Friday, November 30, 2012

Enjoy a 5-Star ‘Joy of Christmas’ Story with the Most Heartwarming Characters You’ll Meet this Season!

 


Author’s Unique Treatment of Conflict Makes His Mistletoe Family” a Nail Biting Joy to Read!

“His Mistletoe Family”
Love Inspired
Print or Kindle
 
Romance fans and other writers will love it! This is the kind of story that was made for Christmas. The major characters in the book are the most sympathetic and deserving of happiness as any you’re likely to find outside of the Christmas Carol.
 
A good indication of why, “HisMistletoe Family,” has such endearing characters can be found in the author’s “Dear Reader” letter at the very back of the book. I think it helps if the reader reads this message first:
 
Dear Reader:
 
On Memorial Day in 2010 I stood alongside a tall, strong forty-something soldier. I didn’t know him. He didn’t know me. He watched that small home-town parade with grave intent. On the back side of his military cap were tiny yellow ribbons, marking two memories in a quiet, private way.
 
“I knew I had to write a story about him. Whoever he was. That stoic soldier became the basis for Colonel Brett Stanton, retired, U.S. Army. And those two ribbons became symbols for Ben and Josiah. Most of us are honored when others emulate us, but when that example leads loved ones to an early grave, the resulting guilt weighs heavy, especially at holiday time.”
 
With this kind of genesis one can understand how the feelings in this book are so genuine and heartfelt. The characters are rich enough for the author to employ a unique approach to the novel’s conflict. Normally in a romance the conflict stands between the hero and heroine. The reader wonders how these two could ever overcome the obstacles that are keeping them apart. Often even more obstacles are thrown into the mix as the story progresses. This makes the resolution of the conflict itself the central focus of the story. This is not the case in “His Mistletoe Family”.
 
 The Hero
 
The hero, Colonel Brett Stanton, has become almost a recluse since he retired from the Army. Few people even see him in town. His son and younger brother both entered the Army to emulate his example. They died because of it. He may have a case of survivor’s guilt. He was not a good father. He was always gone. He’s a good and noble man. He served his country well and he paid a very high price for his service. When the heroine comes to town with two young nephews she just inherited, he immediately comes to her rescue time and time. He would like nothing better than to have a second chance to be the husband and father he should have been the first time around.
 
 The Heroine
 
The heroine, Haley Jennings, is almost thirty. She’s single and has had a horrible childhood with a father who abandoned the family to start another family.  She is also over-worked trying to start a new business. Against her selfish mother’s advice, Haley accepts the guardianship of her half-brother’s two sons who are three and five years old.  She has no idea how to be a mother or what a happy family would look like. When the hero offers to help her in many ways she reluctantly agrees because she needs that help.
 
 Apparent Conflicts
 
The apparent conflict here is that the hero may be seen as too old for the heroine and the heroine may seem to have too much baggage with two children she must raise. But this isn’t a real conflict because the heroine would love to have a strong, older, father figure as a husband and father for her nephews. The hero views the two children as God’s way of giving him a second chance to be a good father.
 
Soulmates? Perhaps. 
 
The hero and heroine start the story as ideal solutions to each other's problems. Brett is the key to Haley’s lock. They are a perfect match. While they just met as the story opens, there is no doubt that given a decent interval of time they will fall in love and marry. But there is always doubt in life.
 
Wait Until Next Year!
It’s like being a Yankee fan and the Yanks are in the seventh game of the World Series and they score eight runs in the first inning. This is not a tie game that could go either way. No, this game is now a Yankee ‘win’. It’s their game to lose -- if they blow it. If you love the Yankees, this kind of game can be the most nerve wracking kind. As a fan you know that every hit by the other side could spell disaster…could mean the floodgates are about to open. The Yankees could lose the game and the World Series. As a fan watching such a game you are afraid of losing what you already consider yours: a victory. This can cause more stress than watching a tie game which neither side ever considered won.
 
The Importance of Sympathetic Characters
 
To successfully employ this unique type of conflict the author must create absolutely sympathetic characters the reader will love and root for. Since the central focus is not on overcoming existing conflicts, the author has the time to create the most genuine and endearing characters. This is what Ruth Logan Herne managers.
 
