For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ben Erlichman. Now that that’s out of the way, here’s what you’ve been sent to this blog post to find:

Originally our flash fiction magazine was titled “QuickTales Quarterly,” but we’ve changed the name to something a bit catchier. The magazine is now called Splickety Magazine.

Our Mission Statement is this: Splickety Magazine exists to showcase high-quality short fiction from new writers, established authors, and everyone in between, written from a Christian worldview.

Here’s a brief description of the magazine:

Splickety Magazine, or Splickety for short, is the premiere destination for high-quality flash fiction written from a Christian worldview. We feature contributors from all walks of life, everyone from best-selling authors all the way to new writers just beginning their publishing adventures. Our goal is to provide concise, poignant stories that our readers can enjoy despite the busyness of their everyday lives.

Our readers include devoted working professionals, frazzled stay-at-home parents, youths with short attention spans, and anyone else who loves short fiction. If you wish you had more time to read, try Splickety–you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to take in your fiction in smaller bites. And if you write, but struggle with crafting book-length works, send us something shorter. If it’s sharp, clean, and quick, you may just earn yourself a spot in one of our issues.

Now, you ravenous beasts, here are the submission guidelines:

Splickety Magazine is a new publication that features short works by both professional best-selling authors as well as up-and-coming writers, all with a passion for flash fiction. We exist to fill gaps in the modern reader’s day with concise, poignant fiction less than 1,000 words. We need stories that hit fast and strike hard–stories that, no matter the genre, can cut through the day’s troubles and grip readers with short attention spans.

**That said, consider having a second set of critical eyes read your submission through before you send it to me. If it’s not up to our standards, you’ll get it back with a few suggestions on how to improve it, but since I don’t have a lot of time it’s better if I don’t have to do many of those. Have your critique partner/group do a read-through and THEN send it to me once you’ve implemented some of their changes.**

We accept original, unpublished work by freelance writers, artists, graphic designers, and photographers. Each written submission must contain:

• Your name as you would like it to appear in print and your contact information. Put these things in the upper left hand corner and include both your last name and the title of the document when you email it.
• Your well-edited story between 500 and 1000 words (we will also entertain microfiction–works shorter than 500 words–if the story is especially gripping) typed, double-spaced, size 12 black Times New Roman font in MS Word as an attachment to the email. DO NOT send me your story in the email text, please.
• Your art work or photo(s) sent in jpeg format.
• Any related Bible verses and/or references, if applicable.
• Your first and last name (NOTE: If you use a pen name, I need both your real name and the pen name on the submission, please), and the title of your story in the subject line of your email. For multiple submissions, please send multiple, separate emails as it is easier to keep them organized as individual submissions that way.

(Did you get all of that? Double check to make sure you’re fulfilling the guidelines please. If not, I won’t read your story and will have to ask you to resend it, which sucks up some of my time. Please make sure you follow the guidelines as written.)

(Seriously–follow them to the letter, or I’ll Hulk-smash your submission out of the running.)

We retain the right to edit written submissions for grammar, brevity, and clarity of language. We will send you suggested changes prior to publication. Please allow between 6-8 weeks for notification. All submissions accepted by email.

Should we select one of your works for publication, we will notify you via email. A small stipend, depending on the length of your piece, will be paid to you for the right to publish your submission. Each issue of Splickety will feature 10-16 authors/contributors, so writers have many opportunities to submit their very best short works with each issue.

Thank you for your interest in our publications. Please contact me with any questions or submissions at splickety.wwc@gmail.com.

Ben Erlichman
Executive Editor for Splickety Magazine
Written World Communications

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Sadness grows, inside it shows
Two hearts are bound with chain;
Against the clock our scuffles mock
The truth that keeps us sane.

He speaks of love borne from above
Canvassing like rain
That washes clean with summer steam
That sleight which causes shame.

Among the stars, ever oh so far,
Fling transgressions of this swain
Away with fear to draw you near––
Redemption is my gain.

