Posted April 18, 2012

Flavors is a novella by author Emily Sue Harvey, a Southern inspirational author from South Carolina and this book took me back to childhood.

In Flavors, this master storyteller of the human heart sweeps us along with twelve-year-old Sadie Ann Melton as she enters a lifealtering season. The summer of 1950 will change everything for her. For in that summer, she will embark on an odyssey at once heartbreakingly tender and crushingly brutal. At times, she will experience more darkness than she has ever witnessed before. At others, she will thrill to lightness and joy she never imagined. By summer's end, the Melton women in Sadie's journey--loving her, coaxing her, and commanding her--will help shape her into the woman she becomes. And they will expose Sadie to all of the flavors of life as she savors the world that she brings into being.

Filled with charm, wisdom, and the smorgasbord of emotions that comes with the first steps into adulthood, Flavors once again proves Emily Sue Harvey's unique ability to touch our souls with her unforgettable stories.

I can't wait to choose my next read from Emily Sue Harvey's growing book shelf of novels! For more information about Emily Sue Harvey, visit her web site at Emily Sue Harvey

Her books can be found at Amazon

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted April 13, 2012

The third novel I've read by author Emily Sue Harvey, a Southern inspirational author from South Carolina, Song of Renewal is a story that tugs at the heartstrings of every parent.

"The Wakefields seem to have everything. Garrison is a hugely successful graphic artist. Liza is an active member of the community and a patron of the arts. Their 16-year-old daughter Angel is bright, beautiful, and a gifted dancer. At the same time, though, they have traded away many of their dreams. Garrison gave up a future as an accomplished painter to make money. Liza suspended her own dancing career to raise a family. And Angel is setting aside her ambitions to live her mother's dream.

"When Angel gets into a car accident that kills her first love, the Wakefields' lives turn on a dime. While Angel lies in a coma from which even the best prognosis is devastating, Garrison and Liza sit by her side, their once-passionate marriage in tatters. As their heartache over Angel builds, Garrison and Liza struggle to rediscover who they once were -- and who they were meant to be. They come to realize that it will take everything they have within themselves to heal Angel, heal their hearts, and renew the power of their love.

"At once romantic, inspiring, and empowering, Song of Renewal is a rare bauble of a novel, one with something to say to every family."

I can't wait to choose my next read from Emily Sue Harvey's growing book shelf of novels! For more information about Emily Sue Harvey, visit her web site at Emily Sue Harvey

Her books can be found at Amazon

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted April 01, 2012

Make your characters stand out by giving them extraordinary chutzpah. Synonyms for chutzpah are: audaciousness, audacity, brashness, brass, brassiness, brazenness, cheek, cheekiness, effrontery (also chutzpa or hutzpah or hutzpa), crust, face, gall, nerve, nerviness, pertness, presumption, presumptuousness, sauce, sauciness, and temerity. If a main character is too sweet there simply is no conflict and no conflict, no story. The main character has to be likeable yet can't be a wet noodle.

Since we're approaching Easter, I'm going to use Jesus again for a teaching example for extraordinary chutzpah. First of all, I'd like to say that in all my many years of listening to sermons I've never heard one sermon centered around Jesus and "The Ear of Malchus." The fact about the ear being cut off and then healed has been mentioned, but never in detail. Remember in the Book of Luke when the servant of the high priest, Malchus, arrived in the Garden of Gethsemene with his new pal Judas and a horde of Roman soldiers so they could arrest Jesus?

Jesus had the foresight to tell his disciples to bring along a sword and when the Judas kiss went down betraying Jesus and he was seized by the soldiers, Peter took the liberty of being the first disciple to strike the servant Malchus, cutting off his ear. This scene has recently made my curiosity swell.

And here's what I mean by details. Luke doesn't tell us if Jesus picked up the ear from the ground and "touched" it back on for a miracle healing or if the ear flew into the weeds never to be found again because torch lighting is not the best, causing Jesus to "touch" the bleeding place to grow a new ear. Or perhaps the ear hung by a skin flap and Jesus repositioned it by touching and healing. I'm sorry, but I think Luke could have written with more clarity when writing his version of the story. I want to know what happened to that ear!

