The Farmers on Audibles

Since I had a good experience putting With Summer's Songs on audible with ACX, amazon's audio company, I thought I would move to The Farmers trilogy. Although my audible sales still haven't equaled my visual book sales, it does seem to be a growing market. In fact, the story a friend told me illustrates the need for such books.

It seems that an aging woman is nearly homebound from caring for her failing husband. In addition, her own eyesight has grown so poor that she can no longer see well enough to read, which she used to love. Therefore, one of her friends calls her on the telephone each evening and reads a chapter in a book to her. I know this because my books have been some of the ones they chose. This lady definitely could use some audiobooks.

However, The Farmers project started off rocky from the start. I had the first two narrators for Promise renege. The second one had already agreed to a contract and weeks had clicked by before he backed out. The third reader started off strong but then had one thing after another come up. We'd agreed on the contract in November, and he thought he'd be finished sometime in January. By April, however, he had only finished about a third of the book and hadn't done any work for months. Now, at the end of May, I'm pleased to say that he's started again, has completed five more chapters, and says he'll be through sometime next week.

In the meantime, my female narrator had started work on Peace. She told me up front that she worked slowly. Although she agreed to be finished in April and wasn't, she's made steady progress so I haven't been worried. She's already ahead of where the first narrator is, and she started three months after he did because I wanted them to be released two or three months apart. I'm not sure how the schedule is going to work out now. We'll see.

I'm becoming hopeful enough to begin looking at producing the third novel in the trilogy, Pardon. I've messaged some narrators already. One, who didn't work out, did an audition, but I haven't heard from the others yet. I am very excited about one young man. From the samples he posted, he has the potential to produce an outstanding audiobook. As Floyd often says in the trilogy, "Time will tell."

Because of all the ups and downs and delays in producing Promise and Peace, I must say my appreciation for Elisabeth Langelee, who narrated With Summer's Songs, has increased. She did a wonderful job effectively, efficiently, and with no snags. I'm hoping there's another book that her voice will fit for I would enjoy working with her again. I'd hoped that things would get easier the more familiar I became with the process, but that hasn't proven true thus far. However, I may be announcing Promise is out on audible soon.

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Remembering

Memorial Day is observed in the U.S. on the last Monday in May to honor those who have died in military service. It was established in 1868, after the Civil War, but was called "Decoration Day" at first because the day was used to decorate the graves of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their county.

There are really three holidays that honor our military. Veteran's Day occurs in November to remember all those who have served in the military. Armed Forces day comes in early May and recognizes those who are currently serving their country. And Memorial Day honors those who died in service.

Memorial Day can be confused with Veteran's Day, which is a day set aside to honor all those who are serving or have served in the military. However, Memorial Day is specifically to honor the men and women who have died in active duty. It is to remember in thankfulness the sacrifice they've made. As George Patton said, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived." Where would we be without them?

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David Takes a Stand

Read 1 Samuel 17

Most of us are quite familiar with the Bible story of David and Goliath. David, the youngest son of Jesse, tended the family's sheep, while his three oldest brothers had joined the Israelite army to fight the Philistines. One day Jesse asked David to take some supplies to the captain of the army and his brothers and check to see how they were doing.

Not long after David arrived, Goliath presented himself and started shouting insults as he liked to do. David was shocked. How dare this pagan defy the only true God in this way. The way the soldiers cowered just made David more resolved, and he showed his determination to do something as his righteous indignation burned.

Other soldiers, his brothers, and even King Saul tried to talk him out of facing the giant, but David wouldn't relent. Shedding the armor Saul tried to give him, he clutched his slingshot and went out to meet the enemy. David knew his skill with the slingshot, because he'd regularly used it against the beasts that tried to attack his sheep. But David also knew where the real power lay - not in man but in God.

You know the story. This young lad who had spent countless lonely hours in pastures didn't care as much about what others thought of him as he did in what they thought of God. He couldn't bear to hear God's name defiled. He didn't think he was risking everything, because he trusted God, and serving God was worth everything. He faced Goliath's mocking laughter and killed him with a stone to the forehead.

Today, darkness is trying to overcome the world. More and more people are scoffing at the idea of God being in control. In many places that once smiled on Christianity, it's no longer popular to be a Christian. Ridicule and persecution are spreading, even in the Western World. We need some Davids to take a bold stand for the Lord. The Church has been silent for too long. We must speak up if we keep our right to speak out and worship in peace. Will you be one of the bold ones?

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Smooth Reading

A book I'm reading now reminds me of how important it is to make novels read smoothly, without snags or points where the reader needs to slow down. Rough spots pull the reader out of the story, and they aren't able to live it with the characters the way any good writer wants. Let me give you some examples.

This writer uses way too many adjectives. She's doing a lot of things right, like limiting adverbs, but she's overdoing some other things. Almost every noun has one or more adjectives, and most of them have about three. Although I can tell she's spent time choosing the best ones, this is overkill, bogs the story down, makes the writing too wordy, and is unnecessary. Use a few clear descriptives and trust your readers to get the picture.

