HOLIDAY BOOK GIVING GUIDE: Erica Vetsch's The Bartered Bride

KRISTA'S HOLIDAY
BOOK GIVING GUIDE: 2009

Week 2: Category Historical Romance
Erica Vetsch's The Bartered Bride

I'm SO excited to introduce Erica Vetsch to you, fellow blogger and author extraordinaire! In exchange for a free copy of her book, I agreed to give her this glowing reviewing... (LOOK! I'm FTC compliant! WOOHOO!)

Now, on to the interview.

Erica, so glad you could join us here at Krista's Reflections (as kooky as they are sometimes.) Before we get into the book stuff, I have a question I'm dying to ask.

As a fellow twitterer, I’m sure you’re saddened as well by the lack of information (besides Sherrinda's vibrating bum...) we receive from our fellow twitterers. I mean, what happened to knowing “what you are doing?” We get quotes and links instead of “Using the ole electric toothbrush to polish my pearly whites” or “Playing scrabble with my kids” or “Putting my shoes on” then “now I’m tying them…” In this spirit, I think we’d like to all know something “twitter” worthy about you. Like, say, what you ate for breakfast this morning?

Erica's reply: Had Slimfast for breakfast. Milk chocolate. Got on scale right after. Slimfast Fail! Want refund.

Oh, I feel for you, girl. Once a year I go for a few weeks on a slimfast kick. *sigh* It's about that time of year, unfortunately. (and I stick to the bars... the shakes just don't cut it!)

So, a little bird told me you had a book published. Very interesting. What’s it about? (ahhh, elevator pitch memories!)

Erica's reply: A guy (handsome) a girl (pretty) a fortune (staggering) a ship (wrecked), a romance (smoochy!) :) Actually, it's the story of an arranged marriage, and how two people keep wanting God to change everyone else's minds, when it's the hero and heroine who end up changing.

Very nice. You are totally writing my next elevator pitch for me, kay? Thanks!

So, how long did you slave over said book?

Erica's reply: I wrote The Bartered Bride in about five weeks in the summer of 2007. The idea just hit me and WHAM! I was off and running. The editing took about a month more.

Do you see the jealousy dripping from my ears? Hold on while I get a napkin to wipe it off...

Okay, all clear! Now, I like to give my interviewees a pop brainstorming session. I’ll give you a topic, and you give me the first book idea in elevator pitch form that pops into your head kay? Good.

I know your book is called “The Bartered Bride” so give me an idea for a book entitled “The Barking Bride.” GO!

Erica's reply: A guy's dog bites a female mail carrier, and she goes all Shaggy D.A. on him. He doesn't know whether to rush her to the hospital or the vet. Hilarity ensues as she chases cats and he chases her.

I smell a bestseller!!!

I gotta tell you, we’re all so excited that you’re published! WOOHOO! Tell us about the moment you got the news!

Erica's reply: A phenomenal moment for me. JoAnn Simmons of Barbour Heartsong Presents announced the contract at the 2008 ACFW Conference at one of the general sessions. Soooo Coooool!

A wonderful moment I'm sure! CONGRATS again!!! Any other books coming out we might be interested in?

Erica's reply:
I've got six books coming out this year:

The Bartered Bride Nov 2009
The Marriage Masquerade Jan 2010
The Engineered Engagement June 2010

Clara and the Cowboy April 2010
Lily and the Lawman August 2010
Maggie and the Maverick Nov 2010

Seriously, I'm blown away. WOW! You are on a roll! Last very important question. Minty Fresh or Cinnamon Gum? Inquiring minds NEED to know!

Erica's reply: Always the mint.

GOOD ANSWER! Me too! Thanks, Erica, for joining us today! You rock big time!

Oh wait! I forgot the most IMPORTANT question.

BOOK GIVING GUIDE: Who should I buy this book for?

Erica's reply: Anyone who has ever been shipwrecked, or forced into marriage, or played the piano, or has gotten flowers delivered to them, or been in love, or had a fight with their mom, or has ever voted, or has ever thought about voting.... :)

Well, that covers, um, most people on our lists, me thinks! Thanks again for joining us Erica!

