Developing Your Characters

When you start a story, a good thing to begin with is a list of character attributes. This list can help you develop other aspects of their personalities as you write your story. Also, it's a good list to keep handy as you read other novels so you can jot down other descriptions to further broaden your own talent.

Following is a list to begin with:

HEAD:  Shaped as a heart, square jaw, long, or round
HAIR:  Long, receding, brittle, wiry, silky, tight bun, military cut
EYES:  almond shaped, squinty, green, stormy
NOSE:  hooked, sloped, broad
LIPS:  wide, full, thin, crooked grin
NECK:  long, short
SHOULDERS: wide, narrow, stooped, broad
CHEST:  barreled, developed
WAIST:  taunt stomach, narrow, ample
HANDS:  slender, delicate, rough, manicured, white band in replace of a ring
HIPS:  ample, narrow
LEGS:  stocky, spindly
FEET:  dainty, pigeon-toed
JEWELRY: 
CLOTHING:
CHARACTERISTICS:  constant sniffing, twirl hair, limp

Name a personal feature that bothers them.
What feature are they the most proud of?
Do long sleeves cover someone's tattoos?
Why do they wear their hair a certain way?

Hope this helps! Your comments would help me. Let me know your thoughts!

What Inspires Me

As a writer, anything and everything can be inspiring. From lending an ear to a distressed friend, to hearing a heart-warming tale about a dog signally help for his master.  Though I don't copy word for word, or action for action from any of the things that inspire me, I do allow them to take form in my mind and turn into another scenario altogether.

For years I had a habit of lying awake at night redirecting the events of a movie I had just watched. I may have enjoyed it immensely, but I had this habit of 'redoing' it despite how well planned it had been. It's so great to now see how God is using my strange habits!

For a suspenseful element in the upcoming sequel, Coveted Bride, I walked past a window in our home and noticed the hammock at the edge of the yard bordering the forest. A thought passed my mind, what if someone had been in it? Oooh, that would've been scary. So that's what I had happen to Lindsey. Of course, when she steps back to double check, no one's there, just an empty hammock swinging in the still, summer heat.

Recently, I had an unsettling encounter with a milk snake . . . in my home! That episode is going in Cherished Stranger!

But what about other events -  when someone shares something with you and it inspires you, but you can't exactly write about it? I chew on it, so to speak. A death of a loved one, or the crumbling of a marriage, or even a sickness, can be blended to become its own story.

Allow yourself to be inspired. Take some neighborhood talk, sprinkle in a tale from your youth, and add a bit of news, that's what I did with Abandoned Hearts.

Shifting Chapter Headings

If you get the proof of your book back and notice the chapter headings start at different levels on your pages, then check the font of your peplum. Sound weird? It is.

Upon late night searching of my ms, I noticed the font of that backward 'p' changed from TIMES NEW ROMAN-22, to MYRIAD PRO-14.  Once I manually changed all of them to match, wa-lah!, everything worked like a charm.

This is what I did. I highlighted on the peplum at the beginning of the chapter and changed the font style and size. Then I deleted the extra peplum that wouldn't highlight. (The one right before the chapter heading.) Then I entered another peplum and my pages all matched.

Also, sometimes I had to click on a peplum and go to my toolbar to 'remove line after spacing.'

Thanks to My Followers

Thank you to those who have joined my blog. If you're a writer too, and you would like to share your journey with us in the form of an interview, please let me know. I love to help and promote others as we share this journey together.

Understanding How to Use an Interior Template for Your Book

I told you I'd tell more about how to prepare your book for print. Well, here it is. I'm going to take you through the steps I used for Create Space. I first entered the title and number of pages. Then, I selected a formatted interior template. Open it and you'll see the need for a few pages before the title page for your partial segment that you may want to add like in Love Inspired novels. (They show a page from the book that's like a hook.)
To get this, click on the page and in your tool bar find INSERT and insert a page break.

That's how you add more pages to an area. Now on chapter three, their template doesn't delete the header like it should. To amend this, at the end of your chapter two, go to your tool bar and and under 'page layout' you'll find 'Breaks,' choose 'section break.'

