The 20/20/20 rule

Do you find yourself staring at a computer screen for hours at a time? By the time I fulfill my responsibilities as editor of Starsongs, read a few blogs, check email, etc., the time slips by and before I know it, three or more hours have slipped by. It can be mighty hard on the eyes. Is there a way to prevent eye strain in our technological world?

I heard this tip on the news the other day and thought I would pass it on. Look away from your computer screen every 20 minutes. Focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will help relieve some of the stress to your eyes.

As a person who has struggled with limited vision all my life, I know the importance of preserving the vision I do have. Protect your vision by treating your eyes right! Keep them healthy!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Who Are You?

Every week, I receive a report on the number of people who have visited my blog. Used to be just a few, hardly worth mentioning. Lately, the numbers have increased significantly. I seldom see any comments, though, which does not surprise me. I read several blogs throughout the course of the week where I don't necessarily leave a comment. I may email the person directly in some cases.

My question to my readers is this: Who are you? I'd love to know who is reading my posts and if they are helpful or entertaining not. Are they too far apart (probably!). Is there any particular topic you would like to see covered on this blog? Even if you are one of those people who assume I know you read my blog, send me a line or two anyway.

Either speak up in the comments section or drop me an email at pattishene(at)pattishene(dot)com. Doesn't have to be elaborate and if you don't want to answer the above questions I posed, that's fine as well. I'm just curious to know who all is out there in cyberspace that stops by!

Thanks for reading my blog.

Interview with author Erin Rainwater

In addition to our passion for writing, Erin and I share a professional career. We are both Registered Nurses, but the parallel does not end there. Erin served as an Army nurse who worked with soldiers and veterans. I worked as a psychiatric nurse at a VA hospital for a number of years.

Erin, welcome to Patti’s Porch. Despite the fall season, we are still having some warm days, so thanks so much for the cyber lemonade!

Tell us about your book, Refining Fires.

Refining Fires is genuinely distinctive in that it’s divided into three parts, each with it’s own protagonist but whose paths cross by God’s weaving hands. In the first story, “Refining Fire,” a former Army nurse is forced by circumstances to work for a disfigured and bitter veteran. The refining of this man, Peter Cochran, is no easy task, but God is no quitter, and neither is the heroine in this romantic tale, Clare Canterbury. Her determined efforts elicit renewed life from his body while evoking a raw yearning in his soul. But this is only the beginning of their love story. Next you’ll meet a young girl who must delve into the deepest reaches of her soul to find the “Blind Courage” needed to face overwhelming odds if she is to save her mother’s life. The love Peter and Clare share has an immense impact on this remarkable child. Lastly, a “Kept Woman” must decide between following through on her plan for self-destruction or heeding the words of a lost love regarding just “who” has been keeping her all along. Refining Fires goes beyond simple, formula romance. It’s comprised of three stories about people seeking redemption all rolled into one larger story. Each character undergoes a refining process in his or her own personal furnace of affliction. As their paths cross and their lives intertwine throughout these stories, God’s loving hand is evident, providing the courage and tools each needs to persevere, achieve victory, and come out refined.

And by the way, the publisher of Refining Fires, Torn Veil Books, has made it available in both print and eBook formats, satisfying both the tech-minded folks who love their electronic reading devices and those who simply must hold the book in their hands (like me).

It is obvious that your nursing experiences impacted this story. Have you cared for patients with wounds, physical, emotional, or both, similar to Peter’s?

I have had some incredible and unusual experiences throughout my nursing career and while I served in the Army, and yes, some of them made their way onto the pages of my books. When the Vietnam War ended, I was privileged to care for returning POWs and MIAs. Nightmares were common to them, and I had to be careful in approaching them in the middle of the night, just as Clare does with Peter in one scene in Refining Fires. One patient I had in Korea had fallen on a white phosphorus grenade and had burns similar to Peter’s.

Tell us about your other two books.