The blazing blue above the brew
Sings of the glorious reign;
When hope’s alive man can derive
Ransom’d judgment’s bane,

And when the sun begins to run
Abiding ev’ry flame,
No more hearts weep, nor souls do sleep,
For freedom’s in this frame:

When dreary eyes greet burning skies
And the last of light doth wane,
True Love endures, forgiveness cures
And wipes away the pain.

Though all was lost He paid the cost,
The life He gave was slain;
He chose to give that we might live
Our lives to do the same.

1. Freak Out. This one is REALLY important. We need to just pull our hair, throw some things around (non-breakables, we hope), and laugh/yell/cry our eyes out. Perhaps if we hide under the bed, the stress won’t find us (plus the bogeyman won’t have anywhere to camp while he’s waiting for us late at night).

You can also test some of those crazy superstitions, like whether or not shattering a mirror will get you 7 years of bad luck, or whether walking under ladders somehow dooms you to a terrible fate, etc. My thought is, hey, what have I got to lose? If it makes me feel better, then I’m going to do it, because if I don’t make it through the stress I’m in right now, who cares about the next 7 years, right?

2. Take a breath. Okay, so you’ve got your freak on. Now regain your equilibrium. If you can’t get back to a nice, balanced point, you cannot advance beyond level to a proactive, productive point. You certainly won’t get to the ultra-productive point where your stress actually becomes your fuel. So, take that breath (or two…or three…or seventeen) and center yourself.

3. Pray. God WILL help you. He’s faithful. Jesus said not to worry about what you will eat, drink, wear, where you’ll live, and so on. He said don’t worry about tomorrow because today has enough worries on its own (see Matthew 6:25-34). This segues into our next one…

4. Prioritize. Put off ’til tomorrow what you can do today, but only because you have other projects with more imminent deadlines due. At midnight. And it’s 11:30pm.

I prioritize in two ways: I do the projects that need to be done first (to make sure I’m not late), and then, if I’ve somehow managed to not procrastinate, I do the hardest project first. It’s simple math: bigger, harder projects require more energy, work, effort, etc., so naturally I’d want to do said project first when I actually HAVE those things stored up. Then, when I’m burned out from the big project, I take five then do the next hardest project. It helps match my capabilities to the tasks at-hand.

5. Medicate. Whoa, easy on the sauce there, pal. I’m not talkin’ booze or drugs or even caffeine (at least not necessarily). I’m saying find something that motivates you to get started. For me, it’s music and Mountain Dew. They get me writing (or working on other stuff) really fast. In general, drugs and alcohol are poor choices, because if you’re stressed, they can stress you out more (remember that alcohol is a depressant). But maybe get yourself a snack…like a juicy steak. That would totally inspire me.

6. Get comfy. You’re going to be there awhile, so enjoy your stay. Pillows, blankets, etc. Don’t take too much time with all of this though–you still have work to do. But see? Don’t you feel better already? Easy killer. The goal isn’t to fall asleep, it’s to get your work done.

7. Jump in headfirst. You just gotta do it. Abandon your reason, your worries, your fears. Remember my last post on Surfing in Lake Michigan in November (one week ago)? I just jumped in and went with the flow, literally. You have to do that with your work too. Go for it, and go for it hard, because the sooner it’s done, the sooner it’s done. This is your proactive, productive point, better than equilibrium.

8. Make the stress become your fuel. Remember how I mentioned that you could become ultra-productive? This is how you do it. Find a way to channel the anxiety and stress of your deadline into your energy reserve. While you’re at it, throw in your disdain for politics, organized religion, vanilla wafers, shrieking children in the back of your organized religion church service, violence in video games, parents who won’t remove their shrieking children in the back of your organized religion church service, etc. You get the point. When you brew these things together (as long as they don’t distract you from the task at-hand) they can become ridiculous, almost superhuman energy.

