tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55403935276476237122024-03-12T16:35:55.964-07:00Inspirational WriterStill basking in the sun on "Unpublished Island" and yes, although it's fun and fulfilling, I'd love to swim across the sea of talent to finally submerge, soaked and happy, to lay on the beaches of the beautiful, sultry Island of the Published.L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-38170242476978413802019-03-23T12:35:00.002-07:002019-03-26T03:55:23.135-07:00College week - Juniors, How to Choose a College and Soon
Choosing a college for your Junior in High School?
It's March and you have no idea what school your child is thinking about. There are thousands of schools to choose from! Where to begin?
As we get close to the end of the school season, with two to three months left, the kids will be out. And let's face it, once the warmer months hit most kids are not thinking about school. This is L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-91062762966725326582012-02-13T19:15:00.000-08:002012-02-13T19:15:14.933-08:00Phoenix Rattler Contest Finalist!I have been away for a little while and I apologize, but I haven't been away from writing. On the contrary. I took a chance and submitted three chapters of Bullied to Death to Christian Writers of the West. And I am a finalist in the 2011-2012 The Phoeniz Rattler contest!
Just when I thought about slowing down, taking a break, stepping away from rejection, God took hold of me and knocked L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-68595292728612767552011-09-13T19:10:00.000-07:002011-09-13T19:10:17.327-07:00Inspirational TuesdayI'm back with the Inspirational quote of the week. So sorry I've been away--tending with family. Thank you for continuing to follow.
Act as if it were impossible to fail. - Dorothea Brande, 1893-1948L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-2945808443506813732011-09-13T18:48:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:56:12.134-07:00Writer Stephanie Grace WhitsonPublished writer Stephanie Grace Whitson is on Infinite Characters today. Learn to “Dress Your Beds Fashionably.”L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-75248985714438482372011-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:56:19.657-07:00Growl Bigger than its BiteMy online blogging group is doing some fun things with fiction. Check out my latest story of a first kiss interrupted by an animal. http://infinitecharacters.com/2011/09/09/growl-bigger-than-its-bite/L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-66929564928849083592011-09-07T11:21:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:56:33.874-07:00Reasons for Having Critique PartnersI wrote an article on Reasons for Joining a Critique Group. Go to www.Infinitecharacters.com and see what's new!L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-17283947104383243492011-08-11T10:26:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:57:03.018-07:00I lost my Grandma last Friday to a 14 year battle with cancer. She was very loved and will be missed.
Through My Grandma's Eyes
Through my grandma's eyes she saw the world like no one else,
She saw a person dressed in rags, dirty from life's woes, and she'd hug and feed them.
If she saw a child not in church, no way to learn about God, she'd find room in her car.
A person that didn’t know the L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-7273043498991688672011-08-03T11:08:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:58:15.830-07:00Developing PaceCheck out Infinite Characters on my group's latest blog on developing pace in your novel. I'm Tom & Jerry, what are you? Also, there are some really neat stories about a kiss being interupted by an animal.L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-33294347483875497802011-07-20T11:53:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:58:15.830-07:00Tantalizing Love ScenesI just blogged on how to write Tantalizing Love Scenes on my group blog: http://infinitecharacters.com/2011/07/20/tantalizing-love-scenes/. Please check it out if you have time.L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-56384487846043357742011-06-29T17:20:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:57:03.018-07:00Mama, the pigs are loose! How to corral all those unruly critters.Check out my group's blog at http://infinitecharacters.com/2011/06/28/mama-the-pigs-are-loose-how-to-corral-all-those-unruly-critters/ to see what's going on!L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-61819556334414379452011-06-21T17:49:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:57:03.019-07:00New Group BlogMy wonderful critique group and I started a group blog at www.infinitecharacters.com. I'd love it if you could check it out. Mildred did a great interview with talented writer, K. Dawn Byrd.
K. Dawn will be giving away one gift card for a free download of Mistaken Identity to someone who leaves a comment at the close of this interview before midnight, Wednesday, June 22, 2011. Please check L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-47211636678961354432011-06-16T05:38:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:58:15.830-07:00Building your Book BlurbA group of writers for Writer's Alley came up with a fantastic list of ways to build a book blurb.
