Three workshops to get you moving in the right direction

I will be facilitating three workshops this spring/summer on writing.

Write to Create will be held in Raleigh, NC at the Comfort Inn near Crabtree Mall on June 15 and is for all writers who want to learn the nuts and bolts of not just the craft, but of the industry. We will be spending time talking about writing query letters that sell and proposals for non-fiction books as well as how to obtain an agent. If you are interested in self-publishing a book, we will learn the steps needed to take to do that. Read more here.


Writing to a Healthier You! will be held at the Hampton Inn in Norcross, GA on June 22. Fellow bereaved mom, author and counselor, Mary Jane Cronin, will be teaching this workshop on grief-writing with me. We'll share how effective writing can be and exercises to make your writing time beneficial. Register here.


Journey through Life's Losses will be on July 27 at the Hampton Inn in Raleigh, NC and will focus on writing through many of life's losses. We'll dive into the emotions that expand from grief and talk about how instrumental writing is for health, hope and healing as we create many works of prose and poetry.
Sign up today.

Join us!

When Is the Right Time to Send a Book to a Grieving Friend?

Shortly after Daniel died, a co-worker of my husband's gave us a book. The book was accounts of local parents who had lost children in various ways. One of the women shared how she lost a son 40 years ago to neuroblastoma, the same cancer Daniel had. According to her bio, she lived in nearby Raleigh. I looked her up in the phone book and called her. I'll never forget the feeling of calling a stranger to tell her about the death of my son. Would she think I was crazy? Too forward? I didn't care; I needed to connect with someone who had had a child die. Plus, her story was touching and from her written words, she seemed kind.

When she answered the phone, I told her what had happened to me. We were both excited that we'd found each other through a book. "Thank you for calling me," she said at the end of our conversation. She invited me to her house for lunch. We got together many times after that and became friends. She listened to my questions. Not only was she kind, she was living proof that life could go on for me.

I share this to say that I feel any time after the death of a child is an okay time to send a book or a gift. When the idea was birthed to send donated copies of my new devotional, Getting Out of Bed in the Morning , to the families affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, people asked, "When is the best time to send your books? Should we wait a few weeks? Months?"

I say, go for it now. The bereaved parent may be like I was and delve right into the book (I tended to gravitate toward books written by other bereaved parents as opposed to those written by the theologians, although I was gifted with both). Or the particular parent may not be able to read or want to read anything for a while. Every parent is different. But there is no harm in sending a book right away.

Perhaps it would help if we recognized a couple of things about grief. When a child first dies, it is devastating beyond words. Months later, it is still devastating. Sometimes the later months are even worse than the onset of the moment when the news is delivered that he has died. Reality kicks in---he is not coming back. He is not backpacking in the Appalachian mountains, he is not away at camp. He is not at college. He is not napping in his crib. He is not, he is not, he is not, is not, is not . . .

He is dead.

The truth is, friends, this parental bereavement journey continues for the rest of the parent's life. Yes, that's thirty, forty or even seventy years. It is not going away.

So when to send a book? Any time. Let your message be: "I care for you. I want to do something." If you send my book, send it with a note sort of like this: "Here is a book my friend wrote after the death of her four-year-old son. I wanted you to have it."

Unfortunately no book will "fix" a bereaved parent. But books can help. Books can become comforting companions. "We read to know that we are not alone," wrote C.S. Lewis.

The hosts of the recent radio show I was on (one a bereaved mother and one a bereaved sibling) said many books written about the death of a child are either all about the situation (acknowledging emotions, etc.) and nothing about God or all about God and little about the situation. The hosts commented that Getting Out of Bed in the Morning is a mixture of both emotions faced when a child dies and God. I feel that books that gloss over the overwhelming emotions and get right to "how God has a better plan" provide a disservice to grief and loss. Grief needs to be brought to the surface, as ugly and uncomfortable as it might make us feel.

No one knows why children die. No one should pretend to have the answers. God of Mystery is a chapter in my book that deals with the not knowing why. In spite of not knowing, I do know faith is trusting even when the path is bleak and the winds knock you down. Faith is not easy. Trite responses and Band-aids do not give me comfort. But I do know that I need God on this journey and I need to trust that Daniel resides in Heaven with Him.



If you'd like to order a copy of Getting Out of Bed in the Morning, please head over to Amazon.