Let these things inspire you, drive you. Let them fuel the fire burning inside you to get that blasted project done, and to make it awesome while you’re at it. You have control over those things for just a short period of time, because they’re like the rest of the things in life you worry about: they’re in your head. If it’s your head, it’s your imagination, so make it work for you instead of against you.

9. Finish strong. You’re an ultra-productive beast, so don’t give up when you finally hit the homestretch. This is WAR, dangit! Write that last chapter with zeal! Type that concluding paragraph with gusto! Compose those final song lyrics and notes with fire shooting from your fingertips! If you tank at the end, all your work will have been in vain. If you have time, edit, or even better, edit the next day (if time allows).

10. Make a break for it. If you’ve got more to do then take a break. During this break, your task is simple: celebrate. Shoot confetti into the air, or if you’re rural, firearms. Eat some candy. Check your Facebook. Streak through your home in naught but your skivvies. Check your Facebook again (we both know you will anyway). If your tasks are all done, go to bed. If not, then repeat, starting from step one.

That’s what I do, more or less. Give it a try sometime and let me know what you think.

-Ben

We live in a country where we still have the freedom to practice our faith openly. In the spirit of that freedom, I’m publicly going to say that I’m thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ, thankful that God sent him to give us salvation from our sins.

I’m thankful for my wife, my true love, my best friend. I’m thankful for my family, both near and far. I’m thankful for my friends, who mean so much to me.

I’m thankful for air to breathe, for music, for light. I’m thankful for food in my fridge, for Mountain Dew, for cheese (thanks Wisconsin!). I’m thankful for TV (though it distracts me), for video games (which sometimes rule my life), and for action movies.

The list could go on for days, I’m sure. The point is that I have way more to be thankful for than I have to be worried about. I want to encourage all of us to focus on what we have to be thankful for. I personally think that we’d all live happier, more fulfilled lives if we could find a way to extend this season of thanksgiving beyond just today, perhaps even beyond the holiday season. What if we lived with this “seasonal” kind of thankfulness every day?

That’s my challenge to you. Extend your thanksgiving this year. See how long you can maintain that attitude.

God bless you all.

-Ben

Cheese!

What makes them distinct from others? Campbell’s is distinct from other brands of soup. Tide is distinct from other detergents. We all know that Pop-Tarts are the industry standard for toaster pastries (I will argue this until my dying day). Why does that matter?

In the words of The Highlander: “There can be only one.”

These products’ marketing departments aim to convince us that their product is the only one you need to buy in that category. (Yes, Pop-Tarts are the only toaster pastry you need in your life.)

It’s the same with people and their brands. It’s the same with AUTHORS and their brands. If you’re not an author, bear with me–what I’m getting at will have validity for your life too.

Fans of Ted Dekker, one of the world’s most successful Christian authors, know to expect a certain kind of writing from him. They also know that when they see him (if they should be so lucky) he’ll look and behave a certain way. This is not an act on his part (at least I don’t think so), but rather a the outward manifestation of his personality.

Say what you will about Ted, but he’s a great example for this topic, so I’m going to use him. I had the privilege to sit shoulder to shoulder with Ted at a bar/restaurant in Denver last year. That made for a great opportunity to speak with him (and to secretly study him). I’ve read some of Ted’s books. I’m a fan, but not a huge fan. Not a nutso-stalkerish-type fan. Having said that, Ted impressed me. I noticed later on that it wasn’t my knowledge of his worldwide success but rather his branding that did it.

One thing in particular caught my eye. Go to his website real quick (just click on his name in blue above). See at the top how he’s got a symbol there? It’s a green circle with a red cross in the middle of it. That’s the symbol of his Circle Trilogy books, some of the books I’d read. What struck me the most was that Ted was wearing that symbol on a necklace around his neck when I met him.

