Author's Posts

 Part Three in a four-part series leading up to the April 17th launch of Kaylene’s first novel!

 I have written before about how much readers as a whole and also as individuals shape a story in the mind of a writer. But today, it’s time for a greatly deserved shout out to another group of people: those who support the writer while he/she goes through the arduous process of carrying the story and delivering it in its final form. This includes (but is not limited to):

++ “Family”

++ Friends

++ Teachers, co-workers, and employers

++ Beta readers and critique providers

++  Helpers in the publishing process

My friends Leo and Fanny (pictured) are just two of the many wonderful people who have supported me during a journey lasting more than two years – from the time I began research work until this month’s publication of The Voice of Melody. I still remember sitting on their sofa (while their sweet dog, Victor Hugo, cuddled at my side for a good behind-the-ears scratching) and telling them about this topic I’d started exploring and the dream I had of writing about it. Their eyes shone with interest, and their words encouraged me to dive into drafting shortly after that visit.

Many friends, family members, and colleagues have helped me to press on when I felt exhausted, discouraged, and rejected. Yet, these were not just a bunch of “yes men” – they were people who were still willing to tell me when I’d made a mistake or when I needed to stop and rest – or when what I was writing or doing was flat-out wrong. And in those ways, they supported me too.

It was a great challenge, upon completing the manuscript, to pen my acknowledgements section. How does one thank a multitude of individuals in just a few pages? The truth is, when a writer has been blessed with as many supportive folks as I have, it can’t be done. I could only name some of the many who have helped to carry me emotionally, mentally, professionally, and spiritually along the way. But though space was limited, I hope every person who’s run by my side for at least a few steps of the long race will sense today how grateful I am for them.

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Part Two in a four-part series leading up to the April launch of Kaylene’s first novel!

 

Today, I take a moment to honor readers. We, the writers, craft our work for you, and simply by being, you help to shape it.

But my recent journey into the deeper grooves of the publishing world – where the heavier discussions about marketing start to take place – have left me scratching my head. Yes, it’s true that many books will appeal to people with certain interests, those who have read work by writers with a similar voice, or those of a particular generation or gender. And I understand the need to focus advertising on one or two groups of people more than others so the writer or publishing team can try to sell as many copies as possible. Finally, I recognize that there are people out there who will only ever enjoy reading one type of book; anything outside of that and they say, “Thanks but no thanks!”

Yet, I believe no one really likes to be pigeon-holed. I think that every reader has a right to say, “I am open to reading a variety of things as long as they are _____ (well-written, intriguing, informative, entertaining, light-hearted, realistic, etc.).” Or “I think it’s okay to mix genres, and I like a good story that integrates a variety (adventure, mystery, romance, sci-fi, historical, fantasy, poetry, etc.) simply because it is a good story.” Or “Just because I usually read fiction, why can’t I also read some good non-fiction every now and then (or the other way around)?” Or “Isn’t it okay for me to read a certain book even though no one in marketing (or the general public) would think of me as the ‘typical’ reader for that kind of book?”

For the sake of business, my marketing plan includes a list of targeted types of readers and my novel has a sort of genre-based label (i.e. historical fiction with a literary, autobiographical flare). But I don’t want to pigeon-hole any of my potential readers. I already have great respect for each person who will read my book – both those who start it but decide to move on to read something else and those who read all the way to the end. And I know ultimately that my work will appeal to any given reader not based solely on what demographic they fit into but because it is a beautiful story about people navigating the journey of the human condition – a journey we can all relate to in one way or another.

 

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Part One in a four-part series leading up to the April launch of Kaylene’s first novel!

Is it fair to judge an actual book by its cover? Whether or not it’s really “fair” when we have never heard of a book or an author before, don’t we all do it?

Gone are the days of plainly-bound books with nothing but a few words embossed on the spine. The pressure is on. As they design a book’s cover, the choices the writer and any publishing team members make will have a definite effect on the answers to these questions:

  • Will a reader browsing books in a store or library or on a website be eager to give the book more than ten seconds of their time based on how the cover catches their eye?
  • Can the reader automatically understand something of what the book is about (style, genre, etc.) based on the cover art?
  • Can the colors, font size and style, pictorial contents, and other design elements convey both directly and subconsciously to the reader everything the writer is trying to communicate in the heartbeat of the story or the central concept of the book’s ideas? And can the expectations raised in the mind of the reader who judges that cover be met fully and honestly every time by what the writer includes on the inner pages?

It looks like a challenging – if not impossible – task. Therefore, during the cover design process for my forthcoming novel (a working concept pictured above), I am filled with gratitude. I am thankful for the team at Concierge Marketing and how they are helping me “say” a huge amount to my potential readers in a fairly simple cover design.

