Top Ten Books

A friend asked me to give him a book suggestion recently. Yeah, that was a hard one. For the most part, I really hate when people ask me for book suggestions or even my favorite book. It's like asking me to choose a favorite tea cup from a collection that you've carefully chosen and loved throughout many years aka Impossible! So this friend modified his request saying, "give me your top ten books."

I'm still thinking to myself: That's impossible, but then I opened up my Goodreads account and started scrolling through my books and I found some treasured titles. So in no particular order except in the order that they came to my mind are some titles below.



Hinds' Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard
~ this book really fits every Christian's walk with Christ and I felt that I could relate super well to the main character Much-Afraid because I feel that I live most of my life in fear (even if people call me brave).

Embrace Me by Lisa Samson (this is not a romance at all)
~ a powerful story of redemption and radically living out Jesus' love

Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers
~ a tale that weaves together different generations and the deep influence we can have on each other.

The Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd
~ this book woke me up to a lot of the assumptions that I made about America and how most of them aren't true. it made me think and question the world around me a bit more.

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
~ a girl around our age who is living in Africa with her 8 or so adopted daughters. her life challenges mine, but I also needed to realize that I am just as called to my life here and now as she is to her own life. we are just serving differently.

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
~ a daily devotional that writes God's voice in first person. It's so nice to feel that He speaking personally and lovingly just to me.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
~ this lady is one of my favorite writers because she is real. In this book, she talks about the art and struggle of writing. I've scribbled notes in the margin and one of my friends has, too!

Succulent Wild Woman by SARK
~ this book title might make you raise your eyebrows, but for me, it helps me be happy to be me. It's a fun book with colorful fonts and personal stories.

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
~ I read a lot of books and this one is short. But just like The Screwtape Letters, it really left a lasting impression on me about what the separation of man from God can look like and how chilling it really is.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
~ This book is a very special one to me. There's a God story here. But the true beauty of this book is that it is poetic prose that focuses on the significance of walking through life with a deep and sometimes desperate thankfulness.

It's terrible to narrow down years of good experiences with amazing authors and classic stories. I mean I didn't even mention The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia or The Great Gatsby or the Lord of the Flies or the books written by Fanny Burney, Robin Gunn, Rachael Phillips, Sandra Byrd, Deborah Raney, or Jane Austen. But you see, I decided to choose not necessarily my favorite books but some of the ones that have had the most impact on my life.

Also, my current reads are the following: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, and The Cup of Our Lives by Joyce Rupp.

Captivation: Upcoming Writing Contests

Have I ever mentioned that I want to be a writer? I suppose if you've kept pace with me you've seen the telltale signs of my adoration of words strung together to create mosaics of story.

This afternoon I spent in the library pouring over writing magazines. I found many contests. So at the possibility of you beating me out and winning these contests, I'll share them!

Even this picture will take you to info on another writing contest. Deadline is in November!

Not Your Mother's Book
Consisting of real-life stories written by individuals 18 years and older, the series will not focus on death/dying, cry-your-eyes out sad selections, but only hip, fun, modern and very-much-today type stories that will entertain our readers.
word count: 500-2500

PNWA Literary Contest
12 Contest Categories
deadline: February 22, 2013
fee: $50 (nonmembers)
These can be book length and you get 2 critiques!

Crazyhorse writing contest
categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry
deadline: January 31, 2013
fee: $20 (includes a year subscription)

The 9th Annual Geist Postcard Story contest
word count: max. 500
a postcard that somehow relates to your fictional or nonfictional story
deadline: February 1, 2013
fee: $20

Catharsis Journal contest
topic: How creativity changed my life
category: short memoirs between 2500-10,000 words
deadline: March 15, 2013
fee: $20

So my fellow writers, grab your pens and laptops and get scribbling. If you're prolific, you could have a story to each of these contests! I'm hoping maybe I'll submit a story a month. I think my creativity and my budget might be able to support that endeavor.

"The book you want to write is the book you've always wanted to read." - Dylan Brody

Ask An Author: Pursuit of Dreams

Less than three years ago, my aunt decided to chase a dream. She began writing. Every time that our families got together, she'd spend a portion of her day sitting at her computer writing. It's not really until now that I actually realize the importance of chasing one's dreams.

