Interview with Author Peg Phifer

Welcome, Peg. I’m delighted to have this chance to interview you and allow you to tell others about the new writing opportunity you are offering. I understand “Apples of Gold” is a venue for devotionals and short inspirational pieces. What is your main goal in providing this opportunity to writers?

Thank you, Pat. I’m delighted to have an opportunity to talk about my new venture. “Apples of Gold” (Proverbs 25:11) is a new feature on my blog “Sips ‘n Cups Cafeteria,” but it is not a new idea with me. A number of years ago I was editor and publisher of an e-newsletter and website called Wordsmith Shoppe, in which I featured a writer of devotions in each issue, also called “Apples of Gold.” The idea resurfaced when I started up my blog.

Devotion writing is a niche market and writers of these inspirational thoughts and musings don’t get the recognition other writers do. At least that’s the way I see it. Most often they become part of a compilation book of devotions that include many other writers in, say, 365 days of daily devotions. So I thought I’d open one day a week on my blog to give some of these writers a bit of exposure.

But I’ve expanded the original concept to include not just the standard formula devotional, but ‘slices of life,’ poetry, almost anything that has an inspirational tone, perhaps even a lesson learned from a personal experience.

Is there a particular target audience you are hoping to reach?

No, not really. I just hoped to provide meaningful and thoughtful reading for anyone who comes across my blog. Each Apples of Gold post is listed as an archive file with an embedded link to that particular posting. Contributors can direct friends and families to their posts. That way they get exposure and my blog gets the traffic.

It’s exciting to report that I now have fourteen regular contributors and I have all the Thursday slots filled up through early March. I’m considering breaking off Apples of Gold into it’s own blog and then we won’t be restricted to just one day a week. I’m praying about that.

I realize you offer guidelines on your web site, but could you give us a brief overview of your guidelines here?

Sure. As I mentioned above, I’m open to almost any type of short inspirational writing, subject to approval. But I’m not too difficult to please. Submissions must be sent as an attached Word document, RTF or plain text (i.e. Notepad). The subject line must contain the words “Apples of Gold.” At first I was trying to keep word count between 300 and 500 words, but I’ve loosened up on that and have accepted longer articles. A brief bio, Web site and blog links, email contact (not made public unless approval granted), and a jpg or gif photo is nice. If the contributor is published, those credits may be included, as well. (Links for all this at the end of this interview.)

I know from my association with you, Peg, that you feel a deep commitment to serve other writers on their journey toward success. I’d like to hear your thoughts on that calling.

I’m an introvert. So it’s easy for me to stay behind the scenes and help others along the way. I really enjoyed my fourteen years doing my e-newsletter, providing all types of helpful information for writers, such as: Conference schedules, market news, contests, opportunities and calls for submissions from other sources, paying markets, interviews, etc. For a while, I even had a chat room where a featured writer, editor or agent would visit and conduct a mini workshop or do a Q & A session. These included folks like Jack Cavanaugh, Sally Stuart, Marlene Bagnull, Eva Marie Everson, Andrea Boeshaar, Lynn Coleman, oh . . . I can’t remember them all. But after a time, I felt the Lord calling me somewhere else, and I discontinued that adventure.

And He led me to ACFW, then ACRW, in 2001, and in 2005 I was elected as Treasurer on the ACFW operating board, serving in that position for 2-1/2 years. It was a special time that allowed me to give something back to that great organization for Christian fiction writers.

“Apples of Gold” is just one more opportunity for me to help fellow writers on their writing journeys.

Who have been your strongest influences during your writing journey?

Oh, my, there have been so many over the years. I have to say that my very first encourager was Jack Cavanaugh. In my early attempts at serious fiction writing, in an online chat room, Jack helped me brainstorm a bit with some character development and a tricky plot. There were others, too, at that same time period. Lynn Coleman for one. Marlene Bagnull was a constant encourager and supporter of my Wordsmith Shoppe efforts. More recently are Christina Miller, crit partner who also writes in my historical era, and Staci Stallings, mentor extraordinaire.

