A Must for Every Minister and Church Leader

Ruth Buchanan's newest release offers unique insight into a growing adult population.

THE PROPER CARE AND FEEDING OF SINGLES offers:

• Eye-opening peek into the unique trials of the single life.
• Insight for the needs of singles in a variety of life situations.
• Documentation and personal quotes from church-going singles.

Every week across America, single members filter into their local congregations to worship, minister, and serve alongside their brothers and sisters in Christ. Although a minority in most congregations, singles nevertheless compose a significant cross-section of the church body. Each blessed and challenged with individual circumstances, Christian singles not only bear a unique burden but also offer diverse perspectives on the Christian life.

Unfortunately, many Christian singles attest to feeling overlooked. Pastors and church leaders, many long married, often find themselves ill-equipped to understand the particular relational, emotional, and spiritual needs of long-term Christian singles. Worse, they’re unaware that they’re underequipped. Married church members, though sympathetic to the needs of their single friends, nevertheless struggle to bridge the divide.

Written by a dedicated Christ-follower and long-term Christian single, The Proper Care and Feeding of Singles addresses the issues with humor and grace, offering practical solutions to strengthen the bonds of love and fellowship within local congregations.

About the Author:


Ruth Buchanan is a Christian freelance writer who holds degrees in ministry and theology. After years of classroom teaching in the United States and overseas, she left education to pursue creative endeavors. She currently produces fiction, non-fiction, dramas, and a regular succession of fussy little to-do lists. She’s an eager reader, an enthusiastic traveler, and the world’s most reluctant runner. Ruth loves Jesus, coffee, family, church, and friends. She lives and works in South Florida, but she’s often wandering the world in search of the perfect cup of coffee. Keep your eyes peeled, and you just might spot her. Barring that, you can always find her on Twitter: @Ruthette or on
her blog: ruthette.blogspot.com/

Facing Fear With Faith by Peggy Cunningham

We all face things we fear. And, perhaps, children's fears may be more intense. How do
we help them through their fears and teach them to trust God? My children’s book, Really
Rare Rabbits Book 2: Giant Green Ghosts and the Secret at Peppermint Pass is a tool to
help children overcome their fears and trust God. These rare, adorable rabbits take you on
a dangerous journey with them to meet their grandfather. On the way, they face their
fears and learn to trust God.

As a writer, I reap the benefits of researching Bible principles for my children’s books. I
spend time praying and searching verses to incorporate in my stories. Those verses
inevitably cause me to dig deeper for spiritual nuggets to help children, and in the
process, my soul gets stretched. My walk with God grows more intimate as I strive to
impart God’s truth that will impact young lives for Jesus. I love writing for children
because I know how their little minds and hearts quickly soak up God’s Word.

We all go through storms in our lives or face giant obstacles in our paths. Maybe they
aren't the giant green ghosts that my rabbits encounter, but all the same, we cringe when
our giants appear. Children also face their giants. Fi Fi trembles when she meets the
giants, but she remembers a Bible verse tucked away in her heart. "Do not fear; I will
help you" (Isaiah 41:13 NIV).

How about you? Are you facing giants today? Don’t tremble, trust God to slay your

giants. Maybe you aren’t a children’s writer, but just as I wrote how God’s Word helped
Fi Fi, it will help you overcome your fears. And, who knows, maybe you’ll discover God
wants you to write for children.

About the Author

Peggy Cunningham and her husband, Chuck, have been missionaries in Bolivia, S.A., since 1981. They have a children's ministry and work with national churches. In addition to her children's books, she writes devotionals for women like her DANCING LIKE BEES, and her new SHAPE YOUR SOUL, coming in spring of 2018. Also coming in the spring is a new series of Holiday stories for children, using the animals at her ranch in Bolivia as her main characters. Watch for HOORAY FOR HOLIDAYS, beginning in January of 2018. Learn more about Peggy and her books at her author page at WriteIntegrity.com.

Collaborative Creations by Shirley Crowder

From time-to-time someone will comment on how difficult it must be to have to co-write with someone.

