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Heritage in American History: Jefferson Memorial
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of chaperoning Alpha Omega Academy’s first field trip to Washington, D.C. Students from the states and abroad converged at Dulles and Reagan airports to start a week-long tour of our nation’s capital. Never having been to D.C., I soaked up the history and culture like a sponge. Day after day, I witnessed landmarks that revealed our country’s faith-based heritage and the wisdom of our early leaders. Blessed. That’s how this trip made me feel. Not only was I thrilled to explore “history” with an amazing group of students and chaperones, but I also felt as though God had given me a gift, an affirmation…
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Announcing the Flag Design Contest Winner!
Congratulations to Brianna Ford for her winning entry of the fictitious ASU flag, which will be featured in The Revisionary. I want to thank all the participants for their outstanding designs. It was an honor to share your creativity with my website readers. Here’s some extra exciting news! My editor and I were so impressed with the submissions that we’re going to publish the runners-up in a special spread in the back of the book. All participants will have their names and designs in print. Having these Alpha Omega Academy students be part of my book makes it all the more special to me. Thank you again to all who submitted…
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Pre-Order The Revisionary, and Receive a Special Gift!
The Revisionary for Kindle is now available to pre-order for a limited time. When you pre-order on Amazon.com, you’ll receive the e-book at a discounted price and an opportunity to receive a free bonus feature, a prequel of Portia’s story called A Cord of Three Strands. To receive your copy, forward your Amazon order confirmation to freebookforpreorder@gmail.com. Your Kindle copy of The Revisionary will be delivered on June 6. At that time, the print version will also be available for purchase. Art Contest Winner – To Be Announced! I’ll be announcing the winner of the Alpha Omega Academy art contest tomorrow. Tonight is the last day for voting, so if you haven’t voted yet,…
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Flag Design Contest: Vote for Your Favorite!
What teacher doesn’t enjoy seeing her students’ creativity? I sure do! I’m privileged to teach English for Alpha Omega Academy and invited our middle and high school students to design their version of the ASU pennant (the fictitious flag of the dystopian society in my new young adult novel). Today, I’m posting their designs here for you to vote on your favorite. The winner’s name and design will be published in The Revisionary, available for pre-order next month. Below are the submissions, and I’m honestly glad you’re choosing the winner and not me! They are all outstanding and meet the submission guidelines: to design a flag that includes a child, scroll, and olive…
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Fools in Fiction
My brave girl’s quest is a fool’s errand, but I’m proud of her spirit. – Abram Abernathy, The Revisionary Fool. The word can be a loaded insult or a joking comment. It can have the intent to correct or ring with resigned sadness. In The Revisionary, Portia’s father describes her plan to rescue Darius as a “fool’s errand,” and in doing so, implies the futility of her cause. Although she may be short-sighted, he still admires her determination. Fools in fiction (and real life) are complicated people. They may or may not fit the ordinary definition of a person who lacks sense or good judgment. The simple fool The easiest to spot is the…
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The Revisionary Cover: An Unlikely Story
We all like unwrapping presents on our birthdays. For my birthday this year, I wanted to “unwrap” something my readers could enjoy with me. So, I asked my editor Marji if I could share my new book cover with my readers today, and she said yes! I can’t wait to share the story “inside” the cover with you on June 6 (release day), but today, there’s another story to tell. It’s the one that made this cover possible and one that began in an unlikely place. The Story behind the Cover The year was 2007. I had recently graduated from college and started a job at a marketing company. A few cubicles over…
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4 Countdowns for YA Fiction Fans
We Americans like a good countdown. We count as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Students (and teachers) count the days to summer break. Couples count their calendars for the “big day” or a baby’s arrival. In Florida’s Space Coast, people visit Cape Canaveral and wait hours for a front row seat at a shuttle launch. (To date, I haven’t experienced a launch first hand, but the pictures look incredible.) Maybe you’ve never seen a rocket launch either. However, if you’re a fan of young adult (YA) fiction, I’d like to invite you to a “launch” of a different kind for my upcoming release, The Revisionary. Countdown #1: The Revisionary Cover Reveal I can’t…
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Character Profile: Portia Abernathy
Do you have a favorite fictional character? If you solved the trivia quiz from a few weeks back, you discovered one of mine. Portia is Shakespeare’s heroine in his comedy, The Merchant of Venice. This rich heiress of Belmont faces (what she believes to be) a miserable problem: she cannot choose whom she will marry. Her late father set up a lottery system using three chests of gold, silver, and lead. The man who discerns the meaning of each chest and chooses the right one will win Portia’s hand. But she is anything but a damsel-in-distress. When her eventual fiancé Bassanio tries to rescue his good friend from a spiteful lender, she disguises…
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Grateful Giveaways & Book Specials
This week, the Florida Christian Writers’ Conference starts! Several years ago, I discovered this conference and am so grateful I did. If you’re a writer and would like to learn more how conferences can help you in your craft, visit my For Writers page. Each year, I usually leave this conference sleep-deprived but with my cup “brimming over.” I’ve made amazing friends there, enjoyed teaching workshops, and soaked up ideas through the workshops of other writers, editors, and agents. (For any who are reading this post and attending FCWC, I hope you’ll join my workshop called Friend Your Audience on Social Media.) The people are the best part of writers’ conferences, but one…
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The Revisionary – Coming June 2017
I have two exciting announcements today! First, I want to congratulate the winner of the random drawing for the Women of Faith books. Drum roll, please. The winner is … Trudy! Thank you to everyone who participated! Remember, even if you didn’t win, you can still get these outstanding resources on Amazon or elsewhere. Also, I’ll be doing several more giveaways this year that you won’t want to miss. Now, for my second big announcement: In partnership with Write Integrity Press, I’m thrilled to share some details about my new young adult fiction novel, releasing this spring! The Revisionary is a dystopian suspense story laced with American history and flashbacks to its…