Any parting advice for fledgling writers?

I’m not sure I have any new advice to offer as I’m a ‘fledgling’ myself. Just keep at it. Pray about everything. Be sure you’re in the center of His will in your writing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, you won’t have peace about your efforts if you’re not where He wants you to be, or going where—and when—He directs you.

Thank you, Pat, for giving me this chance to share. I didn’t think I’d have much to say! LOL

Links:
Website: http://peggyblannphifer.com
Blog: http://peggyblannphifer.blogspot.com
Apples of Gold Guidelines: http://peggyblannphifer.com/applesofgold.htm
Submission Mailto: applesofgold@peggyblannphifer.com (be sure the subject line says Apples of Gold.

The Measure of Success

I have a great deal of admiration for those who, despite commitments of family, work, community activities, and numerous other obligations, can manage to write on a daily basis. Try as I may, I can’t do it.

These past three months have been tough. My mother-in-law passed away in August, just a month short of her 90th birthday. We had to euthanize our beloved German Shepherd/Chow mix of 15 years in October. My brother-in-law passed away in November. A dear friend has been dealing with serious health problems since July. Add to that the fact that I managed to contract walking pneumonia, had an allergic reaction to the medications, and had inflammation in the rib area for days from coughing so much. Seems on the days when I felt like writing, I was too busy with other things, and on the days when I had time, I felt lousy.

Yet, I look at others who have so much more on their plate than I do, small children at home, a full time job, stressful family situations, and they manage to stay faithful to a writing schedule.

My thought for November is a quote from John Foster Dulles, who served as Secretary of State during President Dwight D.Eisenhower’s administration. “The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.”

My tough problem has carried over through many years, so I guess the measure of my success at this point is pretty poor in the writing world, anyway.. And it is more than one.

Disorganization.

Procrastination.

Fear of failure.

So, my goal for the rest of this year is to eliminate at least one of those tough problems. Despite the everyday obstacles that always manage to creep into the middle of the road, I plan to barrel around them and forge ahead.

There was a discussion on the ACFW loop a while ago about giving up writing. Can’t do that. Don’t think the Lord wants me to. So, if writing success is one of the goals I am meant to accomplish in this lifetime, I better set my mind to getting busy and doing just that.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Speaking Out

I had the opportunity to speak in public twice this past week. My first speaking engagement was at my local Toastmasters meeting. I enjoy Toastmasters and feel it has taught me a lot about public speaking. This was my first speech out of my “Interpersonal Communications” book. It was different from the other speeches I have done in that it involved role play with one of the other members. I had a lot of fun with it and my role play partner was superb. He played the part to the hilt and, even though I had written out the scenario, he added a few lines of his own and increased the drama in the scene.

My next speaking engagement was at my ACFW Chapter meeting. I think I enjoyed that even more because it was about my favorite subject, which is writing. I titled my talk “Making Your Characters Your Reader’s Best Friends”. There were only six people there, but that was fine. This was my first “public” speech away from the structure and familiarity of Toastmasters, so I was glad to speak to a small group.

I was a bit embarrassed when a word I was looking for, about two minutes into my talk, completely escaped my rational thought processes. Couldn’t even think of a reasonable substitute. I’m sure my face got a little red, and then one of my listeners rescued me and supplied a word. I sure was grateful!

In the process of writing that speech about characterization, I came up with a tag line for my own writing. “Freeing characters from their prison and healing the wounds inflicted by the razor wire.” Okay, it may be a little long and need some tweaking, but it will do for now. It is a premise I can use when crafting my stories.

I don’t seem to have that innate fear that many others express about talking in front of others. I’ve heard it said that is the number one fear of most people. However, I still see a lot of room for improvement in the delivery of my speeches. I still tend to write out just about every word I intend to speak. This is not good. Should I lose my place on the page, I can feel myself becoming very flustered. Add to that the fact that I am extremely near-sighted. So, I either have to have the words typed on the page in 16 font at the very least, or I have to have my nose constantly in my papers.