Guess what? It isn’t! Including the books with Harriet, I have collaborated with two other people on projects, and have worked well with them.

The most important thing in co-writing, after both of you being Christ-followers, is to share very similar theological beliefs and understanding. If these are too dissimilar, the final manuscript will be choppy and inconsistent in presentation of biblical truth throughout the book.

Practically speaking, there are a few things that help make the co-writing process work well.

• Pray for each other.
• Agree in advance who will write what portions.
• Leave your pride behind.
• Have the person with the most expertise in Word compile, make changes in, and maintain the combined document.
• Be sure to turn on “tracking” so it is easy to see what edits the other person made.
• Defend/explain why you think something you wrote should not be changed.
• Explain why you think something the other person wrote should be changed.
• Flexibility—be prepared for rewrites, edits, and delays.

As you work together, you read and edit each other’s work. The changes you each make in the other person’s writing will help give the book a more consistent writing style and presentation.

Finally, while there are portions of this process that can be tedious, like galley corrections, it is fun to work with another person. And, when you get stuck, they can help make suggestions that jump start your thought processes and make completing the piece easier.

Have fun and don't forget to laugh at yourself!

About the Author

Shirley Crowder is a biblical counselor and co-host of "Think on These Things," a Birmingham, Alabama, radio/TV program for women. She is commissioned by and serves on the national Advisory Team for, The Addiction Connection, and is the author of STUDY GUIDE ON PRAYER. Later this year, she'll be releasing a collection of devotions on prayer that she has co-authored with Harriet E. Michael. Learn more about Shirley at her Write Integrity Author Page.

Impress an Editor in 9 Steps: Part 5

Dear Editor,

Here you go. Talk to you soon.

Signed

Me

No, this isn't a real cover letter. However, some proposals have come through our offices with nothing at all in the email, not even a signature. 

It's hard to say if a cover letter/email like that is being used to force an editor to open the proposal or from an author who is too busy or too shy to actually use the skills they want to sell.

When you write to an acquisitions editor… WRITE to the editor. After all, you are a writer. This is a person you’re emailing. Engage him or her just like you would if you met on the street. An e-mail is a letter after all. Take a moment to introduce yourself and share a little about why you're righting.

Not only is the email a letter, the person to whom you are writing is representing a business. Professionalism is always a plus. Talk to them in your initial email. Tell them why you’ve chosen to email them. Give them a little background on your story that might not fit into part of the proposal attachment.

Publishing companies, even small ones, receive hundreds of proposals every year. Sometimes, they receive hundreds of proposals every week! It’s easier for them to reject a project than it is to accept one. Especially from an author with no publishing experience. Show how well you can engage your audience by engaging them. Give them every reason to pick you.

My best advice: Show, through that initial email, the passion you have for your topic or the enthusiasm you have for your story. Enthusiasm is contagious and can go a long way in moving your book through to publication.

And if you have a question about publishing, queries, proposals, or what type of publishing is right for you, drop a line right here! Our executive director, Marji Laine Clubine, might use your question on her radio show, February 7 at 7PM Central (Publishing Laine). If she uses your question, she'll send you a free book.

12 Books of Christmas: RUMI RANCHO REINDEER by Peggy Cunningham

"There really are reindeer in Bolivia,"

said Abby to her sisters, Ellie and Olivia.

"They seem to me just a little bit strange.
Aunt Peggy says it’s because they’re open range.

I’ve seen them and they are strange indeed
Because their funny antlers are red and green."

Many kids walk far to go to Rumi Rancho to play
They hear stories of Jesus and always want to stay.

They heard that Jesus was born a long time ago

Learn more about Peggy at her author page
on the Write Integrity website.

His birthday is on Christmas day and He loves us so.

Missionaries travel the whole world wide

To tell the Good News that Jesus is alive.

He was born in a manger on Christmas day

So that we might learn of all God’s ways.

The way to heaven is still the same

Believe in Jesus, He knows us by name.

We know we celebrate because you are the reason

So Happy Birthday, Jesus, this Christmas Season.