Wow. My initial thought was “That’s cool that he’s got his own symbol around his neck. He must be really sold out for his books.” Later, thanks to a class I took with Jim Rubart, I learned that that is just a piece of Ted’s overall brand. Jim has had numerous opportunities to meet Ted, including in that very same bar where I was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ted. Jim said in his class that he realized one day what Ted’s brand was: he’s a rock star. He’s the rock star of Christian Fiction.

If you think about it, if you look at the clothes he wears in his pictures, if you look around his website, his “dark” overall appearance is what comes out the strongest, just like a rock star.

What does that mean for us? What can we learn from Ted, authors or otherwise? I call them the “Four Be’s.”

1. Be yourself. This old cliche has been popularized through thousands of mediums, everything from Disney movies to college courses, but it’s true and absolutely vital to your brand. Ted’s not just “acting” like a rock star…he IS a rock star. For me, I don’t just pretend to like action, I truly LOVE action. You’ve got to be yourself. If you aren’t, then people might question your brand…they might question you. Disingenuity is most times very easy to see through.

2. Be obvious. For me this one is essential, and I believe it will only grow more essential as time goes on. If we aren’t obvious with our brand and who we are, how are people going to know we have something to offer? That’s why Pop-Tarts makes commercials, right?

3. Be consistent. If I said I loved writing action/adventure novels then decided to blog about all the wonderful romance novels I’ve been reading lately, that might come across as a bit inconsistent. If we’re not consistent with our message, then people won’t know what to expect from us, and they’ll write us off as too confusing or too unpredictable (and in bad ways, not in that cool edgy way that some people can pull off…because it’s part of their brand).

4. Believe. These are all very important, but this one is near and dear to my heart. You have to thoroughly believe in your brand and in the message your brand represents. If you don’t, then everything else will fall apart.

Last thing, then I’m done: when you read these “four be’s,” are you reminded of anything else? I see these translating to our Christian walk very well. Read through them again, but imagine I’m writing to you in a devotional instead. They fit pretty well with Scriptural principles, don’t they? God wants us all to represent him as ourselves, in obvious ways (the definition of “obvious” can have different meanings for different people, of course), with consistency, and above all else, we need to believe in Him and why we’re representing Him in the first place. I guess that kind of makes us a part of God’s brand, doesn’t it?

-Ben

It takes a LOT to keep my attention. So far I’ve only found a few things that consistently keep my attention: video games, sword-fighting, good movies, really good books, and really good conversations.

Notice that “spending time with God,” or “my wife,” or “writing” aren’t on that list, yet those are some of the things that I’ve deemed are most important to me. Strange, isn’t it, that I spend more time on stuff that isn’t nearly as “important” to me as these other things?

But what if the amount of time I spend on something determines how important it was to me? If that’s the case, then fortunately this month I’m doing well, mostly thanks to NaNoWriMo. I’ve been writing a LOT (necessarily, as I’ve got to finish a 50k book by November 30th). I’ve also been spending more time with my wife this month, but not really through any conscious effort on my part (I’m still enjoying it though). But unfortunately, I can’t say the same about spending time with God.

Why not?

Look! A deer!

What does a person who gets distracted easily do about that? For me, I have a process (which actually works when I decide I want it to work):

1. I determine that I’m going to do what I need to do. This is where I make up my mind and decide to do something.

2. I block out as many obvious distractions as possible. I don’t go so far as to unplug the TV or turn off my computer, mostly because I figure it’ll take up too much time and effort later on when trying to reach behind the TV to plug it back in or wait for my computer to restart, but I do try to consciously avoid interacting with those things.

3. I try to get to a quiet place. I swear I’d be a hermit if it wasn’t for my wife and my church, so usually I just retreat to my bedroom to spend time with God. If I could, I’d climb a tall tree and do it there, but since I live in a condo, I don’t have any trees that are secluded from everyone else. Plus it’s November. In Wisconsin.

