READING OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE—The Irish Healer

Plenty interesting topics to read today: A-Z Blogfest. Today's letter is P. You can find a list of participants Here.

Occasionally, when I can persuade her, author Kat Sheridan—lover of lush historicals—will contribute something for my readers. I love reading her reviews, articles, short stories, and I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

           In the interest of my almost pathological honesty, I should say I’m not the target audience for this book. Well, it IS romance (which I love), and every page is rich with historical detail and lush writing (which I also love), and it’s a tale of loss and redemption and yearning and passion and all those other sorts of things I ALSO adore in a book.

So why is The Irish Healer, the stunningly beautiful debut novel from NancyHerriman, not a novel I’d ordinarily read? Because it’s billed as “inspirational/Christian romance”. To the uneducated (like I was), that meant this book would be filled with the Bible, and Christian values, and I would be preached at on every page. Although I’m a spiritual person, I’m not a Christian. I’m also a published author of erotic romance. How much more “NOTD” (Not Our Type, Darling) could this book be? Therefore, this book was not for me.

            And I couldn't have been more wrong. 

Rachel Dunne—the Irish healer of the title—is running away. Although acquitted of murdering a child under her care, she’s come to London to escape the scandal of her past, vowing to give up her gift of healing, believing it’s really a curse. She finds work with Dr. James Edmunds, a man with tragedies of his own in his past, a physician who is also in the process of giving up his medical practice. Rachel vows only to work as a sort of secretary for him. She will not help him in medical matters, will not sit at the bedside of patients, will not trust or use her own special gifts.

James and Rachel have each in their own way given up on God, as they believe God has abandoned them. Here is one of my favorite scenes:

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“I understand loss and trials and difficulties, Dr. Edmunds. I understand struggling to hold onto hope that tomorrow will be better than today. I understand how hard it is to watch a child suffer and feel powerless to help her. I understand wanting to believe that God will perform a miracle and feeling lost and disillusioned when He does not.” Old, sad bitterness tainted her words. “That is what I understand, Dr. Edmunds.”

His gaze searched her face, looked directly into her eyes, straight into her soul. “So what do we do now?”

Confused by his question, Rachel answered the only way she could. “We go forward.”

“But what if you don’t have the strength to go forward? What if you don’t have the courage?”

“Somehow, you have to find it.” (you can read an excerpt of Chapter one.)

Note the subtle way inspirational reference is woven in, without browbeating the reader with it (which was what I had feared from an inspirational romance. Again, I could not have been more wrong.) This is a book about the universal themes of loss and forgiveness, about finding redemption, and most powerfully, about finding love. It transcends a specific, single belief system. It’s about learning to forgive yourself, and love yourself; about accepting love and forgiveness from others. It is also about understanding—accepting—the always-present love and forgiveness of something—someone—greater than you.

The thing is, you don’t have to subscribe to certain beliefs in order to become immersed in a beautiful story. I can read about dragons and genies and mermaids, witches and voodoo priestesses and shamans, and if the story is well done, the characters believable and right for the tale, that writing a feast for the senses, that’s all that really matters. The Irish Healer is that kind of book.

And make no mistake, this is first and foremost, a romance, as sweet and delicious and sexy and yummy as you could ever want. There is no overt sex in this book; there’s barely a single kiss. But oh, the yearning! The longing! Ms. Herriman beautifully, powerfully builds the tension, page by page, a glance, a touch, a sigh at a time, until the reader is as wound up as Rachel and James, an ember about to burst into a conflagration. This is a truly romantic romance.

The power of faith is the backbone of this feast of a novel, but love—God’s and man’s—is the heart and soul of it. I’ve never been happier to have been wrong about something. Missing out on this wonderful book would have been a tragedy indeed.

Question: 

• Inspirational romance is way outside my usual comfort zone of reading. Have you ever read outside your comfort zone? 

• Did you find something new and wonderful?

