I just got back from our fabulous American Christian Fiction Writers conference where I got to see my peeps. Ami McConnell (on the right) taught an AMAZING class on loving your reader. It was a terrific reminder to respect and think about my reader and how she/he is affected by my books.

Erin Healy (on the left) along with my agent, Karen Solem, have taught me so much about building layers in a story. I know in a few weeks I'm going to get some great direction from both of them on Tidewater Inn. I can't wait! You all know how I love the editing process!

Good layers are often the key to making an editor sit up and take notice. So much of the time, stories that hit the editor’s desk are so similar. Romance especially can be tough to make fresh. But it’s all in the layers.

Here are the layers I work on with every story:

1. Setting is huge for me. A character who lives in Boston is very different from one who lives in the Outer Banks. The culture that shaped him/her is different too. Think about where your characters are. Read newspapers from that area and see if you can find a plot layer in what is going on currently there. Is there a culture group that’s strong there? In my Rock Harbor books, the Finnish culture had a huge role and was fun to layer in. The Lonestar series is set on a ranch in Texas that rescues abused horses and matches them with abused children. That idea gripped me by the throat, and that’s what you want your idea to do.

2. Character types. Take a look at character types and pit different types against one another to play off weaknesses and pet peeves. This can add a really great layer of conflict that’s ongoing. Maybe your female lead loves the wilderness and the hero’s idea of a great vacation is a cruise where everything is served to him. Maybe your heroine makes gourmet chocolates and the hero breaks out in hives from the aroma on her clothing. You get the picture!

3. Can you give your protagonist an obsession? That can really springboard you to plot ideas as she pursues it. This is often where to layer in your theme. In Lonestar Angel, due out in a few weeks, Eden and Clay are driven to find out if one of the five little girls at Bluebird Ranch is the daughter they thought drowned in a kidnapping gone wrong.

4. Interesting occupation. This leads me to story ideas all the time. I’ve written about a SAR dog team, a dolphin researcher, a smokejumper, an antique quilt expert, and an old time telephone operator at the turn of the century.

5. Think of plot layers that are problems for your main characters. Try to come up with at least three. For example, in Lonestar Angel, Eden is fighting off whoever lured them to the ranch, she's trying to figure out which child is Brianna, and she's dealing with her mother coming back into her life. Keep piling on the problems! Torture your poor character. The problem with many manuscripts I see is that there isn’t enough conflict and it isn’t varied enough. It’s not enough to have just ONE conflict.

Layers will life your book out of the rejected pile. They will add depth and interest to your characters and your plot. If you’ve already written the book, it’s still not too late to tear into it and make it something special. Don’t be afraid to start from scratch and add the things that need to be there.

Labels: Ami McConnell, Erin Healy, Lonestar Angel, story layers

If you've hung around our blog at all, you KNOW how much I adore Erin Healy! She's edited all of my Thomas Nelson books except for one. She's an integral part of the team and I so love and value her opinion. And I love her a friend as well. She's done some books with Ted Dekker, but she's now writing on her own. You're in for a treat when you read Never Let You Go. Here's an interview I recently did with my dear Erin. Enjoy!

Labels: editing, Erin Healy, Never Let You Go

EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER FUN
This past weekend I got to see a real Extreme Home Makeover house! I flew out to Colorado Springs to speak to the ACFW conference there. Sweet Kimberley Woodhouse invited me to stay with her and the family. I was excited to spend some time with her! I'd seen Ty Pennington show her their new house (completed in 4 days) but the reality of it was sooo much better than just seeing it on TV. Her kitchen was to die for! The granite was just fabulous and I loved the island. I nearly screamed when I got to see the dragon in Josh's room. And in the basement where I slept there was a bowling lane, a jukebox, a HUGE projector TV. This TV played a huge role in the fun we had over the weekend because I got to see the Masterpiece Theater production of Jane Eyre on Friday night and Pride and Prejudice on Saturday night. They were both sooo good! We giggled like school girls. LOL I was wishing my girls were with us. I KNOW Kristin especially would have been giving me all the background to the Jane Austen movies. LOL I would be giving her all the background to the Jane Eyre (which she never liked.)

But you know, the true fun of the whole weekend was being with Kim and her family. She has a contagious joy that spills over into everything she does. I got to read some of the story she and Kayla are working on for Broadman & Holman (they get to work with Karen Ball!) and it's GOOD! How can a 12 year old write like that? I knew Kim could write, but I was shocked to see how early Kayla was developing her talent.

I spoke at a writer's conference for Kim, and also got to see my fabulous editor and friend Erin Healy! Her first solo book, Never Let You Go, will be out next month. Rachelle Gardner, agent extraordinaire, was there as well, and we had a grand time together! The weekend made me doubly thankful for the friendships we develop in this business. My life is so much richer for the people God has brought into my life since I started writing.

How about you? Want to praise a friend who has gone the extra mile for you lately? Now's the time to do it!

