Wednesday, August 20, 2014

WIPpet Wednesday: Acknowledgements

With Slave Again's publication date rushing closer and closer, I'd like to take today's WIPpet
Wendesday post to thank those of you who have helped me get it ready!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS



There are many people I’d like to thank for the encouragement, prayers, and practical support they poured out while I was working on Slave Again. My husband continues to be my biggest inspiration. Thank you so much for letting me bounce so many different plot ideas off you. Thank you also for teaching me that Eve should be holding a revolver, not a gun, and that she can’t use a concealed holster if she’s wearing a skimpy outfit.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to my buddies from the Christian Indie Authors forum, a community of online friends and encouragers. Thanks especially to those of you who pray for me when I send out S.O.S. prayer requests. The author friends of mine who live or have lived in East Asia (you know who you are), thanks for fielding all of my strange, random questions, like what kind of delicacy a fat innkeeper would eat. I’d like to especially mention Precarious Yates and thank her for teaching me more about the sex trade industry worldwide and sharing her passion with me.

Slave Again went through more rounds of edits than I could ever care to relate. I’d like to thank my story editor, Nat Davis, and my troop of beta readers (you also know who you are!) for all the advice you gave. Kate and Annie get the prize for finding the most typos. A big thank you to Happy and Mary for the thorough copy edits, and a shout-out to all my WIPpet blogging friends. I could also devote an entire page thanking Regi McClain for just about everything she’s ever done, but she hates sap, and so I’ll just mention here that she did a ton of behind-the-scenes work to help me when carpal tunnel slowed me down, and she is an invaluable sounding board. (As of now, she also happens to be the only person in the entire world who knows how the series is going to end!) What’s amazing about Regi is she knows all my characters by name and keeps them all straight. Thanks for your friendship, Regi.

Krystine Kercher helped prepare the cover image, which was designed by Damonza, and I think they did a great job. I was also very encouraged by those who pledged their support for the Slave Again Kickstarter project and who patiently waited for my novel to come out. A huge thank you to all the bloggers and book reviewers who agreed to help with my launch as well.

There were times, especially as I struggled with carpal tunnel, when I really wondered if this book would ever get published or not. God, You brought me the healing when I needed it, and You taught me to rest even though I was kicking and screaming the whole time. Thank You for letting me write another book. May it bring You glory.

Liberty in North Korea estimates that seventy percent or more of all females who escape from North Korea into China fall victim to sex slavery. Slave Again is dedicated to these girls and women. May God bring you freedom and deliverance.


***

Interested in your own copy of Slave Again? Get a free paperback (or ebook) when you donate to Liberty in North Korea's rescue campaign!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Mom's Night Out Paperback Giveaway

I didn't get to see the Mom's Night Out movie when it was released in theaters, but I did buy the paperback and enjoyed it so much I want to share it with one of you. Mom's Night Out is the story of some Christian moms who desperately need a night to themselves. Basically, anything that can go wrong on their fancy evening with just the girls does.

I was expecting to be entertained by the book, which I was. However, I didn't realize how encouraged I would also be. In addition to just being a fun story, Mom's Night Out leaves the reader with a strong message that we are enough. We are not perfect moms, but we love our children as best as we can, and we are all having an incredible adventure.

Want your own copy of the Mom's Night Out paperback? Just fill out the giveaway form below. And be sure to watch the movie trailer if you want some extra chuckles. You can also win an audiobook download of my time travel/historical fiction series for kids for the young readers in your life.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

WIPpet Wednesday: Bloopers

Get Slave Again free when you help a North Korean refugee!
Slave Again just needs some final touches (like formatting) and then all I'm waiting on is the cover! So ... in the meantime, I've been getting the Slave Again Bonus Materials ebook ready. You know how you watch a movie and you're bummed that it's over so you go ahead and see what special features are included on the disc? That's what the Bonus Materials ebook is.

In honor of August 13, here are 13 of the most embarrassing bloopers I caught while editing Slave Again. They are included in the Bonus Materials and recorded here for my personal embarrassment.



Repetitively Redundant
He needed to finish getting that paperwork finished.

It was hard knowing that she would never know what happened to them.

So far, his plan was working out precisely according to plan.

“What are you still doing awake?” Roger was surprised to see his wife awake.

With faltering steps, she stepped in.

Juliette turned to face Eve. Then she turned around, startled.

Jae didn’t have any more money to spend. He had spent it all already.

Mee-Kyong could probably sneak past Mr. Lee’s guards who guarded this side of the hotel.

What Was I Thinking?
Jae clenched his small pile of bills in his pocket and willed his heart to be a little lower in his chest. (Jae is pretty cool, but I don’t think he can do that.)

That’s why she was here and not in the Round Robin or the prison camp or some makeshift gutter grace. (Well, I’m all about grace, but …)

Translucent eyelids stared up at her. (I’ve yet to meet an eyelid that can stare.)


“You filthy something or other.” (This is what you do when you try to avoid swearing.)


His heart hadn’t stopped beating since he entered the room. (Good. He’s not dead.)

***

Anyway, I'm excited that Slave Again is almost out, and I'm just crossing my fingers the cover will be done soon (and of course that it will be awesome). I do have some electronic copies if you're interested and able to review by Sept 3. Just let me know in the comments. Hope you're all having a great week! 

Blog Love: Huge thanks to K L Schwengel for hosting the WIPpet Wednesday blog hop, where authors post snippets from the current Works In Progress.

Random Fact: I've been to Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Russia. I also spent about two hours in a German airport.

Save a Refugee! To prepare for Slave Again's release, I'm raising funds for Liberty in North Korea and their underground railroad to help rescue refugees. Please check it out, share, or donate!

https://fundraise.libertyinnorthkorea.org/fundraise?fcid=296256