The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Author Interviews

Elaine Marie Cooper & Bethany’s Calendar

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I’m excited to have award-winning author Elaine Marie Cooper with us today, and I have a surprise for you at the end. Be sure to keep reading.

Author Elaine Marie CooperElaine is the author of 5 books. Her most recent historical fiction, Fields of the Fatherless, has won 3 awards: 2014 Selah Award, YA Fiction; 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Award, Best Religious Fiction; and 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Best YA Religious Fiction. The Promise of Deer Run, book 2 of her Deer Run saga is a Los Angeles Book Festival Winner and was a ForeWord Book of the Year Award finalist.

Elaine knows how to captivate her readers! [Read more…] about Elaine Marie Cooper & Bethany’s Calendar

Imperfect Wings and Elizabeth Noyes

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I have a delightful interview in store for you today with author Elizabeth Noyes. Bookmark this page because you’re going to want to come back to her advice at all stages of your writing journey.

Author Elizabeth Noyes
Author Elizabeth Noyes

Imperfect Wings, published by Write Integrity Press and released August 1, 2014, is Elizabeth’s first full novel. She is a contributing writer to the book A Dozen Apologies, a collaborative novel with 11 other writers.

At what point in writing your book did you begin to look for publishers? [Read more…] about Imperfect Wings and Elizabeth Noyes

Seeking Sophie. Has anyone looked in the lighthouse?

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Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

The historical romance Seeking Sophie takes place on Eagle Head Island, Maine, with Sophie Stalz and her new husband, lighthouse keeper Jackson Scott. So what better place for a booksigning than at a lighthouse. And that’s exactly where author Melody Balthaser launched her debut novel Seeking Sophie.

Launched in September, the book has received nothing but 5-star reviews so far. As the editor of Seeking Sophie, I’m as excited to see those 5-star reviews as Melody is (well, almost). Let’s hope they continue.

In a review on Amazon, reader Cynthia E. Dutton says, [Read more…] about Seeking Sophie. Has anyone looked in the lighthouse?

How a Walk of Faith Led to Publication

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Author Jennifer Slattery
Author Jennifer Slattery

Welcome to this month’s Friday Feature interview. Today I visit with author Jennifer Slattery about her debut novel Beyond I Do. Read on to learn how her faith led her to her publisher. [Read more…] about How a Walk of Faith Led to Publication

An Interview with Author Paulette Harris on Publishing

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Author Paulette Harris

I welcome multi-published author Paulette Harris to my blog today. Paulette is a delightful lady with a heart for God and a desire to help others.

Because Paulette is celebrating her birthday this month, one lucky person will win a print copy of her book Vapors. I’ll randomly choose someone from those who leave a comment. Comments will be open Friday through Sunday, so you’ll have a chance to win if you missed reading on Friday.

The winner will be announced on Monday, so be sure to visit again to see if you’ve won.

Let’s find out what advice Paulette has for writers about the publishing business.

[Read more…] about An Interview with Author Paulette Harris on Publishing

Keeper of the Mountain and Dr. Nshan Erganian

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I met today’s Friday feature author Nshan Erganian through the local writers’ guild I belong to here in St. Joseph, Missouri. He’s a very interesting guy with quite a sense of humor. But I think you’ll discover that for yourselves as you read his interview.

Q: What did you know going into this whole publishing process that helped you the most, Nshan?

Author Nshan ErganianA: I think there is too much emphasis placed on this notion that the major publishers will not take the time to consider your story. I hear it every time I sit in a writing class or seminar. Maybe it’s true, but I think it causes new authors to shy away from sending query letters to publishers. It may be true that you’ll get back a lot of rejections, [Read more…] about Keeper of the Mountain and Dr. Nshan Erganian

Gloria Doty, Not Different Enough

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Today’s Friday Feature author interview is with Gloria Doty. Gloria has just returned from the Write-to-Publish writers’ conference in Wheaton, Illinois, where the conference organizers awarded her the 2014 Writer of the Year Award for her book Not Different Enough.

(I highly recommend the Write-To-Publish conference; they have been helping writers on the road to publication for more than 40 years.)

Today’s post includes a contest to win a free download of Not Different Enough to one winner who will be randomly drawn from those who leave a thoughtful comment about the interview. Contest entry is open until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 22. Winner will be announced on Monday, June 23. [Read more…] about Gloria Doty, Not Different Enough

Cynthia T. Toney and Bird Face

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Our Friday Feature author interview today is with Cynthia T. Toney. Her book, Bird Face, released February 2014 and is garnering nothing but 4- and 5-star reviews on Amazon.

Let’s dive in.

Debra: How did you choose the publishers you queried for your book?

Cynthia: I looked for publishers that didn’t always follow trends in their offerings. And those that published middle-grade and young adult fiction that was more serious than silly.Cynthia T. Toney, Author of Bird Face

Debra: Publishers who don’t follow trends—that’s interesting. What gave you that idea, and why did you use that strategy? [Read more…] about Cynthia T. Toney and Bird Face