One of the remedies for this is to know my material so well that I don’t have to be constantly looking at the notes. There were times during my talk where I simply wrote “EX: listed the name of the book I was using to make my point, and knew what I was going to say. I don’t have to write out whole sentences, only key phrases. I need to do that more frequently, just capture the key points of the idea on paper without writing out whole sentences that need to be read.

I don’t practice my speeches, even for Toastmasters, but I should. Even if I were to say them to myself in the mirror, I would be familiar with the way the words sound out loud by the time I am ready to do the presentation. I’m sure my speeches would be much smoother in their delivery than they are now.

It is one of my goals or dreams to be able to speak in public about writing. I probably wouldn’t have much opportunity in the area where I live, though. It is a small town and I doubt if I were to give a speech at, say, the public library on characterization, that more than one or two people would be interested. Still, it is an ability I would like to perfect.

One of my goals is to speak at a writer’s conference someday. Of course, I guess no one is going to be interested in what I have to say until I prove myself as a writer. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a speaker introduced at a writer’s conference as “yet unpublished” or even “pre-published”.

So, I will continue to perfect my speech making skills in my local Toastmasters club, give a talk at our ACFW chapter meetings when asked, and write like crazy so I can get published and someday someone will introduce me as a “multi-published author”.

Of course, this is all and only if it’s His plan!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Interview with new author A. K. Arenz

Welcome, AK. I’m delighted to have this chance to interview you and give you an opportunity to discuss your upcoming release, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma. Tell us a little about your book.

Thank you, Patti. It’s an honor to be here.

The Case of the Bouncing Grandma is a cozy mystery with a hen-lit feel. The heroine, Glory Harper, is not your typical grandmother. While others may be baking cookies and smiling at their grandchildren's antics, Glory’s out with her seven-year-old grandson, joining in the fun. Their most recent adventure, skateboarding, resulted in Glory's broken leg and Seth's awestruck admiration. Affectionately called his "Bouncing Grandma," Glory hasn't been doing much bouncing these last six weeks with her leg in a cast and stuck in a wheelchair. But, things are about to change.

The first of the Bouncing Grandma Mysteries begins when Glory spies a foot dangling out of a rolled Oriental rug as it's carried into her new neighbor's house. Determined to discover what's going on, and undeterred by police officers who try to convince her it was simply part of a mannequin, Glory sets off on a new adventure with far higher stakes--those of life and death. With the aid of her sister, Jane, the occasional help of a police detective who is a dead ringer for Harrison Ford, a lot of prayer, and more twists and turns than even Glory could have dreamed of, fifty-two year old widow, Glory Harper finds romance when she least expects it...and a mystery to die for.

I believe that Baby Boomers and others will relate to Glory's escapades and the desire to be a fun grandparent, as well as her determination to stay young and active--in spite of a few mishaps along the way.


When did you first begin to feel that writing would become an important part of your life?

I was probably in the fourth or fifth grade. When I read Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion, I remember suddenly having this incredible feeling that this was what I wanted to do. Like most kids, making up stories is how we play; only now, I wanted the ability to write them down and share with others.

I was twelve before this finally happened, and the story I wrote – The Adventures of Christopher and Christina – got passed around the study hall that the seventh graders shared with the high school. People would bring the pages back to me and actually ask for more! That amazes me to this day.

I know through our cyberspace friendship over the past year that you have suffered a great deal of physical pain that has left you discouraged and frustrated. Would you discuss those handicaps?

In the last few years, I have developed problems with my hands. When it was just pain from cramping and such, it wasn’t fun but still workable. Then, unfortunately, it moved on to my fingers and later into my fingertips in a far worse way. The nerves in my fingers and fingertips will become hypersensitive to the point that even touching myself is beyond painful. When this happens, and nothing is capable of relieving the horrendous pain, you get to the point where thoughts of having those offending limbs chopped off almost sounds appealing.

