Preparing for #Pitchwars – Books for Writers

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#Pitchwars, books, reading, Writing

#Pitchwars has turned into one of the greatest mentored writing contests ever. It includes chats, blogs, interviews, mentors, friendships, professional advice and more.

Congratulations to contest creator, Brenda Drake, and her team of mentors and assistants. This is truly a case of writers helping writers and it is fabulous for the writing community.

If you’re considering entering #Pitchwars, (you’ll need a completed novel by the August 2nd submission date) here are a few writing books to help you polish those pages, conquer tricky plot twists and add creativity to your characters and story.

Writing in Community by Lucy Adkins and Becky Breed

Writing in Community is a book of inspiration and encouragement for writers who want to reach deep within themselves and write to their fullest potential. There is magic in a successful writing group. This book helps writers tap into that magic, and with gentle wisdom and humor, experience unprecedented breakthroughs in creativity.

 

 

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Writer’s Handbook: A Compact Comp Book by Carl Adkins

Carl Adkins calls upon his broad teaching background that includes students from high school, community college, university undergraduate and graduate writing courses to address familiar writing problems in common sense language. In other words, this sensible writer’s handbook is truly user friendly.

 

 

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All books by BQB and WriteLife Publishing are available on Amazon, B&N, or can be ordered from your favorite local bookstore.

 

Memoirs of Worth

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Bill Bryson, books, memoir, reading, Rhoda Janzen, Stephen King

I’ve read a few memoirs recently. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen and On Writing by Stephen King. In each one, I learned about life in a separate way; a different decade, a different religion, a different part of the country. In each of these, I was completely entertained by the writing. Memoirs are a fascinating way to live in another’s shoes throughout its pages.

Here are a few memoirs I would like to share with you that will transport you into the lives of these authors:

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My Life in a Tutu by Jackie Madden Haugh:

Sitting in the dark once again, Jackie waited for the familiar turn of the key to signal he was home safe. It was a night like so many before, but this time anger burned within her soul.
On March 11, 2001, the life she had known was shredded through the meat grinder that is infidelity. Jackie quickly spiraled out of control into a world of depression and self-loathing.

Looking back, she began to see that this one incident wasn’t the sole cause of her demise. A life of constantly striving to be perfect left her roots in shallow soil. And a debilitating fear persistently whispered, “It’s too late for you.” Would she ever be complete if not married?

As her four children became impatient with the demise of their supermom, Jackie realized it was time to take an accounting of how she let herself fall so low—or lose her children too.

Jackie spent months delving into her past despite wanting to run away from the task. After all, true recovery requires being brutally honest with all the pieces to the puzzle; not just the pain caused, but the role she played in it too.

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Nerdy Thirty by Wendy Townly:

Set primarily in Omaha and small towns throughout Nebraska, “Nerdy Thirty” comically recounts the author’s “nerdy” experiences in elementary school, high school, college, and her twenties, leading up to her 30th birthday. The book celebrates awkward and unusual situations she found herself in, including: camping for the first time; spending a weekend at a rodeo; masquerading for a night as Audrey Hepburn; socializing at a lesbian bar; and finding her voice as a writer.

 

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Ready, Fire, Aim! by Charles Ota Heller:

Under the best conditions, being an entrepreneur can be filled with anxiety and trepidation. Throw in some challenging circumstances, and trepidation turns to downright terror. Charles Ota Heller is a Holocaust survivor who arrived in the US as a penniless thirteen-year-old who spoke two words of English. Exhibiting strength, persistence, and determination, he earned an athletic scholarship to college and obtained three degrees in engineering. He became an academic at the cutting edge of new computer technology and was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug.

Over the next twenty years as CEO of technology companies and an additional twenty as an investor in, and mentor of, startup companies, Charlie experienced the joys, successes, failures, and terrors of entrepreneurship. When the FBI attempted to shut down his company on a trumped-up charge, memories of World War II and the Gestapo filled him with the terror of uncertainty. He was betrayed by a member of his management team and was deposed from leadership of the company he founded. Then he discovered that his partner in a venture capital fund was dishonest and Charlie had to fight to maintain his own reputation.

Ready, Fire, Aim is the story of his riveting journey, told as a powerful, candid, engrossing adventure that will not only entertain but will leave present and budding entrepreneurs with valuable takeaways.

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A Mother’s Dance by Pattie Welek Hall:

How does one measure the depth of a mother’s love? Pattie never thought it possible until she experienced every mother’s worst nightmare—twice.

With all three kids in college and thriving, Pattie is excited about embarking on her new career as community relations manager at Barnes & Noble. That is, until she receives word that her nineteen-year-old son has been admitted to the Medical University of South Carolina and tagged “John Doe” after he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Now her sole concern is to get to Charleston, 250 miles away, before he takes his final breath.

Although Casey is given only twenty-four hours to live, Pattie clings to her faith and refuses to accept her son’s death sentence. During Casey’s long and arduous healing, Pattie takes a hard look at the past—the kids’ tender childhood memories, their challenging teenage years, the skeletons in the closet, and the circumstances that have formed her into who she has become. When tragedy strikes again, Pattie must make a choice—to remain stuck in her grief or to step into the life she’s meant to create.

Moving and heart-wrenching, A Mother’s Dance is a story about hope, perseverance, self-discovery, hard choices, and most importantly about love . . . the sad and the wondrous.