My aunt pursued her dream to write a book.

She did it.

If you want to see evidence of this, go to Barnes & Noble.

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To honor the pursuit of dreams, I'm going to do a giveaway.
More to come soon!

Ask An Author: Giveaway

As the summer approaches, I have discovered that I shall have limited internet as I hang out with family and travel a bit. I still plan on posting, but the posts might be further and far between. No worries! I haven't forgotten you all!

As to the giveaway that happened a couple of weeks ago, the winner is Jim! Thank you all for participating in my giveaway and I hope you choose to read Voyance sometime on your own! After all, it's only $5 online!

Ask An Author: Giveaway

As a grand finale of this series of Ask An Author with Rhonda Brutt, I will be hosting a giveaway. It seems appropriate that the giveaway item will be the online version of Voyance. If you're looking for a light-hearted summer read with a twist, this is probably the book for you especially if you get a kick out of teen fiction.

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About Voyance:
Emma Patterson was born with clairvoyant and telepathic abilities. But, for as talented as Emma is, she feels very alone in the world. No one she knows shares her gifts, or understands what it’s like to be different; but, that all changes when her mother sends her away for her senior year of high school. Hidden along the Florida coast is Voyance, an institute for students with extrasensory talents. Here, Emma must learn how to navigate in a new environment, make friends, and rise to the challenges that being psychic present for her and her fellow classmates. She soon finds herself falling hard for the school administrator’s only son, Alex. As their relationship grows, Emma and Alex discover that not everything is always the way it appears. There is more going on at the school than meets the eye. And sometimes, even being psychic doesn’t give you the answers you need. Together, they uncover the school’s secrets that some would do anything to keep hidden. They must find a way to uncover the truth about Voyance, without risking the bond they share . . . their future depends on it.

If you were psychic, what choices would you make?
Outcomes can change.
Love does not.
Welcome to Voyance.

Okay, here are the rules!

Mandatory Entry: (1 entry) Like Rhonda Brutt on Facebook. Leave a comment saying that you did so.
Bonus: (1 entry) Share the link here of Voyance with your facebook friends. Tell me that you did it.
Bonus: (1 entry) Tell me a super power that you would choose and why.
Bonus: (1 entry) Twitter about Voyance and leave a link to it in comments.
Bonus: (2 entries) Blog about this Voyance giveaway and leave a link to it in comments.

The giveaway opens now and will end on May 9th at noon. Hopefully, the winner will be posted the following day.

p.s. the winner will need to email me (email can be found in my blogger profile) to claim their prize.

Ask An Author: Rhonda Brutt

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Our series with Rhonda Brutt and her book Voyance will soon be drawing to a close. However, the giveaway will be coming up soon. I hope you all have enjoyed Rhonda's answers to your questions.

Asked by Kristen: What does she hope readers will gain from reading?

Answered by Rhonda: As a general all purpose answer, I hope that readers gain the information they are looking for when they are reading a factually based or inspirational book. I read plenty of those myself. That being said, many people, myself included, like to read for fun and/or escape. So an entertaining fictional story serves a purpose to many readers as well and I hope the young adults who read Voyance will enjoy it for its entertainment value. Let me tell you what I hope my readers will not gain from reading Voyance! I noticed that on Amazon, this book is tagged, among other things, as a book on ESP as well as on Parapsychology. Let me be perfectly clear, this is a fictional paranormal young adult romance with no basis for fact whatsoever! I had so much fun writing this book and I hope others will have fun reading it. That was my only goal. While I admittedly had to do some research on the topic of ESP; I didn’t do all that much. I would certainly hope that if someone wanted serious information on Parapsychology or ESP they’d look for a reputable source other than my book because trust me, they will be disappointed to find themselves reading a teen romance rather than a scientific explanation of either of those topics!

Asked by Me: What one of the most difficult aspects of writing a teen fiction novel?