In trying to get relief, I’ve gone to The Healing Rooms for prayer, and were it not for those wonderful people, I hate to think where I’d be today. While not cured, God has shown me little tricks to help when the pain seems about to return---a lot of prayer, wearing white cotton gloves when working at the computer and writing, as well as using pencils to type---all assist me in pushing forward. Cutting out salts has also been a godsend.

What gave you the perseverance to continue with your writing in the face of that kind of adversity?

This year it became a struggle to do the independent database job I do for the company where my husband works. The pain was zapping my strength and energy to the point that I began to think God was sending me a sign that I should stop writing.

But, anyone who writes can tell you that quitting isn’t all that easy – and even through the pain, I prayed for a definitive answer, a sign that would tell me what to do once and for all.

My weekly sessions with The Healing Rooms started to break through the 7 months of horrible pain around the same time Joan Shoup (J.M. Hochstetler), of the new small press Sheaf House, contacted me. I’ve known Joan through ACFW for a couple of years now, and though as a group, we’d discussed our writing woes, I hadn’t thought about submitting to her. Turns out the thought was God’s. Joan asked me to submit.

Who have been your strongest influences during your writing journey?

I’d have to say my daughters, Kelly and Randi, who have always believed in me. Even when they were kids, they were always there to read through and comment on my work. To this day, Kelly is my number one critiquer – on top of the fact that she is an awesome editor, which is something I think she should be doing as a living.

Any parting advice for fledgling writers?

I could give you the standard answer to “never give up,” but I believe there is more you can do.

In your deepest, darkest hours, when you’re down and feeling kicked by all around you, reach out your hand to the One who gives hope when it seems there is none, who gives love when all seems lost, who gives peace when the war is raging within and without. He never gave/gives up on us. He proved His love and mercy by sending us His Son. And through His Grace, all things are possible.

Thanks again, Patti, for letting me visit with you. Remember to visit me at www.akawriter.com for updates. The site is a work in progress, so it’s constantly changing.

Take care and God Bless. AKA ;)

Thank you, A.K. It has been a delight to have you here today. I can’t wait to read about that bouncing grandma!

Thanks for reading my blog!

10-20-30

Thanks to all who have stuck with me, despite my almost two week break from blogging. BTW, I was unable to participate in the Toastmasters contest (see post of 9/28), due to my assignment to night shift. There was no way I could work until 7 AM, drive the 25 miles home, sleep for a couple of hours, then drive the 50+ miles to the contest and do a presentation anyone would understand. I was disappointed, but there will be other opportunities.

Today, I am responding to Carla Stewart’s invitation (Carla’s Writing Café at www.carlastewart.blogspot.com) to join the “tag game” and answer the question of what I was doing 10-20-30 years ago. Thanks to Mary DeMuth for spreading the virus!

Ten years ago: My husband and I were parenting two teenagers, a 16 yr old daughter and a 14 yr old son. Our daughter had obtained her driver's license, and for her 16th birthday, we traded my beloved pickup that was costing way more in maintenance than it was worth, for her first car, a used Plymouth Sundance which she promptly named Ginger. (Okay, we don’ t have horses, so we name our cars). Both of the kids were on swim team, so we spent every week-end for most of that summer traveling to the swim meets in surrounding towns. We, owning an Explorer, were designated to carry the swim tent, which meant we were always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

I was working full-time as an RN at the Fort Lyon VA Medical Center, a psychiatric facility. Our census was winding down in preparation for the inevitable closing that took place in 2001. Most of our patients were older schizophrenics who had been at our facility for most of their adult lives.

Writing was a far off dream that had been put on the back burner in the whirlwind of keeping up with the activities of two teens (boy scouts, sports, helping with homework, etc, etc). However, ’97 was also the year I entered the computer age with an actual machine that had a real hard drive. Prior to that, I had stuck my thumb into the technological age with my second hand Apple 2E purchased from a friend at work.

Twenty years ago: Hubby and I were dealing with all the challenges of raising a 6 yr old girl and a 5 yr old boy. We marveled at the quickness with which they absorbed new knowledge in school, refereed their scraps, and for the most part, enjoyed being parents.

