Variety of a Storyteller

One of the greatest things about being a publisher is discovering the creativity of so many different writers and today's featured author is no exception.

Betty Thomason Owens is a delight. I use that term with her frequently, because it's so fitting. She's the author of the Legacy Series - the first book Amelia's Legacy released last month. The book is set in the 1920s and Betty transports us there.

When she's not in the '20s, Betty can be found in the Camelot era, with her Jael of Rogan series. She even writes contemporary stories - she's co-author of our novellas A Dozen Apologies (Feb 14) and its sequel The Love Boat Bachelor, coming February 2015.

Born in the Pacific Northwest, Betty grew up in the mid-south then moved to the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.

Betty is married to a Control Mechanic/Electronic Technician. They have three sons who were homeschooled for 4 years. All three are now married and have given them 4 granddaughters, 2 grandsons, 1 very spoiled granddog and a semi-famous grandcat named Smith Wigglesworth.

I love the creativity of our authors, don't you?

          

                                Available Now on Kindle                                            Coming February 2015                                          

   

Don't forget to grab your copy of Jerusha Agen's This Dance. It's FREE on Kindle today and tomorrow.

Today's the last day to get Fay Lamb's Charisse for FREE on Kindle, so be sure to grab yours and tell your romance-loving friends to get their copy. And don't forget about the next book in this series, Libby. She's quite the character, and there's a hunky hero involved in her story, in case you're interested. 

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Thursday's Blogs:

PNP: Movie Reviews Safe for Family Viewing

WIP: Variety of a Storyteller

Tracy Ruckman: Surrender is Key to Writers

Julie Arduini: Christmas Pictures and Ugly Sweaters

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: A Special Gathering

Sheryl Holmes: Created to Crave

Wednesday's Blogs:

PNP: Treasured Christmas Ornaments of Authors and Characters

WIP: A Writer’s Sweet Tooth: Christmas Cookies

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Be His Hands, Lips, and Feet

PNP BLOG: Writing and Teaching Romance Easier than Living It

WIP BLOG: The Unstoppable Power of Words

Tracy Ruckman: Immersed in the 1920s as Historical Fiction Writer

Julie Arduini: Christmas Music

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Miracle at 1782 Ayshire Drive

Tuesday's Blogs:

PNP BLOG: Does Your Nativity Set Have Personality? 

WIP BLOG: Authors and Characters Dream of Christmas Vacations 

Sheryl Holmes BLOG: Give Hope: Dump an Omelet in the Trash

PNP: Cancer Survivor and Mom of Nine Offers Hope All Year Long

WIP: Romantic Suspense Author Living on Faith 

Tracy Ruckman: Christmas at Rumi Rancho

Julie Arduini: The Focus of Christmas

Betty Owens: Authorview: Elizabeth Noyes

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: A Very Special Mom

Monday's Blogs:

PNP: Writers’ Favorite Christmas Songs

WIP: Writers Play Secret Santa on Characters

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Carry!

PNP: Rare Rabbits in Bolivia

WIP: Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Tracy Ruckman: Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Julie Arduini: Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

Debra Butterfield Interview with Elizabeth Noyes

And be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

A Writer’s Sweet Tooth: Christmas Cookies

Who likes Christmas cookies? Do you have a favorite kind, or do you pretty much like them all, like someone I know, ahem?

We asked our authors to share some of their favorite cookies (or their character's) with us and we're delighted to share them with you. Share yours with us in the comments! We even located some recipes for you - just click on the cookie name.

Jerusha Agen says, "For snow lover Nye Sanders (in This Dance), her favorite Christmas cookie is a big snowflake-shaped, frosted sugar cookie."

(This Dance is FREE on Kindle 12/3-12/5!)

Betty Thomason Owens says Nancy Sanderson's favorite is Thumbprint cookies with currant jelly.

Fay Lamb tells us that Libby’s favorite cookie is an M&M Cookie, no matter the season.

(Meet Libby for the first time in Charisse - FREE on Kindle 12/2-12/4!)