While taking in the fabulously seductive smell of books in B&N, I agree, I love to look at the backs of books and see what's I'm in store for me on a lazy Saturday afternoon while the kids play in the backyard and I mingle in the hammock. I need to be brushed away from my busy life, if only forL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-33612604298146848682011-06-08T09:00:00.001-07:002011-06-08T09:00:44.491-07:00God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. ~St. AugustineL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-66676974427357102662011-05-31T07:37:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:58:57.924-07:00Inspirational TuesdayThere are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The
other is as though everything is a miracle. ---Albert Einstein
Poem written by my daughter:
Last Day of School
I love my last day of school,
It is so fun. It is so cool.
I won't have to say bye to my friends.
'Cause in the summer, sleepovers don't end.
I like to go outside to play,
At the very end of May.
WeL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-88198380732435382192011-05-24T12:25:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:58:57.925-07:00Inspirational Tuesday"I'm sitting in the dark right now,
but God is my light...
it's not forever. He's on my side
and is going to get me out of this...
He'll turn on the lights and show me his ways."
~Micah 7:9L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-36409619750115710922011-05-23T20:51:00.001-07:002011-05-24T12:22:44.835-07:00JoplinMy thoughts and prayers go out to those in Joplin. God be with you.L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-71599202206015074332011-04-28T10:19:00.000-07:002011-05-24T12:23:08.113-07:00Agents looking for Inspirational FictionA critique partner from long ago, posted this on her blog. You can find the link to her blog below.
The following literary agencies state on their website that they have at least one agent who represents authors of Christian fiction and/or who has attended a Christian writers’ conference. They may represent secular authors and non-fiction as well, but this list concentrates exclusively on L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-29213151972585895522011-04-25T12:11:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:59:29.707-07:00Track your QueriesHave you used http://www.querytracker.com/? If not, you might want it check it out. It's a great tool to use while searching for an agent.L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-57108892515771400002011-04-23T12:41:00.000-07:002011-09-13T18:59:29.707-07:004 Simple Ways to Kick the Telling HabitI received and email from Annie Oortman on 4 Simple Ways to Kick the Telling Habit:
Don’t say the Old Lady screamed… bring her on and let her scream.—Mark Twain.
“Show, don’t tell.” That adage has struck fear in many a writer’s heart. But turning “telling” into “showing” is easy if you’re willing to take a critical look at your prose and perform a bit of rewriting.
1. Get Rid L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-21416014084321251262011-04-23T12:23:00.001-07:002011-09-13T18:59:29.707-07:00Something to Think About"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." Gilda RadnerL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-66062147491387009552011-04-18T10:19:00.000-07:002011-04-18T10:19:11.616-07:00Learning to LeanMildred Colvin, a talented writer from one of my ACFW critique groups, has recently published her latest book, Learning to Lean, on Amazon. Check it out!
What woman wants the Brady Bunch reruns to take over her life? For that matter, what man wants that kind of responsibility? None, right?
Heather Conway, daycare owner and widowed mother of three, has no extra money and L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-56327976533818681772011-04-06T20:21:00.000-07:002011-04-06T20:22:58.746-07:00BullyingThis subject is a little different than what I usually blog, but I have to talk about bullying. I have recently finished a YA inspirational fiction about bullying called Bullied to Death.
When Chloe drowns herself in the family pond, four lives drown in the aftermath. Now they must learn how to live without her while their faith hangs in the balance. Chloe's parents separate because blaming eachL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-5700608443433599212011-03-29T09:12:00.000-07:002011-03-29T09:12:18.805-07:00To God be the GloryI subscribe to a great website called Sermons 4 Kids, and every week I get an email, giving me a sermon. I just love this website as it's so easy to understand and gives lessons me and my kids can discuss. I will start posting these here, on my blog, so I can share them with you, too.
Theme: Glorifying God in every situation. (Fourth Sunday in Lent)
Object: A hymnal
Scripture: As he wentL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-37416554919743574032011-03-25T19:39:00.000-07:002011-03-25T19:39:28.567-07:00
How true. My goal is to write a scripture down every Friday--give us something to think about as we head into the weekend. God is good.L.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5540393527647623712.post-1432174226797818462011-03-08T07:45:00.000-08:002011-09-13T18:59:29.708-07:00Avoiding 8 Mistakes Self-Publishers MakeWell, while I'm writing another novel, thoughts about self-publishing have come to mind. I found an article by Peter Bowerman called 8 Mistakes Self-Publishers Make And How to Avoid Them! I found this article very helpful and I copied some of the main points below.
Mistake #1. You wrote an unnecessary book (this is especially true for non-fiction), but when writing the book you need to makeL.A. Cecilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07165729895141214885noreply@blogger.com0