Now because I forget things quickly if I'm not writing them down as I'm doing them, you may have to play with section break and page break to figure out which one is really needed for your situation. But I do know they really helped me to control the headers and even page numbers. Because at the end of your chapters, you may need different pages like I did. One for an order form, another to advertise another author's books, etc. So again, I found I had to figure out how to remove the header. I think I settled for allowing the page numbers on some of these sheets, I couldn't work around it. But in looking at the book, Love Letters, I realized they had the same thing going on, so mine must've not been too wrong.

I'm sure there was more information to share with you, but at the moment, that 's all I can think of. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section.

How To Make a Book Cover Using Photoshop Adobe

To capture the effects on my cover, I opened the picture in Photoshop adobe. Under special effects in the panel on the right, I clicked on photo effects then text panel.  A filmy box appeared on my photo from which I resized to create the long, narrow borders above and below my title box. I also used the same method for the title box. But for the narrow bars, I picked up the color in the hero's work uniform and by selecting paint bucket, changed the color to what you see.

By clicking on text, I was able to select the font I wanted to use. For the title, I used Lucinda Calligraphy, and I believe I used Cambria for the series. My name is in Kunstler Script

On the back panel, the boxed information you see is made from one smaller text box overlapping the other. With something like this, you sometimes have to merge layers before your text will show up. I recommend saving each step in its own file. That way, if there's ever a problem and you have to go back in and make changes, you won't have to start from scratch. (By the way, 'merge layers' is at the top in your tool bar under, layers.)

If you're using Create Space, I recommend using their templates. You'll be directed how to do this as you add a new book. It's easy to use, once you fill in how many pages your book is and what size you want it to be, the program will select the proper size template you need. It will look like a white book cover with an inset of dotted lines. You don't want your text outside of these dotted lines as that's where they cut. Once you download it, open it in Photoshop and you're well on your way.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll try to answer them.

I'll be on the radio!

Nov. 11th,  friday at 7:20, I'll have 5 min to answer who, what, when, where, and why related to Unexpected Kiss with Fawn on Conservative News Talk.
The stations are as follows:

960am

1400am

This is a direct result from sending out my press releases. They're wonderful tools, hope they bring you success, too!

My Interview on BackPorch Blog

I almost forgot to mention, if you'll stop by www.jackiesbackporch.blogspot.com, you can read my latest interview. If you get the chance, hop on over and leave a comment. It's a beautiful blog, and you may decide to contribute with a back porch picture of your own!

Lifeway Christian Bookstore Requirements

If you're interested in submitting your book to be carried in Lifeway stores, first you need to send a request to them at

Thank you for the interest you have shown in having your product carried in LifeWay Christian Stores. We are eager to review your product information. Because we give careful time and attention to every product that is received, please allow 10-12 weeks for product review. If your product is approved and selected to be carried by our stores, you will be contacted directly by a buyer at LifeWay Christian Stores. If your product is declined, you will receive written notification. We apologize, but due to the volume of products that are received, our policy is that samples WILL NOT be returned. Please note that we must receive an actual sample of your product. Information submitted via email is unable to be reviewed.

To help expedite your product info, here are a few of the standards we will use when judging your product:

• Include complete contact information. Name, address, phone number, and email address.
• Flow of goods – Please clarify if your product is already being carried by a distributor. If so, name the distributor. It is strongly advisable to have this in place, PRIOR to presenting your product.
• Lead time – How much time is needed for you to fill a complete order for the chain of LifeWay Christian Stores? How many days after receiving a Purchase Order, can you produce the product?
• Are you a Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) vendor? (for more info, please visit http://www.cbaonline.org/nm/MarketProduct.htm )
• LifeWay requires all merchandise to have a bar code label with either a Universal Product Code (UPC) or an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). Please inform us as to which your product utilizes.
• All merchandise should comply with product coding standards. For subject classification codes for Books, Bibles, Music, Kids Christian Software, Church Supplies, Curriculum and Christian Giftware, please visit the following websites: http://www.cbaonline.org/csc_site/documents/ProdCodeBP.pdf or http://www.cbaonline.org/csc_site/product_coding.htm
• Provide pack quantity – The quantity in each carton or binder’s pack. Orders must be in multiples of this quantity.
• Current Suggested Retail List Price
• Current Net Unit Cost that you intend to sell to us at.
• Item pre-priced – An indication (Y/N) of whether the product will arrive at LifeWay with the Suggested Retail Price already showing.
• Please outline to what extent you are willing to promote and advertise your product.
• If your product is imported, please submit info on the factory conditions. We would like to know that they abide by the Fair Labor Standards Act and that the factory does not participate in child labor.
• If your product does not meet one or more of these qualifications, you are still free to submit it. However, it may decrease the chance that your product will be selected.