Sheryl Holmes - Chocolate dipped Almond Biscotti


Elizabeth Noyes provides a recipe for her hunky rancher/ranger cowboy Garrett Cameron's favorite Christmas treat, Snickerdoodles. You can read about Garrett in Imperfect Wings.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

½ c. salted butter, softened
½ c. vegetable shortening
1½ c. plus 2 T. sugar
2 medium eggs
2¾ c. all-purpose flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine the butter, shortening, 1½ cups sugar with the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until creamy and well mixed (about 2 minutes).

Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the shortening mixture in small amounts, until well blended.

In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon.

Shape the dough into 1½-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar until coated. Arrange the dough balls 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake until edges are set, but center is still soft (8-10) minutes. Cool on wire rack.

What's YOUR favorite Christmas cookie?

Today's the last day to get Peggy Cunningham's Really Rare Rabbits: Giant Green Ghosts and the Secret at Peppermint Pass for free, so grab it now!

Fay Lamb's Charisse is free today and tomorrow, so be sure to tell your romance-loving friends to get their copy. And don't forget about the next book in this series, Libby. She's quite the character, and there's a hunky hero involved in her story, in case you're interested. 

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Wednesday's Blogs:

PNP: Treasured Christmas Ornaments of Authors and Characters

WIP: A Writer’s Sweet Tooth: Christmas Cookies

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Be His Hands, Lips, and Feet

PNP BLOG: Writing and Teaching Romance Easier than Living It

WIP BLOG: The Unstoppable Power of Words

Tracy Ruckman: Immersed in the 1920s as Historical Fiction Writer

Julie Arduini: Christmas Music

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Miracle at 1782 Ayshire Drive

Tuesday's Blogs:

PNP BLOG: Does Your Nativity Set Have Personality? 

WIP BLOG: Authors and Characters Dream of Christmas Vacations 

Sheryl Holmes BLOG: Give Hope: Dump an Omelet in the Trash

PNP: Cancer Survivor and Mom of Nine Offers Hope All Year Long

WIP: Romantic Suspense Author Living on Faith 

Tracy Ruckman: Christmas at Rumi Rancho

Julie Arduini: The Focus of Christmas

Betty Owens: Authorview: Elizabeth Noyes

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: A Very Special Mom

Monday's Blogs:

PNP: Writers’ Favorite Christmas Songs

WIP: Writers Play Secret Santa on Characters

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Carry!

PNP: Rare Rabbits in Bolivia

WIP: Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Tracy Ruckman: Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Julie Arduini: Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

Debra Butterfield Interview with Elizabeth Noyes

And be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

The Unstoppable Power of Words

We're at the halfway point of our Five Golden Days of Christmas, and we have THREE FREE KINDLE BOOKS for you today!

Jerusha Agen is our featured author today. Jerusha lives by the words "Soli Deo Gloria ... Words to the glory of God alone." She uses a unique phrasing I'm not sure I've seen elsewhere. On her blog, she writes, "Words are powerful. When words are used to tell stories, they're unstoppable."

She is also a screenwriter, and several of her original scripts have been produced as films. In addition, Jerusha is a film critic, with reviews featured at the website, www.RedeemerReviews.com.

Jerusha's stories reflect her unstoppable comment - her characters live on in our hearts and minds long after the book is closed.

Today, one of those books is FREE on Kindle: This Dance, the first book in her Sisters Redeemed Series.

From the back cover:

No love, no pain. No God, no games.

A tragedy three years ago destroyed Nye's rise to the top of the dancing world as an upcoming tango star, and in the process destroyed her reason for living, too. She survived the pain and built a new life resembling nothing like the one she left behind, determined never to hurt again.

Nye's emotional walls hold up perfectly until she meets a handsome lawyer and an elderly landowner. They seem harmless, but one awakens feelings she doesn't want and the other makes her face the God she can't forgive. Will these two men help Nye dance again?

One of the 5-star reviews says:

"I'll admit it: I'm a reader who judges a book by its cover. Before I'll even pick up a book or click on its image to read the plot summary, the picture and title have got to catch both my eye and my interest. 'This Dance' did just that, and the story inside didn't disappoint -- it was every bit as engaging as the cover suggested. The characters are well developed and full of life, to the point where I felt I knew them as friends and could relate to their struggles, fears, and joys as they faced personal, financial, moral, and spiritual challenges. Some books hover around the thoughts and actions of the protagonists so long that you get sick of them, but this writer knows how to weave other characters into the plot, adding another realistic dimension that enriches the reading experience. Most of all, I loved how the author realistically portrayed the spiritual inadequacies and personal struggles of the main characters, creating believable (and far too relatable!) scenarios, in which the individuals faced the consequences of their decisions and had to make choices that would change the course of their lives. By the time I finished this first book, I was hooked on the series! In addition to my Kindle version, I bought a hard copy of the book to loan out to people and to keep on my bookshelf for future readings."

