My "Twins" Have Been Born!

Yep, I'm a "mama" again! The first two novels in my Extreme Devotion fiction series with New Hope Publishers have arrived on my doorstep. Though the official release date isn't until April 5, the books are available on Amazon now, and on CBD and Barnes and Noble for pre-order at reduced prices.

Today I'm going to introduce twin number-one, No Greater Love, set in South Africa. (I'll introduce book two of my twins tomorrow.) Here is what Jerry Jenkins and Kay Marshall Strom have to say about No Greater Love:

"…Kathi Macias has created a sweeping epic about a land alien to too many, but more important is the crucial nature of the story and its monumental implications. You’ll feel as if you were there."--Jerry B. Jenkins, bestselling author of the Left Behind series

"It has been refreshing and encouraging to see Christian fiction mature beyond the easy and grasp hold of life’s tough issues. Now our parameters are being pushed wider still by writers such as Kathi Macias who takes us outside the comfort of our own national borders to the harsh injustices of the world. No Greater Love pulls no punches, as it must not with so terrifying a subject as apartheid and the subsequent racial horrors it breeds. Yet, with a masterful touch, Kathi makes a most difficult subject manageable and helps us to see the story from various conflicting viewpoints. And in the end, No Greater Love leads us to the One who perfectly modeled love."--Kay Marshall Strom
Author/Speaker, 36 books including The Call of Zulina, book 1 of The Grace in Africa trilogy

A guest blogger from Pakistan

With my first international fiction series releasing in a couple of weeks, I thought it would be appropriate to feature a guest blogger from another country. Naeem Gill is the director of the True Act Christian Ministry, founded in 2008 to bring God's love to those who might not otherwise have an opportunity to receive the message. I encourage you to pray for, contact, and otherwise consider supporting this ministry. Here is Naeem's letter:

Dear Friends,

True Act Christian Theatre is committed to bring a positive change in the society through theatre, which is a most effective tool of giving awareness. It was established in 2008 with the purpose of introducing and exploring alternative development approaches for the marginalized and oppressed communities of the society, within the current resources of the communities.
True Act Christian Theatre is sponsoring formal and information education for the rejected and the destitute children, and is actively helping them through child friendly schools in remote and rural areas. At present we have eleven child-friendly schools in the cities of Toba Tek Singh, Rajana, Kamalia, Pir Mahal, Chichawatni, Vehari, Arifwala and Faisalabad, assisting 227 students in all of these cities with the help of 22 teachers: two in each of the schools, and 3 administrators helping to co-ordinate between the schools and help them with training and logistic support.
You are requested to offer your prayer support and offer any of logistic and monetary support that you may offer to True Act Christian Ministry for children.
I assure you that it would be a great help, is extremely needed and highly appreciated.
May God bless you and all of yours abundantly!

Yours in Christ’s Merits,
Naeem Gill
Director
True Act Christian Ministry
Toba Tek Singh
www.tatpak.org

To Outline...Or Not???

Ronel Sidney asked if I ever started a writing project with an outline and then ended up not following it and going in a different direction. Yes...though not often. The reason is twofold.

First, I seldom use outlines. (I know, I know! We're supposed to, and with nonfiction I create a very basic, barebones outline if I feel I REALLY need to. Otherwise...nah.) I guess I'm more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer, particularly with fiction (which seems to be 90 percent of what I'm doing these days). How in the world can I come up with a fiction outline that summarizes chapter 14 when I haven't even written chapter 5 yet??? Some authors are wired that way and can do it; I'm not one of them. For the most part (and again, especially with fiction), I know where I'm starting and where I'll end up, but everything in between is as much a surprise for me as it is for the reader.

Second, on the rare occasions when I have come up with an outline (often because I was co-authoring and the other writer was much more organized than yours truly), I still found myself veering off the path as the book took on a life of its own, though I tried to stay as close to the outline as possible

Having said all that, let me also say that I remain true to my journalism training, which taught me so much about disciplined writing. It also helped me develop my version of what I refer to as the train-of-thought writing method (there are other names for this age-old, tried-and-true format). I so believe in this writing method that I have taught it at writers' conferences for years and have even put together a workbook on it. The title is The Train-of-Thought Writing Method: Practical, User-Friendly Help for Beginning Writers. It is available in hard copy and Kindle on Amazon.

Hope that answers your question, Ronel, and that it helps other beginning writers as well. This is a tough business, but we love it or we wouldn't be in it, am I right? Blessings, dear readers!

Questions about Writing/Publishing?

Someone once said, "Writing is an art; publishing is a business." How true! I love the art description but tend to resist the business part of the equation.

How about you? Do you have questions on either the art factor of writing or the business end of publishing? I've been at this for a lot of years, folks, and if I can draw from my decades of experience to help you out, I'm happy to do so. Just email me at ezyrtr@ca.rr.com with your questions, and then watch this blog for the answers. (If I don't have them, I'll track down someone who does!) And please pass this along to your writer friends, will you?

Blessings!!!

Why Girls of All Ages Need Girlfriend Time!

Have you ever noticed that guys can spend six months together on the golf course and not even know each other's marital status? Give us "girls" five minutes and we know spouse's name, rank, and serial number, as well children's birthdays and food allergies, plus several favorite recipes. It's just the way we're wired, ladies! And age is irrelevant. I have friends twenty years older than me (though that number is dwindling as I work my way toward the golden years) and several young enough to be my daughters and even granddaughters.

Author Brenda Poinsett has captured this great truth and arranged it so we can understand/apply it to our every day lives. In The Friendship Factor, you will learn how to cultivate and sustain positive, lasting female friendships, how to become a better friend, and how to deal with change, stress, and the stages of a woman's life. Find out more about Brenda and her books/speaking at http://www.brendapoinsett.com/.

Win a Kindle!

Take a few minutes and check out this video trailer contest:

http://app.e2ma.net/campaign/14449.202bdfc9de078e1bf50c72a38b2e20ab

Yes, my book trailers are included, but watch them all and make a choice for your favorite. You just might win a Kindle from Misty Taggart at Trailer to the Stars!

Awaken the Leader in You!

Balance. Anyone else have trouble maintaining it? I sure do! Between home and family responsibilities, church involvement and ministry demands, this being a leader stuff can get a bit exhausting!

I know. Many women would argue that they're not even leaders. Really? Do you have kids? Do you work? Do you spend time in ministry at church? To one degree or another, most of us are leaders, though we often feel frustrated and ineffective in such a role.

Dr. Linda M. Clark, in her new book, Awaken the Leader in You, addresses these common frustrations by providing ten essentials for bringing life into balance, which is the foundation of effective leadership. Grounded in Scripture and with a host of practical ideas for leadership enhancement, the author coaches readers to awaken to their leadership balance in order to achieve expectations, complete projects with excellence, reach objectives, equip others, and establish a legacy that will empower generations of future leaders. You can find this excellent resource online at Amazon, CBD, Barnes and Noble, or www.NewHopePublishers.com.