Please send samples and above information to:

LifeWay Christian Stores
One LifeWay Plaza
ATTN: New Products, MSN 137
Nashville TN 37234-0137

IMPORTANT NOTE!!: For your product to be reviewed, our Product Review Team MUST receive an actual product sample. We are unable to review and respond to product information that is submitted via email. If your product is being shipped from a distributor, please have them include the information above in the same shipment as your product.

Due to the large number of product submittals that we receive, we will be unable to correspond with you during the review process. If your product is approved and selected to be carried by our stores, you will be contacted directly by a buyer at LifeWay Christian Stores. If your product is declined, you will receive written notification.

We will give your product careful consideration and determine if this product is a good fit for our merchandising plan and if it can help us achieve our Vision Statement. “As God works through us…We will help people and churches know Jesus Christ and seek His Kingdom by providing biblical solutions that spiritually transform individuals and cultures.”

Thank you for choosing LifeWay Christian Stores.

Press Release of Unexpected Kiss and recent results

I sent this out last week and am already seeing fast results. Keep up your persistence and you will too.

Next Thursday, the 11th, I'll have five minutes of air-time on Conservative News Talk at stations 960 & 1400 am.  Also, I'm currently working with Lucas Presson at S.E. Missourian newspaper for an article that will go out on the 13th or the 20th.

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**                                                                  

Unexpected Kiss/Romantic Fiction with a Purpose

Patton, Missouri - October 28, 2011

Surveys show that girls who grow up without fathers experience much higher rates of sexual activity, adolescent pregnancies, become involved in drug and alcohol abuse, and suffer from health and emotional problems than those with active fathers in their lives.

Author of Abandoned Hearts, Regina Tittel has released her second volume of The Ozark Durham Series, Unexpected Kiss. In this novel, Carli is a young woman who fits into the above statistic. Through her growing relationship with the hero and her fatherly landlord, she finally accepts she is forgivable and begins to understand God's unconditional love.

Regina says, "I wanted to reach out to those who weren't blessed with a father in their lives and help them understand their heavenly one." 

Unexpected Kiss approaches this all-too-relatable topic with gentleness, yet honest realism. Readers will be able to relate with Carli's sinful past and weakened self-esteem whether through personal experience or through someone they know. Tittel's natural knack for creating a suspenseful story while weaving a self-improving message has won her an increasingly large following.  As one of her readers wrote, "It's so refreshing to find an author who stresses these principles without "preaching" but manages to intertwine God's plan into everyday situations."

Unexpected Kiss fits into the category of 'edgy inspirational,' a genre that is on the rise in popularity.  Following is an excerpt from the back cover:

Breaking her pattern of bad mistakes, Carli's fresh start begins with finding the father she's never met. But will the price of her decision weigh more than the risk?

Ethan Durham hadn't planned on losing his heart to the girl in the staged photo, but if he can't convince her of God's unconditional love, she may never accept his. And if he can't put an end to the attempts on her life, he may lose far more than his heart.

Regina grew up in Patton, Missouri under her maiden name, Francis, but moved to the state of Washington from 1993-1997. After her husband's tour of duty, the couple returned to Patton, where they now raise and home-school their two daughters.

Unexpected Kiss,  will be available in mid-November, and she is currently working on the third in the series, Coveted Bride. Her books are available through Gospeland in Cape, The Oasis Christian Bookstore in Farmington, Nevaeh Faith in Fredericktown, and most online stores.

(Contact Info would be included here.)

Scheduled Book Signings in MO:

Marble Hill Library-11/17/11 (9:30-11) please call to
reserve ahead as there will be food available.  

Cantwell Baptist Church, 1005 E. Chestnut, Desloge, MO.  11/17/11 (5.30-7or8) She'll be joining CaSondra Poulsen and speaking at the Mineral Area's Writer's Group.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Patton,                                                  Riverside Jackson Library-11/29-11 (12-2) At 1:30 she'll be sharing info on character development & marketing

                                                        (please mention as often as possible) 

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