WRITE: Interview with Joyce Magnin
Joyce Magnin loves stories, video games, cream soda, Parcheesi but not laundry or elevators. She is a frequent conference speaker, the mother of three amazing children, three grandsons, and a parakeet who thinks she’s a chicken. Her previous Bright’s Pond releases include The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow (Library Journal’s Top 5 Christian Books of 2009; ACFW Carol Award nominee) and Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise. Note from Marti: I’m back after a wonderful few days at the Florida Christian Writers Conference and another few spent with my parents while my dad had cancer surgery. I know you’ll enjoy this interview with Joyce Magnin, author of last week’s READ review, Griselda Takes Flight. You and I share the experience of falling in love with writing during our elementary school years. Would you please describe your beginnings as a writer? It all started in the third grade. My teacher, Mrs. Nichols asked us to write a story. I wrote about Martians who invaded Earth to knock over Fort Knox. Apparently Martians eat gold—who knew? She loved the story and asked me to read it to all the classes in the school. She then told me that I had been “gifted with words.” I was smitten because it was at that moment I felt God’s hand on my shoulder and knew that I knew that I knew she was right. How did you decide on the fictional small town of Bright’s Pond as a setting? I enjoy small towns. Bright’s Pond is really an amalgam of a bunch of quirky, little towns in the Wilkes Barre/Scranton part of Pennsylvania. There is just something unique and wonderful about small communities that feel more like family than neighbors. Your work, although often humorous, also touches on deep issues. How do you decide on the struggles your characters will face? They come that way. Truthfully, I don’t think I have ever sat down and had to think or consider what sorts of issues my characters struggle through. But, that being said, all you have to do is listen to friends, read prayer requests for your church, eavesdrop on a few conversations at work or the grocery store and you get a clue for what people are handling every single day. You’re keeping busy these days as a full-time novelist and part-time editor/conference teacher. What upcoming projects can readers expect? Oh boy, well on the writing front after Griselda Takes Flight there are four more Bright’s Pond novels coming. Blame it on the Mistletoe will release in September. Also in September my first Middle Grade novel for Zonderkidz, Carrying Mason, is releasing and I also have novels coming out with Zondervan including Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus. On the teaching front I will be at the Montrose Writer’s Conference in Pennsylvania in July and The Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference in August presenting my now famous or perhaps infamous “So you Want to be A Published Novelist” clinic. It’s not for the faint of the heart. But fun. And I continue to present Discovery Writers Workshops out of my home. I will be unveiling some exciting news about this in the weeks and months to come. What’s the best writing tip you’ve ever received? “Don’t Flinch!” I had the honor of attending A Highlights Children’s Writing...
read moreREAD: Review, Griselda Takes Flight by Joyce Magnin
Oops, she did it again. Joyce Magnin combines the ridiculous with the poignant in a way that spells sublime. And that’s especially true of Griselda Takes Flight (Abingdon, releases 4.1.11), the third offering in her Bright’s Pond series. No one but Magnin could put together a comatose treasure hunter; his not-so-concerned fiancée; an obsessive pumpkin farmer; two sisters learning to love their way out of dysfunction; and a pilot who makes an emergency landing and decides to stay a while. And no one but Magnin could weave all these and more into a loveable, believable, page-turning story. In what’s become her signature style, the author uses flawed characters and awkward, often humorous situations to teach powerful lessons. Griselda Sparrow, who takes flight in not only an airplane but her self-confidence, shows readers the power of truth to set free. And as other Bright’s Pond residents work through their own versions of truth-telling, readers will no doubt do the same. At one point in my reading, I realized I was holding my breath. Charlotte Figg, heroine of Magnin’s second novel, was about to encounter Griselda and friends for the first time. My concern for my fictional friends defined my discovery about their creator: Oops, she did it again. Read it and smile. Because when Griselda Takes Flight, your heart will,...
read moreWRITE: Blog Tour, The Me Project by Kathi Lipp
UPDATE and WINNERS: Wendy Leech‘s name will be entered into the drawing for the Starbucks gift basket (be nice to her, Larry, there’s still hope). And Virginia Smith wins my review copy of The Me Project! Thanks, all, for your kind posts and comments! Welcome to a special WRITE blog tour post and some bonus information about The Me Project, reviewed here earlier this week. Do you need extra motivation to pursue God’s great plans for your life? Make sure to check out author Kathi Lipp’s “Three Super Simple Kick Starts: Living Your Dreams.” And don’t forget to enter the Deluxe Starbucks Coffee Gift Basket giveaway at the bottom of this post, too! Leave a comment on this post on or before February 28 if you’d like to enter. I’ll draw one name to win my review copy of the book and another which will be entered into a pool to win the gift pictured below. (US addresses only, please.) Make sure to include your email address linked or stated in the comment. And if your browser won’t let you leave a comment, please e-mail me so I can include your name in the drawing. (Click “contact” link to the right of this blog). The Me Project – 21 Days to Living the Life ?You’ve Always WantedPublisher: Harvest House Publishers ISBN-10: 0736929665, ISBN-13: 978-0736929660Release Date: February 1, 2011Paperback: 224 pages, Retail: $12.99 Book Summary (San Jose, CA) Has that rush to make (and break) New Year’s resolutions already waned? According to Daniel Pink, author of ?Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, taking small steps every day will not only help you stay committed to your goal, ?but will also help you ultimately achieve that goal when obstacles come up. Author Kathi Lipp wants you and your friends to live out those dreams—and have some fun along the way. As women, we forget the goals and dreams of our younger years. The busyness of everyday life gets ?in the way. To-do lists replace goals. The Me Project provides women with fun and creative ways to bring back the sense of purpose and vitality that comes with living out the plans and dreams God has planted in our hearts. Kathi Lipp’s warm tone and laugh-out-loud humor motivates women to take daily steps toward intentional goals. The end result? We get back our lives and enjoy living in the confidence of a purposeful life in spite of our chaotic schedules. This handy guide coaches women to do one simple thing toward achieving our goals each day for three weeks. A woman experiencing the exhilaration of a rediscovered life offers more as a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, career woman. Finding the balance between living day-to-day with purpose while pursuing the passions God has placed in our hearts is a delicate pursuit. In this refreshing, insightful book, ?Kathi lays out a doable plan that makes sense and helps make our God-given dreams ?a reality. Never stop dreaming, because women who dare to dream do make the world ?a better place. —Jean Blackmer author of MomSense: A Common Sense Guide to Confident Mothering Publishing Manager, MOPS International www.MOPS.org Author Bio Kathi Lipp Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the...