4. I set up a timeframe. I plan how long I’m going to spend with God. I know it sounds formulaic and “religious,” but it works for me. Usually, I go longer than that timeframe anyway because of number 5…

5. I allow room for God to speak and interact with me. If I didn’t do this, I know I’d be wasting time I could otherwise be spending doing something of world-changing significance, like playing a video game I’ve already beaten three dozen times. Seriously though, I often end up reading more of the Bible than I intended to, or praying a bit more, or listening more (something we all need to practice), and overall spending more time.

6. After I’m done, I go and do something totally different. This step is important to me because it satisfies my inner desire to get distracted. I’ll go and play that stupid video game or write or something way different than spending time with God. This might not be good for you guys, but for me it actually reinforces that the time I spent with God was special.

Those are some of my thoughts. Maybe try the process out, see if it works for you. Right now, I REALLY need to check my Facebook page. Must…get…distracted…

-Ben

P.S. Tune in tomorrow for a great post by Jen!

No Hand-Writing for Me!

I need to write at night. I can write during the day, but my creativity seems to flow better the later it gets. There were times growing up when I’d stay up until 4 or 5am drawing stuff, and it was almost always my best work. (Granted there were other times where I stayed up that late playing video games too, but we’ve already ascertained that I’m a recovering video game addict). Also, I don’t get much writing done during the day anyway because I’m working during that time. I take an hour for my lunch and pound out maybe a thousand words or 2k if I’m really on fire, but most of the work has been outside of work (and rightfully so).

Solution: my dad had an old laptop that he isn’t using. It used to be kinda slow, but he trashed the whole operating system and did a clean re-install of XP, so it’s back up and running lickety-split. Good enough for word processing and using the internet a bit, which for NaNo is all I need.

That just goes to show you (and me) that God really does care about us (including me). he cared enough to provide a really easy solution to my computer issue, thus salvaging what could have been the smoldering wreckage of my crashed-and-burned NaNo project. In the grand scheme of things, probably wouldn’t have been a huge loss, as I was planning on writing this story anyway, but yet God took care of me.

What small thing has He done for you lately? Have you done anything for Him lately to say thanks? Think about it.

That’s all I’ve got for today, folks. Happy NaNo-ing!

NaNoWriMo

Nice. My only problem is that I don’t think I could create a story with the kind of depth that I want to put in my novels in only 50,000 words. Perhaps I’m making too big of an issue out of this, but I really think I most of my stories will fall between the 75,000 to 100,000 range. So my goal is somewhere in the middle: I want to finish an 85,000 to 90,000-word novel in 30 days. That means I have to average about 3,000 words per day. Wow.

I foresee two major problems with this task:

1. I’m lazy. It’s true. I want to sit around and not do anything substantial most of the time. We’ve already established that I’m a video game addict, so that adds to my laziness factor. I want to do NaNoWriMo, but I have to corral my laziness and bad habits if I’m going to be successful.

2. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. This will likely thwart my NaNoWriMo attempt as well. My goal is to finish the story, but I have a tendency to want to make everything crisp and polished the first time through. If I let that get in the way, then I might not finish.

I think someone should start a movement to make December the official NaNoEdMo – the National Novel Editing Month. That way, participants in NaNoWriMo will have 31 days to edit their project (or 30 if you don’t count Christmas). Not a bad idea, huh? Who’s with me?

Either way, this year I probably won’t be able to participate in NaNoEdMo as I’m undertaking some major changes in my first novel, The Dreamer. Here’s a quick note for all you first-time novel-writers out there: write an outline first. If I’d done that when I started seven years ago, perhaps I wouldn’t have had to revise my first novel so many times over the last five years.

Be of good cheer, my friends. Do your NaNoWriMo project with gusto, with fervor, and with lots of inspiration, whether that’s from God, coffee, Mountain Dew, or something else. As my good friend Lynn Rush would say, “Write on!”

Not Even Mickey's Immune to the Allure of Magic

I’m talking beyond Harry Potter, Twilight, and Percy Jackson here. I saw books with “Necromancy” and “Demonology” in their titles.

