Looking back on the history of my first book, I see six phases in its development: Trial by Ordeal, Sabbatical, Poetic Ecstasy, A Better Baby, Love Laborious and New Birth. Trial by Ordeal Twenty-some years before writing Souls at Rest (SAR), I was a young, struggling Christian with a whole […]
From the President’s Desk – The Importance of Being Needed
“I guess being needed is almost as good as being loved. Maybe better.” Betty Smith, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” It’s been a busy – and overwhelming – two weeks. I attended and spoke to a group of women at the Dynamic Women of Faith Conference in Toronto a few weeks […]
From the President’s Desk – Failure Leads to Success
“Has it ever occurred to you that a life without failure is a dead life? Because you learn by failing. If you don’t try things, you’ll never learn anything. You’ll never accomplish anything.” Catherine Doherty, Foundress of Madonna House Thomas Edison tried and failed on hundreds of attempts to create […]
I Thirst for Your Love – Book Review from Barb Schonenberger
From time to time our members come across a “treasure” that they just have to yell about. Today we can all benefit from a find from Barb Schonenberger. KC All of us need reminders of how much God loves us and how much He desires that […]
10 Steps to Indie Publishing
These are the best of times for authors—and possibly the worst of times! The changes in the publishing industry over the past five years are nearly as significant as the advent of the internet. In fact, the two developments are intertwined and build on each other. We all know traditional […]
From the President’s Desk: NFP Week and Catholic Writers Conference Live
In case you didn’t know, we are coming to the end of NFP Awareness Week. Before I became President of the Guild…even before I started my writing career, I taught Natural Family Planning (NFP). This year, my husband and I will mark our 30th year teaching NFP. My passion for […]
Cheerleading! Mutually Beneficial Author Support
There are a lot of us out there. Authors. With great books to share. Too often, though, we feel alone in our endeavors, trying to get readers to notice us in the roiling sea of other great books. This is a great time to be a writer! It’s more possible […]
Writing a Book: Beta Readers
One of my dubious distinctions as a writer is being lumped in the group of Authors Who Have Long Boring Acknowledgements Pages. These lists are no fun to read unless your name is on the page somewhere; even then, you skim right to your own part and skip the rest. […]
Which way???
Did you go to Catholic Writers Conference Live? Or perhaps you’ve been lucky enough to attend another writers’ conference in the past few months. You’ve come home with a mind spinning with possibilities. Suddenly you have options, and choices to make. You’ve pitched a book (or two, or three), and […]
Self-Publishing and the Personal Approach
Because self-published authors don’t have a publishing company to help them promote their books, it’s important to take the initiative in marketing. Even authors who have publishers must often do their own marketing. Connecting with your fans on a personal level is a great way to market your book. This […]