You can purchase a copy of Erica's book at Christianbook.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ERICA VETSCH is married to Peter and keeps the company books for the family lumber business. A home-school mom to Heather and James, Erica loves history, romance, and storytelling. Her ideal vacation is taking her family to out-of-the-way history museums and chatting to curators about local history. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Calvary Bible College in Secondary Education: Social Studies. You can find her on the web at www.onthewritepath.blogspot.com

Erica has generously offered to give an autographed copy of her book, The Bartered Bride, away to one lucky commenter on this post! You have till 11:59 tomorrow night (November 12th) to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. Winner to be announced on Friday!

And now the fun begins.

For those of you who see me on twitter or facebook, you may already know, but on Saturday evening, I wrote the proverbial "The End" on my current WIP.

What a GREAT feeling! It was awesome when I finished my first book, but now that I've finished my second... I feel validated, like the first one wasn't just a fluke, a twist of fate, or just a "one time" deal.

I'm a writer!

But now... as we all know, the editing begins. I began this book mid-June, wrote the first 30k words easily in just a few weeks, then struggled for months to get the next 20k down.

In the last two weeks, I belted out the last 30k. So, in reality, it was a very quickly written book. So... I have a LOT to edit. I changed names mid-book and now have to go back and catch them all. I have plot elements I came up with mid-story and now have to go and thread them through the beginning. I am NOT a natural at description like some writers, so in editing I have to go back and make sure I've included all the needed details, especially regarding setting. And all that is in addition to my bad grammar due to quick typing, horrid spelling (I turn off spell check while I write because the lines annoy me and slow me down) and passive voice that I used while just trying to get the story elements down.

Needless to say... there's much editing to do.

But right now, at least for the next two weeks, I'm basking in the DONENESS of my rough draft. WAHOO!!

For inquiring minds, thought I'd also post my short-summary to give you a sneak peek at my "finished" book.

Love Finds You in Sandwich, IL (or another title that I still haven't come up with)

Sandwich represents hope for nineteen-year-old Maddie Buckner and her brother, until she loses her new job after less than an hour on the clock. It’s all Rueben-the-Jerk’s fault, and she’s determined to make him right the wrong.

He does so, however reluctantly, by giving her a job at his restaurant, The Sandwich Shop. What Maddie doesn’t count on is losing her heart to her boss. Her ENGAGED boss.

When her boss’s fiancée gets jealous and bad things start happening to sabotage the restaurant, Maddie must get to the bottom of the craziness in time to save her brother, her job, and her heart.

Discussion: Next week we'll discuss a little bit about transitioning from the "writing" phase to the "editing" phase, so in preparation, I'd love to hear how some of you accomplish this. Do you set it aside for a while before editing? Or do you dive right in? Do you have a "plan"? What's helped you in the past? Do you give yourself an editing deadline?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KARALYNN

Before I get to my post, let me first say, I know you all want to know who won Kaye's awesome book, Ransome's Honor!

Drum roll please....

And the winner is..... Carla Gade!!

Congrats! You'll be getting an e-mail from me this morning!


Next, I'd like to say a big huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful daughter!! She's totally getting WAY too old and I don't like it one bit! I've told her time and time again that she's not allowed to grow up on me, but she's such a disobedient child and does it anyway! Totally deserves a few extra birthday spankings for it!

So, please please please join me in wishing my beautiful Karalynn Jean Abri Phillips a VERY happy birthday! (and she's a pretty darn good reader, so she'll read your comments too!)

And for her, I'm posting a special addition of Krista's top ten:

Top Ten ways you know your children are getting too old.

1. They ask for a cell phone for their birthday.
2. You hear the words, "But mom... all my friends have ____fill in the blank with just about anything ____
3. They stomp their feet and demand a facebook page and e-mail address.
4. They roll their eyes and walk off and do the opposite of what you just told them to do. (But Karalynn would NEVER EVER do this! *wink*)
5. You have very vivid memories of yourself when you were their age, and remember thinking, "Wow, I'm getting older now!"
6. They get more phone calls from their friends that you do.
7. Similar, their social calendar is booked and they have to pencil you in.
8. You turn around and look down at them, but then have to raise your gaze a foot because you under estimated their height.
9. They don't think boys are quite so ewwww anymore. (My wonderful, wonderful daughter still has them at the ew status, THANK GOD!!!)
10. They give you advice, and it's actually very, very good!