Labels: Erin Healy, Extreme Home Makeover, Karen Ball, Kimberley Woodhouse, Rachelle Gardner, Ty Pennington

A HOME REMODELING ADDICT
I admit it. I'm an addict. I LOVE home projects. The house is finished but I'm not looking for something else to do. We redid the kitchen last year but now I'm sorry we didn't take down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room to open it up so we're going to knock it down. It won't undo anything we've already done, so that's good. I think we're also going to redo the upstairs bathroom that we did when we first moved in twelve years ago. It's time, don't you think? :-) And we're going to take down some wallpaper and paint.

HGTV feeds this addiction. We watch it every single night. Seriously. Without fail. I love House Hunters because I can peek inside and see what other people are doing with their houses and what a current update looks like. When I think about it, it shouldn't be surprising that I so love the editing process too. That's taking the bones of a book and "remodeling" it so it's better. I'm about done with the rough draft to Lightkeeper's Bride and that fun tinkering can begin! This time is a little scary. All my Nelson books have been edited by Erin Healy. Last week I had a call from her that tossed everything upside down. Now I'd been expecting it since she's writing her own books. But expecting it and being ready for it are two different things! But as always, Ami and Erin had it all thought out and planned and they'd arranged for Lisa Bergren to take over for this book. (Erin says it's just THIS book. That she'll be riding tandem with me on the next one.) So I've got an editor I've heard really great things about. It helps that I love her books AND she writes historicals so that should be a help.

But I can't say I'm not a little nervous. It's like picking out a paint color and not knowing for sure how it's going to look on the wall and in my lighting. LOL But I'm game for it! The call of the new remodel awaits. :-)

How about you? How do you feel when faced with a new challenge? Do you like change or dig in your heels?

Labels: Erin Healy, HGTV, home remodeling, House Hunters, Lisa Bergren

ACFW CONFERENCE
We were quiet last week but for a good reason. For the first time in three years or so we were all together in one place! Di brought us all DeBrand truffles and Kristin brought us manicure stuff. Fits, doesn't it? LOL We barely got any sleep, but oh it was so worth it! Kimberley Woodhouse (Welcome Home about her experience with Extreme Home Makeover) got us from the airport. She is a super talented photographer and took some pics of us that we'll be posting later. Girls Write Out's own Jaime Sundsmo was there and we got to "meet" little Chloe whom we've practically prayed into existence. That's her we're all touching!

The hotel (Marriott Tech Center) was fabulous. The staff couldn't be beat, though no matter what we did I couldn't charge anything to my room even though Robin told them three times I was CEO and on the master account. This didn't matter except it seriously cut my coffee consumption since I tended to run over to Starbucks without my wallet. The food was terrific and our servers were just awesome. Everything ran so smoothly with our conference director Robin Miller and conference coordinator Sydney Zech overseeing everything.

The thing that set the foundation for it all was how our president, Cynthia Ruchti, and our conference director, Robin Miller, prayed over the meeting rooms and the halls outside the sleeping rooms. The Spirit just hovered over that place and blessed us all beyond measure. Debbie Macomber's messages as keynote were exactly what we needed this year. I have my 3 x 5 card with my goals all written out and have been mulling over other things she's said.

I got to spend time with my wonderful agent, Karen Solem, this year too. Everything good that's happened in my career I lay at her feet (and Jesus's of course.) She was the lynchpin that got it all rolling in the right direction. And the grand announcement that my fabulous Ami McConnell won Editor of the Year just blessed me beyond measure! She is such a terrific editor and has taught me so much! I was so excited when she won that I could barely speak. I rushed back to the table, grabbed my phone and called her from the banquet hall. When I realized from the giggles around me that I was talking too loudly, I rushed for the hall so I could squeal with abandon. LOL She was thrilled!

I arranged a dinner for the Nelson authors and we had the best time with superman Allen Arnold and editor Becky Monds! I'm so blessed to be part of the family. In the other post for the day, I'll post some more pictures. It would only let me post four. :( I learned something new about Allen. I knew he loved Mexican food but I DIDN'T know he liked to order big bowls of salsa and eat it with a spoon! He ate two bowls of it! My beloved Erin Healy also showed up!

The workshops were exemplary and I learned so much from the advanced class taught by Allen Arnold and Karen Ball. Though some faces paled when he suggested we all do Twitter and Facebook. I was one of the first Christian authors on Twitter so that was one thing I didn't have to change. Okay, this is so Kristin. Late in the morning of the 2nd class, she decided she was going to run to Target and she'd be back before our "graduation." Cheryl Hodde went with her. When K's name was called and she wasn't there, Karen Ball said, "Oh she probably went shopping." It was a joke but the room roared when they found out she actually HAD gone shopping!

And I always get so tickled to see our quiet little Denise up there banging away on the drums. Friends, she is an AWESOME drummer! I'm so proud of her! Rachel Hauck is the leader of the worship team and she just leads us right into the presence of the Lord. I just love that part of it!

So I'm tired but happy today. And so blessed with friends!

Labels: ACFW Conference, Allen Arnold, Ami McConnell, Becky Monds, DeBrand truffles, Erin Healy, Karen Ball, Karen Solem, Kim Woodhouse