Answered by Rhonda:
Without a doubt, writing a query letter and a synopsis! Write a 109,000 word manuscript? No problem. Try to condense it down to a letter that will get an agent or publisher's attention and many writers along with myself find they have a roadblock. I sat and stared at a blank word document for several days. Every time I tried to write something I ended up deleting it. I finally turned to the internet for help. The advice I found there was good; but ultimately you still have to write it all by yourself! I found one website that stated it plainly. It said something to the effect of "look, you wrote an entire book, how hard can it be to write a few pages?" Trust me, it's very hard! Your ability to sell your work ultimately depends on this and you only get one shot with each agent or editor. I would advise trying to write a query letter first because if for no other reason, it's shorter.

A synopsis is a whole different issue. You are basically trying to
tell your entire story, all 300 plus pages of it, in 2 or 3 pages at the most. You have to make some difficult decisions as to what you are going to include and what details are you going to omit. Typically, a synopsis should also include your ending and that is especially hard to do because you don't want to tell them how your story ends! After all, your ending is what you're building up to! It's what you want the agent or editor to discover, you don't want to just blurt it out! How fun is that? But like it or not, most of them want you to include the ending if they ask for a synopsis. I now have several different versions of my query letters as well as a few different types of synopsis. Each agent or editor has different requirements so I always kept an original and then would tailor make each one to meet that particular agency's submission guidelines.

Asked by Nancy: Is the character Emma similar to what you were like as a teen?

Answered by Rhonda:
Yep! And since I wrote the story in first person, it was super easy for me to “feel” what she was feeling. However, this worked against me at times as well. When you write in first person, you essentially become that character. As you keep writing you become very well acquainted with what your character is thinking and experiencing. Because of this you forget that your reader can’t see inside your brain. You don’t quite feel the urgency to describe an emotion because you wrongly assume that the reader “gets” it, but without written description, they often don’t. This was brought to my attention during the editing process and I had to go back and do some re-writing as a result.

Ask An Author: Rhonda Brutt

As you all know, the past couple of weeks have consisted of a continued interview with Rhonda Brutt who recently had her book, Voyance, published. As this series draws to a close, keep checking back for a giveaway of Rhonda Brutt's book Voyance. Now, onto the questions!

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Asked by Alysha: At what point did it become real that you were actually publishing a work you created?

Answered by Rhonda:
I was sitting at my computer one evening when I saw an Outlook email message appear and then fade out on the bottom corner of my screen. The only thing I remember seeing were the words “Voyance Contract Offer” and that’s when it actually became real for me. Up until that point it was still only a goal. A publishing contract however is an official affirmation, and I’m not ashamed to say that it brought a few tears as I opened it up and read it.

Asked by Kristen: What were her strategies when it came to writer's block?

Answered by Rhonda:
Warning, none of you are going to like my answer! I have never, ever, experienced writers block. (knock on wood!) But then again, I have only written one book and I wasn’t writing under a deadline either. Some writers need the pressure put on them to keep writing, I’m just the opposite.

However I will share a story with you… A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing a very well known author of several mystery novels give a speech. One question that was asked of her was “Where do you get all these ideas and plots for books?” She said that she goes back into old news stories and looks at cold cases that were never solved to get ideas. Then she said that one day, as she was flipping through the classified ads of the newspaper, she was shocked at how many ads there were that read “Wedding Dress, size whatever, Never Worn.” She got to wondering why all of these wedding dresses were never worn. Figuring she might get some material for a book she began to go through the ads and call them. To all of you ladies that are reading this…if you ever have to sell a wedding dress that you never got the opportunity to wear, and an anonymous caller wants to know why, DO NOT spill your guts out to them about the whole horrible story because you might just see a fictional version of it on a book shelf someday! Remember, less is more, just say “it didn’t work out” and leave it at that!!! This author got way more info than she ever dreamed people would tell her over the phone and presto, she also got a bestselling novel out of it. The review for this book was even featured in People magazine!

If writers block occurs then look for ideas in ordinary places. Get out and talk to people. Who would have thought that a bestseller would come out of a few weeks of phone calls to distraught brides who for many various reasons, never made it to the altar!

Asked by Nancy: Are any of the scenarios in the book things you experienced?