But let's move on to the purpose of the "ear of Malchus." By having the disciples show up with a couple of swords, Jesus had one last opportunity to show those who'd come against him that he could perform miracles and if he could perform miracles, then he could call down warring angels or wipe the whole gang out himself with one sentence-"I am he"-causing them to draw back and fall to the ground incapacitated for a moment.

Then, I can only imagine that the soldiers in front of the mob who witnessed this miraculous healing whispered back through the ranks about the ear of Malchus to the ones who had fallen onto the ground when Jesus announced that he indeed was the Jesus of Nazareth they were looking for. After one ear was cut off Jesus immediately said, "No more of this!" According to the mob mentality that night, a hundred ears could have been lopped off and reattached miraculously and the pack of dogs would have still been thirsting for blood and a killing. They were on a mission to bring in their man.

However, during the fray, Jesus had the temerity, the crust, the brass, the cheekiness, even the kindness and loving tenderness, to give the mob a last chance effort to believe in him because of the miraculous healing of the ear of Malchus. Jesus had extraordinary chutzpah.

Okay, you say, there's only one Messiah and He's already come and is one of the main protags in a Book that's outsold every book. How can I write about another main character like that?

You can't. He's the One and Only. There is no other. But you can use his human characteristics as an example of extraordinary chutzpah for developing your own fictional heroes because aren't we all supposed to endeavor to be like Jesus? Besides being an artist in the beginning and creating the most exquisite plants and animals, and later performing miracles of raising people from the dead, casting out demons, and healing, what else did he do? Drew in the sand. He encouraged. Taught truths. He told parables. He went out of his way to talk to a woman at a well, someone a Rabbi at that time would never do. He wept. And became angry, throwing over the money changers' tables. Best of all, He loved the little children.

If you were to take away the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, He would still be an extremely interesting and strong main character, though we know he was not only the Son of God, He was God.

I won't be blogging again until after Easter, so everyone enjoy your Easter Holiday!

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted March 27, 2012

Does the word betrayal alone make your stomach do a flip-flop? Live long enough and you will sooner or later experience betrayal. Either that or you'll be one of the luckiest humans on the planet. Or perhaps you'll be the one to betray, not something to easily live with if you have half a heart. However, if someone has turned their back on you and you've been betrayed or have worn the brogan on the other foot, think back on those emotionally evocative experiences, write them down, and to ratchet up angst and conflict in a story plot, use those feelings in a scene.

Having writers block with this exercise? Then try opening the Bible and read about the last hours before Jesus Christ was arrested in Luke 22. Though you'll never be the Messiah, at least try to put yourself in his human man sandals to get a feel of what he was experiencing before his incarceration. At the Last Supper Jesus took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him."

Jesus had grown up with James, at least one sibling who didn't believe his brother was the Messiah. James was more than likely embarrassed by his brother's claim that he was God. Now, Judas was to betray Jesus and to top it all off, one of Jesus' closest friends, Peter, was going to deny and betray him. "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me." How awful for Jesus who had a heads up about these betrayals, but how even more horrifying for Peter when he heard the cock's third crow and realized that what Jesus had told him had now come to pass! Can you imagine what he must have felt? Shame? Humiliation? Remorse? And would he lose his best friend because of his betrayal?

I'm sure Peter must have also recalled earlier words Jesus had spoken about the end times. "Then he said to them: 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed (there's that word again) even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life."

Even though Peter had previously been prepared by Jesus' words prior to the rooster's third crow, he still, out of his human weakness, betrayed someone he dearly admired, loved, and worshipped.

Again, think about how difficult that must have been for Peter, and how sad that must have been for Jesus who had been discipling for three years the men who had become his closest friends.