Holiday Book Giving Guide: Kaye Dacus' Ransome's Honor

KRISTA'S HOLIDAY

BOOK GIVING GUIDE: 2009

Week 1: Historical Fiction
Kaye Dacus' Ransome's Honor

I'm so excited to host author Kaye Dacus on my FIRST EVER Holiday book giving guide blog post! There will be a new different author/genre each week through December 16th, and every week, one lucky commenter will win a signed copy of the featured book (and in some cases, book(s) and other prizes TBA)

Without further adieu, I'm pleased to introduce to you multi-published author KAYE DACUS.

*applause* *applause*

Krista: Kaye, I'm so glad you joined us today! I know Ransome’s Honor is your first published historical novel after two contemporaries (Stand-in Groom and Menu for Romance.) Personally, the thought of writing both gives me a massive headache. I’m curious. How is writing historicals different than contemporaries?

Kaye:As a singer, the easiest way for me to describe it is that it's a lot like the difference between singing in a classical style (not operatic, but close) and singing Southern Gospel music. I can do both of those, but the practice and warm-ups it takes for each is different. Same thing for writing both historical and contemporary. It's still my voice---but it just takes a slightly different approach. Different planning, different word choices, different sentence structures. And, of course, there's the research---and access to an additional vocabulary of words that aren't in common usage in my contemporary settings (the naval terminology, the fashions, and so on). But because I love history so much, and because I chose an era in which I was already well-versed, it's a little easier. It's more about going in and filling in gaps in my knowledge (just like I had to do when writing a chef or lawyer in the contemporaries) than it is researching something totally unfamiliar to me.

Krista: I got a solid B in History back in my school days... guess that's why I write contemporaries:-) Speaking of Ransome’s Honor… tell us a bit about it. What’s it about? Where did you get the idea from? Did you fashion a character after me???? (Oh, wait… you wrote it before you knew me. Never mind!)

Kaye: Actually, the character of Julia's best friend has some of your fun/funny personality traits!

Ransome's Honor all started because I fell in love with an actor/character in the BBC/A&E productions of the Horatio Hornblower films. The character (and the actor in the role) struck such a chord with me that he started becoming a new character in my head. The main thing that set off my imagination: the original character's statement that it's never a good time for a naval officer to marry. Because I had a crush on him (which is how all of my hero-characters develop), I started thinking up scenarios to put a man like that into in which he couldn't help but fall in love and be forced to eat his words.

What started as a simple, one-book romance novel turned into a trilogy when I started writing it and I realized these two characters, William and Julia, had far too much backstory together and way too much about to happen to them to fit into one book. Especially when other characters started coming in and demanding their own scenes. (My favorite being the villain, Sir Drake Pembroke.)

Krista: My romantic heart sighs at the thought of the handsome captain. *sigh* See??? I must say, you’ve had quite a year, Kaye! If I’ve counted correctly, you’ve had three… count them THREE… books released this year. I need to sit down and rest just thinking about how busy you are. So, after having such a banner year… tell me… what will we see next from Kaye Dacus?

Kaye: You counted correctly--I had three books come out in 2009. And I'll have three books out in 2010 . . . and three books in 2011! The third book in the Brides of Bonneterre series, A Case for Love, releases February 1, 2010---just in time for Valentine's Day!---and I just signed a new three-book contract with Barbour for another contemporary romance series called "The Matchmakers," which will be set right here in Nashville (and, no, it won't have anything to do with the music business). Ransome's Crossing, book two of the Ransome Trilogy, comes out in July 2010, and the final book in the series, Ransome's Quest, will be out in 2011.