Kat Sheridan is a recovering project manager and business analyst whose hard-bitten persona has always hidden a secret romantic. She likes her stories with a dark and dangerous flavor, so long as the villains are vanquished and true love triumphs in the end. She is inordinately fond of glitter nail polish, shiny things, bourbon, and any comestibles on which frosting can be placed. Kat splits her time between the Midwest in the summer and the South in the winter. Her peripatetic life is shared with her own real-life hero who shows her every day what happily ever after means. Connect to her on Facebook at or visit her website: Kat Sheridan 

Never Give Up On Your Goals

My guest is motivational author, Dr. Tiffany Brown. She believes life is about taking risks to pursue your dreams. You cannot fulfill your dreams without risking failure. Tiffany also thinks the purpose in life is not about pointing out the problems but providing solutions. To do that she feels each of us must look in ourselves, with the help of God, to find those solutions.

Tiffany is a busy and ambitious lady who has worked in government, ran for mayor, runs an Internet talk radio station, is a successful entrepreneur and now author. Tiffany says she originally started writing as a means “ to encourage myself and now decided to share it with others.”

Tiffany made time to chat with me a bit and answer some questions.

 

Tiffany, thank you for visiting with us. You’re quite the businesswoman. You’ve built up four businesses. You’re involved with a radio talk show and a non-profit organization. What made you decide to give writing a try?

I have always liked to write. But I really begin to write more through my Twitter page from my mayoral campaign. I started with leaving famous quotes and begin to gradually share my thoughts about life for the ambitious.

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

No. It definitely a lot more business than I thought. You have to be really hands on and have a strategy to encourage book sales.

What’s something about writing you wish non-writers would understand?

That it’s not as easy as it looks and it is an emotional experience. You are really putting yourself out there, good and bad. You allow yourself to be completely transparent and it can be scary experience.
 
What are three things you wish you’d known before you reached where you are now?

Business strategy, marketing and publicity. Each are incredibly important when you building yourself as a brand.

Some Dos and Don’ts. Based on things you’ve learned, what advice would you give an aspiring author? How about one Do and one Don’t?

One do is to be to be strategic about selling your books. Hiring your own publicist may be a good idea to ensure you get your desired response. Don’t assume you’re a major priority just because you have book deal.

One don’t is similar to the do. Don’t wait on the publicity department for your publisher. Don't rely on your publisher for everything. You can miss out many additional revenue streams by waiting on your publisher to act.

What’s the best advice you’ve gotten about the publishing industry? The worst?


The best advice was to hire my own publicist and the worst advice was not worry about digital rights. The digital rights are extremely important and you should try to retain them if you can.


Any thoughts you'd like to share about the business side of writing?

Make sure to set goals for yourself and do your homework to achieve them. If you want to be a on the New York best seller list, then create a strategy to get there. Do not leave your fate in someone else’s hands.

 What did you learn while writing this book?

I learned not to take things so personally. Most decisions are based on individual personal ambition. Ambition is never right or wrong; it is the inner drive to have something more in your life. But sometimes your ambition can clash with others. You must not take it personally.

I also learned that having just me is enough because of God’s love. I feel comfortable in my own skin; imperfections in all. I may not be perfect but I am attempting to be a best that I can. And that is enough as long as I try to stay aligned with God.

I like how you have included your life stories in the pages. It makes it easy for the reader to relate to you and your experiences. What has been one of your biggest challenges in life and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was bouncing back from my failed mayoral bid that was a disappointment on a professional and emotional level. It was completely humiliating because I was marginalized and misunderstood throughout the campaign. I felt like people didn’t get me; they just stereotyped me.

There were many people that I had supported in the past that didn’t return the favor added to the humiliation. I was very disappointed in people that I had respected and loved in every facet of my life. It definitely changed the way I see the world.

How did you deal with the 'humiliation' and disappointment? It had to be a hard pill to swallow. 

I was able to overcome it all through forgiveness.  God forgives us for all our transgressions and I was forced to do the same.  All the inspirational stories I wrote are from perspective of a reader. I wrote what I needed to hear at those desperate, heart wrenching times in my life.  I wrote to encourage myself and now decided to share it with others.

 What message do you hope your readers will hear?

Never give up on your goals in life but allow God to revise or tweak them into being aligned with his Will. Every failure is not a nightmare and every opportunity is not a blessing.

Some failures can be blessings; some opportunities can be nightmares.

Allow God completely into your heart and watch your life begin to expand in the most amazing ways. I trust God in a completely different way than before because I now have a testimony that I never had before. There is nothing like spectacular fall to truly give you a new relationship with God.