From Rumi Rancho you can hear the kids cheer

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,

     who is Christ the Lord.”

About the Author:

Peggy Cunningham and her husband, Chuck, have been missionaries in Bolivia, S.A., since 1981. They have a children's ministry and work with national churches. Peggy is also a writer and has been published online and in magazines including: Devokids.com, Focus on the Family's Thriving Family, The Christian Communicator, and Jill Briscoe's Just Between Us. 

Learn more about Peggy at her author page on the Write Integrity Press Website: www.WriteIntegrity.com

And before you go, check out this recipe all the way from Bolivia!

BOLIVIAN BUÑUELOS RECIPE:

Buñelos are a popular snack throughout Latin America. While they can be eaten at
anytime, Bolivian tradition sees them eaten on Christmas morning with syrup and hot
chocolate.

Buñuelos are a soft doughy sweetbread that is deep-fried in the same way doughnuts are
made, with a similar flavor but a slightly more chewy texture, traditionally served
drizzled with a syrup or honey. The buñuelos are often puffy with a crispy crust and air
pockets on the inside.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fresh yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon anise
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 cups butter
Molasses to taste
1/2 cup sunflower oil to moisten hands

Preparation:
In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in water, add the fresh yeast, let it stand for about 7 minutes,

Dancing Like Bees, Peggy Cunningham's
newly-released devotional, is available
in both print and e-book at Amazon.

then add the salt, anise, eggs and flour, mixing it slowly with your hand until you obtain a
watery dough. Let the dough stand and rise twice before you start frying in hot butter or
oil.

To fry, first spread oil over your hands, take a handful of dough with the fingertips and
stretch it into a 4-inch round; rotating the dough occasionally to form a circle. When
about to fry, poke a hole in the middle, and put in the frying pan with a stick or the back
of a wooden spoon through the hole. Let it acquire a golden brown color on both sides
before retiring and leave in a colander to drain away excess oil; then put all in a bowl to
serve.

Serve with a jug of hot sugar cane syrup, molasses or honey for each person to add the desired amount on the buñuelo. Note: Some Bolivians prefer to eat their buñuelos covered in sifted powdered sugar.

12 Books of Christmas: 

You can win a copy of Peggy's devotional, DANCING LIKE BEES, as part of our 12 Books of Christmas contest. Leave a comment below with your email address (US residents only). Your email address will also be added to our monthly newsletter list. (Unsubscribe anytime.) While you're commenting, share an animal memory from your Christmas!

Desires of the Heart

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

–– Psalm 37:4 NIV

When my husband and I were in missionary training, one phrase was used over and over––count for eternity. Would my life count for eternity? What was my life’s purpose? I didn’t know where God would lead us or what our ministry would be, I just knew God called us to serve Him––to take the Gospel to those who never heard the Good News. We had an eternal purpose––bringing hope to the lost, so that they could have eternal life. God accomplished His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord. “This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:11 NLT). He also wants to accomplish His eternal purpose in us.

This year, my husband and I celebrated 35 years of ministry in Bolivia, S.A. where we have a children’s ministry and also minister in national churches. Over the years, we’ve had many different ministries, and God has given me one more ministry with an eternal purpose. He’s given me the privilege of writing for Him. It’s another way to take the Gospel to the world by telling of His faithfulness and love through writing words, but not just my words but His message. If it is His message I write, then it has eternal value.

More than a decade ago, I began writing stories for my grandchildren to stay in touch over the many miles between us. After a few years of honing my writing skills, God blessed me with a contract with Pix-N-Pens Publishing for my three-book children’s series, Really Rare Rabbits. When God told me to go into all the world, never did I imagine that one day I would write books that would go into all the world.

In my Really Rare Rabbit series, Fi Fi asks her brother Chi Chi, “But, what is a missionary?” So, what is a missionary? Being a missionary, I can tell you that a missionary is a child of God doing His will in a far away land, or in our own country. We are all missionaries! “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice” (Ephesians 5:1 NIV). As a dearly loved child of God, it's a joy to show God's love to others. Each day brings new challenges and new joys, and each day I strive to spread that love to a dying world to give hope of eternal life to those who trust in Jesus.

