Writing Tip

Debra E. Chandler:
"Avoid thinking things like have to and should in relation to your writing. Try reprogramming want to and will in the space those words take up in your head. It helps maintain that sense of play that is so vital to creativity."

Featured Blog: Kelley Benson's Books

Calling on His Name
By Kelley Benson

What was the Great Awakening? It’s not Monday morning; it was a revival movement 200 years after the Reformation Movement. The first and second Great awakening was primarily focused in America and England - (The Restoration Movement came out of this movement.) In 1801 the Cane Ridge Revival was labeled “the most important religious gathering in all of American history.”
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The Monster Squad returns!

Full Moon Rising (Volume 2)
By Heath Stallcup
Horror - The Monster Squad - Their mission: to keep the civilian populace safe from the monsters that go bump in the night and hide all evidence of their existence. As the squad begins to rebuild from a crippling blow, they face not only the monsters of the dark… but now some start to question the loyalty of members within their elite group. Will they fight as one cohesive unit, or be torn apart by internal strife? 
As the squad deals with their own turmoil, a dark storm brews that threatens not just the hunters, but the lives of every human on Earth.
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Writing Tip

Barbara Shepherd:
"Ideas, or solutions, occur when you least expect them. If you think you’ll remember those brilliant words or phrases until you can sit in front of your computer, odds are you won’t. So be prepared. Keep a pad and pen on your bedside table, near your grocery list, beside your favorite chair, and in your vehicle. How long has it been since you wrote with that pen? Make sure you have an extra one or a pencil in reserve."

Featured Blog: Paws and Reflect

Entitlement
By Kathy Akins

“Behold God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he is become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

I grew up with please and thank you as part of my everyday language. Consideration of others and gratitude for kindness was embedded in my upbringing. Admittedly, there have been times when I forgot to say the words. That’s when to ask if it’s a polite courtesy or true gratitude.
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Writing Tip

Debra Chandler:
"When you’re stuck for ideas, try the person, place, thing prompt. Start with one, say a thing, and then think about who would use or need that thing, and then where they might use it. Make it the basis for other questions and development."

Have a laugh!

Floozy & Other Stories
By Stephen B. Bagley
Humor - Got two nuns and a goat? Do you enjoy Sabbath Night Fever? Or own a flying robot monkey army serving our Alien Masters? If you do - and even if you don't - this is the book for you! Laugh at these hilarious tales from the author's decidedly different life.
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Featured Blog: Stephen B. Bagley's Books

Of Pilgrims & Pillorying
By Stephen B. Bagley

I hope if you have to travel during Thanksgiving that you drive carefully. If you take public transportation, ride the bus or train with great caution. Remember only you can prevent forest fires. So stay out of the forest! The chipmunks don’t want you there. They and the squirrels plot against you, and the less said about the devious chipmunks, the better.

I intended to write something about Thanksgiving, but most people know the story of the Pilgrims and their long perilous journey across the ocean.
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Conversations with Scars, Death, Pain, Grief & God

Patchwork Skin (Second Edition)
By Barbara Shepherd 
Poetry - A few conversations with scars, death, pain, grief, and God. Patchwork Skin is a collection of "hospital poems" and can take the place of a get-well card to send to someone who may be facing a medical crisis. Shepherd has endured illness and severe injuries but still maintains a positive attitude. In Patchwork Skin, she shares her conversations in and out of the hospital and hopes her words may help others. In this second edition, she adds four new poems to the original thirteen, including two she wrote after one of her sons died suddenly.
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Writing Tip

Debra Chandler:
"To stay motivated, study motivation. I know it sounds weird, but you have to learn what motivates you, and to do that, you have to learn motivation techniques. You don’t have to take an entire course on it, but looking things up is always helpful."