The Sanders sisters stories continue with This Shadow and This Redeemer - you don't want to miss them.

Jerusha is also co-author of our bestselling novellas A Ruby Christmas and A Dozen Apologies, and its upcoming sequel The Love Boat Bachelor.

Today's the last day to get Peggy Cunningham's Really Rare Rabbits: Giant Green Ghosts and the Secret at Peppermint Pass for free, so grab it now!

Fay Lamb's Charisse is free today and tomorrow, so be sure to tell your romance-loving friends to get their copy. And don't forget about the next book in this series, Libby. She's quite the character, and there's a hunky hero involved in her story, in case you're interested. 

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Wednesday's Blogs:

PNP BLOG: Writing and Teaching Romance Easier than Living It

WIP BLOG: The Unstoppable Power of Words

Tracy Ruckman: Immersed in the 1920s as Historical Fiction Writer

Julie Arduini: Christmas Music

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Miracle at 1782 Ayshire Drive

Tuesday's Blogs:

PNP BLOG: Does Your Nativity Set Have Personality? 

WIP BLOG: Authors and Characters Dream of Christmas Vacations 

Sheryl Holmes BLOG: Give Hope: Dump an Omelet in the Trash

PNP: Cancer Survivor and Mom of Nine Offers Hope All Year Long

WIP: Romantic Suspense Author Living on Faith 

Tracy Ruckman: Christmas at Rumi Rancho

Julie Arduini: The Focus of Christmas

Betty Owens: Authorview: Elizabeth Noyes

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: A Very Special Mom

Monday's Blogs:

PNP: Writers’ Favorite Christmas Songs

WIP: Writers Play Secret Santa on Characters

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Carry!

PNP: Rare Rabbits in Bolivia

WIP: Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Tracy Ruckman: Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Julie Arduini: Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

Debra Butterfield Interview with Elizabeth Noyes

And be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

Authors and Characters Dream of Christmas Vacations

Do YOU dream of Christmas vacation? As part of our Five Golden Days of Christmas celebration, we asked our authors for their favorite Christmas vacations, and for their characters. We'd love to hear from readers, too, so share yours in the comments!

From Jerusha Agen:

For her character in This Dance: Nowhere. Given the sad memories Nye Sanders has of living in New York City and traveling, she most wants to stay at home in Pennsylvania, enjoying the snow and Christmastime with the family she holds dearer than ever.

For Jerusha: You couldn’t pay me to be away from home at Christmas! Christmas is my favorite time of year, especially because of how beautiful the holiday has always been at my home, with my family. If I could hop a plane and go somewhere before or after Christmas, though, I’d take an expense-paid vacation to Norway.

From Betty Thomason Owens:

For her character, Nancy Sanderson, in Amelia's Legacy: Skiing in the Adirondacks

For Betty: St. Lucia

From Fay Lamb:

For her character, Libby: Tahiti (you can find out why in Charisse - still FREE on Kindle!)

For Fay: Well, I’ve been doing some research on Barbados (for The Love Boat Bachelor). I’ve always had this secret dream of touring the Mount Gay Rum factory (even though I no longer drink), but in watching the videos and viewing the pictures of this island, I’m ready to go there now.

From Elizabeth Noyes:

For her character, TJ McKendrick, in Imperfect Wings: Caribbean Islands

For Elizabeth: Bora Bora

From Julie Arduini:

For Jenna, in Entrusted: Jenna wouldn’t go far because she’s new at the job and loves where she is. Perhaps Lake George.

For Julie: It sounds like I’m marketing but I love Speculator so much I go back there time and time again. I’d love to go back to the place my husband and I stayed at years ago in Lake Placid. If I had to choose somewhere I’ve never been, perhaps Tennessee. Internationally? Italy.

If money and time were no object, 

where would you like to spend your Christmas vacation?