So, when writing your scenes, show your character's weaknesses, then later, show his or her strengths once they've been sifted as wheat, turned back, and strengthened their brothers and sisters.

And remember…memorable novel characters are those who experience growth. Though Peter did some big time betraying, he also had a growth spurt in the character building department and became the rock on which the Christian "church" was built.

Not so shabby character development for a guy who once said three times, "I don't know him."

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted March 23, 2012

This is the second novel I've read by author Emily Sue Harvey who is a Southern inspirational author from South Carolina. This time, Emily Sue delves into a subject so many parents are now dealing with--grown children struggling with drug addictions and still living at home. The following is from Emily Sue Harvey's book Space:

"Now, in Space, Emily Sue delivers us a deeply moving story of a family on the brink. Dan and Deede Stowe have worked for years, planning and saving for their idyllic retirement years. Just when they finally are about to realize their dream, their adult, recovering drug-addict daughter, Faith, moves back in with them and everything changes. Their "miracle child," complete with druggie baggage, upsets the tranquil balance of the Stowes' existence. Private romantic moments evaporate. Faith's endless needs intrude hour by hour, devouring their finances, their emotions, and most crucially, their space. In turn, Faith finds herself bereft of everything she cherished most: her health, her marriage, her child, her family, her reputation and, most of all, a space to call her own.

"Amid chaotic challenges, all three battle to find peace with each other, a harmony that doggedly eludes them. For the sake of family solidarity, each is forced to sacrifice elemental components of self, until desperation turns them one against the other. Will love be enough to turn the tide? Is it strong enough to warm again hearts grown cold?

"Space is a vivid, candid, and life-affirming story from a masterful storyteller of the heart."

This is a revealing book about the agony experienced behind closed doors of a household where drug addiction swirls. I would recommend this book for any parent going through these issues with their children.

I can't wait to choose my next read from Emily Sue Harvey's growing book shelf of novels!

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted March 12, 2012

When you watch a movie, read a wonderful book, or love a new product, do you share your findings with others?

What makes a book go viral and stay on the New York Times Bestseller list for 70 weeks? Having someone like Oprah Winfrey promote it on a television show, you might say.

But not all of us could sit on Oprah's couch and today, her yellow couch is off the air. What now? There's still word of mouth and I do still believe in the principle. For instance, I met Joe Kissack through Facebook and became an influencer for his self-published book, The Fourth Fisherman, helping him send the book out to my circle of friends and blogging about his project. His book was picked up by Waterbrook Publishing and he's now on a book tour from the West Coast to the East Coast and is featured in the Southern Writers Magazine March/April 2012 issue.

So, if you ask me if word of mouth creates a buzz, I would have to say yes. I have several friends who are readers and many times they'll say, "Vicki, you just have to read this book, it's really sooooo good." If someone tells me that, I usually take the time to read it. Same with a movie. I loved War Horse so much that after I sobbed through it I called friends to make sure they went to see it so they could sob through it too.

Also, it helps to have influencers. An influencer is someone who is willing to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and give constructive feedback. It's also nice if they can blog about a book's launch, or write a book review on their blog. It helps if they also go to Amazon and Barnes and Noble to write a nice review.

I know some of us are more "motor mouths" than others. I once saw a hair style that would look good on a friend who had luxurious thick hair and suggested she try the new "do" since it was one that didn't suit my more silky fine hair that wouldn't hold a curl if terrorized by one. If my hair wouldn't participate at being chic, I at least wanted my friends to be chic-y.

And then, there was the time I found a dynamite dress and called up a long distance friend and said, "I'm in a store trying on the most gorgeous dress dahhhhling. I absolutely love it and you will too--gotta have one! Since we live in different cities and won't be seen in the same circles, want me to buy one for and you can pay me later?" Of course she trusted my judgment and said yes. (The truth; I could have talked her into wearing a brown paper bag because she liked my taste.) Though the dress "wore like pig iron," my friend loved it so much she wore it threadbare. Did I make a commission off of any of those sales? I wish! But no, I just wanted to share the good things in life with my friends.