Writing Tip

Heath Stallcup:
"Link everything. We live in a technology-filled world where everything is, or can be, linked. Link your phone to your computer to your online cloud storage. Find yourself stuck in a doctor's office with a long wait? Access your current WIP [Work In Progress] and add to it. It also makes it a lot tougher to 'lose' that work in the event of a boneheaded move.

"Link your life as well. Connect your social media so that one post to your blog also feeds Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other social media accounts you might have. It saves you time and gets your name 'out there' more."

Featured Blog: Kelley Benson's Books

What should be different about a Christian than other people without a hope in Christ’s promises? I’m sure we could list many attributes that set us apart from the world, but at least during this time of year one characteristic should come to our minds–Gratitude. At the heart of what many celebrate this week is gratitude for family, friends, material blessings, freedom, and of course spiritual blessings. All of these things we realize have shaped our life and made us what we know we need to be and hopefully want to be.

I’m reminded of a passage that may not seem like a Thanksgiving Day sort of passage, but it addresses the great insight into a grateful-hearted person.
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Enjoy A Delicious Recipe From "Vittles and Vignettes" Cookbook

(Excerpt from Vittles and Vignettes)

By Barbara Shepherd

Goals–committing them to paper–is a great way to move your projects forward just like breakfast is essential to begin each day for maximum energy and stamina.
  
Long ago, getting up before dawn on the farm meant being greeted by the aroma of fresh-cooked bacon or sausage and hearing the sizzle of eggs frying in an iron skillet. Yum!

Breakfast Casserole is a great substitute. Prepare it the night before, and it will be ready to pop into the oven the next morning–baking while you get ready for work. This is also a great recipe to have on hand for overnight company during the holidays!

Breakfast Casserole

1 pound ground sausage
8 eggs, beaten
6 slices white bread, cut into cubes
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Spray 9”x13” baking pan with cooking spray.
Brown sausage in skillet; remove and drain on paper towels; set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine eggs, bread cubes, milk, mustard, salt, and cheese; stir in sausage. Pour mixture into baking pan; refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove pan from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350°. Bake casserole 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven; slice and serve hot.

Happy cooking to you!

Buy Vittles and Vignettes on Amazon

Writing Tip

Nita Beshear:
"Entertain yourself first. Many authors have said, 'I wrote for me.' You're a reader; write what you want to read. If it's too far-fetched, you can always edit it later. Despite the overabundance of repeats on television, in the movies, and even some books, your audience really doesn't want a rehash; they want something new. It doesn't have to be 'landing on Mars' new, just something a little different, odd even. Besides, if you don't entertain yourself while writing, writing becomes a dreaded chore, and the writer ends up slogging through to get the story written. So, entertain yourself with your story; it will entertain your reader."

Writing Tip

Debbie Anderson:
"Write something. Even if it isn't the part of your book you seem to be stuck on. Sit down and write. Write about your experiences. We all have them--good ones, funny ones, sad ones, bad ones, etc. Write about your dog, cat, or hamster. Or use your pet as the character for a completely different story. Did anyone read Watchers by Dean Koontz? It's one of my personal favorites. If I had known it was about a dog that learns to read and write with Scrabble letters, I would have never picked it up. The mystery aspect was what grabbed me--the dog made me love it. So write. Ask yourself, 'What if?' And then start writing."

Create a Quilt!

Devoted to Quilting
By Nita Beshear
Inspirational - "I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt." - Proverbs 7:16
These devotionals are for quilters at all ability levels and also for lovers of quilts. From the quilt spectator to the quilting professional, a quilt is more than a simple coverlet. The process of creating a quilt provides moments of frustration, fear, stress, fun, or adventure. For the quilt spectator or recipient, the quilt offers memories of these same feelings or memories of these emotional times. This books gives you devotionals that with which quilters and quilt lovers can identify, Bible verses to help you along in your sewing life, and sewing tips to make your quilting go easier.
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Writing Tip

Stephen B. Bagley:
“Find a good, honest person who will function as your beta reader. You need someone who reads your genre and knows what’s been published, who can tell when they get bored, when a plot point is unbelievable, and if they would recommend the published book to a friend. Critiques are always tough to hear; remember that you asked them.

