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Interview & Book Give-Away with Delores Liesner

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By Vonda Skelton | December 29, 2015
Photography by KHB photography

Photography by KHB photography

What a joy to close out 2015 with a visit from my friend, author Delores Liesner. We met years ago at the CLASS Christian Writers Conference and she’s been hard at work ever since. I love her publication story and her look at contemporary miracles. I hope you’ll be challenged to see the potential, too!

Be sure to leave a comment for Delores and you’ll be in the drawing for a copy of her new book, Be the Miracle.

Welcome, Delores. Let’s get started. I see you consider yourself a storyteller, yet most of your work is non-fiction. Please tell us how that came about.

Fiction was my lifeline growing up – especially if based on a true story. We moved to a new town when I was in high school and the English teacher, desperate to gain more oral reports, had made a rule the year prior that every A-graded book report would advance the student’s final score by one letter grade! Investigative conversations with older students provided a list of her favorites, and I learned how to write to the audience. The Scarlet Letter and short stories by O’Henry among others, quickly garnered 5 “A” book reports (one extra just to be safe) and I could mess around the rest of the year. I loved dramatizing the real stories of my teacher’s preferences, but, certain my life experiences would never be that exciting, I began creating fictional skits and stories for school, my own escape valve, and eventually for my children.

Then I met God, and my life-drama developed new depth. I learned how to study the Bible inductively with the Navigators. I noticed when I shared personal applications in story form, others were leaning forward, interested to hear what happened next, so I saw value to using story in lessons and articles and began getting help and advice toward publishing them.

Where or to whom did you go to learn about publishing, Delores?Delores Liesner Miracle book cover

First, I wrote to a fiction author I admired, and asked how one goes about getting a story or article published. She directed me to Allison Gappa Bottke, who was developing an anthology series God Allows U Turns. Allison accepted a couple of my stories, and encouraged me to attend a seminar led by Marita and Florence Littauer. That conference, including the editor, publisher and radio appointments were life changing, as was the assignment Allison gave me to find stories after nine-one-one. CBN.com accepted a guest blog from one of those interviews and the following day I was on the phone hearing a story from a general at the Pentagon! I knew I could never dream up stuff this exciting and I was hooked. More conferences led me to 2010 where I met more encouragers, including Bruce Wilkinson. He inspired me to combine 31 of my miracle stories into a book.  I left the conference on a high, thinking the book could be out within a year, but the journey had just begun.

Yes, it seems all authors have experienced that reality check.  So Be the Miracle was published this August – almost 5 years from that moment of commitment.  What happened?

Life happened. I was still the guardian for my mother who lived 4 hours away, and that took quite a bit of my time. In the off hours I wrote devotionals, stories for anthologies, magazines and internet to save for a conference where I hoped to gain publishing and marketing information, and prayed a lot. I prayed about which stories to choose, and prayed about meeting the right people to help me navigate the fearsome

Delores and author/speaker Bruce Wilkinson

Delores and author/speaker Bruce Wilkinson

book proposal, and prayed about a publisher. I wrote and rewrote stories in different ways for different markets. I was blessed during that time to receive a call from an editor saying, “We are thinking of adding a column to our magazine and your name came up – would you be interested?”  That experience taught me refining stories for space and attention span, preparing me for the short-story devotional style of my book.

I blogged about the dreaded book proposal and a young friend introduced me to her friend – an experienced published author. As I was preparing my one-sheet for a conference meeting with one publisher, another’s call congratulating me for a contest win led to my contract and contact for an agent.  More amazing God HUGS (Highly Unexpected God-Surprises).

Sounds like faith played an active role in your writing journey. Is that the message your stories carry to the readers?

Delores and husband Ken

Delores and husband Ken

Yes, to activate our faith – putting hands and feet to what we believe, and to live expectantly, knowing that where we go we bring Christ, so we can expect something exciting to happen.

And after reading your book, Be the Miracle, I’m reminded that God is always orchestrating miracles . . . if only we’re focused enough to see them. Thank you for sharing your writing journey and your life of miracles with us. I pray that–as your tagline says–we’ll all be challenged to put our hands and feet to our faith.

And friends, don’t forget to leave a message for Delores and you’ll be in the drawing for a free copy of her book, Be the Miracle. Don’t forget to return next week to see if you’re the winner!

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Thank you for your kind words of sympathy and encouragement in the loss of my dear father-in-love. They gave strength and peace when we needed them. Thank you, too, for your grace as I return to work again and begin the catch-up in January.

Blessings for the new year!

Vonda

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Parting Words From The WORD…Jesus is Born!

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By Vonda Skelton | December 25, 2015

Christmas gifts FDP Feel Art

As we celebrate the Gift of Christmas today, let’s remember Him as

…the Son

…the Sacrifice

…the Resurrected Savior

…the Almighty God.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

I pray God’s richest blessings as we celebrate the Gift and the Giver.