Krista: You're a busy woman!!! For those of you who don’t know, I’m in a local writer’s group where Kaye serves as President. She’s pretty much awesome, and teaches our wee little writer minds a ton of stuff each month. We’re forever appreciative of this. However, *ahem* there are a few times that I’ve been, uh, caught, um, twittering… while she’s enlightening us. A heated, er, friendly conversation follows. In this light, I have a fun Krista “Pop-Plot brainstorming” quiz for Kaye.

QUIZ: Give me a story idea in elevator pitch form that involves Twitter, Panera Bread, and Taxes (I’m the treasurer after all…) GO!

Kaye: Professional chef Daria Ryan may never live down the humiliation of taking a job making sandwiches at Panera---but a failed restaurant and a pile of back-taxes mean she has to take whatever she can get. Her only source of joy is her alter-ego on Twitter--and the following she's gaining that leads her to believe she might someday have the successful restaurant she dreams of. But when a mysterious follower starts hinting that he knows more about her real life than she's ever revealed online, Daria is drawn into a game of intrigue and subterfuge to try to discover the identity of her cyber-stalker before he reveals her secrets to the world.

Krista: Very nice! I expect the book to be dedicated to me, kay? Thanks! *grin* Speaking of twitter… you know that I’m a fellow twitterer and I’m always lamenting about the absence of “real” information from people. You, on the other hand, recently tweeted that since being on the twitter, you’ve gained a new understanding of the bathroom habits of the people you follow along with their pets/children etc. I… personally… have not experienced this phenomenon yet. In light of this… tell us, Kaye. Do you prefer Cottonelle, Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, or whatever’s on sale?

Kaye: I'm an Angel Soft girl. Not really sure how I settled on that---maybe because I can usually pick up a 4-pack at Kroger for around a dollar. Let me ask you this---when it comes to TP, are you "over" or "under"? Everyone in my family is "over."

Krista: Wow... an ask the interviewer question! Personally, I'm a "However it lands on the dad gum holder" kinda girl. Although I do hate it when you twirl and twirl and can't find the end of it. Am I the only one???

One last question as we conclude our time with Kaye.

GIFT GIVING GUIDE: Who should I buy this book for?

Kaye: Well, of course this book is for everyone! Though people who like historicals, and especially Regencies, will enjoy it the most. I've had feedback from people of all ages---from as young as fourteen all the way up to people in their nineties---who've enjoyed reading of the romantic adventures of Julia and William. And with a light inspirational message to it, it's a great book to give someone who may not like "Christian" fiction because they don't want to be preached at.

KAYE DACUS of Nashville, TN is a graduate of Seton Hill University and an active member of American Christian Fiction Writer's. Visit her website at KayeDacus.com You can purchase Ransome's Honor or any of Kaye's other fabulous books on Amazon.com or Christianbook.com, or at your local bookstore.


About Ransome's Honor: When young Julia Witherington doesn’t receive the proposal for marriage she expects from William Ransome, she determines to never forgive him. They go their separate ways—she returns to her family’s Caribbean plantation, and he returns to the Royal Navy.

Now, twelve years later, Julia is about to receive a substantial inheritance, including her beloved plantation. When unscrupulous relatives try to gain the inheritance by forcing her into a marriage, she turns to the only eligible man to whom her father, Admiral Sir Edward Witherington, will not object—his most trusted captain and the man who broke Julia’s heart, William Ransome. Julia offers William her thirty-thousand-pound dowry to feign marriage for one year, but then something she never imagined happens: She starts to fall in love with him again.

Can two people overcome their hurt, reconcile their conflicting desires, and find a way to be happy together? Duty and honor, faith and love are intertwined in this intriguing tale from the Regency era.

REMEMBER: Everyone who leaves a comment before midnight tomorrow (Thursday, November 4th) will be entered into a drawing to win a signed copy of Ransome's Honor! Please remember to leave your e-mail address so we can contact you if you win!

R.U.E.

A popular acronym used by writers/critiquers is R.U.E.

Resist the Urge to Explain.

Example: Krista balled her fists and punched a whole the size of a watermelon in the wall. She was officially ticked off.