Stay tuned in coming weeks for more news about the availability of The Voice of Melody.

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After church today, both my parents and I were headed to our respective homes to make pots of soup. Later, while I produced mine, I giggled. I knew that when Mom and Dad saw a picture of my pot, they would smile. And that their pot was probably just as full.

You might ask, “Why don’t you all use bigger pots?” Knowing us, we’d fill the next bigger size just as full with more veggies, broth, and meat. This is a case where I can laugh at myself and say, “Well, I come by it naturally. I am my parents’ daughter. Must be in my genes!”

Thinking about how full my pot of soup ended up being reminded me of a verse from the Old Testament: “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9)

Some days, I ache with the longing to tell others about the goodness of God: His love and His truth. The desire to do so is SO full inside of me. But I know this is not natural in me – it is a gift of God, reflecting the beauty of His saving grace that has made all the difference in my life. And when I remember this, I can smile and say, “Well, I come by it supernaturally. I am my Father’s daughter. It’s in my bones – and it will not be held there.”

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We all have multiple roles to play in life – and therefore multiple parts of what we think of as our own personal identity. Who or what are we? Son or daughter. Perhaps a parent or grandparent, a spouse or a significant other. Likely a boss, employee, student, or volunteer. Adult or child. Neighbor. Citizen of a particular country. And so on.

St. Paul, in the midst of his famous definition of love, reminded us that, “…Now we know in part, but then we will know fully – even as we are fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). The truth is, most days of living on this earth provide me with a very limited scope of who I really am, of the potential God has placed in me and how much He loves me, and of who He is making me to be so that I can love other people with His heart.

I have recently started studying the book of First John more fully and am blown away with the seemingly simple yet incredibly complex truths held there. Today, trying to wrap my mind around the lavish love God has for me and each one of His children while we grace the planet for a blip of eternity led me to write the following acrostic. I pray it will bless you and help you glimpse a fuller picture of your identity within this moment.

In cosmic finger-spinning was I woven,

Divine imagination’s product, made for a purpose both

Eternal and momentary,

Never – not for a moment –

Taken for granted, forgotten, purposeless, less than lavishly loved,

Intended to reach the end

Triumphant over fear and death while

Years of Heaven’s calendar spin on without end.

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A few weeks ago, I was inspired to write something for current and former members of our armed forces and the family/friends who love them and worry about their safety, especially during times of deployment. The result is a song, actually, as it can be sung to the tune “Song for Rich” written by Michael W. Smith (music available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdJFSUkOw2U). Or it can simply be read as a prayer with thoughts of blessing for a serviceman or servicewoman who is in need of God’s strength, mercy, and protection.

May the Lord bless and light your way
Lead each step you take
Give you strength throughout your journey
Guide each choice you make

May His power sustain your frame
And His truth, your heart
May His hope that lives inside you
Drive away the dark

In His name, you’ve naught to fear
You will pass each test
Till His wings surround your form
And you lay down to rest

You will find Jesus at your side
Shielding you from harm
Guarding constant in the night
His peace: your warmth

May you always keep your faith
May His grace increase
And extend to cover sin,
Any shame release

May His Spirit refine your thoughts,
Cause your trust to grow,
Till you’ve carried out your mission
And He carries you home

I share this today with hope that it may speak to any heart in need of blessing – and to show my gratitude to those who work hard and give up so much to serve and defend. Your sacrifice can never be sufficiently repaid and will always be held, invaluable, in the hearts of those who cherish what is good and right.

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One of the saddest memories from my early childhood is centered around a sweet puppy named Spinky. I was playing with him near the front stoop when my dad and brother came home, and Spinky got so excited at their return that he ran out to meet them. But Spinky, being all paws and ears, tripped in his running and rolled under the car’s tires.

I was shocked and very sad. Our family gathered in the living room to talk about what had happened. And I watched my father cry for the first time I can remember. At that moment, I realize now, I never harbored any question or thought of anger toward my father, such as, “Why did you kill our puppy?” or “How could you let this happen?” His tears just melted my heart, and I cried both for the loss of Spinky and for my dad’s sorrow.

Last night, I was praying for all the people across our country deeply affected by the Parkland school shooting, and I thought of both this family memory and a song called “God Weeps Too” by a singer named Eli. The chorus says: God weeps too, God weeps too // Though we question Him for all that we go through // Still it helps me believe and my pain it does relieve // When I think that God weeps too.

In the face of senseless tragedy brought on by the darkest angles of free will, it is easy for us to question and doubt and scream in our anguish – and to go about our lives in fear of what may await us around the next bend. I am not judging any of us for having these very natural responses. But if, even in the midst of the pain and the wrestling, I think of the tears in God’s own eyes and the breaking of His giant heart, it will often mute my questions and cool my ire.