WHAT???

That was my immediate reaction. What impressionable young adult needs to delve into either of those things??? Necromancy, according to Webster’s Online Dictionary, is “conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events.”

I researched. On a Satanist website I visited (so you wouldn’t have to) they said of necromancy, “only the profoundly initiated, brave and single-minded magician has any chance of success in such a venture, always considered to be extremely dangerous, for not only is a pact with the Devil necessary, but it is thought that the ‘astral corpse’ has an intense desire to live again and could, by absorbing life-energy from living creatures, prolong its life indefinitely, thus, unless he has taken adequate precautions, the magician might be in great danger.”

WHAT???

It goes on: “To evoke the dead the magician needs to obtain the help of powerful spirits, both for his own protection and to compel the corpse or ghost to submit to his will.”

WHAT???

This is the subject of a YA book for sale at your local bookstore.

It gets worse. Demonology is defined by Webster as “the study of demons or evil spirits.” This one is touted online as a field of professional (sometimes even scientific) study, right along with all the other -ologys. Want your kids studying demons?

If so, you can find resources in the YA section at your local bookstore.

Okay, let’s refocus. I’m not writing this to crusade against these books, or even against witchcraft. I know full well that God is in control. He doesn’t need my help to handle this stuff.

Having said that, I want to pose a question to all of my fellow authors, artists, parents, and Christians in general: what are we going to do about it?

Again, I don’t want a crusade. They don’t work unless you happen to live in the Old Testament. However, I am advocating a much larger mission.

I want to take back the entertainment industry for Christ.

Not long ago, the church led the entertainment industry. We commissioned famous artists like Rembrandt to paint Bible stories. We hired legendary composers to write glorious music to honor God and share the Bible through pieces like Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Handel’s Messiah. Even a good chunk of the literature produced used to directly correlate with the Bible. Shakespeare himself used and referenced scriptures so much so that one scholar (Thomas Carter) said “no writer has assimilated the thoughts and reproduced the words of Holy Scripture more copiously than Shakespeare.”

So what happened? In my opinion, over the last 100 years the world changed and the church tried to be like God: the same yesterday, today, and forever. (On a side note, I think God stays the same because He knows we’ll keep changing until we die and He wants us to have some stability.) But since the world changed so much so quickly, we’re still trying to catch up. If we’re trying to catch up, how can we ever hope to lead?

So again, I pose my question to you: what are we going to do about it?

I ask that you prayerfully consider this question and share your feedback with me via comments on this blog. Once you’ve heard from God about what you’re personally supposed to do, I ask that you go and do it.

-Ben

Lynn Rush

BE: So Lynn, how did you get into writing (in general)? When did you start writing seriously?
LR: I sort of fell into writing after reading Frank Peretti’s, This Present Darkness. That book rocked! In the way, way back of my tiny mind, I’d had a little idea about a fun story. Never did much more than jot a few things down here and there . . .but then I decided to get that story onto a computer. By May 2008 I had an 87,000-word novel (Light of Truth) and no clue what to do next. I got some advice to join ACFW. I jumped feet first into a critique group and started learning the craft.

BE: How did you get into blogging? Why?
LR: Initially, I was told by fellow writing friends that everyone needed a blog to start off their writing career. I was like, “What’s a blog?”

*LOL*

So, I started learning about it and dabbled a little, but then saw Michelle Sutton give a talk about Social Media (facebook/blogging, etc) in September 2008 and went for it. I started having themes, tiny contests, and basically talked about things I love such as writing, music, movies, and exercise.

I get to meet tons of people through blogging, so it’s been more of a fun thing than a marketing-to-get-published thing for sure!

BE: Please tell us a bit about how you format your blog, how often you post, where you come up with ideas, etc.?
LR: I post six days a week and have a couple themes such as: Musical Monday & Throwback Thursday which run weekly.