Vonda

(Image courtesy of FeelArt/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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Sending a Little Christmas Fun From North Point Church iBand

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By Vonda Skelton | December 15, 2015

Christmas gifts FDP Feel Art(Vonda here: I’m sorry this is late. Please pray for my precious 97yo father-in-love as he continues to decline and for our family as we care for him. What a sweet, sweet man.)

Merry Christmas, writing friends! What a joy to hear Christmas music during this special season, reminding me that yes, an innocent, helpless Baby came, but He grew to be our Sacrifice, and was raised from the dead to be our Savior! Oh, what a Savior!

And since I know everyone’s running around trying to get everything done (and NOBODY is interested in studying writing opps!), I thought I’d share another of my Christmas favorites with you today. Here’s another video I’ve shared the past several years, and I never grow tired of it!

I hope you enjoy North Point Community Church’s iBand entertainment. It was a gift to their church friends, and I love sharing the gift with you!

Christmas blessings as we celebrate the Gift and the Giver!

Vonda

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Parting Words From The WORD…Happy Birthday, Jesus

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By Vonda Skelton | December 11, 2015

Baby footI’ve heard and read many messages the past few weeks about Mary’s pondering. I even wrote one piece on it myself.

Before I studied the Bible for myself, I thought Mary had pondered the visit and the gifts of the Magi. Then I discovered the Wise Men didn’t even visit the manger!

Now that I’m a mother and grandmother, I personally know about pondering as I held those precious babies in my arms. What would they look like? What would they become? Of course, Mary had a little more insight than we do as new mothers. After all, an angel came to her and told her she would be the mother of the Christ-child.

But as she pondered that dark and chilly night, did she really understand that her baby would change the world? Did she understand that 2000 years later, we’d still be celebrating His birth?

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch precious little 4-year-old Avery Winter as she sings Happy Birthday to our Savior. Believe me, you’ve never seen it performed like this!

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Luke 2:19

Happy birthday, Jesus…

Vonda

(Photo courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net)

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Writer’s Headlines: Kudos, MoGo7000 Qualifiers, & Who Won Mary Scro’s Book?

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By Vonda Skelton | December 8, 2015

newspapersLet’s start with this month’s kudos!

Congratulations to these Christian Writer’s Den friends who’ve been working hard and making things happen!

1.  Eddie Snipes (GA): It’s been a big month – and year. I was invited to be the keynote speaker in a conference in Washington, and just hit the 20,000 book sales mark this month. I also released my 19th book.

2.  Bonita Bandaries (LA): I recently self-published my newest book, A Promise Kept Inspirational
Guide for Family Caregivers, with CreateSpace and launched it at an event I hosted in November in honor of family caregivers during November, National Family Caregivers Month. 

3.  Cheryl Barker (KS): Blue Mountain Arts purchased my piece “To My Amazing Daughter on Valentine’s Day” for use on an upcoming greeting card. So thankful they are using more of my work.

4.  Tracy Crump (MS): My fifteenth Chicken Soup for the Soul story has just been accepted for My Very Good Very Bad Dog. My friend Andi Lehman has been keeping me busy doing book signings for my last Chicken Soup story in Volunteering and Giving Back. This was Andi’s first CS story about a snake she rehabbed, and we’ve sold books to benefit MS Wildlife Rehabilitation. I also recently co-presented a webinar called “Stirring the Pot: Writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul.” Sounds like a chicken soup kind of month!

5.  Lori Hatcher (SC): I’m so excited to be premiering my latest women’s ministry event, “Stepping Out, How Our Footwear Affects our Faith” in two events in early 2016. Spring boarding off of every woman’s love of shoes, I hope to challenge ladies to strap on the footwear that allows them to run the race of faith with confidence.

6.  Andrea Merrell (SC): I am very excited to announce that my book, Praying for the Prodigal, was a 2015 USA Best Book Awards finalist in the Religion: Christian Inspirational category

Congrats to this month’s kudos-worthy writers! And if you didn’t see your name on the list, be sure to check out next week’s Writing Opportunities and you could be well on your way to a publishing success!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~mogo

Now let’s see who earned entries into the 2015 MoGo7000 Challenge…

#15: Eddie Snipes – 28,670 words
#16: Susan Baganz – 81,131 words

Congratulations, Eddie and Susan! You’re in the running for the $100 cash prize, to be given away in January! And readers, it’s not too late to earn an entry this month. Simply write 7000 new words on a book project in December and you can be in the 2015 drawing in January!

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Mary Scro Intentional Fitness cover

Mary Scro Intentional Warfare coverAnd who won Mary Scro’s book, Intentional Warfare?

I’m so embarrassed that I forgot to announce the winner last week. But all I can say is my brain can only hold so much and these days it’s trying to hold too much. 🙁

But today we do have a winner, and that winner is…

Paul Elliott!

