The Call with Dineen Miller

My family and I had moved back to the States in 2002 and I wanted to somehow earn a living by working from home. I was big into quilting at the time and saw an ad in the back of a quilt magazine about writing a book, so I sent away for the information. Somehow I thought that meant writing a FICTION book and went to work on a story that started to fill my heart. I'd written short things for years but never a full length book. When the packet of information came, I realized it was instructions about submitting a craft/quilt book. LOL! But by then I was hooked and finished my story. And I've been writing ever since. 

The Soul Redeemer releases November 27th! 

About Dineen Miller:

Dineen Miller is passionate about igniting the souls of others through God’s Word, which is packed with His truth and promises. She is a multi-published and award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction books, a speaker and a ministry leader. She’s been featured nationally on several Christian radio and television shows and was co-leader and pastor at SpirituallyUnequalMarriage.com for 11 years.

She is currently an Associate Director at the Healing Rooms of Manatee and Dean of the HROM School of Transformation in Bradenton, Florida. She and her husband are proud parents to two adult daughters and a son-in-law. They love kayaking and walking the famous white sands of Siesta Key Beach where they live in Sarasota, Florida.

Website: https://dineenmiller.com/ 

The Call with Laurie Stroup Smith

Around the age of nine, I remember telling my parents I wanted to be an author, but my interests later led me to become a Certified Athletic Trainer. Writing has always been important to me. One of my college professors requested a copy of my master’s thesis to keep as an example for other students, and the manager of the physical therapy clinic where I worked asked me to help write new versions of our treatment protocols. While serving for six years as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, I started a blog as a resource for other leaders. But it wasn’t until I wrote a story for our daughters and shared it with an author friend, who then encouraged me to pursue writing, that I remembered my childhood dream.

In the hopes of helping our daughters who were grieving the loss of two grandparents, I started writing a story about a seventh-grade girl who needed to rely on her faith to get through a tough time. Inspiration for the book originated from an image of a quilt I saw on Facebook. In 2017, I attended the ACFW Conference and pitched the idea for what is now known as Pockets of Promise. Julie Gwinn expressed interest in the story but strongly suggested I instead consider telling the story from the point of view of a young Amish woman during her Rumspringa. I wrote the book and sent it to Julie who then offered to represent me.

Three years after submitting Pockets of Promise, as I was editing my seventh manuscript, I received THE CALL. Julie had found a home for Mariah’s story, helping me land a three-book contract with Vinspire Publishing.

Laurie's debut novel, Pockets of Promise

About Laurie Stroup Smith:

While writing Amish fiction and contemporary romance, Laurie Stroup Smith strives to inspire her audience to serve others. She was named a Finalist in the 2017 ACFW First Impressions Contest and a Semi-Finalist in the 2018 and 2019 ACFW Genesis Contests. She has been interviewed by Loveland Magazine and been a guest on the Buggy Talk and Fierce Calling Podcast. 

Before writing, Laurie earned a bachelor’s degree in both athletic training and exercise science and later obtained her master’s degree in health promotion and education. She now writes full time and lives with her husband and their two daughters in Cincinnati. For a week or two each summer, they enjoy discovering new adventures along the western coast of Michigan.

Connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Twitter. 

The Call with Felicia Bridges

My call story is a little unique and demonstrates the Lord's perfect timing. I had been to Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference several times over the previous five years. I had pitched my series and received requests from several publishers and editors for the full, but always returned home and convinced myself that it was not quite ready. They were just being kind. 

In 2015, I made a commitment to myself that I would join the scant 30% of writers at a conference who follow through and submit their manuscript as requested. And I added some teeth to the commitment -- I would submit whatever was requested within 30 days of the conference, or I would not attend another writers' conference. As the rarest of creatures, an extroverted writer, swearing off conferences would be a devastating loss of community. Having made many connections with other authors, my conference buddy and I were delighted to discover that one of our friends was having her first book signing in Asheville the day before the conference. We decided it was worth an extra night's stay to be able to celebrate her debut and be rested and ready to go when the conference began the following day. What an exciting moment to see a friend sitting in the midst of the Barnes and Noble, stacks of freshly printed books beside her on the table awaiting her autograph! As we chatted with the author, her publisher introduced herself and my friend mentioned that we were in town for the writers' conference. Her publisher asked us about what we wrote and, after I stumbled through my pitch -- thinking I'd have the rest of the day to practice before the conference began -- she scribbled her email on a scrap of paper and asked me to send her my manuscript. 