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Free Kindle Books:

Charisse by Fay Lamb

 

Really Rare Rabbits: Giant Green Ghosts and the Secret at Peppermint Pass by Peggy Cunningham

Participating Blogs:

Tuesday's Blogs:

PNP BLOG: Does Your Nativity Set Have Personality? 

WIP BLOG: Authors and Characters Dream of Christmas Vacations 

Sheryl Holmes BLOG: Give Hope: Dump an Omelet in the Trash

PNP: Cancer Survivor and Mom of Nine Offers Hope All Year Long

WIP: Romantic Suspense Author Living on Faith 

Tracy Ruckman: Christmas at Rumi Rancho

Julie Arduini: The Focus of Christmas

Betty Owens: Authorview: Elizabeth Noyes

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: A Very Special Mom

Monday's Blogs:

PNP: Writers’ Favorite Christmas Songs

WIP: Writers Play Secret Santa on Characters

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Carry!

PNP: Rare Rabbits in Bolivia

WIP: Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Tracy Ruckman: Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Julie Arduini: Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

Debra Butterfield Interview with Elizabeth Noyes

And be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

            

Romantic Suspense Author Living on Faith

Today's featured author in our Five Golden Days of Christmas celebration is Fay Lamb. If you've met her at writer's conferences, you'll know she's a treasure, and we're grateful to have her talents, her knowledge, her humor, and her faith here with us at WIP and PNP. She writes under both our imprints - her Ties that Bind romance series, with Charisse, Libby, Hope, and Delilah, is published through Pix-N-Pens, while her Amazing Grace romantic suspense series, with Stalking Willow, Better than Revenge, Everybody's Broken, and Frozen Notes, and her nonfiction The Art of Characterization, are published under Write Integrity. After the first of the year, we'll be releasing the first book, Storms in Serenity, in her newest series, Serenity Keys.

Today, we're giving away Charisse on Kindle! So grab your copy while you can, and be sure to tell your friends.

Here's the description from the back cover of Charisse:

Charisse Wellman’s husband has been gone a year, and she’s about to lose the only home her son, V.J., has ever known. She’s quit law school but the money just isn’t there. Her only option is to work as a law clerk for her ex-friend, Gideon Tabor. The only problem: Gideon is the judge who let her husband’s killer go free, and Gideon doesn’t know the connection.

Gideon Tabor can’t believe that the woman interviewing for the job is the girl he loved in high school. Charisse is hesitant about accepting his job offer, and when she does, Gideon makes every attempt to apologize for his relationship-ending blunder in high school. Charisse accepts his apology, but she keeps him at a distance. When Gideon learns that Charisse’s anger actually stems from his release of the man who ran down her husband, he tries to explain, but Charisse doesn’t want Gideon’s excuses or the love he has to offer. She wants her husband’s killer to pay.

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Free Kindle Books:

Charisse by Fay Lamb

Really Rare Rabbits: Giant Green Ghosts and the Secret at Peppermint Pass by Peggy Cunningham

Participating Blogs:

Tuesday's Blogs:

PNP: Cancer Survivor and Mom of Nine Offers Hope All Year Long

WIP: Romantic Suspense Author Living on Faith 

Tracy Ruckman: Christmas at Rumi Rancho

Julie Arduini: The Focus of Christmas

Betty Owens: Authorview: Elizabeth Noyes

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: A Very Special Mom

Monday's Blogs:

PNP: Writers’ Favorite Christmas Songs

WIP: Writers Play Secret Santa on Characters

Sheryl Holmes: Give Hope: Carry!

PNP: Rare Rabbits in Bolivia

WIP: Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Tracy Ruckman: Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Julie Arduini: Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

Debra Butterfield Interview with Elizabeth Noyes

And be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

            

            

Writers Play Secret Santa on Characters

"Secret Santa" or "Dirty Santa" has been played at Christmas parties for decades. This year, we decided to shake things up a bit and we asked our authors what kind of Secret Santa their protagonists might play on their antagonist.

In Elizabeth Noyes' Imperfect Wings:

"A knuckle sandwich."

In Julie Arduini's Entrusted:

Ben would have no problem recycling and regifting the extra cups from the Memorial Day picnic and giving them to Kyle Swarthmore. Kyle sponsored the community event and made sure his name was all over the products he paid for, and it drove humble Ben crazy. He might fill the cups with candy, but he’d have to think about it.