But this is the best sad/jublilant story ever. Another time I owned a diesel car. I absolutely loved that vehicle. Raved about it to others. How I loved the seat, the silver color, the diesel engine sound, the performance, the smell of new car that lingered and lingered. Mmmmm-hmmmmmm. That car purrrrrred like a mountain bobcat cleaning up after a church dinner-on-the-ground. I would have made TV commercials for the local dealership for free, and embellished the truth a few notches on the high end because I loved that car so much.

My postman was so impressed with my automobile satisfaction that he made me promise to sell to him if I decided to buy a new car. When it came time to trade because my family was expanding with car seats and kids, I was so sad to give up my ride that for a split-hair second, I thought about selling the kids with car seats to boot. The postman said his kids were grown and didn't care to raise mine and promptly shoved the check into my purse while snatching the car keys from my hand and high-tailing it back to bulk mail. The jubilant part; now that my kids were farther apart in the new car's wider back seat, I no longer had to pull the fly swat from under the floor mat to threaten mayhem on the interstate. Well, not as often anyway.

However, is word of mouth the "be all, end all" for selling books? I think it does help to create a buzz and to keep a buzz going. However, advertisement money may have to be spent to either crank up the buzz or to keep the buzz revving so word can get out faster.

Blog rolls are also a great way to get the word out and create a buzz. If you know bloggers and book reviewers who are always gabbing like I am, definitely approach them to help get the word out about your project. The internet is an amazing place and I never dreamed my web site would have over half a million hits and be viewed in over 75 countries last count. Someone from Belarus, the Ukraine, or Slovenia may be interested or needing the novel or nonfiction book you're trying to promote. And who knows, a lurker might take a while to decide he likes what he sees and then come back for another look before being hooked to buy.

But let me leave you with something to chew on. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples probably thought their gig was up. They'd lost their leader. They'd lost their confidence. At first, they were grief stricken with no desire or energy to peddle the Good News. And before that, poor John the Baptist who was in jail awaiting the loss of his head sent word back to Jesus asking him, "Are you sure you're the One?" (kinda paraphrased) Poor followers! Knowing people haven't changed from one generation to the next, I can just hear them now saying, "Wow, can you believe what happened to John the Baptist? His head. On a plate. And now Jesus. Who claimed to be...well...think we've been duped all along or what?" Then look what happened when after three days, the true Influencer appeared.

After Jesus allowed a few fingers through his nail holes by Doubting Thomas and gave a few pep talks and finally departed for heaven promising them Power to come, the disciples were fortified and bolstered, and began traveling around talking about their "Project." And the concept of Christianity spread like wildfire. I'm wondering what the disciples would think about the invention of electricity, then the computer, then the worldwide web. I'll bet they would be blogging like *cwazy" trying to get their Good Book promoted even more.

So, if you really like a hairstyle, a car, a dress, or would like to help someone birth a book, or even raise someone's book from the grave--heh-heh--blab...er...blog a little for a friend. Shout it from the rooftops and help get the word out.

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted March 09, 2012

HOMEFIRES
by
Emily Sue Harvey

I love to find a Southern author and dive into everything he or she has ever written. Emily Sue Harvey is a South Carolina Southern Belle currently at the top of my list. I'm presently reading Homefires, a great book to devour while curled up with a cup of hot mocha so without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to her writing.

However, the back book jacket cover tells her story much better than I ever could.

"Emily Sue Harvey's novel Homefires is set in the Deep South's Bible Belt on the eve of unprecedented moral changes. It is the story of Janeece and Kirk Crenshaw, a couple married just after their high school graduaation who set out to make a life for themselves. It is a life marked by surprises, none more dramatic than when Kirk receives his 'high-calling' and becomes a pastor. It is a life marked by tragedy, the most heart-rending of which is a devastating event very close to home. And it is a life marked by challenges to their church, to their community, and most decidedly to their marriage. And as the fullness of time makes its impact on their union, Kirk and Janeece must face the question of whether they have gone as far as they can together.