Over the course of the next several days, I pitched to several publishers and received other requests for the manuscript, and also pitched to Julie Gwinn. Julie happened to represent the same author friend we had come up early to celebrate! When the conference ended, I pushed through additional edits based on once again learning so much from the conference faculty, and hit send on the emails to those who'd requested my manuscript for CzechMate. There is really nothing quite like that moment. The thrill! The relief! The absolute terror! Within thirty days, I received an email back from Dawn Carrington, Editor-in-Chief with Vinspire Publishing, letting me know that they might be interested in publishing my novel. I immediately reached out to Julie, eager to have a savvy agent in my corner for this next step in the publishing process. She has proven to be a tremendous asset, helping me land a two-book deal and then to augment that with a contract for four more books in the International Mission Force series. 

I love sharing this story because I couldn't have orchestrated this path if I had tried. It demonstrates the importance of supporting fellow authors and building relationships that encourage, support, and promote one another, and trusting God to put us in the right place at the right time.

Czech Mate

Bolivia Knight

Kenya Quest

About Felicia Bridges: 

 

Felicia Bridges writes adventures that inspire action. Her own escapades as an Army BRAT included living in eight states and two foreign countries by the time she was fifteen. Along with a strong foundation of faith, this nomadic childhood created a passion for missions and travel which leads her writing to exotic places. Her YA series debut, The International Mission Force, features the adventures of teenage missionaries around the globe and currently includes CzechMate, which is set in Prague, Czech Republic; BoliviaKnight, set in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; and KenyaQuest, set in Mombasa, Kenya. Volume IV, IslandGambit, which is set on the beautiful island of Papua New Guinea, is due to release in  2020. She loves sharing the excitement and adventure of living on mission and is happy to speak to your student group or women's retreat about missions, discipleship, and the gospel. While her degree in Psychology helps her craft realistic characters, her adventures as an HR Manager, short term missionary, mother of four, and Pastor's wife provide her most entertaining tales. Names may be changed to protect the not-so-innocent. 

You can find Felicia at:

Gmail: feliciabowenbridges@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FeliciaBBridges
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaBowenBridges/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/FeliciaBBridges/
YouTube: https://www.instagram.com/FeliciaBridges_Author/

 

Receiving the “Email” From The Seymour Agency

Once I noticed an agent’s message in my email, I pre-judged it. My first reaction assumed the worst. Ok, who can I query next? To my surprise, Marisa’s response was better than I anticipated. Not only did she ask if my manuscript was still available—it brought a smile to her face, she wanted to know more, and wished her mother could have read it to her when she was a child. Not many more details needed, she had me at “it brought a smile to my face!”

After celebrating the news with my family, I informed Marisa that my manuscript was definitely still available. Subsequent emails with Marisa demonstrated that her personality matched mine. Her outlook on the world mirrored mine and we had even tackled similar topics in our earlier writings. One of the sayings that rings true with me is to think outside the box. Marisa counters with the idea of ‘no box.” Forget about the box. Initially, without context, I didn’t understand what that meant. Now I support her version of that idea, and I am onboard—literally and figuratively. I appreciate how Marisa and Nicole are receptive to the variety of “no box” ideas and suggestions I offer regarding my manuscripts. 

A friendly Zoom meeting with Marisa and Nicole finally sealed the deal. The more I interact with Marisa, Nicole, and various other agency members, like Joyce and Julie, the more I am convinced that The Seymour Agency is the right agency for my manuscripts. The personnel and clients are a kind, congenial group who work as a team for the best outcomes. 

I am honored to be represented by The Seymour Agency, and if you become a Seymour client— 

celebrate! You’ll be in great hands!

About Bethanie Baker Henderson

  

Bethanie writes cozy fictional and biographical picture books. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and works with youth in her church and school district. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and a concentration in English from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. She enjoys learning about new underwater discoveries, especially the mysteries in the deep sea. Bethanie lives with her husband, two remarkable daughters and their cat in eastern PA. 

Connect with her on her website at www.WhenReadingMatters.com, on Twitter @bbakerhenderson and on Facebook at Bethanie Baker Henderson Author.                             

FRIDAY AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ON: JOSHUA ZAYAS

Welcome, Joshua to the blog!

Joshua is an ordained minister who has preached in front of thousands at various church events and conferences. He has spoken alongside Evangelist Beverly Broadus Green (mother of iconic rapper, Snoop Dogg), and the real "Freeway" Rick Ross. He is the Founder & CEO of INFORMED magazine and the author of a novel entitled, The Franklin Cipher. Some of his writings about military antiquities have appeared in the armed services magazine, Armchair General.

He recently signed a literary contract with Julie Gwinn at The Seymour Agency and is currently in talks to turn The Franklin Cipher into a major motion picture. 

He resides with my family in Phoenix, Arizona.

Connect with Joshua here: 

Twitter: josh_zayas

Instagram: josh_zayas

YouTube: Joshua Zayas

Website: joshzayas.com