In Fay Lamb's Libby:

Evan’s antagonist is his abusive father. Evan’s gift cannot be purchased. He’d want to be able to give his dad the ability to go back and live life unharmed by those who were supposed to protect him, so that Nate (his dad) could, in turn, love his wife and four sons in the same protective environment Evan never experienced.

In Betty Thomason Owen's Amelia's Legacy:

“A one-way ticket to the moon.” (Quite a feat in the 1920's, wouldn't you say?)

From Jerusha Agen's This Redeemer:

Charlotte Davis unsuccessfully tried to find the perfect gift for her boyfriend many years. One year, she made a little cowboy hat ornament out of paper and a marshmallow, but it promptly got crushed. She eventually gave up and just bought him a case of beer when she could scrounge up the cash for it. After what Charlotte goes through in This Redeemer, if she could give him anything, she’d give him the best gift of all—a Bible.

If you could play Secret Santa on your archenemy, 

what would you do?

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Writers’ Favorite Christmas Songs

Sheryl Holmes BLOG: Give Hope: Carry!

Rare Rabbits in Bolivia

Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

And be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

            

Just Don’t Take Her Chocolate!

Welcome to our "Five Golden Days" of Christmas celebration here at Write Integrity Press. We're co-hosting this event with our sister press, Pix-N-Pens Publishing. We'll have lots of fun posts on both blogs, on some of our authors' blogs, and even on our publisher's personal blog! (See the full list at the end of each blog post.) So grab come hot cocoa and come join the fun. We'll offer some free books during the week, and on Friday, we're having our annual Facebook Christmas Party, where we'll play some trivia, take reader questions for authors, and give away some party favors - hope to see you there!

Today, we'd like to feature one of our newest authors, Julie Arduini. We released her first book, Entrusted, earlier this month, and the reviews thus far have been delightful.

Here's one of the latest:

"If you enjoy a sweet romance in a quaint village, you'll love Julie Arduini's debut novel. She fills the town with delightful and insightful characters. The story has a good balance of humor, wisdom and love. Buy this book, wrap up in a warm blanket with a cup of tea, and snuggle in for a great read." ~ 5 Stars

From the back cover:

Jenna Anderson, sassy city-girl, plows—literally—into Speculator Falls with a busted GPS, arriving in town as the new senior center director. She has only one goal—that of belonging no matter how out of place she appears and how angry she makes town councilman and grocer Ben Regan.

Her new life is so rural there are no traffic lights, and when she learns her car isn’t equipped to handle the mountain terrain, Ben’s grandmother offers her late husband’s vehicle, further alienating the local businessman.

As she endears herself to the seniors at the center and creates a vision full of ideas, programs, and equipment, she ruffles Ben’s plans to keep Speculator Falls void of change, including the store his grandfather built.

The two work through community events and shared heartbreak only to face off in a town council meeting where Ben publically rejects her proposal for the senior center, causing Jenna to react out of her fears about belonging.

She returns to Ohio where she realizes she needs to surrender her plans for the center and fears about belonging and trust her Heavenly Father when facing fear, change, loss, and love.

If you'd like an autographed copy of the Kindle version, request one at Authorgraph!


Working with Julie has been five stars as well. She's hard-working, agreeable, and has the most delightful outlook on life. She's truly a blessing to all of us. But we've all learned one important thing about her that we must share:

Just Don't Take Her Chocolate!

The woman is a chocoholic, so consider yourself warned.

This afternoon, we'll add some more fun here and on all the blogs, so be sure to pop back in after 3:30 p.m. (Eastern time). And tomorrow, the fun continues!

Join more of the Five Golden Days of Christmas here:

Rare Rabbits in Bolivia  - Today's FREE Kindle book!

Romance, Suspense, Cruises, and Retirement: An Author’s Life

Christmas Present Memories

Fay Lamb: On the Ledge: Is that All?

Be sure to mark your calendar! We're having a Facebook Party on Friday, December 5, and you're invited! We're giving away books, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, a Nativity, gift cards, and more! 

Christmas Invitations by Blog

AND

Call for Submissions: Pens of Mystery

Pix-N-Pens and Write Integrity Press are pleased to announce their newest line of books – Pens of Mystery. We are now accepting submissions for mystery novels between 60,000-90,000 words.