Answered by Rhonda:
Absolutely! Although I don’t mention any of the locations in my book by their actual names since it is a fictional story, I still knew the exact places I was writing about. The parks, beaches, inlets, boats and hotels, resorts, etc. are in fact real places that actually exist. It would be a “spoiler” for those who have not read my story to go into any detail about it here but I will list a few of the chapters that I wrote about from personal experience. Here are a few: The Whale, Pulling Me Under, Cinderella Escapes, Turtles Can Race, A Deaf Date, and the entire camping trip, down to the very last detail (minus the ESP element and the cell phones). I thought my parents were going to ground me for the rest of my life for that one, thankfully they didn’t! There are also other parts or sections that have an element of personal experience mixed in with more “story line” to make the plot a little more solid.

I hope you all have a lovely Tuesday. It's sunny here! Even if I'm kept doing homework most of the day, I'll be happy because it's sunny.

Ask An Author: Rhonda Brutt

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A couple of weeks ago, my Aunt Rhonda became a published author. She wrote a book entitled Voyance. Since then, I've been having her answer your questions about the writing process.

(On a random side note before some questions get answered, I'd like to give you all a heads up that I shall be doing a giveaway. This will be my first giveaway. Of course, I am currently hampered by a looming finals week. I just wanted to let you all know what's stirring in my brain.)

Asked by Greg: What makes a good book?

Answered by Rhonda: This is a highly opinionated question! A professor in literature might answer that it needs to be written on the highest literary scale possible. You know, big words, eloquently flowing sentences, that kind of stuff. And to a certain extent, and it certain scenarios, I would agree. But when I read for pleasure, it’s just for that, pleasure. I don’t want to be looking up the meaning of big remote words that only kids who compete in spelling bees know. (and yes, I used to like to compete in the spelling bees!) My life is complicated enough without cluttering it up more with a book that I’m struggling to understand. I hear this same thing from many adults.

Reading for many people is an escape from the norm, it’s letting yourself get caught up in a story that is out of what is ordinary for you. To put it more simply, reading can be, among other things, a form of entertainment. When reading a book at your leisure becomes a grammar lesson, it can lose its appeal real fast. If you are a student studying English, you might disagree. It may be hard to envision reading as entertainment in our visual media world of movies, TV, computers, etc. But when you begin to think of reading in this light, it’s kind of fun actually. I also think a great story makes a good book and there is plenty of proof on the market today for that! Some of the best selling series that are currently out there aren’t necessarily that well written, but the story is so entertaining that it pulls you in regardless. If a reader gets engaged in your story, so much so that they can’t put the book down, or they are lying awake at night wondering what happens next, you’ve done your job, and you’ve done it well, regardless if you wrote it at only a 9th grade level.

Asked by Nancy: Since you wrote about ESP, do you have it or know someone that does?

Answered by Rhonda: I think most people have some ESP or psychological intuition wired into them. We have probably all experienced at least one of those “Twilight Zone or just plain freaky” moments where something happens that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. For instance I have two sisters who live very far away from me. Yet I feel very “in tune” at times with what’s going on in their lives and I’ve heard this from many other people as well. Perhaps this is because the physiological bond between siblings is very strong as they are closest blood relatives an individual has. Of course it could be because being raised together, you just shared so many similar experiences. Who knows? If you are ever sitting around with a group of friends and you find that your conversation is stale or lacking, just bring up the topic of ESP. You’ll get to hear some very unusual stories, I guarantee it because I have a few of my own I could tell, and no, they are not included in my book!

Asked by Kristen: What are your favorite books/authors?

Answered by Rhonda: I really don’t have any particularly favorite books as I enjoy all typed of genres, with the exception of true crime. Crime is not something I enjoy reading about, particularly since I can turn on the nightly news and see all the disturbing crime and violence I want. I have probably read well over 200 young adult novels in the past few years. I guess if I had to pick a favorite YA author, I would have to say it is Phillip Pullman. Mr. Pullman wrote the trilogy titled His Dark Materials, which included the books The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass and all of these received fabulous ratings from all of the big reviewers. Yes, he is a renowned atheist, but it didn’t distract from the quality of his writing and I didn’t find these books to be offensive in any way, of course that is my personal opinion. I really also enjoy reading anything by Phillip Yancey, a Christian author, and I believe that I own all of his books, with the exception of his newest book which I really do need to put on my Kindle. Phillip Yancey’s work never disappoints me. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve enjoyed all of the books in the adult vampire series that Kerrelyn Sparks writes, so I guess variety really is the spice of life!