We were both working full-time for the VA, him in housekeeping services and me as a staff nurse and relief house supervisor on the evening shift. The VA was much more active at that time. We had a lot of aggressive, acting out patients and I loved my job. I especially enjoyed doing supervisor, where it was my responsibility to coordinate staff for all the units throughout the hospital and respond to the emergency situations. Hubby and I didn’t see much of each other as we worked different shifts to cut down on the amount of time the kids had to be with a baby-sitter.
I signed up for a Writer’s Digest course in ’87 and became friends with a co-worker who was taking the same course. Unfortunately, although we tried to motivate each other, neither of us ever finished the course. Still, the writing bug lay dormant in my blood, just waiting to coax me into the world of becoming a full-time writer.

Thirty years ago: I had lived in Colorado for four years and finally made the commitment to marry the man I’d been seeing on and off since a few months after moving here. We had plans to move into the mobile home I had purchased a couple of years before, but Mother Nature took care of that. A windstorm turned the trailer over on its side five months before our wedding, driving a utility pole through it and leaving it a shambles. In June, we jointly purchased a home and were married there in September. I can remember feelings of terror as we signed papers for two thousand dollars in earnest money that would be gone if we reneged on the deal. We didn’t. We’ve been living here ever since.

I was working on my first WIP then. Prior to moving here from New York in 1973, I had taken a trip on horseback in the San Juan Mountains. I started writing my first novel based on that experience on a manual typewriter. My friends at work avidly devoured every word. When I look back on it now, I shudder at what bad writing I was capable of! After much polishing, revising, and rewriting, it is still sitting on my computer as one of my hopefuls.

It’s been fun reminiscing. I hope those to whom I offer this challenge will respond and participate. They are:

Brenda Jackson (Arizona Inspiration)
Peg Phifer (Sips ‘n Cups Cafeteria)
Kassy Paris (The Writings of Kassy Paris)
Sharlene MacLaren (Writing Fiction for the Soul, Romance for the Heart)
Kim Woodhouse (God’s Love, Grace, and Forgiveness – My Journey)
Rose McCauley (Rose McCauley, Christian Author)
Patricia Carroll (Writing Life)
Pam Meyers (A Writer’s Journey)
Angie Breidenbach (God Uses Broken Vessels)

I have an exciting announcement to make. I will be interviewing soon-to-be-published author A.K. Arenz this month on my blog. Come on over and hear about this lady’s writing journey, the obstacles that have loomed n her way, and where she has found the strength to overcome them.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Something New

Goodness, it’s already been a whole week since I wrote in this blog! Shame on me. I do have somewhat of an excuse. My husband and I were away for three days to celebrate our 30th anniversary and I’ve spent the rest of the week “catching up”.

We also spent a day helping our daughter pick out a new car. As we advised her with negotiations and gave our input to the choices available, I couldn’t help but think how buying a new car is somewhat like starting a new writing project.

You go to the dealership knowing what you want, but when you get there, you discover the price is beyond what your budget can handle. So, you look at the other choices and modify your expectations. Kind of like having dreams to write a three book series and realizing that maybe you should get a few short stories written first.

There are two different kinds of buyers in the automobile market. One is the impulse buyer, like me. I go to a lot, see something I like, and, assuming it fits into my budget, do the test drive, and sign the papers. My daughter, on the other hand, studies the Internet for days, talks to other people, and makes her choice based on carefully studied facts. Kind of like a SOTP writer verses an outliner. If she were a writer, she’d definitely be an outliner. Even though I do some outlining, I lean more toward SOTP.

What about options? My daughter got some pretty fancy options on her new vehicle, like a sunroof and a 6-CD player and all kinds of things I’ve never heard of. I drive a pick-up that has what I call the standard options, but I don’t go that much for fancy as I do for size. I want something big with a lot of power that represents the wanna be cowgirl in me.

I think our writing reflects who we are, just like our vehicles do. I like to think my writing possesses a certain power, the power that the Lord gave me to influence others with words. I like to hunt for new words when I write, not necessarily flamboyant words that leave the reader wondering what in the world I’m trying to say, but compelling words that draw vivid pictures for my reader.