Do you have a favorite section in the book? And why do you  like it?

My favorite sections are really the inspirations based upon my personal stories. I like it because it allows me to share a portion of myself with the world.

Was there a section of the book that was personally hard for you to discuss?

The sections related to my personal life because I had to allow myself to be completely transparent. While it was a little uncomfortable, it was definitely freeing.

On a lighter note, what’s something readers would be surprised you do?

I listen to an appalling amount of rap. I listen to very little R&B.  I am big fan of Young Jezzy, Jay Z, TI ,  Kayne and Drake.

If you could be a character from any book you've read, who would you be?

It would be Nico or Victory in Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell. They are such strong woman but are human as well.


Can you give us a sneak peek of your next book?

My next book will be a book of prayers. There are some prayers in this book and it was such overwhelming positive response to them via Twitter that the next book will be just prayers.

I also may do a cookbook but that depends on my schedule during the holiday to do the legwork.

I wish you the best in your writing career, Tiffany! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. I can see you truly put into practice the idea of being the master of your own destiny.

Readers: If you have any questions for Tiffany, she will be popping in and out today and she will try to answer them. She's also offering an autographed copy of her book to a commenter, so don't be shy. :-)

~*~*~*~

Back cover Blurb:

There are many times in life when you are overwhelmed and frustrated with life and need some inspiration. Now more than ever, as the world becomes increasingly complex, you need to find meaning in chaos, disappointment, difficult family relationships, and work stress.

Daily Reflections: A Book of Affirmations for the Ambitious can provide encouraging and motivational words for contemporary Christians while in this race called life.


This book will provide daily tools to endure storms while dealing with haters and toxic friends all while grindin’ to get to the next level of your life. Daily Reflections: A Book of Affirmations for the Ambitious consists of a series of 365 daily passages or “teachings” to help give you an inspirational boost to your day. While it is possible to read the passages straight through as you would a novel, think of the book as a collection of individual stories, each of which tells its own tale and can be approached one at a time.  Excerpt

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Dr. Tiffany Brown is a native metro Atlantan, was born at Northside Hospital March 23, to a mother who was a teacher and a father who was a minister. Dr. Brown is received her Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science from Spelman College cum laude. She completed a Master's in Public Administration in Clark-Atlanta University magna cum laude. Dr. Brown is also graduate from Walden University with doctorate in public policy and administration summa cum laude.

Tiffany says shes a Diva, Mogul, and Idealist with the scars to prove it.

Tiffany is a self-proclaimed gym rat admits to being a below average golfer ("But in my mind I am great!"), an absolute sports fanatic, and a self described "avid health nut."  Tiffany is member of Cascade United Methodist Church where Rev Marvin Moss is the Senior Pastor.

The Reflections Of Daily Life, is her first book.

You can find Tiffany on Facebook and Twitter

Author Branding – Will It Help Sell More Books?

My guest is historical inspirational author, Jennifer Hudson Taylor. I have to admit I have a fondness of things Celtic--what a surprise, huh? But Jennifer, like me, has searched out her Celtic roots and I know that one part of her family, the Morgans, were part of the MacKay Sept. As you can see by her author pic, she is a fine Scot lassie, :-) Her debut book, Highland Blessing, and her just sold second book, Highland Sanctuary (October 2010) are both set in Scotland.

I know many writers have varying opinions on branding, but the truth is, branding is a necessary thing today. Successful authors play up their branding in various ways. One way is their websites. Trust me, as a blog owner who spotlights authors I look at every website. Some notable author branding websites and their realization of the importance of branding, Nora Roberts vs her JD Rob website. Christine Feehan, Jayne Ann Krentz--take a look at her website and then note each *entrance* to her books under her different pen names. Newer authors coming up the ranks? Jessica Andersen--even her author reflects her branding, Judi Fennell. Lydia Dare , and Donna Grant .

Jennifer speaks about branding: what it is, why it's necessary, and why aspiring authors need to start even before getting a contract.

• What is author branding?

It's the reputation you build in the publishing community and to your readers of what kind of stories to expect when they see your name on the cover of a book.

• Is author branding necessary? Why?

If you want to build readership, yes. If you want to sell more books, yes.