Ask An Author: Rhonda Brutt

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This bit will run somewhat like a series for the next couple of weeks. Each week, a new set of questions shall be answered. Rhonda Brutt will be sharing about her book, Voyance, and answering the questions that you asked. Without further ado, the questions you asked that have been answered.

Asked by Kristen: What was the inspiration behind the story?

Answered by Rhonda:
I grew up in Florida, less than 3 miles from the ocean. As teenagers, we used to drive north of Palm Beach County along the Atlantic Ocean to this old abandoned but yet elegant beach club. I don’t remember that it even had a name. It was in a remote location and the beach was great. You could tell that at one time (maybe way back in the 1940’s or 50’s?) it had been quite a splendid place but the buildings were crumbling down, windows were broken out, the pool was coated with thick slime, plants and trees were overtaking the place, you get the picture. It was posted with no trespassing signs but that never stopped us! We used to explore the buildings and I used to think that they should fix it up and make it into a school. (with me attending there naturally!)

Never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think that this would become a setting for a book I’d write. I enjoy paranormal romance but I wanted to write a story where the characters were actually alive and not dead or half-dead. I also wanted to write something that on a small level was almost believable so that a reader could relate. So Voyance is a real place for me, it actually existed. Several years ago when I was visiting Florida, my husband and I went searching for it. Not only could I not find it, but I couldn’t even find the location where I thought it had been! I’m sure it was torn down long ago and a developer most likely built houses on the property. But I’m glad I remembered it. It’s amazing how the memories come back to you as an adult! So take note of the seemingly ordinary things in your life, a book just might be born from them someday!

Asked by Greg: Why do you write?

Answered by Rhonda:
On a simple level, I write because I like to. The real answer though is because for those of us who enjoy writing, it takes us inside ourselves,into our minds. When I put thoughts down on paper it reduces the clutter in my brain and therefore the clutter in my life. I have a feeling that others who like to write feel the same way. Writing calms me down actually and I try to write in a journal every night, something I'd highly recommend! When I write it ultimately forces me to slow down and think about things from more than one point of view, especially after I've gotten it all out. For example, I may write an article or a chapter on a topic that I feel strongly about but then after a few re-reads, I start to think about it from another perspective. Once I've expressed myself on paper, then it seems as if I am more capable of pondering the what-ifs. My advice to any writer is this, never write something, check it only for grammar and spelling, then hit the "send" button! Always give it a few days, or even weeks, at the very least. I realize this can be hard if you are writing under a deadline but an alternate thought may come to you or you might just think of a better way to say it so always try to buy yourself some time.

Asked by Alysha: What was the most frustrating part of the process?

Answered by Rhonda:
Re-writes! You get it all done, it sounds good, until the next time you read it. So you go back, make changes, write it a different way, and then you think "OK now it's done" until the next time, and the cycle repeats itself! My oldest daughter, who is a hair stylist, finally gave me some words of wisdom. She compared writing and editing to cutting hair. As a stylist, you finish with a cut, you think it looks good, but then just as the client is about to get up, you notice one small thing wrong, like maybe you think one side is slightly shorter than the other, so you pull the scissors out, even it up and then the new side looks too short, so you keep going back and forth until the poor person is either left with a hair cut that's not at all what they wanted or they are left with very little hair! It's the same with writing. At some point, you have to decide that your book is done. Period. Otherwise, it will never move forward. To this very day, as I sit here with my Kindle, I think, why did I write it that way? Or why didn't I say this instead. Since there is nothing I can do about it now, I guess the next best thing I can do is to write another book!

Thank you all for participating in this series by asking questions. If you so desire, you may still ask Rhonda questions. Please leave your questions in the comments section. Thank you!

Ask An Author

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What if you had a published author at your finger tips and you could ask him or her anything? What would you ask them? Would it be about their inspiration or their voice choice?

What would you ask?

I want to know because I'm planning on asking my recently published Aunt Rhonda Brutt about her journey to publication as a first time author.

So what would you ask?

I plan to feature an interview with Rhonda Brutt on her book Voyance within the week.