Congratulations, Paul. To receive your free copy of Mary’s book, Intentional Warfare, simply contact me with your snail mail address and Mary will get you book right out to you.

And for you who didn’t win the book, here is the direct Amazon links to Intentional Fitness and Intentional Warfare.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you’ll be back next week for our monthly writing opportunities collected just for you!

Happy writing!

Vonda

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Parting Words From The WORD…A Baby Changed Everything

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By Vonda Skelton | December 4, 2015

During the Christmas season, it has become my Christian Writer’s Den tradition to post this beautiful video and the life-giving words it proclaims. I’ve done it now for several years, and each time I hear it, I still get chills and my eyes fill with tears.

When Jesus was born, everything was changed.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch the beautiful images from the film, The Nativity, and listen to the words of this powerful song sung by Faith Hill.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:11-14 (KJV)

During this blessed Christmas season, I’m especially thankful a Baby changed everything for me. And He wants to change everything for you, too.

I was lost but now I’m found! Hallelujah!

Christmas blessings as we celebrate the Gift and the Giver,

Vonda

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How Many Rejections are Enough to Quit? And Kudos & MoGo7000 Call-Outs

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By Vonda Skelton | December 1, 2015
Image courtesy of suphakit73/www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of suphakit73/

Let’s start with a conversation about rejections. When is it okay for a writer quit trying?

The answer is simple: You can quit whenever you’re ready to fail.

I heard a statistic that the average writer will get 5-10 rejections and quit. I have one thing to say to that: Wimp.

Okay, I know that sounds tough, but hear my heart. The truth is, the only way to fail at this writing thing is to quit. The only way to be considered a failure is to walk away and say you’re done. As long as you’re learning, applying, writing, rewriting, learning, applying, writing, and rewriting, you’re doing the work of a writer. In other words, you ARE a writer.

Some of you have heard my story of getting 63–count ’em, 63!–rejections before I ever had anything published. Not one single, solitary thing published in 7 or 8 long years of No.

You better believe I got discouraged. Yes, I wanted to quit. Many times. But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t leave a the journey a quitter. I just couldn’t walk away.

I knew I had something to say, something someone would benefit from. If only I could find someone to publish what I was writing. So I tried almost everything: magazine articles, novels, plays, songs, children’s picture books, and devotions, but everything I wrote received a rejection.

So I kept learning, kept attending conferences, kept going to critique group, kept applying what I’d learned, kept writing and rewriting . . . year after year after year.

And then one day, after years of No, the answer was Yes. I had a contract for an article.

But here’s what I want you to know: I didn’t become a writer with that first published article. I had been a writer through all those years of No. I had been a writer because I didn’t quit.

Now, after all these years of writing, I often wonder how different my life would be if I had quit at 63 rejections. What if I’d never sent the 64th submission? No one would have blamed me, that’s for sure. After all, anybody should have enough sense to quit after all that time.

But some things just don’t make sense from a human point of view. Success comes by perseverance and determination, not by avoiding rejection.

The only way to win is to persevere. And the only way to fail is to quit.

Happy writing!

Vonda

Thanks for Tweeting!

How many rejections are enough to quit writing? @VondaSkelton #amwriting #pubtips (Click to Tweet)

The only way to win is to persevere. The only way to fail is to quit. @VondaSkelton #amwriting #pubtips (Click to Tweet)

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FreeDigitalPhotos/Iosphere

FreeDigitalPhotos/Iosphere

It’s Time to Share Kudos of YOUR Successes!

Hey there, writing friends. We want to know what you’ve been up to. Have you had something exciting happen recently in your writing or speaking life? Maybe you’ve had an article published, signed a book contract, released a new book, got an agent, or started a new blog. If so, we want to hear from you!

It’s really simple, but I do ask that you contact me with the info in this format and order ONLY:

**Your name
**Your state in two-letter abbreviation
**Link to your website or blog
**Your good news
**Link to your good news, if online (online bookstore, online article, etc)

I can’t wait for us to celebrate with you!

mogo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who MoGo’d in November? And yes, NaNoWriMo numbers count!

If you wrote at least 7000 new words on a book project in November, you can receive an entry in the drawing for the 2015 MoGo7000 $100 cash prize! It’s open to everyone who qualifies.

To report your November results, please leave a comment below with your total new words written on a book project in November. (Please do not send your totals by email or through the Contact page. Totals must be left as a comment here by next Sunday). 

If you missed out on last year’s money-winning writing challenge, don’t worry, the 2015 challenge has one more month. Here are the MoGo7000 Challenge rules. All you have to do is write at least 7000 NEW words on a book project in any month and you’ll receive an entry into the end-of-the-year drawing for $100.

It’s not too late! Get started now and you could have and extra $100 next year. And it doesn’t cost you a cent. :-)

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