 When It's Not A Close Game
 
Consider why this is so important. If you loved the Yankees in the above example, the game would be a real nail biter. You’d worry about every hit and wish the game would end soon before things could go wrong. But what if you did not favor either team? Let's say you liked another team not in the World Series. You might very well find a lopsided game not worth watching while a tie game going into the last inning could hold your attention. This is the same with the novel. If you didn’t really care a lot about the characters you would miss the traditional conflict which captures the typical romance fan’s interest.
 
A Greater Risk. A Greater Reward.
 
What I am saying is that the author has taken a huge risk using this type of conflict. It worked! It’s great. It’s highly emotional. It’s exceptionally satisfying. The last time I felt this good after reading a Christmas story was when I first read the “Christmas Carol”.
 
“A Mistletoe Family” Is The One Christmas Romance You Don’t Want to Miss Reading this Season.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“A Moral Premise should evolve from the story like a rainbow forming after a storm. The rainbow did not cause the storm nor did the Moral Premise cause the story.”
Vince Mooney

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Don't Miss The Rest of the Cover Art Story...



Come Over to “My Story My Way” & See the Changes That Resulted From The Blog On Cover Art.
 
 
 

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“Learning how to write is a matter of acquiring little voices in your head that tell you what you are doing wrong just before you do it.”
 
Vince Mooney


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 

“Reading is a performance art. The writer provides the script and it is then played in the theater of the reader’s mind.”  Vince Mooney

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“How you read a book is as important as how the author wrote it.”
 
Vince Mooney
 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“We won’t know what romance readers really want until there are enough indie publishers to offer them everything.”
 
Vince Mooney

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“Reading is the second half of the creative act of writing.”

Vince Mooney

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Do You Know The Two Essential Elements That Marketing Requires to Produce Results?

 



“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our marketing, but in our products, that we are underselling.”  
Cassius Venditor
 
Marketing is not magic. It is not mystical. It can’t sell the unsellable…at least not for very long. Marketing requires two essential elements to be successful:
 
1. a product that enough people will buy once they know what it is.
 
2. a cost effective way to let those people learn about the product’s existence.
 
While the above are essential elements of successful marketing they are not sufficient elements for achieving success. In addition to the above, maketing must also discover who the prospects are and how to reach them with a cost-effective way that is sure to attract their attention with a favorable selling message which is believable and which tells them where they can purchase the product.
 
The Many ‘Ifs’ of Marketing
 
If the buyers are not out there, marketing fails no matter how good it is.
 
If the buyers are out there but it costs far too much money to reach them, then the marketing fails.
 
If the buyers are out there and you don’t reach them with your message, the marketing fails.
 
If the buyers are reached but they don’t read the ad or even know it is an ad that would interest them, the marketing fails.
 
If the buyers notice and read the ad but don’t believe the claims made in the ad, the marketing fails.
 
If the buyers are reached and believe the claims in the ad but don’t know where to buy the product, the marketing fails.
 
Marketing is complex and often very difficult to get right. However, marketing must always have the two essential elements mentioned above in order to be successful.
 
If your marketing efforts are not working, be honest with yourself. Ask these questions:
 
Is my product saleable?
 
Did I even consider its salability when I created it?
 
Did I look for a need in the market and then try to fill it?
 
Did I just create what I had a notion to invent whether anyone would ever want to buy it or not?
 
Do I act on the assumption that anything will sell given the right marketing?
 
 
For the best chance of success of selling novels, the marketing should go into the book before the first word is written.
 
 
 

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 

“Dreams teach us the meaning of real life.”
 
Vince Mooney
 
 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

“Outsiders make good writers because they can see the invisible obvious.”
Vince Mooney


Saturday, November 10, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 


“I don’t write what I know but I know what I write. Only by writing it do I come to know it.”
 
Vince Mooney
 
 

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Famous Writing Quote of the Day

 
“Lots of little truths can support a big lie.”
Vince Mooney
 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Famous Writing Quote ot the Day


Showing is a great way to cause ‘reader’s block’.”
Vince Mooney