But then I have a few other themes I do intermittently such as Cinema Sound Off (which is done 1st Tuesday of each month) & Friday Funnies—but Friday Funnies was just recently replaced with This Writer’s Journey where I talk about people I’ve met and/or who have inspired me on my journey as a writer. I throw in book reviews every now and again as well, but mostly post those on Saturdays.

That leaves Tuesdays and Wednesdays for random things. I just blog about things I love. Movies are fun, so I often do Movie Trivia or Movie Quotes on Wednesdays. AND, I love having my characters come do surprise visits as well. They may host an entire week, so they’ll do their own thing, or follow my planned theme days…just depends.

I’ll throw in theme weeks once in a while, like One Hit Wonder Week or this Halloween I’m counting down the top five scary movies. Gotta keep it varied, you know? Otherwise it gets totally boring.

BE: You’re now the author of around 18 books (including sequels.) You said you’ve only been writing since 2008. How on earth did you manage to find time to write 18 books in that amount of time?
LR: I get asked this a lot, especially since I tend to update my status on Facebook quite a bit while working on new projects. I don’t have kids, so it’s just me and my sweet hubby (and our two Shelties—Herky & Maddux.) That leaves a ton of time to write. And since I’m currently unemployed, I have even more time. When I was working a full time job, I wrote every free minute I could find. Before work, during lunch, after work, and all weekend long.

BE: Tell our readers a bit about your style, your genre. What makes a Lynn Rush book a “Lynn Rush book?”
LR: I write paranormal romance, but it’s filled with intense emotions, kick-butt action, and a touch of “holy cow, did that just happen?” throughout the pages. My earliest readers were kind enough to describe it as a “rush.” So whenever you pick up one of my books, I hope you’re looking to be on a fun, exciting and, at times, gut-wrenching rush. In fact, that’s why I trademarked the phrase, Catch the Rush.

BE: In the Art of War for Writers, James Scott Bell encourages authors to write voice journals for their characters. I noticed awhile back on your blog that you occasionally have characters from your books stop by to “host” the blog. Is this where did you got that idea? If not, how did you come up with it?
LR: I actually haven’t read Art of War for Writers yet. Honestly, I just thought it’d be fun to bring my characters on the blog. You know, to let my followers get to know them better. It’s funny, though, because I realized it helped me get to know my characters better as well.

I love-love-love having my characters on the blog. It’s so much fun—especially for the 400-year-old characters. . . . Oh, and when my blog followers leave comments and ask questions, that’s even more fun because my characters answer any comments left! I just have a ton of fun. Love doing it.

BE: How does your blog contribute to growing your platform? What are some blogging-type things you’ve done to increase readership (for example, you’ve got lots of variety in types of posts, you link to other blog sites, etc. Does that stuff help)?
LR: I guess it can help my “platform” because if/when I do have a book published, all those followers will know about it, but that’s not my primary reason for doing it.

I love connecting with people and talking about reading, writing, movies, music, etc. I’ve met some really close friends through blogging and have been contacted by several people who have told me how much a certain post has encouraged them. I just LOVE that! That’s what it’s all about, you know?

I guess I’ve done some things to increase readership a little: I’ve connected it with Facebook, where I spend a lot of time interacting with people. I’ve had contests for prizes (usually Barnes and Noble gift cards since I totally love B&N).

Plus, I just have tons of fun on the blog. So those who stop by aren’t in for heavy, long, holy-cow-this-is-deep posts. Although, once in a while I have a deep thought and share it. But for the most part, it’s about having fun, encouraging people, and being positive. That’s what I’m about; therefore, it’s what my blog is about as well.

BE: Could you briefly describe your conceptualization/writing process for us?
LR: I get such a rush sitting in front of a blank word document without having anything much—other than an opening sentence—planned out. I usually get a first sentence in my mind and think, “Oh, that sounds like it could be a fun story to write.”

I might throw down a few ideas on a mind map, then go for a long bike ride to think things through, but that’s about it.