“A good critiquer, however, doesn’t attempt to change your story. They let you know the flaws they see and then do not attempt to fix them. You’re the writer. It’s your story. It’s your responsibility to fix its flaws.

“Sometimes, however, your story simply doesn’t click with a critiquer because of your subject matter or focus or whatever. Thank them for their time and look for someone else. You need an honest, objective look. While it’s nice to hear someone loved your draft, such comments do not help you improve.”

Dark Fantasies Take Flight!

Blackbirds Third Flight
Anthology - Enjoy chilling tales and thrilling poetry in this collection from Kathy Akins, Stephen B. Bagley, Wendy Blanton, Michael Cantin, D.E. Chandler, Erin Cochran, Gail Henderson, Mariana Llanos, Jean Schara, and Heath Stallcup.
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Featured Blog - Paws and Reflect

Selfish Prayers
By Kathy Akins

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
James 4: 1-3

Prayer should be a part of a Christian’s daily life. It is, after all, direct communication with God. He loves us and wants us to ask for our needs and wants – even though He already knows what they are.
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Newsletter Offers Sneak Peak At Picture Book

Member News:
   Prosateur Barbara Shepherd's new picture book The Pot Belly Pig Promise was featured in the November newsletter from publisher Doddle and Peck. Read more at:

https://www.doodleandpeck.com/so/1L_NkS1U#/main

Writing Tip

Debra Chandler:
"Look for evocative descriptors. Words that may be used in unconventional ways to create a depth of imagery behind the thing being described. To use an example from Nathan Brown’s Remember Los Alamos, he describes a particular dessert as being a “buttery meltdown” in a diner in the town that is the “birthplace of the (nuclear) bomb.”

Review: "Write Your Novel From the Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between" by James Scott Bell

(Please note: All book reviews are unsolicited and unpaid. The reviews represent the viewpoint of the reviewer alone and are offered as an aid to other writers.)

Book Review by Barbara Shepherd

Write Your Novel From the Middle: 
A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between
By James Scott Bell

Bell introduces us to Pam Pantser who struggled to create an outline but decided it was too much “like shampooing a porcupine.” Although Paul Plotter self-published nine good thrillers, followed all the rules of writing, and could probably win awards for perfect outlines, his books still need help. Tammy Tweener’s writing process borrows from those of Pam and Paul, yet she needs a stronger story. Bell promises to help all three with his “Write From the Middle Method.”

The middle – the dead center – where the real meat of your story resides. How did he discover this? He loves books and movies, and some leave lasting impressions. Why? He opened those novels to their middle pages. He stopped his DVD player at the exact time half-way into each movie. Amazed, he says, “Midpoint was not a scene at all. It is a moment within a scene – the moment that tells us what the novel or movie is really all about.”

He gives a brief, but visual, lesson in structure. The true midpoint where the character looks within and takes stock – “a look in the mirror” moment.

How do we put this information to use? Bell explains this “Mirror Moment” – where we brainstorm until we know the heart and the heat of our story and what it is “really all about.” He shares “The Golden Triangle” which starts with pre-story psychology, the mirror moment as the apex, and ends with the story’s transformation.

James Scott Bell imparts his fiction-writing wisdom in a quick and easy-to-absorb format no textbook can. This is a five-star addition to any writer’s resource library no matter how he/she chooses to tell a story.
Five stars. *****

Writing Tip

Wendy Blanton:
"Daydreaming counts as writing. Sometimes you have to step away from the keyboard and do something that doesn't require thought. It can be going for a walk or curling up on the couch, but I've also had good luck with washing dishes, folding clothes, and gardening. Doing something with my hands and freeing up my brain to noodle the story works for me. Your mileage may vary."

