Had a Great Time!

I just got back from the KY Christian Writers Conference last night. As a friend of mine used to say, "And once again, a good time was had by all."

My class on freelancing was well attended with eager writers who seemed appreciative to learn the things I was able to share. I told them that freelancing was like fishing and I as going to teach them how to fish, and tell them where some great fishing holes were.

I have included a picture of two writers who also write for the publishing company I am contracted with. The woman on the left is Shirley Crowder, my childhood friend and co-writer on many books, and the woman in the middle is Betty Thomason Owens who writes fiction with Write Integrity Press. (Pix-N-Pens is the nonfiction arm of Write Integrity.)

The man in the back is Carlton Hughes, a humor writer, who has photobombed our pictures at this conference so many years that it is now a tradition to have a "Carlton-photobombed pic".

I'm back home, now, and looking ahead again. My husband and I have a phone call appointment with the publishing company that is currently considering our book later this week. I hope to be able to share more on that soon.

I'm still working on book #3 of our 5-book contract, and will soon start edits on book #2. But I am also just enjoying some summer days. My grandson is visiting this week and going with me and one of my kids to my parents next week. So, I'm going to enjoy some pool time and family time.  

The Kentycky Writers Confernece

The Kentucky Christian Writers Conference is just two weeks away!

I love this conference. It is the first writers conference I ever attended and the one that gave me the tools to set out on my writing journey. At my first meeting, in June of 2009, I took a workshop on freelancing small pieces such as articles, devotions, short stories, etc. I came home inspired and hopeful with new information as to how to go about doing it. I sent my first submission in July of 2009, and received my first paying contract (for an article) in November of the same year.

I now have several hundred published short pieces and will be teaching the workshop on it this year! I would love to have you join me. You can get more information about it at this link: KCWC

Hope to see you there!

Looking Ahead

In my last post, I wrote about being disappointed. Well, that is part and parcel of the writing life. Every writer has to learn to put today's rejection behind them and turn their eyes on tomorrow and I am doing just that.

The manuscript that my husband and I co-wrote is now in the hands of another traditional publisher who is showing interest. Hopefully, it will not be as long a wait before we hear this time. They sound interested, but then again, so did the previous publisher, right up to the point where they declined it, lol!

Meanwhile, I have my hands full with other writing! In recent weeks, I have received and signed numerous contracts from magazines for articles or devotions. These include "Power for Living" who bought both an article and a devotional, "SEEK" who bought three articles, and "The Secret Place." I also just received a complimentary copy of "Clubhouse" magazine for an article they bought over a year ago but just now published it in the current issue.

I also am making headway on the books I need to write for my main publisher, Pix-N-Pens (a division of Write Integrity Press). Two books co-written by my friend Shirley Crowder and myself will be coming out this year--the 1st in our devotional series in late summer / early fall, and the 4th in our prayer series in late fall / early winter. I will give you those exact dates and show you those covers when we have them. I will be very involved in final edits for both of those this summer. The 2nd manuscript in that devotional series is due to our publisher in mid-August, and I am also hoping to start mapping out and beginning to write on the 3rd in the series which will be due to our publisher next winter sometime.

And added to that are my speaking engagements. I will be teaching on freelance writing in June at the KY Christian Writer's Conference and on missions at the Women's Advance Conference in July.

Whew! I hope to get some pool time in too! Happy summer all!

Freelance Writing

Look what came in the mail today! A box of 10 copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul's, "The Dog Really Did That?" It releases August 8th but as a contributor I get 10 free copies a few weeks early. 
I love freelance writing and have been a successful freelancer since 2010. I started freelancing before I ever had a book contract and have continued even as I also now write books.

For a snapshot of my writing work, right now, I am under a deadline for my newest book which is tentatively scheduled to release in early Dec . (So I should be working on that instead of blogging. lol!) But also in the last 30 days, I have received contracts for articles from 3 magazines--"War Cry", "SEEK", and "Thriving Family" and am waiting on payment from a devotional who contracted me last year for 10 devotions but pay on publication (meaning they pay at the time the work is published.) And today, my Chicken Soup contributor copies arrived. How I love freelancing!

I teach a workshop on freelancing, btw, if any writer's conference or group is looking for a faculty member / speaker.