We are open to submissions for a wide range of mysteries, including:

• Cozies 
• Procedurals
• Contemporary PIs
• YA Mysteries

We especially like series of three or more books.

Our books are clean and wholesome, but they can be written with or without a gospel message.

We do not accept horror, paranormal, erotic, or pornographic manuscripts.

Please follow these guidelines for submission:

You may submit your proposals to EITHER (both is not necessary or preferred - we provide two in case of technical difficulty) of the following e-mail addresses. Please replace words in brackets with symbols and delete any spaces:

editor [at] writeintegrity [dot] com

or

tracyruckman [at] pixnpens [dot] com

In the body of your original e-mail to us, please include

• A brief cover letter, to introduce yourself and your book.  
• Full word count (using Word’s counter) if the manuscript is complete, or an estimated time of completion and anticipated word count.
• A short bio.
• Pitch - 30 words or less.
• Long blurb – 150-200 words (think back cover blurb).

Then attach to the email in Word format:

• The FIRST three chapters AND the LAST chapter. If the book has a prologue or epilogue, include those in addition to the required chapters.

Do NOT send full manuscripts unless we request them. Consideration will be given only to packages submitted as requested - full manuscripts that have not been requested will be discarded.

Please follow industry-standard formatting. This means:

• Pages should have 1" margins on all sides.
• Lines should be double-spaced.
• Font should be Times New Roman, size 12.
• Use black ink only - do not use color fonts.

We will try to reply promptly to all submissions, but please allow up to 90 days to hear from us. If you haven't heard from us by that time, please send a brief e-mail inquiry.

We do not accept submissions by snail mail.

Submissions to Pens of Mystery should not include the following:

• Incest of any kind.
• Murder of children; child abuse.
• Vampires, witches, werewolves, paranormals, aliens, future realities, and New Age psychics as protagonists.

These guidelines will also be posted on a separate page of our website - please check the links above for future reference.

Shining in Africa

Shining in Africa

Guest post by Joan Campbell                

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3NIV).

My country, South Africa, has a dark past of racism and oppression. This year we celebrate twenty years of democracy. Even though much has changed and improved, overcoming the deep scars of Apartheid has proven more difficult than we could have imagined. Our politics are fraught with corruption. Trade unions incite drawn-out labour strikes that bring our economy to its knees for weeks or months at a time.  One in ten people is HIV positive. The potent mix of poor education, chronic unemployment, and drugs, has led to the dubious ‘honour’ of having one of the highest crime rates in the world.

South Africa often feels like a rather dark place.

At times I have struggled with whether this is a good country in which to raise my daughters. Yet, over the years, God keeps reaffirming that this is just where He wants our family to be. For where there is much darkness, I believe God often provides the greatest light.

We know that Jesus called Himself the ‘light of the world’ (John 8:12 NIV) and rightly so. Yet I find it amazing that He called us—His followers—the light of the world, too (Matthew 5:14). With His Holy Spirit in us, we are to shine whether we are on the tip of Africa, an island in the Pacific Ocean, or a town in America’s mid-west. No matter where He has placed us, we are there for one purpose—to shine out His love and grace. How we do this will be as unique as He created each of us to be. Yet, led by His Spirit and driven by love, we are to reach out and care for those still lost in the dark.  

In my own life, I have found two things that keep me from fulfilling this purpose.

The first is discouragement. This can set in as I listen to news reports highlighting the suffering and anguish around me. How easy sometimes to believe that darkness has the upper hand! The second is indifference. As I see yet another beggar at yet another traffic light, a cool numbness can easily replace compassion.

It is when I sense these two attitudes creeping in that I have to run once more to the feet of my Father. It is only as His light falls afresh into my own heart that I can let it shine again in my city and my beloved country.

~ ~

About Joan:

Joan Campbell lives in Johannesburg and is the mom of two teenage daughters. She has written for various publications including The Upper Room and Scripture Union, and co-authored WIP’s The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt. She is releasing her book Encounters in November 2014. Joan leads writing workshops for the ministry MAI and she blogs on the topics of creativity, self-worth and faith. Download her e-book “10 Keys to Creative Living” when you subscribe to the blog.