Writing Tip

Nita Beshear:
"Sometimes we have a tendency to wander around when we just went to look something up on the Internet. It's a little like going into the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with a basket full of items. One remedy for both is a list. Take a list into the store, don't go down other aisles, stick to the bread aisle. Find the bread on your list; turn around and leave.

"For the internet, make a list of facts you need to check or questions you need answered by the wide world of the internet. Then, when you get online, give yourself a time limit, and go down your list of questions answering them and moving on. I started the list making back in the day when I didn't have internet at home and had to go somewhere else to get online. It became important to do my research first before I went 'playing' or had to leave."

Creatures of the Night Beware!

Return of the Phoenix (Volume 1)
By Heath Stallcup
Horror - Humanity has spent its time enjoying the peace that can only be had through blissful ignorance. For centuries, stories of things that go 'bump' in the night have been passed down and shared. When creatures of the night proved to be real, the best of America’s military came together to form an elite band of rapid response teams. Their mission: to face the challenge and keep the civilian populace safe from those threats and hide all evidence of their existence. But during a routine mission, when things go horribly wrong, the Monster Squad finds themselves having to rebuild from the ashes of what they once were. This time, they face not only the monsters that threaten the peaceful lives of the citizens they are sworn to protect, but their own government as a dark storm brews on the horizon. A storm that will threaten not just the squads and their existence, but the lives of every human on earth.

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Featured Blog - Paws and Reflect

Prayer and Thanksgiving
By Kathy Akins

I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth thy marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
Psalm 9: 1, 2

It’s hard to believe that the calendar has turned another page and we are in November. This time of year always brings childhood memories of Thanksgiving holidays spent with family. It meant cold weather had hit and we might get snow, gathering at a family member’s home for fellowship and turkey dinner, and parades followed by football all day on the television. Fond memories of a simpler time, unmarred by the concerns of adulthood.
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Good Food! Good Reading!

Vittles and Vignettes
By Barbara Shepherd
Cookbook - Vittles and Vignettes is a collection of over 250 family recipes and a sampling of original short stories, magazine articles, essays, and poems, some fantasy, some factual. Vittles is a term used in early days for food. The recipes (once referred to as “receipts”) presented in this book are a compilation of tried-and-true family favorites, some old, others more recent. Find easy-to-prepare dishes for beginning cooks and some more challenging for those who have kitchen experience. Read. Cook. Sit down at the dinner table to visit and enjoy mealtime. Pass recipes down to friends and the younger members of your family. Happy cooking to you!
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Debra Chandler accepted into Red Earth MFA program

Member News:
Prosateur Debra Chandler had been accepted into the Red Earth MFA program at Oklahoma City University as announced by Dr. Jeanetta Calhoun Mish, director of the Red Earth MFA program and the current Poet Laureate for the state of Oklahoma. Chandler will be starting in the Fall 2018 semester and should graduate from the program in the summer of 2020. The Red Earth MFA is a Masters of Fine Arts degree for Creative Writing. For more information about the Red Earth MFA, follow the link below:
https://www.okcu.edu/artsci/departments/english/redearthmfa

Devotions for Your Modern Life!

On Target: Devotions for Modern Life
By Kelley Benson
Inspirational - Are you too busy for your life? Do you run back and forth from one crisis to another? Do you feel unfocused? Do you often have doubts about your relationship with God, your family, and your place in this confusing, chaotic world? Kelley Benson wants to help you and your family live a more abundant life by sharing the marvelous wisdom in God's Word. In more than 50 devotions targeted toward our modern life and sized for our busy schedules, he shares God's Good News with you. Isn't it past time for your life to finally be on target?
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Have some laughs!

Floozy & Other Stories
By Stephen B. Bagley
Humor - Laugh at these hilarious tales from the author's decidedly different life.
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Writing Tip

Wendy Blanton:
"Write every day, even if it's just a little. It's easier to pick up where you left off than it is to restart altogether. Keep the momentum going."