This year, my new challenge led to writing not only for children but adults also. I’m excited about my first non-fiction book releasing October 18, 2016. Dancing Like Bees is a devotional for adults of all ages. In it, I share God’s instructions for de-stressing, the delight of living for God, and bee facts that help us dance like bees––the dances of communication and community. By examining the life of bees, we see the intricate details of God’s creation that we can apply to our everyday lives to reach a peaceful and productive life while overcoming stress and achieving joy.

I love being a missionary and never thought I’d desire to do anything else––until I began to write. I’m double blessed to be called by God to a ministry in missions and writing. God has truly given me the desires of my heart.

The Secret of My Birth by Harriet E. Michael

I had a very different childhood from many of you who. I was born in Nigeria, West Africa in the late 1950’s (yes, I’m that old, and I’m ok with it.) My memories of life in Africa are filled with running barefoot on hot days, the smell of the tropical rains, strange animals, that didn’t seem so strange at the time, and people with an assortment of skin colors pouring their love on me.

Joinkrama, where I was born, is located in what was then the Eastern Region of Nigeria but is today called “Rivers State” in the Niger River delta. Joinkrama is located in the small part of Nigeria that is in the tropical rain forest. It is an area of jungles. There were monkeys swinging in the trees outside of my house, elephants that occasionally tromped close enough to the village to be a danger to the villagers, and crocodiles in the river. The buildings were raised, for the occasions when the river overflowed its banks. It was in this remote part of the African jungle that I was born.

There are two stories about my birth …
One story has it that when my mother went in labor with me, she walked down a little jungle path to the hospital with my brother and sister in tow. According to this story, my father delivered me at the hospital and then sent us back to convalesce at home. My mother was sent home on a stretcher with me in her arms, carried by four men. Seeing us carried like that, the villagers assumed we had both died and began to weep and wail! Realizing what they thought, my mother quickly sat up, smiled, and waved so the people could see she was alive. Then, she lifted me up for them to see as well. The people’s weeping turned into dancing (literally) and they followed us home in a joyful procession! –that’s one story.

But my dad told me the other story when I was a little girl.
Daddy told me that the stork was on his way to London, England—to Buckingham palace—carrying in his beak the newest member of the royal family, a little princess. (Me, of course!) Unfortunately, he developed hiccups, just as he was flying in the airspace above Joinkrama. ... I don’t know where the stork lives, but apparently to get to London, it involves a trip over the Niger River delta. Overcome by one giant hiccup, the stork did something he had never done before—he dropped his bundle!

My father told me that he just happened to be walking home down that little jungle path when a bundle fell from the sky right into his arms! He said he knew immediately what had happened! …Now, my father never explained just how he knew all about the royal family, the stork’s hiccups, and so on, but my father is a man of integrity so I never doubted his story!
“So you see” my father would conclude, “You are really a princess!”

According to the Bible, I really am a princess!! I am a child of the King!
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:16-18

About the Author:

Born in Nigeria, West Africa, as the daughter of missionaries, Harriet Michael is a writer, gardener, wife of over 35 years, mother of four, and grandmother of one.

She holds a BS in nursing from West Virginia University but has discovered her passion for writing. Since her first published article in 2010, she now has over a hundred and fifty published articles and devotions.

Harriet is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Louisville Christian Writers. Her book, Prayer: It’s Not About You, a finalist in the 2011 Women of Faith book contest, is available at Amazon.

Follow her on:

Website: www.harrietemichael.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrietmichaelauthor

Blog: www.whatHehasdoneformysoul.blogspot.com

Impress an Editor in 9 Steps: Part 3

Dear [insert name here],

I have enjoyed many of the books that your company, [insert company name here], has published. Since I’m so familiar with the writing that you love, I can tell that my book is tailor-made for [insert company name here]! I’ve have completed my proposal especially for you and hope to be chosen as the next [insert company name here] author.