Well duh. We can see that she's ticked off by the large whole in the wall. No need to explain her actions. Let them speak for themselves. It's a micro-version of the "show don't tell" and relates specifically to "explaining" something that a normal reader should already have figured out. We do this "just in case" the reader doesn't get it.

But... well... we're underestimating the reader.

In this theme, I share with you a few explanations that probably weren't needed. (I've seen and heard these many places... but they're still funny and reinforce the idea: PEOPLE AREN'T THAT STUPID.)

• "Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish." -- On a bottle of shampoo for dogs. Duly Noted. Thanks!
  

• "For external use only!" -- On a curling iron. Darn! My tongue seriously is way to straight!
  

• "Do not use while sleeping." -- On a hair dryer. I've told hubby a billion times not to dry my hair for me while I sleep. See... now I have proof!
  

• "Do not place this product into any electronic equipment." -- On the case of a chocolate CD in a gift basket. So that's why my CD player broke!
  

• "Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking." -- On a toilet at a public sports facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. *gulp*
  

• "This product not intended for use as a dental drill." -- On an electric rotary tool. Ouch!
  

• "Do not drive with sunshield in place." -- On a cardboard sunshield that keeps the sun off the dashboard. I wondered why it was so dang hard to see...
  

• "Do not eat toner." -- On a toner cartridge for a laser printer. Pay no attention to the black powder dripping from my mouth...
  

• "Not intended for highway use." -- On a 13-inch wheel on a wheelbarrow. Now that would be a fun ride. Kinda like the flintstones... but Krista in the wheelbarrow... Scott running on I-65 pushing me along... WOOHOO!
  

• "May irritate eyes." -- On a can of self-defense pepper spray. I sure hope it does! If not, I totally want a refund!
  

• "Caution: Shoots rubber bands." -- On a product called "Rubber Band Shooter." Really?? I thought it shot bullets. Go figure!
  

• "Do not use orally." -- On a toilet bowl cleaning brush. again... *gulp*
  

• "Do not use for drying pets." -- In the manual for a microwave oven. Sorry, Fido...
  

• "Remember, objects in the mirror are actually behind you." -- On a motorcycle helmet-mounted rear-view mirror. For the directionally challenged I guess??
  

• "Warning: Do not climb inside this bag and zip it up. Doing so will cause injury and death." -- A label inside a protective bag (for fragile objects), which measures 15cm by 15cm by 12cm. I would say I wished I was small enough to fit inside the bag... but 15 cm is tiny.
  

• "Do not use as ear plugs." -- On a package of silly putty. What'd you say??
  

• "Please store in the cold section of the refrigerator." -- On a bag of fresh grapes in Australia. As opposed to the heated section I presume...

• "Fragile. Do not drop." -- Posted on a Boeing 757. But this plane is so heavy....!
  

• "For indoor or outdoor use only." -- On a string of Christmas lights. I see this almost every year and wrinkle my nose. Really? I SO wanted to use them on my spaceship in outer space.
  

• "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly." -- On a child sized Superman costume. Poor kids... they had such hopes!

• "Warning: do not use if you have prostate problems." -- On a box of Midol PMS relief tablets. *raises eyebrows*
  

• "Do not attempt to stop the blade with your hand." -- In the manual for a Swedish chainsaw. OUCH!
  

• "Do not dangle the mouse by its cable or throw the mouse at co-workers." -- From a manual for an SGI computer. I was so going to do that too.... My co-workers will be thrilled that I found this out!
  

• "Warning: May cause drowsiness." -- On a bottle of Nytol, a brand of sleeping pills. Is that, um, not the point?
  

• "Do not put in mouth." -- On a box of bottle rockets. Okay, now I have a few cousins that need to read this one. Just sayin'
  

• "Not dishwasher safe." -- On a remote control for a TV. Um, I found mine in the freezer one time. Not too far off.
  

• "Do not put lit candles on phone." -- On the instructions for a cordless phone. Happy birthday to.. POOF
  

• "Warning! This is not underwear! Do not attempt to put in pants." -- On the packaging for a wristwatch. Some of them are funny. This one is just... weird.
  