For God’s heart beats for – and breaks for – each of the innocent victims and their families. But it also beats for and breaks for the young man who chose to kill. Because from the moment that each of those people were conceived – and even in the infinity before – God knew each name and each heart. And He has always loved them. He loves them still.

And the deeper we love, the more we hurt when those we love make bad choices.

So when we cry out in anguish, asking God if He sees us, I think sometimes it seems like He’s silent because He’s just nodding when all the tears rolling down His face have choked off His words for a little while.

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Is it possible, in this age that is (or at least seems to be) more relativistic than ever, for an educator to hold convictions based on absolutes – and use those convictions to guide the way he/she instructs or advises a group of learners?

My current composition textbook, The Curious Writer by Bruce Ballenger, presents a reformed approach to the subject, encouraging students to constantly write not from what they already know but from what they don’t yet know and want to learn. It is called writing from a basis of inquiry – and is said to yield much better final results.

In the chapter about writing an argumentative essay, Ballenger presents three different approaches for the students to consider – the classical approach of Aristotle, the truth-questioning approach of philosopher Stephen Toulmin, and the therapeutic approach of Carl Rogers. In summary, Ballenger says that the old school style which appeals from ethos (the writer’s credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (reason) is too formulaic and leaves no room for “truth” to be questioned and modified.

While I indeed want my learners to approach things with an open mind, I also believe there’s a point where questioning things without a firm and sure guiding light to come back to can be dangerous. Even after we have searched, questioned, and explored, when we finally draw our conclusions, what is to ground them if not some aspect of Aristotle’s reasoning?

Ultimately, each instructor must answer that question for him/herself.

As for me, though many things are not completely black and white, a Spirit-empowered sense of credibility, a heart compass that points heavenward, and a wisdom-tuned sense of reason will remain the key stones in my foundation for centering my position in all types of teaching and instruction. 

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Sometimes our gratitude is shown silently, through touch. When a terrified baby cries through the pain of her earaches and teething, her father rocks her in the wooden glider for two hours straight until the worst of the pain has passed and her whimpers slowly fade into the silence of sleep. He sighs and kisses her sweaty forehead. She is not old enough to say the words, but her actions have said, “Help me…. Stay with me… Thank you.” And her father, through his touch and calm actions, has said, “I won’t leave you. Thank you for trusting me.”

Sometimes our gratitude is shown quietly, through staying. A husband and wife have a necessary but difficult discussion. Though voices are raised at points and some very painful words slip out, neither leaves the room and they stick it out. And finally, they look into each others eyes and stretch hands across the table, fingers joining and squeezing with reassurance while the expression on each face says, “Thank you for loving me through my struggles and weaknesses.”

Sometimes our gratitude is shown directly, through approach-ability. One woman pours out a part of her heart and, at the end of the confession, says, “Thank you for allowing me to share.” And her friend, who has been listening respectfully, replies, “Thank you for trusting me enough to confide in me.”

Sometimes our gratitude is show unexpectedly, through selflessness. An adult daughter needs her dad’s advice, presence, and help, but she’s afraid to ask for those things – afraid she’ll be a burden to him by interrupting his day and taking up all of his time. But she risks asking anyway and thanks him for his assistance. Hours afterward, he surprises her by contacting her and saying, “I was thankful to be able to spend the extra time with you today.” Then she begins to cry because she is reminded that he sees what – or who – is most important.

In giving and receiving every different type of gratitude horizontally, each of us becomes a little bit more like the One we must ultimately be most grateful to.

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Image result for profile picture

In my recent composition class sessions, my students and I have been reviewing and applying the principles of a meaningful profile essay. The writer chooses a subject (person) to describe so that the reader can get to know the subject (or in the case of a famous person, so the reader might learn something previously unknown about the subject).

One thing has become clear to me as I read final essay submissions this weekend. A well-written profile clearly keeps the subject at “center stage” – and even if the writer decides to insert him or herself into the essay to any degree, the writer’s presence never takes over the meaning and content of the profile story line. That would essentially turn the profile essay into a personal essay.

It is difficult to write truly well across forms and genres. For apart from personal essays and poetry and some non-fiction instructional material, there is nearly no room for a writer to step in and take over a piece of writing. Even if all things must, by nature, be told indirectly from the writer’s point of view and depth of knowledge, the masterful writer will write in such a way that the profile subject, the story characters, or the helpful knowledge being conveyed all remain front and center.

And while finally achieving this balance may bring the successful writer a sense of quiet pride, the truly successful writer must not only be a silent player…he or she must also be truly humble.

 

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