I did a presentation at my local Toastmasters meeting yesterday. It was supposed to be a “tall tale”, so I took a story, personalized it, and threw in some exaggeration. I was in competition with another speaker to be a contestant at our area contest on October 6th and won. I’m excited to be going into competition with a speech. I’ve been in competition in other aspects of Toastmasters, but never with a speech I’ve written.

The person who did my evaluation yesterday said I had a wonderful command of vocabulary and that some of my words carried a lot of power.

If only I can take that power and channel it into my novel, I’ll be as happy with it as my daughter is with her brand new car.

First Impressions

The past several days, over a week now, have had me under the weather. Combine a case of walking pneumonia with a reaction to the medication I was prescribed, along with a switch to the night shift, and you’ve got someone who feels worn out just about all the time. Seems like I can’t get enough sleep, and when I’m awake, I have no energy to get anything accomplished. I haven’t even written in this blog for close to two weeks.

Still, I did manage to find time and energy to keep a lunch date with a friend a week or so ago. It amazes me how easily we judge people we don’t even know.

The waitress who took our order was not unpleasant, but there was no hint of friendliness in her demeanor either. She presented herself as all business as she placed our drinks and silverware in front of us. There was no "hi, how are you today" or other form of greeting. Simply a "what do you want to drink"and "are you ready to order". My first impression was that she was a young woman who had probably stayed out too late the night before partying with friends and was suffering the effects while on the job today.

She returned with our food a few minutes later and then proceeded to clean the vacated table across from us. In the process, she dropped a glass into the tub used to collect the dirty dishes. It didn’t break, but her expression made it obvious she was annoyed and frustrated.

“Not your day,” my friend offered.

The woman looked up with a tight expression on her face. “No, it’s not, and yesterday wasn’t my day either,” she answered. “Yesterday, I had to put my dog to sleep.” Her granite face softened as she fought to choke back tears.

In an instant, my whole perspective on this young lady changed. She explained how it was difficult enough to make the decision to euthanize her beloved pet, but it was heartbreaking to have to explain to her two children, ages three and five, why she had made that choice. “It was time for him to go be with God, where he would be happy and healthy again,” she had told her little ones. She described the small funeral service they held for their beloved canine friend.

Soon, my friend and I were expressing our sympathy and sharing our own stories of lost pets with the grieving waitress. Before we left the restaurant, we each gave her a hug and wished her and her children well.

Who would have thought when I walked into that restaurant that I’d be giving a stone-faced waitress a hug before I left?

I felt ashamed of myself for judging her the way I had, labeling her as a bored party girl who resented the fact she had to work for a living. Here she was a single mom at work and wishing she could be at home with her heartbroken little ones, comforting them and helping them through their loss.

If only we would take a moment to seek the story behind the supposed boredom, or anger, or despair we see in the faces of others, we might learn that we have more in common with them than we think.

The Light Bulb Came On!

Hi everyone and welcome to Patti's Ponderings. I've been going to start a blog for quite some time now, but to tell you the truth, I found it a bit intimidating. No, it wasn't the fear of putting my words on the Internet, it was the technology! I just couldn't get things figured out and gave up several times. Well, guess what...

I finally figured it out! How to enter a new post, add a sidebar, add the links to my favorite sites, all that neat stuff. I’m so excited! I’m experimenting with colors, titles, and subjects. If I’ve promised to link you to my site and haven’t yet, don’t despair. I have a whole list of folks I want to add. Also, if you would like to be added to this site and are not sure if you are on my list, drop me an email and I’ll get you on there.

I plan to post my feelings about writing, life, and anything else that comes to mind. I will be doing some author interviews and book reviews, and maybe running a ontest every now and again, so stop by and pay me a visit!

Okay, it’s late and I’ve exercised enough brainpower for tonight! Time to kick back with a good book for a few minutes then go on to bed.

Thanks for reading my blog!