Then, she seems to work hard to pull in unusual verbs, which can be good, but they should fit. I find some of her choices laughable, if not irritating, since they raise too many questions. For example, how is a T-shirt etched? And a truck came slowly munching up the drive. This is just plain trying too hard and failing miserably. I'm not a fan of Stephen King, but he would agree that trim writing is much easier to digest.

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Great Atlanta Fire

1917 Atlanta fire

You may have heard of the great fires of London, Chicago, or San Francisco, but have you heard of the Great Atlanta Fire. Many people, even those who live in the South, have not. It started on May 21, 1917 - 101 years ago today. No one knows exactly how the fire started, but it was pushed by high winds and surging temperatures.

The fire department answered their fourth call of the day a little before noon at the Chandler Warehouse. The blazes quickly spread to nearby homes, and other fires broke out across the city. With firemen thinly trying to cover the city, they were unable to contain the rapidly spreading flames. Fire departments arrived from nine other Georgia towns, as well as ones from Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee. By the time the fire had been contained, the firemen had pumped 22,000,000 gallons of water. The rubble would continue to smolder throughout the coming week.

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The fires had burned for nearly ten hours covering over 300 acres, destroying 1,900 structures, and displacing 10,000 people; but it miraculously only took one life. Eighty-five percent of the buildings destroyed had wooden shingles, and building codes were changed in view of this. Only the fire from Sherman's raid during the Civil War in 1864 did more damage. There wouldn't be another fire of this magnitude in the United States until 1991.

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Evidence of Salvation

Because strait is the gate: and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:14)

Our Christian life is a journey, and we should be growing in faith and toward God all the while. There will be rough spots and smooth sections, as with any journey. However, the Bible says not many will take the right path. Jesus is the gate, but Matthew tells us that few will find it. You see, it's not enough to declare that Jesus is your Savior and submit to baptism to prove it. Your life must yield the fruits of a saved life.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

How do you know that you are saved? First of all, you should be aware of a heart-change. No longer is everything all about you but more and more, it becomes about Christ. You feel different, because the Holy Spirit dwells in you to guide you, and you can see your life and your values changing. It won't happen all at once, but you will continue to grow toward becoming the person God created you to be.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

You will find yourself seeking more of God, wanting an intimate relationship with Him, and needing Him more than you need anything else. Reading the Bible becomes less and less of a chore and more of an opportunity to understand God and what he wants of His children. Your prayers become longer, as you look forward to spending this special one-on-one time with the Creator. You hunger and thirst more after righteousness than you do for anything of this world. And your love for Him and others continue to increase.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7).

In order to get to this place, the only thing you need to do is seek and submit. God will do the rest. You will find yourself looking for ways to serve Him, listening for His call, and savoring His presence. Your greatest desire becomes to please Him. What an abundant, joyous way to live. If you feel you've taken the wider path instead of the narrow one, don't despair. It's never too late. He's beckoning for you to come. He'll show you the way.

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Publishing Teaches Patience

It has now been over four years since I published my first inspirational novel, and the longer I'm in the business, the more I realize it takes patience. I want my books to skyrocket in sales and have oodles of five-star reviews, but progress has been slower than I would like. However, I remind myself to be thankful that I've had good, steady sales and that the reviews have been largely positive and extremely encouraging.

When I sent the fifth manuscript to my traditional publisher in December of 2016, I had no idea that it would still not be released, and here it is in the middle of 2018. That's already a year and a half, and it's not close to being published. They didn't take nearly this long on the first four. However, I still had my small, print-on-demand publisher who usually got them out within about a month. Guess what. He's had my last manuscript for over five months, and it's still not out. Patience, Janice, patience.

Part of the problem is that I have all these stories rolling around in my mind begging to be told. That's why I'm seeking a third publisher to help me get them out. The Southern fiction acquisition editor at a well-known Christian publishing house has had the first three chapters of a manuscript since March, but I know from experience it may be a while before I hear back from her. But God always brings some good out of His children's struggles. Eventually, I could have the patience of Job. Right?

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Establishing the First Permanent English Colony

On May 14, 1607, Jamestown, the first permanent English Colony in the New World was established. Sponsored by the Virginia Company, it was located on the James (first known as the Powhatan) River, about 2 1/2 miles southwest of the more modern town of Williamsburg, Virginia. But the colonists had a rough time those first years.

The mortality rate remained high, mainly due to disease and extreme hunger. Eighty percent of the settlers died in 1609-1610 in what history has called the "Starving Time." At first, the Native Americans helped them, because the colonists didn't like the idea of working hard at farming. But misunderstandings and culture clashes ensued, and wars soon broke out. Other settlers trickled in and colony did manage to survive, but settling this New World remained hard.

Today the historic site is one point on the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, comprised of Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown. It is a living history park and museum where visitors can see what the beginnings of this country looked like. In 2007, Jamestown celebrated its 400th anniversary. 

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Committed to Hearing Jesus

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now for three days, and have had nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way (Matthew 15:32).