Sincerely,

Don’t-know-what-sincerely­-means

You have a great book, you’ve studied your craft and your topic. You even know which publishers will want to see your book. Great. Just copy the letter above with the first chapter of your soon-to-be best seller a dozen times and mail it to those publishers. Done deal!

Not!

Every acquisitions editor is different. They want to see different things, and they want to see them in different ways. I know authors believe that the only reason they have different preferences is to make things more complicated, but it isn’t. One editor might prefer synopses while another wants only a short blurb. One company might ask for the dreaded chapter by chapter synopsis while someone else requires a bulleted list of topics and subtopics.

It doesn’t really matter what they request of you. Want to get on their good side? Accommodate them. Want to get a pass? Ignore their requests.

Frankly, your following the desires of the publishing company shows the dedication to your career and your respect for the company for which you’d like to work.

If an author won’t follow simple instructions written in plain English, why would the editor want to work with him or her? And seriously, the editor is choosing more than a book. He or she is choosing with whom they’d like to work.

My best advice: Set up a file for each of the proposals you want to send. Go ahead, make it a dozen, but be sure to make each one exactly as that editor instructs. There is a reason for every piece of information they’ve requested. Bottom line: Give the publisher as many excuses as you can to say, “Yes!” to your manuscript.

Oh, and if you do decide to send your proposal to several editors at once, make sure you note that your proposal is a simultaneous submission.

New Chapter for Write Integrity Press

It's been a whirlwind month at Write Integrity Press. Here's our official press release on the beginning of a new chapter for our company.

Write Integrity Press and Pix-N-Pens Publishing announce a change in leadership. Marji Laine Clubine brings a fresh enthusiasm to the publishing companies along with a vision and strategies for growth and maintaining the high quality readers have come to expect. Tracy Ruckman, founder, will remain as Creative Director for WIP and PNP and will continue as publisher of the subsidy press, TMP Books. “It is our expectation and hearts’ desire that God will continue to use these businesses to bring glory to Himself,” says Ruckman.

With strategic planning, Clubine intends to build on the excellent foundation that has already been laid by the Lord and the companies’ founder. With a remarkable team of authors—talented, godly, and committed to prayer and to one another—potential authors will have built-in mentors and prayer warriors alongside them. New authors can also expect step-by-step guidance and encouragement with each book release. Readers will also benefit as outstanding books become available more often.

Write Integrity Press and Pix-n-Pens Publishing already hold high standards among small presses. With the refocused vision of the new leadership and the support system the team has created, the companies will continue to rise in esteem within the Christian publishing market.

The leadership and authors at Write Integrity Press continue their dedication to offering the best of clean and wholesome fiction. Check out our new website - HERE - and be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay on top of our news with monthly updates.

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Impress an Editor in 9 Steps: Part 2

Impress an Editor in 9 Steps
Notes on Queries/Proposals/Submissions
Step 2

Dear Publisher I have an outstanding new book about frogs trees and perrywinckles that you’ll love please contact me with a release date. Thank for your tome you’re friend Aspiring.


Non-fiction and fiction published authors have one thing in common—good writing. An inspired idea is only a fantasy until the words are formed on the paper. But if those words are jumbled together in a mass of confusion, the writing does nothing for the inspired idea. The inspiration needs excellent writing skills to back it up.

This goes beyond punctuation, spelling, and verb tense. Writing, after all, is communication. If readers can’t figure out what you’re trying to say, your book has failed.

Already, non-fiction authors must have an expertise on their subject matter, but that should not exempt them from excellence in their writing skills. For fiction authors, that fact is even more obvious.

Authors who are serious about their careers are also in a constant search for ways to improve their writing. The desire to master the craft of writing doesn’t end with publication. A sincere author will continue to strive to become better and better.

My best advice: Join a critique group. Read writing journals. Listen to podcasts from experts. Don’t settle for doing the least (in any situation). Learn and grow and let your best work continue to get better. In fact, someone reading your first book and comparing it to you tenth should see marked improvement.