Congratulations to Sally Shupe! Her box of Love Inspired Suspense books will be going out to her this week.



There were over 160 entries in this contest and I wish I could have sent a box to everyone! Thanks to everyone who participated and hope you will stay connected for the next giveaway. A little bird told me we would be having another one soon! ;)



May God bless and keep you until we meet again, friends.

Hello everyone! Well, I've been out of the blogging game for a few weeks, but I'm back with a bang! 

First, the sob story:
I've languished in sorrow for a week now, but I'm finally ready to tell the world. I received my first rejection last week. (Cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth.) I sent my latest story "Shadows of the Past" to the editor who had requested it at the Happily Editor After pitch... and it was turned down. She said she found a lot to like about it, but the tone was too light for the line. And now that I've had time to think about the points she made, I have to admit that she was right. As painful as it was at the time, I've learned several things through this process.

1. Rejections aren't personal. Writing is a subjective craft. No matter how good (or bad LOL) you are, some people aren't going to like your style of writing, whether they're editors, agents, or good ol' readers. But, some people are going to love it. It all depends on their preferences, so try not to take rejection personally.  Learn from it if you can and keep on writing. Make the next one better. That'll show 'em. ;)

2. You can't always measure success by a sale. Sure, I could have skipped the sting of rejection by not trying in the first place, but I would have missed the friendships I made in the pitching process, the connections I made with industry professionals, and the new story that blossomed to life because I decided to give it a shot. 

3. Rejection is not the end of the world. It isn't fun, but it won't kill you. Sometimes it can even make you stronger. As for me, it's made me more determined. I'm going to finish the story (I wrote the first half and story-boarded the rest) and try again with another agent or publisher. You never know, the next one may be a fan of light-hearted inspirational romantic suspense. (Is that a mouthful or what?!)

4. God is still in control. Even when disappointments hit, God is with us. He empathizes with our losses and gently reminds us that He has a plan that is bigger and better than we could ever imagine. 

And to celebrate my loss (I know, I'm weird like that), I'm hosting a giveaway! To research the line I was aiming for, I went through a dozen Love Inspired Suspense books, all great stories written by some super-talented ladies. Because I live on a bus and there's always limited space, these beauties need to find a new home. Seriously, they're already packed in a box...

So, here are the titles:

MIA: Missing in Atlanta by Debby Giusti
The Protector's Promise by Shirlee McCoy
Don't Look Back by Margaret Daley
Cradle of Secrets by Lisa Mondello
Deadly Homecoming by Barbara Phinney
A Face in the Shadows by Lenora Worth
On Wings of Deliverance by Elizabeth White
Desperate Rescue by Barbara Phinney
Identity Undercover by Lois Richer
Dead Air by Robin Carroll
To Trust a Stranger by Lynn Bulock
Lethal Deception by Lynette Eason

All you have to do is follow the link to the Rafflecopter giveaway form below. Happy reading and have a great week, friends!

And no, there's not a kitty in my giveaway box, but the picture was too cute to resist! :D