I’d love to! I published two historical love stories, both of which I’m thrilled to say readers are praising. The first is True Colors, a Civil War-set romance/adventure about a government nurse, Cassie Golden, who feels called to leave her safe but lonely Pennsylvania farm to tend the Union wounded in Alexandria, Virginia. Her father was a physician, so she believes she is well-equipped for caring for patients with acute illnesses and wounds. But nothing has prepared her for all she comes to deal with. Love and conspiratorial intrigue enter her life there, both arriving in the form of an intelligence officer, Major Michael Byron. When duty sends him away, Cassie becomes unwittingly enmeshed in a mosaic of espionage, kidnapping, imprisonment and murder. Their unanticipated reunion only creates a chasm between them as sweeping as the one dividing the nation. Only the truth can bridge such a chasm. And truth is in short supply.

The other story, also a romantic adventure, is The Arrow That Flieth By Day. The title is taken from Psalm 91, and has a recurring role throughout the book. The story begins just after the ending of True Colors, and takes place in 1860s Colorado. Mandy Berringer is Cassie’s first cousin, and is on the last leg of a homebound journey to Denver when a mistaken accusation by Indian warriors diverts the course of her life. Believed dead by her family, Mandy will do anything to get home. But a disabling accident, an epidemic, an unexpected love and a tragic loss prolong her separation from her family until she is finally reunited with them—only to be devastated by what she finds. Dakota, the man she loves, undergoes crushing trials of his own, and their search for each other leads them on separate journeys into new tests of faith and enduring love.

What advantages and disadvantages do you see in self-publishing?

Not very long ago there was a huge difference between traditional and self-publishing, but the gap is narrowing, I believe. The up side is that the author controls all of the content, retains all the rights, and has final say on the title and cover. As POD (print on demand), the book never goes out of print. The publisher I chose pays royalties monthly, which is practically unheard of. There are obvious down sides, including the fact the author pays to have the work published, although it doesn’t have to be nearly as expensive as some publishers make it. The author has to do all of his/her own marketing and promoting. However, traditional houses are requiring more of that from their authors these days. But with self-published books, it really is harder to get your foot in the door of bookstores, libraries, and other venues. Not impossible, just harder. I can honestly say I am happy with the way things have turned out with my books. I receive my validation from the Lord, from readers’ and reviewers’ comments, and from the awards I’ve won. The stigma of self-publishing is slowly disappearing as more accomplished authors who have studied the craft choose that route for publication. I actually am acquainted with two self-published authors who are up for Pulitzer Prizes next year!

Tell us about your first place awards!

Last year True Colors won the Gold Medal in Historical Fiction from the Military Writers Society of America. That was followed just two weeks later by another First Place award in Historical Fiction from the Branson Stars & Flags Book Awards. Talk about an exciting time!

Marketing has become a major responsibility of all writers. Would you share ways that you have marketed your books?

Marketing, aka shameless self-promoting, is outside my comfy zone, as it is for most writers. But it is part of the package deal nowadays. It goes without saying that I have a web site, www.erinrainwater.com (catchy, I know). I went in person to local libraries and numerous bookstores (both indies and chains) with books in hand, requesting they carry them. I sent out I don’t know how many emails to book clubs. I had very little response on those, but the ones who did respond invited me to attend their discussions, and those are FUN! I’ve sent out media releases. I’ve emailed radio stations, and have been interviewed on a few. I contacted my county’s school library board, who ended up recommending both my earlier novels for placement in their high school libraries. I’ve been interviewed on numerous blogs this year (thank you, Pat!), and have been interviewed on a few internet radio shows. I don’t run my own blog except for the one on my Amazon page that I only occasionally update, so I am most appreciative of your giving me space to share my characters and their stories. One form of salesmanship some marketers advise is something I absolutely do NOT do, and that is to perceive everyone I meet as a target, homing in on every clerk or new acquaintance or passenger next to me on an airplane. If the conversation goes in the direction of who I am and that I’m a writer, fine. If not, I just cannot bring myself to treat everyone as a potential sale.