Autographed copies can be ordered from my Rivers of Life Gift Shop.

Sandy Hook Comfort Project April Update

As most of you know, back in December, the idea came about to send copies of my book on loss and grief, Getting Out of Bed in the Morning , to those who had lost loved ones from the horrendous Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, CT. Books were donated at a very generous level (even my publisher donated a large amount) and I was able to send 106 autographed copies to a church in Sandy Hook. Personalized notes for the families of the victims were also included with 26 of the books.




A few weeks after sending the two heavy boxes, I called the church to make sure that the books arrived; they had.

Last week I received a hand-written thank-you note which reads:

In the midst of our tragedy in Sandy Hook, your thoughtfulness was truly appreciated. Your gift was a symbol of comfort to our community in the face of great loss. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers; you have already touched us profoundly.

With deep thanks in Christ,
The People and Staff of Newtown United Methodist Church

I want to thank each of you who were involved in making this comfort project a success. I hope the books are meaningful and helpful to many.

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." Psalm 3:5

If you'd like to order a copy of Getting Out of Bed in the Morning in either Kindle or print, click here.

What Makes a Good Writing Workshop?

What makes a good writing workshop? (A guest blog at Chip MacGregor's blog posted on 3/27/13)


Thinking about that first all-day writing workshop I was paid to speak at still makes me cringe. I don’t know how the organizer found out about me, but she invited me to speak, and made me sound really good in the glossy colored brochures she printed. This workshop was going to draw a crowd. We might have to add more chairs to the hotel’s conference room.

What a disappointment when the day before the event, she was begging people to come, even letting them in for free. These people had no idea who I was and the big bucks the organizer was charging was too much for those she had targeted. I know that in the end, the only big thing about the workshop was that she lost big money.

But that experience taught me. Ten years later as I set out to conduct my own all-day writing workshops, I had that first workshop experience in mind. I focused on what the organizer had done right and especially on what she had done wrong. They say bad experience is a good teacher—or something like that. Some thoughts on creating a good workshop…

Plan in advance – Don’t think of an idea and then have a workshop the next Saturday. Plan at least three to four months ahead. A Saturday far from any holiday is good. Avoid the Christmas or New Year season. Ask potential attendees to choose between two or three dates that suit them best. Spend hours working on all aspects of the workshop. Will you serve lunch? Snacks? Coffee?


Book a choice location – This should be easily accessible. Where I live, I like the Hampton Inn and Suites in Raleigh, North Carolina, for a variety of reasons from the inviting lounge to the cushioned chairs in the conference room to the mints they place in bowls at each table to the outdoor garden where attendees can write during one of the silent sessions. Don’t select a location without first checking it out and asking yourself if the participants will appreciate it.

Advertise – This doesn’t have to cost a lot. Craigslist, Facebook, your own website, and blogs are obvious places to promote your upcoming event. You can guest post on other’s sites by providing an informative article on whatever your workshop is about. Target groups that can benefit most from your workshop. My workshops are for those experiencing heartache in their lives, so I post at parental bereavement groups and within my own circle of friends who have lost a child as I have.

The right price – You need to make some money. Even if you love facilitating writing workshops, there is nothing wrong with earning money. In fact, if you are going to look at facilitating workshops on a regular basis, you need to take something home and not just break even. Look around to see what others are charging for what you are offering and price accordingly.

Agenda – The titles of your sessions need to speak to the needs of the people attending. Often the thing that convinces someone to attend is the specific titles you’ll be offering in your workshop. As well as making the day full of value for each attendee, be sure to allow time for potty breaks and snacks. (I like to have plenty of dishes of chocolate because I feel chocolate always bring out creativity.)

Be open – Flexibility, I tell myself. Which is more important: To get through every detail of my outline or to allow for conversation during my presentation? I often tailor the last segment of my workshop to make sure I meet the needs of the attendees. Some are interested in getting their work published, while others only want to write for healing and hope for themselves. My last Journey through Life’s Losses workshop went overtime due to the many questions the attendees had for me about how to get published. That’s when I went home and created another all-day workshop, solely for writers desiring to sell.

Prayer – You may not agree with this, but in my area of expertise I’ve found that spending time praying over those registered for a workshop is vital. Each day before the event, I pray that their goals for attending the workshop will be met. Of course, if you are going to serve a catered lunch, you might want to pray that the food arrives on time!