Readers who like westerns aren't typically interested in a science fiction book. For this reason, so many authors have had to create pen names for various sub genres. People work hard for their money and they can chose to spend it on a number of things. You don't want them to be disappointed if they take a chance and spend it on your book. If that happens, most likely they won't spend more money on anything else with your name on it, nor will they encourage others to do so.


Author branding is another way of target marketing. If you are promoting your book based on the book's contents, you are going to appeal to those who would like that particular book. Marketing and advertising is expensive. You don't want to waste your time and money trying to appeal to an audience who won't like what you write. You aren't likely to sell many books that way, and it doesn't make sense. So why wouldn't you create an author brand for yourself?


If you're like me, you might be hesitant to build a label around yourself because you don't want to be limited to writing one kind of book. I've already mentioned pen names as one way to get around this. Another way is to write the same sub genre for a decade or two and then rebuild your image. Lots of authors do this, and if you do it well, you won't lose readers, in fact you may gain more. For instance, a contemporary romance author may choose to brand him/herself as a romantic suspense author. That way you aren't losing readers who like romance and contemporaries, you're just giving them a new element to read along with what they already read. Keep the sub genres similar, but give readers more. This will ultimately lead to more readers, which will lead to more sells.

• Do unpublished authors need an author brand?

Yes. Before you can sell books on a store shelf, you first have to sell to a publisher. You need to stand out among the masses of other writers. There isn't enough shelf space for all the wanna-be writers in the world, so you've got to find a way to stay out of the slush piles. There are a lot of good writers who sit in the slush piles year after year. Their works are good enough to be on the shelf of a bookstore. The difference is, their marketing proposals may not be unique enough or stand out and get noticed.


At one time I believe it was true that good writing would get noticed. But with the competition the way it is today, the demand so buoyant, and the hectic schedule of the publishing industry, I no longer believe that's true. You still have to get someone to read your work in order for it to be noticed. That can only happen if you stand out in promoting yourself and your work. You must make a good impression in your proposal and presentation of your work before an editor or agent actually sits down to read your work. If your impression in your proposal doesn't stand out, they'll never turn to the first page of your manuscript.


Remember, an unpublished writer is selling to an agent or editor. These folks are looking for specific markets where they know they can sell something. While good writing has to go along with it, if an author has written something that's great, but the story isn't right for an open spot, then it still won't sell. Don't waste their time or yours. Sometimes a quick rejection is a good thing. It will give you a chance to get that manuscript where it belongs much faster than wasting time on an editor's desk where it isn't going anywhere. By building an author brand, you will be letting them know upfront what they are getting from you. This will help you appeal to the right agents and editors. Target market to the right publishers and you will sell more and faster.


Plus, publishers have less in their marketing budgets for new authors and mid-list authors. They reserve most of their budgets for the BIG name authors where they know their investment will pay off. Therefore, a new author will have to do so much more of their own marketing. By showing you are ahead of the game in your promotion and author branding, an editor will feel more comfortable taking a chance on you. This means if it comes down to your good writing as opposed to another author's good writing for one publication spot, you might have the edge since you have self-marketing potential. Editors are looking for authors they can build into careers for a long investment, not one-time book wonders.

• What new strategies are you trying to build your brand awareness?
• What are your thoughts about brand awareness?

~ * ~ *~ *~ *~ *~

Highland Blessings (Scotland, 1473) Blurb:

KIDNAPPED ON HER WEDDING DAY...
Highland warrior Bryce MacPherson kidnaps Akira MacKenzie on her wedding day to honor a promise he made to his dying father. When he forces Akira to wed him, hoping to end a half-century feud between their clans, she struggles to overcome her anger and resentment ...
Yet her strength in the Lord becomes a witness to Bryce.

BUT THERE IS A TRAITOR IN THEIR MIDST...AND MURDER IS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON...

                     Chapter One 
Book Trailer

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Jennifer Hudson Taylor is the author of historical and contemporary Christian fiction set in Europe and the Carolinas. Her fiction has won awards in the American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis Contest. Her debut novel, Highland Blessings, will be released May 2010. Other works have appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Heritage Quest Magazine, Everton’s Genealogical Publishers, and The Military Trader. Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Journalism. When she isn't writing, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, genealogy, and reading. She resides with her husband and daughter in the Charlotte area of NC.