Do you have another writing project in progress?

Not at this time. I only write when I feel the passion inside me for a story that simply must come out. None of my books were written for the sake of a contract or under deadline. If and when the passion of a story seizes me again, I’ll write it because I won’t be able to rest until I do.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not writing?

Reading remains a favorite pastime. And I love my volunteer work at the USO at the Denver airport. I enjoy hiking and picnicking in the Rockies, and anything that involves my grandkids.

Thank you, Erin, for stopping by today!

Visit Erin's web site to purchase her books.

Below is my review of Refining Fires:

Are Some Wounds too Deep to Heal?

Sometimes, a person has been wounded so badly that they build a wall to keep everyone out. That’s when God often sends someone with the strength to scale that wall. In her book, Refining Fires, Erin Rainwater pairs two such characters. Resistance reigns and sparks fly until it seems there is no hope for a resolution.

The author draws on her own experiences as a nurse who served during the Viet Nam War and cared for wounded soldiers to create this tale. She has crafted a story that speaks to the physical and emotional scars of one such injured veteran and the woman who dares to reach out to him with compassion, mercy, and love.

The second phase of this three part story tells of a young girl with a physical handicap who confronts her uncertainty and fear to save the life of her mother.

The satisfying conclusion of the book tells the sad story of a young woman who has a bruised and battered heart. She finds a healing balm to soothe her broken spirit.

Erin Rainwater cleverly weaves three stories into one with characters that face real life weaknesses and overcome them with strength that comes from the most unexpected place.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Looking for Bliss??

What is bliss? My online dictionary describes it as "supreme happiness, utter joy or contentment, paradise". Not quite what I'm talking about here.

This post is not meant to expound on the merits of bliss, but to introduce Written World Communications' very first novel entitled Bliss. We here at WWC are super excited! Within a couple of months, we have published three magazines and a novel, with lots more to come.

So, let me tell you a little bit about Bliss - the book, that is! First, a note about the authors.

Tracy Bowen lives in South Florida with her husband and four sons. When she is not breaking up wrestling matches and keeping up with the demands of feeding five males, she fights her way out from underneath sweaty piles of gym clothes to fulfill her dream and calling to write.


Jenness Walker lives in South Florida with her beloved website designer husband and almost-as-beloved laptop. When she's not writing suspense on her own or brainstorming fun stuff with Tracy, she loves to read, decorate, and dream about her next road trip. Double Take, her first novel, was a Carol Award finalist. Learn more about Jenness at her web site.

Here's a blurb about the book:Indie Moore sets off to find ultimate happiness in South Florida. But in her quest for comfort and fortune, she encounters mishap and mayhem. Not quite the glamorous world she envisioned for herself, she finds a home in a trailer park, a job scrubbing toilets, and a roommate with volatile emotions. Laugh and cry with Indie, the Miss Adventure of misadventure, as she blunders on land, by sea, and in church, seeking love and a sense of belonging....seeking Bliss....

Bliss can be purchased here for Kindle at the low price of $5.95! The print version is available here for $14.95. Shipping and handling is free until October 15th!

But wait, there's more! You're invited to a Bliss Beach Party and Booksigning:

Date: Wednesday, October 13th

Time: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST

Place: Hobe Sound Christian Bookstore
11295 SE Gomez Ave.
Hobe Sound, FL 33455.

Can't make the party in person? Don't despair. You can join in right here! Yep, that's the wonder of modern technology, and you don't have to wear your Sunday best. You will see all the action, but no one will be able to see you! Come dressed in your most comfy jammies and slippies if you like. However, if you really want to get into the spirit of the event, put on that swim suit and sit on a beach towel on the floor with your computer in front of you.

Come share the excitement as Written World Communications celebrates the launching of its very first book - with many, many more to come!

Thanks for reading my blog.

Caleb Breakey Interview

Looking for my interview with Caleb Breakey? Click on my "Kids/Youth Getting Published" tab.