Discussion

Okay, now that I've done all my bold comments, I'm realizing that those are all just RUE too. I'm explaining the joke by making one of my own! GEEZ!

Anyone have any examples of funny RUE's they've seen? Or... examples of ones you've had to fix in your manuscript?

Fat Friday is boiling in a pot of goo...

I know, I know. I'm the stupid one who came up with the Fat Friday/lose weight idea.

I'm right about even. I just want Halloween and all the candy to be OVER! Then I have almost a whole month until Thanksgiving.

I think part of my problem is that I've been trying my best to finish my current WIP before "year-end" officially starts. Well, it's here, and I'm not done, and that isn't acceptable to me! So I've been putting a ton of effort into knocking out this last 20k of word count, which leaves zero time for exercise and a ton of time to sit by my laptop, drink coke to keep my brain cells zipping along, and eat chocolate to make me feel all gooey and ready to write.

Dumb, I know.

And as I type (Thursday night) I have brownies in the oven baking... the smell tempting my stomach and making my fingers shake with their ooey gooey goodness. And I haven't even eaten any yet!!! In my defense, these will be taken to work tomorrow to add to our Halloween party. But you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be having one... or two.

Speaking of Halloween... anyone dressing up? If you are, do share!

Me? I'm going to be a lottery winner. (I'm trying to convince my payroll specialists they should be too... I mean seriously. What is more scary to a company then your ENTIRE payroll department winning the lottery at the same time?? We'll pin lotto tickets to our shirts and come dressed as beach bums--tasteful beach bums:-))

**Anyone lose weight this week??**

*Note: I totally respect those who don't like the whole Halloween thing, OR the whole Lotto thing. LOL. I don't like the whole lottery thing either... but you gotta admit. It IS funny!

Tis' the season!

I'm VERY VERY excited to announce that Wednesdays during the months of November and December, I'll be featuring a "gift giving" guide for book lovers!

Each Wednesday until Christmas (minus the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas) will feature an author interview by yours truly, and I'll have a variety of genres represented to give you PLENTY of gift ideas for your Christmas shopping list! (or ideas to put on your Christmas wish list too!) Also, many of these weeks will have a special book giveaway too for one lucky commenter, so make sure you stay tuned!

All this said....

I AM SO READY FOR CHRISTMAS!

Yes, Yes, I know it isn't even Halloween yet. But for some reason I'm in the Christmas spirit all ready. Maybe because it's been colder here than usual for October. I don't know.

Am I the only one though, that has on and off years? Sometimes I get to December and I'm totally unfilled with Christmas cheer. Other years, I'm singing carols at the top of my lungs mid October.

In honor of my pre-pre-pre Christmas mood: Let's share our FAVORITE Christmas tradition!

I'll go first:

Okay, never mind. I can't think of just one, so... drum roll please...

Krista's Top Ten Favorite Christmas Traditions

1. Decorating the Christmas tree. Especially at the end... turning off all the house lights, and plugging in the tree lights. For some reason the beautiful lights shining out of the darkness just makes me sigh.
2. "Dad" reading the Christmas story before opening presents. A great reminder of why we celebrate and a moment basking in the wonder of what God really did for us.
3. Opening presents Christmas morning in our PJ's. It's a rule. No one's allowed to get dressed first!
4. Day after Thanksgiving Shopping. YES! I'm a 5 am girl. It's the thrill of the hunt!
5. Prime Rib for dinner on Christmas day. My mouth is watering at the thought!
6. The Johnson family Christmas carols... we don't remember half the words and a good many of us sing off key. Fun stuff!
7. Stealing kisses from my hubby under the mistletoe:-)
8. Hounding my hubby to put up the lights outside until you can see our house from space (slight exaggeration... and I make it up to him with the whole mistletoe thing!)
9. Making my ooey gooey chocolate caramel sugar cookies... Um, yeah, might have to make those early.
10. Candlelight Christmas Eve service. There's nothing like singing with a group of believers in Jesus and celebrating His birth together. It's always a precious moment when we get to do it.

So what is YOUR favorite Christmas tradition?