2017 has been the year I’ve gotten into ebook reading in a big way. This was mainly because I wanted to read Christian fiction to understand the market I was entering. Among the dross (sadly there was quite a bit of it), I’ve found authors to follow. I’ll include books in this list that weren’t ‘my thing’ but were well written and might be yours. 1. The Long Highway Home – Elizabeth Musser. One of my few 5 star reviews…
Gold star award for cover design Every month Joel Friedlander and his team at the Book Designer take submissions for book covers in fiction and non-fiction. I have been following the awards for some time because the comments are invaluable and it has helped me to develop my sense of what makes a good cover design and current trends. They award an overall winner in fiction and non-fiction. Runner-ups are awarded a gold star. Some months there are lots of…
I love books that have a discussion guide. A chance to think deeply about a book and a chance to deepen relationships with others. Download discussion guide The discussion guide can be downloaded here. Guidelines This is a long list of suggested questions. Please feel free to choose a few, adapt them or add your own questions. Healing & Suffering • What methods do the Macdonald family use to gain healing? (chapter 11) —List at least 3-5 methods. What is…
Interviews, interviews, As both a traditionally and self-published author, I have experienced a range of author interviews throughout my hybrid writing career. Technology is also changing rapidly and that may be one of the factors in how things have changed. My first publisher (traditional) didn’t arrange a single interview. Perhaps that was normal for 2010 and the UK. The US publisher worked hard and even though I wasn’t in the US, they found me two radio interviews there and one…
Announcing new book – Stories aren’t just for kids: Busting 10 myths about Bible storytelling I have been training people in Bible storytelling since about 2008. During trainings the same objections to using storytelling keep coming up. Stories aren’t just for kids: Busting 10 myths about Bible storytelling was written to tackle the most common objections. This book is different to my other books as it is written as a ‘taster’ to my non-fiction. It is also only currently in ebook…
Author Interview The reality of indie publishing is that instead of the publisher finding people to interview me online, radio … I have to find those myself. Over the next months, I will have various author interviews. Christian Shelfesteem interview The first interview/giveaway is being run up 30 Sept -8 October. Of course, the interview will be available much longer. The interviewer was one of my editors – Iola Goulton. I highly recommend her work. Author Interview | Christine Dillon…
Grace in Strange Disguise – published 1 October, 2017 Available online in ebook, print and AUDIO format. The story behind Grace in Strange Disguise Here Back cover blurb People disappoint us but what if God does too? Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn’t surprise her. After all, her father has always said, “Follow Jesus and be blessed.” But at twenty-eight, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens…
Life changing books – 5 star book reviews I seldom award 5 stars for a novel. But in the world of contemporary Christian fiction, Elizabeth Musser’s book, A Long Highway Home, stands out. For Christian fiction to be awarded 5 stars it must have excellent writing, cover, editing and story, AND if it has ‘eternal impact’ content. By this I mean, does the book matter in eternal terms? Does it challenge and inspire me to follow Jesus? ‘Eternal impact’ books…
Grace in Strange Disguise – Back Cover Blurb Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn’t surprise her. After all, her father has always said, “Follow Jesus and be blessed.” But at twenty-eight, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens when he doesn’t? Has she offended God? Is her faith too small? So many conflicting explanations. Will finding the truth cost her the people closest to her heart? Grace…
Iola Goulton is an editor and upcoming novelist who lives in and loves New Zealand. I got to know her through the Australasian Christian Writers group on Facebook and was so impressed by her posts that I asked if she’d edit my novel. 1. You didn’t start out in the book world. What was your journey into editing? In a word, circuitous. Some might say it was a series of coincidences, but I don’t believe in coincidence. I lost my…