I love the gift of writing and how it can be used to unleash the gravity of anguish and sorrow. I would be thrilled to hold a writing workshop at least once a month. Every day I remind myself that I think I’ve got a great idea, and I want to share it with others. I feel I was born to conduct workshops, and perhaps one day those doors will open. Right now, I am grateful for the four or five events I conduct a year.



~Alice J. Wisler is the award-winning author of five inspirational novels, two cookbooks and one devotional. She’s represented by the MacGregor Literary Agency. Read more about her Journey through Life’s Losses and Write to Create (brand new for aspiring writers) workshops at her website. http://www.alicewisler.com

How Sweet a Spring Deal Can Be!

It’s spring and that’s a great time to read a book. This week I am offering my second novel, How Sweet It Is (Christy Finalist 2009), about a young woman who winds up at her grandfather’s cabin in the mountains of North Carolina and has to teach cooking to disadvantaged kids. To get an autographed copy of How Sweet It Is for only $11.00 (retail value is $13.99), follow the instructions below. You can’t beat this deal, but hurry, it only lasts till Saturday, 4/6.

"A delightful story set in the Smoky Mountains with well-developed characters that must learn to deal with their scars, the power of forgiveness, and be vulnerable to each other. Highly recommended!"

To get this deal:
Send a check to Alice Wisler for $11.00:
201 Monticello Avenue
Durham, NC 27707

OR

Pay with Paypal

A challenge for Easter

In my new devotional, Getting Out of Bed in the Morning, I offer a challenge. I ask my readers to get to know God better than they know their own troubles.

The tendency might at first be to think, Oh, yeah, I already know God well.

But how well do you know about the following:
* Your bills
* Your finances
* Your coworkers who drive you crazy
* Your neighbor who runs over your lawn with her car
* Your spouse's irritating habits
* The new house your friend just had built
* The sound of your children complaining
* The sound of your own voice complaining

Do these things---some of which might lead you to worry or become depressed----consume your thoughts? Do you get wrapped up in them?

Do you know how God loves you? Do you understand how much you mean and matter to him? Can His love and attributes come to mind and renew your mind over all your despair and confusion? Can you let that happen?

In Getting Out of Bed in the Morning, I also ask readers to "Push aside all the jargon you might have grown up with—“christianese”—certain phrases you’ve repeated that you aren’t even sure how to explain to a nonbeliever. Read the Bible, perhaps pondering on one passage over and over so that you can fully grasp its meaning for you. Discover ways to express both God and faith in your own words."

For example, can you tell the Resurrection Story in your own words? Can you explain the meaning of Jesus' death on a cross and coming out from the tomb in a fresh way?

Start with one word. Crucified. What are others words you can use in its place? Think: What does it mean to be crucified?

Continue on with other words and phrases we use excessively at Easter-----salvation, died on a cross, rose again, died for my sins, was buried in a tomb.

This Easter spend some time finding new and fresh ways to express how excited you are to know this Jesus Christ who loves you. Read your favorite Easter passage from a new translation like The Message.

Consider how you might tell the story of Jesus' death to someone who has never heard it, or to someone who is not a native speaker of your language, or to a child.

"Discover both God and faith in your own words!"

I challenge you!

To order a copy of Getting Out of Bed in the Morning, click here.

Create characters---a new writing workshop you can do in your pajamas!

Daniel's House Publications announces a new online writing workshop! Developing Memorable and Fun Characters is a three-week course for anyone who wants to make his/her story or novel characters come more alive! The course starts April 8th and is taught my novelist Alice J. Wisler. You work from the comfort of your own home, receiving lessons, and sending in completed assignments to Alice. Come and have fun putting your characters into various scenes, learning dialog tips and more!



Join us by signing up today!

Pay via PayPal or send a check to:
Alice Wisler
201 Monticello Avenue
Durham, NC 27707

PAYPAL

Dianna Benson's The Hidden Son

Don't you love a good suspense story? Here's a brand new one from Dianna Benson of Raleigh, North Carolina! Recently I was at her launch party and what fun it was! Some of the photos on this post are ones I took at that event.



Check out the awesome cake her husband made of the book cover!







