A New Blog To Visit

The members of the CAN (Christian Authors Network) Marketing blog entitled We Can! promote our books, formally welcome you to join our little corner of cyberspace.

Check us out at: http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/

Twelve authors will be participating in this blog:

Monday: Tricia Goyer and Gail Gaymer Martin
Tuesday: Cyndy Salzmann and Allison Bottke
Wednesday: Suzie Eller and Sharon Hinck
Thursday: Susie Larson and Camy Tang
Friday: Mary E. DeMuth and Kathi Macias
Saturday: Jill Nelson and Susan Meissner

We want this blog to be the place authors go for ideas to promote, publicize and market their books.

We’ll approach this from many different angles, with many different voices. Some of us have many books out, while others are promoting their first. We’ve all had some level of success in our marketing endeavors, and some blunders too. We’ll share interviews, insights, and creative ideas with you with humor, candor and a dose of humility.

It’s our hope that you’ll tell your friends about this new blog, that you’ll dare to make a comment or two, and that you’ll walk away from this blog with many practical and insightful ideas. Hope to see you there! Cyndy

www.cyndysalzmann.com
Latest Release: Dying to Decorate! A Friday Afternoon Club Mystery

WIP Update & Generating Ideas

Ok, the fact that I have not posted in a while has really been working my nerves. Why? I usually don’t like to check blogs that are not updated frequently. Well, hello, I’m not doing so great myself.

WIP UPDATES

I have reached the middle of my current work in progress. All books basically have a beginning, midde and end. James Scott Bell refers to these as ACT I, ACT II and ACT III in his book, PLOT & STRUCTURE. I will post a little bit more about this in a another post.

Over the past month or so, my wip has extended into a 3 book series, which seems to be very popular these days. I think either of the book ideas can stand alone, but there is a common thread among each of them. Plus I really like the characters. Two of the women who make their first appearance in my current wip, I really felt like they had their own story to tell.

A few posts back I was torn whether or not the book is a mystery or suspense. The more my writing style has developed, it definitely more of a suspense novel.

Speaking of suspense, I finished reading Violet Dawn and will be posting my review in a week or so. Brandilyn Collins kept me up almost all night again!!! Thank goodness for caffeine or I would not have gotten much accomplished at work. Talk about pulling the suspense cord…

GENERATING IDEAS

How do authors come up with ideas for their books? I will be posting a couple of author comments each week. You can stop over at Faithwebbin.net to read the full interviews.

Rachel Hauck about her book Georgia On My Mind.

“Grit and grind. I just thought, and thought, and thought. I really wanted to write chick lit and felt I had the voice for it, so imagined Macy, sort of a modern Mary Tyler Moore and put her in a world I knew, corporate software.” (read interview)

Brandt Dodson about his book Seventy Times Seven.

“As an elder, I am often privy to the personal short comings of others. Issues involving a family’s financial or marital differences can often come up. In one case, there were two families who were barely speaking, yet each claimed to have the love of God in their heart. In this case, each of the family’s had wronged the other and the statement of Jesus to forgive as often as we would like to be forgiven began to take root in me. Hence the idea (and I believe the ‘need’) for “Seventy Times Seven”.” (read interview)

Share how you came up with ideas for your book or WIP in the comments section.

BOOK REVIEW | Jade

JADE is the second book in the Shades of Style series. Readers met Lily Chau briefly in the first book PINK (my review). Lily, an Asian American, work as a pattern maker at Garments of Praise along with Chenille, Raya and Jean. Lily dreams about having her own line of clothes and a marriage proposal from her long-time boyfriend. Unfortunately, her boyfriend continues to drag his feet and taking care of her mother has grown strenuous for Lily. Read more

CB Reviews Blog

I’ve been writing fiction on and off during the years. I started writing book reviews in 2001. I fell into this hobby, when it seemed like all of sudden publishers ands authors discovered my site Faithwebbin.net. I had a very small section on the site about Christian books. Thanks to a client, Marina Woods, over at Good Girl Book Club Online, I took my reading to another level as I discovered the world of Christian fiction. I highlighted a few of these books each month. Someone noticed … actually several people noticed … and started sending me more books. Thus book reviewing has become a way for me to share good books as well as develop my writing.

After a while, the books became a little overwhelming so I sent out a request for book reviewers via the web. There are several ladies around the U.S. that help me review books each week. If you want to read our reviews for a wide variety of Christian fiction and non-fiction, check out Christian Bookshelf Reviews (CB Reviews).

Drop me a line if you are interested in becoming a CB Reviewer!

If you are a person who loves reading a great book series, we have lots of popular Christian book series listed on the site as well.

BOOK REVIEW | Murder, Mayhem and A Fine Man

A few days ago I mentioned two books that I really loved reading this summer. The first book was Waking Lazarus by T. L. Hines. The second book is Murder, Mayhem and A Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney (visit blog). The first book in the Amanda Bell series introduces readers to one sassy heroine.
Read more

Book Reviews

I read several Christian fiction books a month. Two books I have read this summer have become my top reads for the year, so far. They both are very different, but have a few things in common. They both were released in July and then both are first novels. I’m always intrigued by an author who can deliver an unforgettable novel on the first time out. To read my reviews for the following, click on the titles below.

Waking Lazarus by T.L. Hines
Murder, Mayhem and A Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney

A couple of titles in my favorite genre are on my nightstand this month.

Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins (currently reading)
Night Light by Terri Blackstock
Blind Dates Can Be Murder by Mindy Starns Clark
Relunctant Burglar by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

BOOK REVIEW | Waking Lazarus

Two books I have read this summer have become my top reads for the year. They both are very different, but have a few things in common. They both were released in July and then both are first novels. I’m always intrigued by an author who can deliver an unforgettable novel on the first time out. I’m reviewing the first one in this blog entry and will share the next one later this week.

WAKING LAZARUS by T.L. Hines (has a great blog) has been on my radar for quite some time. I receive quite a few books in the mail and this was one I had been looking forward to reviewing. The opening line alone is enough to make your nerves tingle with anticipation. Read more

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