That usually works for about 75,000 words or so. Then I let it sit and simmer for a week—or four. When I go back to it, that’s where things take shape and I start doing timelines, note cards for each character, and really fleshing things out.

I’ve been known to write a whole first draft without knowing the villains name, sometimes even the heroine’s name. I’ll just put a blank line, like this _______, everywhere his/her name should pop up.

BE: What do you do to make your characters come alive for your readers?
LR: I try and do a few things, actually. I have two psych degrees & was an addictions therapist for a while, so I have that to draw on. I try and make my characters real by having them screw-up, make bad choices, etc, just like most humans do.

Sure, my characters can lift cars over their heads, stream ice or fire from their fingers, so their mistakes and screw-ups are a little more volatile, but that’s where the fun comes in.

Even putting them in normal situations, helps. For example, in Frostbite, my character is totally crushing on a guy. When he finally notices her, she freezes the water bottle she’s holding because she gets so excited her powers go wonky. I just love throwing that paranormal aspect into totally normal situations.

BE: I know it’s probably not your favorite story to tell, but would you mind explaining your “almost-published” saga with Violet Midnight?
LR: It’s okay. Sure, it was a sad thing, but I truly believe everything happens for a reason. It was a chance to grow as a person and as a writer.

In January 2010, I got notification that Violet Midnight won a contest. The first prize was publication. Yep. I was so stoked.

I got the contract, signed it (it’s all documented with pictures on my blog…it was a very exciting time) and sent it back. My book cover came in a short while later. And yes, it was totally sweet to see my name on a book cover.

My first round of edits came in, and I worked through those. Then, I got an email informing me that the publishing company closed its doors.

Total bummer.

No more Violet Midnight in print.

It was a sad blog post to write. But I figured people could learn from what I went through, both aspiring writers and non-writers alike.

So, yeah, it was a bummer. But hey, I survived. It’ll all work out in the end.

BE: What advice would you give to unpublished, newly published, or even seasoned authors who want to build their own platforms?
LR: I’m by no means an expert, but there are a few things that have come up consistently in the social media classes I’ve taken and conferences I’ve attended:

1. Stay current. You have to be active on your blog at least three to four times per week. I, personally, believe it should be at least five. No one’s going to want to come to your blog if it’s rarely updated.

2. Go visit other blogs—especially those who comment on yours. I’ve found so many sweet sites that way. My blog gets around 100 hits per day—give or take—and when people leave comments that link back to their blog, I more than likely will go see it—and usually on a regular basis, too. It’s just great fun seeing who and what is out there.

3. This third one is just my opinion. Your blog shouldn’t be only about platform building. If it is, it’ll show. The posts will just be all about you, your writing, and it’ll feel more like a commercial to anyone stopping by. You know what I mean?

Just have fun with it.

BE: You’re a Christian. To what extent do you incorporate your faith into your stories? Do you think a less overt Christian message is more beneficial to non-Christian readers?
LR: I often get asked how I can write paranormal romance if I’m a Christian, and I have to say that I don’t necessarily write Christian fiction. I’m a Christian who writes commercial fiction. My faith is a part of everything I do. It’s the base of who I am, and my stories have a unique flavor as a result. I say unique because when writing paranormal romance, people expect a lot of—well—romance. So, I get to be really creative when it comes to those parts of my novels . . . But you’ll have to wait to read my books to see what I mean.

BE: Thanks so much for stopping by. Any last words of encouragement for those reading this blog, specifically for writers, and specifically for readers?
LR: I love this part of interviews because it’s always my hope that I’ve been able to inspire or encourage even ONE person who reads about my journey toward publication.

Writers: Write on. Never give up. Soak up everything you can about the craft and run with it!

Readers: Keep buying those books. There are tons of great stories out there and many more to come by some great authors.

Thanks for having me here, Ben. I’ll be watching the comments section, so if anyone has questions or things to share, I’ll be replying to them!

Write on!

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