About The Hidden Son

When U.S. DEA Special Agent Lelisa Desmond refuses to follow an order to bury evidence in a high profile case, her superior hires a hit man to kill her deep in the ocean off Grand Cayman Island. Lelisa survives the first attempt on her life, but someone close to her is mistakenly murdered in her place.

With no one to trust, Lelisa enlists Inspector Alec Dyer for help but learns she's his number one suspect in the scuba diving homicide. She sets off on a daring mission to bring down the man who ordered her execution. A man in a high position, with power friends. A man who will stop at nothing to silence her forever in order to hide his son’s crimes.





Meet Author Dianna Benson . . .

Dianna Torscher Benson is a 2011 Genesis Winner, a 2011 Genesis double Semi-Finalist, a 2010 Daphne Finalist, and a 2007 Golden Palm Finalist. In 2012, she signed a nine-book contract with Ellechor Publishing House. The Hidden Son is her debut novel.

After majoring in communications and enjoying a successful career as a travel agent, Dianna left the travel industry and moved on to writing novels while earning her EMS degree. An EMT since 2005, she loves the adrenaline rush of responding to medical emergencies and helping people in need. Her suspense novels about adventurous characters thrown into tremendous circumstances provide readers with a similar kind of rush.

Married to her best friend, Dianna met her husband as they walked down the aisle in a wedding as a bridesmaid and a groomsman when she was eleven and he was thirteen. Dianna lives in North Carolina with her husband and their three children.

Visit Dianna's website.

Order The Hidden Son from:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Books A Million

My mind is no longer a jumble!

"I used to not like to write, but after engaging in the writing exercise you provided during your presentaion, I think I'm going to make writing part of my every day life!"

"Thanks to your course, I have found a friend in writing."

"Writing makes it all clear. My mind is no longer a jumble."

"Wow! I didn't realize how free I'd feel after writing my problems out."

These are some of the many testimonies I have received from those who have listened and written. Whatever your sorrow, whatever you are going through on your journey, whatever crisis or deep pain, writing has a way of bringing hope, healing and health.

Give it a try today! Discover how to make writing work for you through this guided workshop.

To sign up for the next online Writing the Heartache workshop that starts April 15th, register here.

Want an all-day workshop? There is one scheduled for July 27. Read all about it here.

Guest Blogger: Lorilyn Roberts

Am I Okay, God?


I stole eye mascara from CVS one time.

I lied to my mother and didn’t go to the Bible study—I went to a bar instead.

I cheated on my math test—I didn’t mean to. I wanted to check the formula for quadratics on my iPhone.

I gossiped about my best friend because I wanted her boyfriend to notice me.

I lost my temper at JC Penneys because the sale was supposed to run through today and it ended yesterday.

I was speeding on I-75 and almost caused an accident.

I checked out that website on my computer—now I feel guilty for enjoying it.

I don’t want to go to church—I want to sleep in.

If I had more time, I would read my Bible.

You don’t want to talk to me, do you, God?

Am I okay, God?

I fail you every day. I know you died for me, but I will never be good enough. If you ONLY knew me. You don’t know how bad I am. You don’t know the real me. If you did, you wouldn’t like me. I want to change, God. I really do. But I feel like I have already blown it.




“Was the man possessed by demons? Were there underlings roaming the earth looking for an unfortunate victim? The anguished soul stood still for the first time in front of the fisherman, captivated by the king’s eyes.

From off the lake, a breeze stirred, slowly at first and then gaining momentum. Like onion skin, vaporous creatures peeled from the madman, coming out of his brain. The swirling wind tore at the naked and exposed shape shifters. The black, formless creatures were like bats without bodies.

The dark beings smelled rancid and the awful odor settled over everything. The demons cowered submissively before the king. The creatures hissed and screeched and made fools of themselves. The fearful pig herders withdrew a safe distance.

The king asked, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” one of the demons replied, “for we are many.”

The king’s power and authority over the spirits was omnipotent. The underlings knew him. They knew the king. The muscles in my shoulders tensed and my legs twitched. Much-Afraid hid her face under my arm.

The demons begged, “Please, do not send us out of the area.” They pointed to the pigs. “Send us among the pigs. Allow us to go into them.”

At the king’s command, they fled from the man and entered the herd. Their formless bodies slid inside the pigs. I shuddered. The pigs shook violently. The herd, numbering in the thousands, stampeded down the steep bank and headed straight into the lake.