read moreREAD: Review, The Me Project by Kathi Lipp
She had me at the title: The Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted (Harvest House, 2011). Wait a minute! What’s a self-centered title like this doing in the Christian living section? It’s not all about me, is it? The short answer: Kathi Lipp‘s book is all about me (or you) because it helps readers explore the desires God’s implanted in our hearts. And that makes it a great match for life as he intends it. Author Lipp, a retreat and conference speaker already known for The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, presents a warm blend of transparent humor, practical advice, and godly encouragement in a power-packed volume. As she explains it, The Me Project is the book she’s always wanted to write, “a 21-day guide for dreaming some dreams about your life and then setting some goals to make one of those dreams a reality.” Its existence, she says, flows from her desire to assist others in pursuing the specific plans God has for them. I especially loved The Me Project‘s concentrated focus. The author’s suggestion of what she calls a 50/50 journal allows readers to list multiple goals and pick one to achieve over the next twenty-one days or more. She encourages them to seek God about this goal and then pursue it with time hard work, imagination, and accountability. Lipp lays out the twenty-one days as both chapters and “projects” with help ranging from a brief explanation to creative ideas to a brief prayer. I haven’t had this book long enough to test it out, but I appreciate the fun way it helps readers break down goals or dreams into bite-sized, achievable pieces. Do you have unfulfilled dreams or goals? Read The Me Project and look at yourself—and the plans for which God’s designed you—in a new and achievable way. ALSO: Check out my WRITE post this Friday for a bonus article by Kathi Lipp and the chance to enter a special blog tour giveaway that includes some great...
read moreWRITE: Interview with Arlene Pellicane
Arlene Pellicane is a writer, speaker, and author of the new book 31 Days to a Younger You: No Surgery, No Diets, No Kidding (Harvest House, 2010). Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Arlene worked as the Associate Producer for Turning Point Television with Dr. David Jeremiah. She has also been an on-air features producer for The 700 Club. Arlene earned her BA from Biola University and her Masters in Journalism from Regent University. Arlene knows the ups and downs of pregnancy (she was pregnant five times in six years in her thirties). She created a website Losing Weight After Baby to encourage moms. There you’ll find her audiobook Losing Weight After Baby: 31 Days to a New You, plus videos, articles, and eBooks. Arlene loves speaking to women at moms’ groups, seminars, and retreats. Arlene lives in Southern California with her husband, James, and three children, Ethan, Noelle, and Lucy. Have fitness and beauty been longtime interests for you? How did you move into your current role? Growing up, I was never an athlete, health nut, or gym rat, so I’m living proof that you can choose to make some positive changes at any age. About 7 years ago, my husband’s employer provided a workout room and personal trainer and that was a turning point for us. We started exercising and eating healthier – it was just a 30 day challenge at first. We felt so great after one month, we were hooked! You share a number of personal stories in 31 Days to a Younger You. Does this transparency come naturally? Yes, that comes naturally. I love sharing stories from my own life. Stories bridge people together – we can relate to one another through our shared experiences. Your previous book, Losing Weight after Baby, has ministered to many moms. Whom do you hope to reach with 31 Days? I’d love to reach women in their 40s and beyond. I was so encouraged by a 70-something year old lady who said she was getting ready to go out and she kept saying to herself, “Think young, think young” which was from a story in the book. My hope is that ladies will be refreshed and have new hope that their best days are ahead. If you could give your readers a personal word before they open your book, what would you say? You are so beautiful. s you read this book, may that thought permeate every page. ake the themes that touch your life and make sure to complete the action steps that correspond with them. Unfortunately, putting the book under your pillow won’t help the bags under your eyes and aching back, but acting on what you read will turn back the clock. You had encouragement for your writing and speaking from a mentor, author and speaker Pam Farrel. Can you tell readers a bit about that relationship? I heard Pam speak several years ago. mustered up my courage and stood in line to speak with her. I told her about my professional experience and manuscript. I couldn’t believe my ears when she said she had a group of women she mentored. Pam championed me, showed me the ropes, gave me advice – her friendship and vote of confidence have meant so much. She intentionally invests...
read moreWelcome
I've asked God to use my writing and speaking to count for eternity. I'm passionate about relationships and creativity.