Jesus had begun to gather a large following almost everywhere He went. Crowds wanted to hear His teachings and see His miracles. On this occasion, He'd been teaching for three days, and most of them hadn't brought anything to eat. Despite the varying reasons they'd come, these people demonstrated their commitment through this fact alone.

Can you imagine choosing to sit and listen to sermons and lessons for three days? What do you think about also going without food the whole time? I see many people in church today who get upset if the preacher talks beyond twelve o'clock. They want to go home to dinner or make it to a restaurant before the crowds. Where are their priorities? I can't see them listening to anyone for three days, much less going without food to do so.

We should go to church with the intention of worshipping and meeting Jesus in a special way. Our attitudes will determine how much we get out of the service. We should hunger and thirst for God's Word, to have a closer relationship with our Maker, and to know Him better. Going to church is an opportunity, not just a duty. What are your priorities, your attitude?

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Flatlining

I had never thought of it before, but I saw an author complaining of flatlining, and it got me to thinking. You may be more familiar with the term used in the medical field to indicate a person whose heart has stopped beating and leaves a straight, flat line on the monitor. However, it can also refer to any stagnant failure to grow on a chart.

To an author, it refers to the report of kindle book sales put out by amazon for published books. The graph shows a month's sales, and if there have been no sales during that month, the chart flatlines. It's hard for me to imagine having a whole month without sales, but I guess it happens. Thankfully, it has never happened to me.

I think one of the reasons it hasn't is that I've taken the advice of two author friends, MaryLu Tyndall and Tamara Leigh. They agreed that to keep sales up an author should keep publishing books. They said the more books you have out, the more people will continue to buy them and remain interested in what you're doing. I think they were right, so I plan to continue writing, not for just this reason, but because it's a part of who I am and what I'm compelled to do. So far, I've published eleven books and have two more coming out soon. I also have a third book almost ready. Writing remains an exciting adventure to me, and I can't wait to see where it takes me next.

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The Sinking of the Lusitania

On May 7, 1915, the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland. 1198 people lost their lives, including 128 Americans. The Cunard ship had been the world's largest passenger ship for a while, and she had made 202 trans-Atlantic crossings. The Lusitania had left New York Harbor on May 1, headed for Liverpool. The torpedoes hit as the ship drew nearer to its destination, and it took only 18 minutes for the vessel to sink.

Because of stepped-up war efforts and the fact that German sub activity had recently escalated, news reports both in the U.S. and Britain warned of the dangers of ocean travel. Yet, this attack on a luxurious, non-military vessel was viewed as unexpected and particularly cruel and calloused. It caused sentiment in the U.S. to swing strongly against Germany and factored into them declaring war two years later.

German spokesmen said they had the right to bring the ship down since it carried munitions for the war, but this didn't lessen the international public outcry. After this turn in public opinion, Germany decided to limit attacks to non-military vessels, which lasted for two years until they declared they would attack all enemy ships. But the sinking of the Lusitania had definitely caused many to view the war differently and to take a stand against Germany.

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Navigating Without Sight

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee (Psalm 139:12).

I recently flew roundtrip from North Carolina to Nevada, and one of the flights was at night. Not only was I surrounded by clouds or darkness on the two flights, but so were the pilots. In fact, moving along at such high speeds, a pilot can't depend on his sight, anyway. He must rely on his instruments, and I must rely on the pilot to get me to my destination without major problems.

The first flight was a bit rough with air pockets and winds, and the landing was the roughest I've had in quite a while. But I was thankful that we'd arrived safely. The return flight was smoother, and the landing was the easiest I'd felt in years. It was good to be nearing home.

The Christian life can be like this, too.We may be unsure of where we need to go or how to get there. When we look around, darkness surrounds us, and it can be daunting, but we know who to rely on - who to trust. When we keep our eyes on God and allow him to be our pilot (never just the copilot as some bumper stickers used to suggest), He'll get us to where we need to go. Sometimes, the journey may be rough and sometimes smooth, but we'll eventually arrive at our destination, heaven.

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Is Grammar Gone?

Although I took extra English classes in college, am certified to teach it, and have taught both English and history, I don't consider myself a grammar guru. As an author, I'm acutely aware of how easily a few mistakes can sneak into a book, even with a professional editor. However, I find the new attitude of too many connected with the publishing industry appalling. I've heard several writers state that grammar really doesn't matter anymore, and it's fine for a writer to choose whatever seemed correct to them. 

When I first began publishing my manuscripts, I looked for a college class in grammar to take as a refresher course, because it had been several years since I'd taught it. There wasn't one! One university told me they taught grammar through their writing classes, but on closer scrutiny, they were teaching almost no grammar. I even had an English professor with a doctorate tell me "It was she" is incorrect and should be "It was her." And I couldn't believe the error-ridden papers put out by the senior English majors.

Recently, an editor at a noted publishing house told me it wasn't necessary to go by grammar rules anymore as long as you were consistent with the way you wrote. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around that. Grammar is there to make comprehension easier and understanding clearer. Are we regressing back to archaic days when there were no grammar or spelling rules? Try reading some of those works and tell me grammar doesn't matter.

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