to MichelleMurray@inspirewriters.com
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Come celebrate the book launch of Plastic Polly, Jenny Lundquist’s newest release, at
Barnes & NobleThis launch is part of a Book Fair sponsored by Barnes & Noble. That means the Folsom Cordova Education Foundation will receive a percentage of each sale (up to 25%)
Plastic Polly sells for $6.99 a copy and will be available for purchase during the launch and book fair.
If you shop online on March 23rd at BarnesandNoble.com, simply enter the code “11041704″ when making your purchase, then the school district will still receive proceeds.
To follow Jenny’s writing journey and get to know her better, visit her blog, www.jennylundquist.com
How will you help get the word out about the launch of Plastic Polly?
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Every author needs a platform, a way to connect with current and potential readers–our audience.
Whether we publish through traditional channels or self-publish, it’s vital to create a way to connect with our intended audience. Otherwise, our messages or stories will not be read. And really, the point of writing books is that they would minister to others in some way.
Unread books provide no ministry. Ministry only happens when your books are read!
So, how do we get our books read? How do we connect with our intended readers?
We’ll begin probing those questions this Thursday as we kick of our “Build Your Author Platform” series of classes.
If you’re local, join us at First Covenant Church, 10933 Progress Court, Rancho Cordova (rm. 203) from 9am-noon to begin learning how to build your author platform.
Bring a copy of Michael Hyatt’s book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.
We’ll glean much of our content from Platform, but we’ll also bring in other experts in various aspects of platform-building to help us develop skills to design a platform that works with our unique gifts and personalities.
This series of classes will meet once a month on the third Thursday. It’s free for all Inspire Christian Writers Members!
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Saturday Morning: 8:00 am
Saturday Vigil: 4:30 pm
Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:45 am,
12:30 pm, 5:30 pm
Saturday Vigil: 6:15pm
Sunday: 9:00am, 7:15pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 8:30 am
© 2011 Inspire Christian Writers