The herdsmen watched their valuable livestock disappear and shouted accusations at the king. “By whose authority did you drown our herd?” They flailed their arms at the fishermen and the shepherds traipsed back up the field resolute for answers. “Who is this man that sends pigs into the lake? By what authority does he do such things?” They continued to argue among themselves.

At first, Cherios, Lowly, Much-Afraid and I were too stunned to speak. Cherios spoke first. “Lowly, that is the king, the king of the garden. He’s here. The king is here among us.’”


But Am I Okay, God?

The only beings God hates are demons—He cast them into pigs (as told in the Bible) and drowned them in the sea—the sea of unbelief. Don’t listen to the lies of Satan and his minions. You are loved more than you will ever know. God loves you more than your parents do, or your boyfriend, brother, sister, or anyone you “meet” on the internet.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

There is nothing you can do or say that will ever make God not love you. He wants you to be set free—free to become the person He created you to be.

The worst thing you can do is think you are not okay. Proverbs 23:7 says: As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” You are more than okay. You were bought with a price—Jesus Christ died for YOU.

Take a moment and say to yourself, I am a child of God. Allow Jesus Christ, the King, into your heart—and He will do a miracle, a healing, even an exorcism. Start living like you belong to the King and let this day be the first day of the rest of your life.

From March 1 through March 16, the John 3:16 Marketing Network is sponsoring Lorilyn Roberts’ book launch of Seventh Dimension – The Door, a finalist in the 2012 Grace Awards. You can purchase a Kindle version of her book for only 99 cents. By entering your Amazon purchase order number into the Rafflecopter on the John 3:16 landing page, you will have ten chances to win a Kindle, a $50 Amazon gift card, or a $10 Starbucks card. You can also purchase a print copy for $11.88 or an audio book for $14.95. Here is the link to the landing page. Help Lorilyn to reach number one in Christian fantasy on Amazon so more young readers will be exposed to her redemptive Christian writing.

~*~*~*~*



Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author who writes children's picture books, adult nonfiction, memoirs, and a young adult Christian fantasy series, Seventh Dimension. The first in the series, The Door, was just published (October 2012).
Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama, which included international study in Israel and England. She received her Masters in Creative Writing from Perelandra College and is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature.

Developing Memorable and Fun Characters

Developing Memorable and Fun Characters


I am happy to offer (by popular demand) a brand new workshop on creating characters for your stories and novels!

Each student will develop two specific unique characters for his/her work of fiction.

By using tips from each assignment, students will add more to their two characters---descriptions, dialogue, etc. Place these characters into a scene and watch them come to life!

I will send assignments to your email box each Monday. Students complete the lessons and send them back via a MS Word file by Friday. I'll critique your work on grammar, punctuation, style and believability.


This online workshop starts April 8, 2013 and runs for three weeks---until April 26.


To pay for the workshop, either send a check of $41.00 to Alice at the address below or pay via PayPal by clicking on the Buy Now button.

1) Check
Daniel's House Publications

201 Monticello Avenue

Durham, NC 27707 USA

OR

2) PayPal

Join this blog and enter to win a copy of Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

Mornings. Darkness. Bleakness. Life can be daunting.

So it was for me when my four-year-old son Daniel died in February 1997. I wanted to die, too. And if my broken heart wasn't going to kill me, then at least, I wanted to stay in bed. But I was six months pregnant and had a six-year-old daughter and a 15-month-old son to care for. Mornings started early. When Elizabeth was born three months later, they seemed like the extension of countless sleep-deprived nights.

Perhaps you know what it's like to struggle. Maybe you have experienced a loss that keeps you from wanting to participate in life.

Getting Out of Bed in the Morning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache addresses the toil of life, the heartache, the grief and loss. Known as a companion through grief, this little devotional was created to bring comfort to those in pain.

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again; because the Lord sustains me." ~ Psalm 3:5 (NIV)

I'm offering a free copy of Getting Out of Bed in the Morning.

To be eligible to win, follow these rules:
1) Join this blog by following it (add yourself to the link on the right)
2) Post a comment in reply to the question: What helps you get out of bed in the morning?
3) Include your email
4) Offer good in the USA only

Giveaway contest ends April 1 and that's no joke!


Thanks for joining me here!