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All books by BQB and WriteLife Publishing are available from Amazon, B&N, or can be ordered from your favorite local bookstore.

 

Fall’s New Fiction – Books for 2017

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AmReading, books, Fall, fiction, new releases, reading

BQB Publishing is proud to announce its fall fiction lineup. Don’t miss any of these…

Broken Slate by John A. Daly

Thirty years ago, Sean Coleman’s father abandoned his family in the Colorado mountain town of Winston, and was never heard from again. The reason for his disappearance was always a mystery, but a lifetime of blaming himself put Sean on a rough, dark path that took him years to return from.

Now content in his life, Sean receives unexpected word that his father has finally reemerged, on the other side of the country in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. . .as a murder victim.

At the wishes of his sister, Sean flies out to retrieve his body, and hopefully find answers to why his father left, and the life he went on to lead. What he discovers is a second family, a web of deception, and a brutal killer who’s still on the loose. . .and isn’t finished killing.

Release Date: October 1, 2017

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Crisanta Knight: Inherent Fate by Geanna Culbertson

I had learned a lot in the last couple of days. I’d figured out how to defeat a fairytale villain with a Toyota 4Runner, how to surf on furniture (à la Aladdin and his magic carpet), and how to confront my wicked step-grandmother. But these bizarre lessons were only just the beginning.

If I was to overcome the obstacles in my path, I had plenty of learning left to do—about myself, and about my enemies. Between Nadia the queen of villains, and the leader of the Fairy Godmothers, I was in for a lot of trouble in this final phase of our quest to alter our fates. Separated from our friends, Daniel and I had to work together to traverse the kingdom of Alderon and evade the antagonists who were trying to destroy us. Moreover, we had to do it while figuring out whether or not we could truly be friends. Not an easy sell when I was prophesized to put an end to his girlfriend. Can you say awkward?

With our mission drawing to a close, my significance to Nadia, my relationship with Natalie Poole, and my magical power were about to be revealed. But among these great truths, little did I know I was on the verge of discovering a strength that would be infinitely more powerful—one that had been inside me all along . . .

Release Date: September 1, 2017

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Daddy, I Want to Know God by Vanessa Fortenberry

Daddy, how well does God know me? Does He love me all the time? Will God ever leave me? In this rhyming story, children’s probing questions show their desire to learn more about God and His love for them. Compassionate and loving responses from their dads help to lead the children in growing a strong Godly faith.
This story depicts the spiritual leadership of fathers as they teach their children about a caring, unfailing, and capable God.

Release Date: October 1, 2017

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The Leftover by Brooke Williams

Megan Malone is the ultimate homebody. When her sister talks her into going on The Leftover, a local version of the TV show Survivor, she isn’t sure she’ll make it past the first vote. Cane Trevino is nursing a broken heart by joining the show as a medic. With time away from his regular job and a dozen contestants to distract him, he hopes he can finally get over the woman he thought was “the one.”

As the contests ramp up, Megan faces her shortfalls as well as the bullies that hit the beach alongside her while harboring a crush on the show’s medic. How far will Megan get on the show? Will Cane get over his broken heart? Join a host of characters for contests filled with laughs, blind sides around every corner, and the ultimate showmance. Who will be The Leftover?

Release Date: September 1, 2017

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Reality: The Struggle for Sternessence by Daniel A. Liut

Duncan, a young college student, receives an extraordinary call. Hesitant, he accepts and is immediately immersed in a crisis and a universe, known by many as Reality. . .
The new environment has mysterious connections to Earth and to his personal life. Duncan starts a journey in the stellar navy of the race that made contact with him. During his deep-space assignments and visits to trans-universal worlds, his heart is tried and his views are challenged. Duncan receives enigmatic signs with a powerful restoring message. However, he is haunted by doubts, struggles with alien love, and is eventually exposed to darkness. Yet he possesses a hidden power, a pervasive gift. Only by accepting it will he find his purpose in Reality, the strength of love, and the key to freedom.

Release Date: September 1, 2017

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Seeking the Shore by Donna Gentry

As the summer of 1934 fades away, Julianna McAllister has every reason to believe she’s widowed from her new husband and the great love of her life, Jace McAllister. She had been a rogue wave when they first met, resisting a life where her wealthy family’s expectations weighted her down like heavy sand. The worst weight was a fiance’ named Leyton, who was driven by strong currents of greed.

Like a tide that carried her to a better land, Jace helped her navigate away from that fate—until a staggering secret from his past collided with Leyton’s determination to reclaim and possess her in hopes of controlling her family’s wealth. The devastating outcome now finds Julianna forced to return to the world she had escaped, only now accompanied by grief as she accepts Leyton’s triumph.

But does she really accept it? She predicts he’ll one day fall and plans to patiently ride out the waves—until one she never anticipated crashes in, forcing her to reconsider how she charts her existence with a man whose name rhymes with Satan.

All she wants is a safe and solid shore on which to freely build a new and peaceful life, but two more unexpected waves are ahead, one with the power to destroy and one with the power to restore.

Uninterrupted, waves always head for the shore to which they’re destined. When these two waves meet and rise up, only one can overtake the other.

Release Date: October 1, 2017

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All books by BQB and WriteLife Publishing are available on Amazon, B&N, or can be ordered from your favorite local bookstore.