"Filled with the rich emotions and evocative characters that fans have come to expect from Emily Sue Harvey, and reminiscent of the work of Jan Karon and Anne Rivers Siddons, Homefires is a poignant and compelling novel that will steal readers' hearts."

All I can tell you is I'm waiting on pins and needles to see how this story ends.

I've been hearing great things about this book and about Emily Sue's Book Club discussions. More to come later.

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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Posted March 04, 2012

HOW ARE YOU MEASURING UP?

Thomas Jefferson once said, "Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning."

I had to face it. If I didn't have my health, I couldn't write. And after weighing in and checking measurements after the holidays, as usual, I'd packed on a few pounds. So, now it's way past the New Year and after red velvet cake and all of the other casseroles and cornbread dressing I've scarfed down, time to tighten the belt and get back to work to adhere to my New Year's resolution. Get in shape.

But it's March. Yikes! My how time's flown.

Therefore, I decided I needed to work in some form of exercise every now and then because I sat on my fanny most of the time and didn't have an assistant to dictate to while standing up or while lifting barbells. And even if I dictated to an assistant, I would then miss out on the process of actually using a pencil or pen on paper or writing with a key board. And I truly liked writing with pen on paper some--especially for journaling--it just seemed to help get the creative juices flowing.

Also, I've always tried to pace myself when it came to writing. There were times when deadlines had to be met and hammering away at the keys was necessary. But I made myself a promise long ago; when there was nothing left in the cupboards from which to sip sweet tea but the measuring cup--I would take a break to run the dishwasher. I would never drink my tea out of a measuring cup. Mason jar?

Guilty.

Measuring cup?

Not gonna happen.

Way too tacky.

Perhaps what happened next was serendipitous. Another reminder that my body measurements were getting out of hand. Let's just say…I was growing. East and west. In the wrong directions! And I could save electricity by not running the dishwasher so often, but letting my health and weight slide the wrong way wasn't a good thing.

I likened the body to a car. There's a ton of maintenance to keep it running smoothly. Let the battery run down or corrode, the car refused to run. Exercise= necessary evil.

But get this! The unthinkable finally happened yesterday. Trying to get blog articles written ahead of time so I could luxuriate in working on novel revision, I did the dastardly. Filled the measuring cup with ice and poured sweet tea up to the 16 oz. line.

Tea-hee!

And since the old girth had expanded some, I was forced to walk a few calories off. Since I'd noticed the upper arms showed signs of taking on some swag, I pumped weights. It was all so boring. So, I pretended I was traveling in a wagon train headed West and had to throw out the heavy family heirlooms and cast iron skillets. Everything but the dutch oven and the measuring cup so the oxen could cross the next river without drowning. I'd need a dutch-oven so I could fry, boil, and bake, and the measuring cup was also multi-purpose. It's needed for cooking and could also be used for a drinking cup.

By then, the pain I was feeling in my upper arm muscles was of course caused due to the fact that I was having to help push the wagon up the mountain's steep grade before the oxen gave out and were dragged by the wagon back down the mountain.

And suddenly, I realized that I'd just created a scene in my head that could go in a story down the road!

Here's the summation skinny:

After three days of pumping weights you'll notice a difference in the arms. I would like to report that you'll be able to type faster because of the added strength, but that would be embellishing or stretching the truth--at least you'll notice a difference.

Though walking in circles or on the treadmill can become boring, try bundling up and taking long walks outside to get the heart rate up and blood circulating through the legs.

While exercising, your mind will still be working and creating snippets and scenes. If you're a workaholic, don't worry. Like a measuring cup you can also multitask. Create while you exercise. If you're that pumped about a project you're working on, carry a handheld recorder.

Next vacation -- try a real life wagon train trip if you don't mind eating little dogie dust.

What about you? How are you measuring up?

Comments anyone?

If you would like to comment or have questions about this article, email me vmoss@livingwaterfiction.com








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