BJ Hoff's GRACE NOTES

Hard Habits to Break

Ah, those mannerisms writers love to use to tag and characterize and move our people around.  All--or at least most--of these are fine to use--sparingly. It's the over-use that hurts. Editors, of course, are all too familiar with these tags. Recently Nick Harrison, senior editor at Harvest House, offered a few that he sees over-used. I've added several of my own (and some of these are self-indicting. I have more than one "precious.")  

Impatient shrug. Curling lips. Thin-lipped smile. A smile that doesn't quite meet the eyes. Furrowed brows. Lip biting, chewing, or gnawing. Hair raked. Heart pounding. Heart skipping a beat. Studying hands. Swallowing hard. Forcing a smile. Blood draining from the head. Stomach knotted. Stomach clenched. Lifted or arched eyebrow. Nostrils flaring. Tucking a strand of hair behind the ear. Muscles in the jaw twitching. Forcing a smile. The lowering of eyes. Narrowing of eyes. Dropping of eyes. Capturing another's eyes. Shooting a look. Ghost of a smile. Drawing a long breath. Tilting of head. Inclining of head. Shaking of head. Wrinkling of nose. Bridled anger. Roaring din. Bubbling joy--okay, somebody stop me!

Feel free to add to the list. I'm sure there are dozens more out there, just waiting to be recognized.

BJ

See and Save

Dianne Burnett, Fiction Editor at christianbook.com, has developed what should prove to be a very helpful chart for readers--and writers, because aren't we avid readers, too?

If you especially like the works of a any particular author, this chart will make you aware of the novels of other authors you might also enjoy. You might want to print it off so you can refer to it as often as you like.

See it here:  http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=1852744&sp=1001&event=1001RNF

BJ

Q & A

Q. I saw recently that in your upcoming book with the Amish setting there will be an Irish main character. Do you ever not write about the Irish? 

A. Not if I can help it. 

Q. What's your favorite book of the Chronicles of Narnia?

A. I love them all, but The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will always be my favorite.

Q. I've noticed that you almost always have musicians or something about music in your novels. Is there a reason for that? Do you play any instrument?

A. I was a musician and a church music director before I ever began to publish fiction. Other than God, my family, and writing, music is the biggest part of my life. And, yes, I play keyboard (piano and organ), though not very well anymore, I'm afraid. It's all too true that you "use it or lose it."

Q. In an interview that I read you said that these days you were concentrating on "Appalachian historical fiction." What did you mean by that?

A. The beautiful, vast area of Appalachia is one of my favorite settings, and I suppose I'm carving out a niche in the way of a special genre for it. My upcoming series--The Riverhaven Years, takes place in southern Ohio, around the Marietta/Ohio River area. The setting for my Mountain Song Legacy books was Kentucky. The setting for a series I have on the back burner right now (Mt. Laurel) is the Canaan Valley region, on the border of Pennsylvania/West Virginia--an absolutely breathtaking locale. I've done a lot of research in the Appalachian area, and I love writing about the scenery, the history--and the people. And--it's my own native region. I'm an expatriate "mountain woman."

Q. If you have an iPod (since you seem to be a Mac lover, I bet you do), what kind of music is on it? 

A. Classical, mostly. But also lots of Celtic. Folk music. International music, especially Irish and Italian. And ... bagpipe selections of course.                   

 

Cheers and Sneers

You've probably seen the Fox network's "Champs and Chumps" segments ... and I think it's TV Guide or one of the cable lists that features a "Cheers and Jeers" section ...

Here's my own version for the week: "Cheers and Sneers." 

Cheers: Harvey Korman. In a world that so badly needs laughter, he taught us to laugh at ourselves instead of others. He died this week at the age of 81. The world is a grayer place for his absence.

Sneers: Scott McClellan. One of the least credible and perhaps the most ineffectual White House Press Secretary of record, McClellan seems to have discovered a new, if decidedly sleazy, way to finally get his name back in the news. Unconvincing as Press Secretary, he's even less convincing as an "author."

Cheers: Dianne Odell. The 61-year old woman who spent her life in an iron lung after being afflicted with polio at age 3 died this week when a power failure shut down the machine that kept her alive. During the years of her confinement, Odell managed to get her high school degree, take college courses, and write a children's book.

Sneers: The Hollywood celebrities and other entertainers so eager to tell the rest of us how to live "green," yet who travel the globe in their private jets, indulge themselves with entire fleets of automobiles, and demand outrageous "perks" to be supplied during every appearance or performance. 

Cheers: Members of the clergy and their congregations who have taken steps to bring counseling and financial aid to families in danger of losing their homes through foreclosure and the increasingly depressed housing market. 

Sneers: TV-Land and the kings of sleaze who continue to sink to new lows in their substitution of "reality shows" for quality entertainment. 

BJ  

She Always Wore Red

Jennifer Graham--mother, friend, and embalmer's apprentice--is back! In this second book of the Fairlawn Series, Angela Hunt, author extraordinaire, paints from a wide palette of emotions and gives readers yet another colorful, imaginative, and unpredictable work of art. Jennifer's continuing story will leave you breathless in places, make you smile in others, and probably even prompt you to shed a few tears before you come to the end.

Angie is known for her novels that feature the "unexpected," and She Always Wore Red gives new meaning to her "brand." It takes a writer with a masterful hand and a formidable imagination to deliver a story that probes in-depth emotions and relationships, combined with a light touch of well-timed humor and enough tension to keep readers turning the pages more quickly with each chapter. This is another example of a popular author's keen ability to deliver all the above and even more.

Before I read the first book in the series--Doesn't She Look Natural?--I had to wonder if even Angie could keep me reading a novel with a funeral home setting. Well ... she not only kept me reading, but as I recall, the last page wasn't even cold before I asked her when Book Two was due for release!

Now I'm wondering when I can get my hands on Book Three!

You're going to love this book!

BJ  

  

Memorial Day

"The bugle echoes shrill and sweet, but not of war it sings today. The road is rhythmic with the feet of men-at-arms who come to pray.

The roses blossom white and red on tombs where weary soldiers lie; flags wave above the honored dead and martial music cleaves the sky.

Above their wreath-strewn graves we kneel; they kept the faith and fought the fight. Through flying lead and crimson steel they plunged for Freedom and the Right.

May we, their grateful children, learn their strength, who lie beneath this sod, who went through fire and death to earn at last the accolade of God.

In shining rank on rank arrayed they march, the legions of the Lord; He is their Captain unafraid, the Prince of Peace ... Who brought a sword."

          Joyce Kilmer

__________

Blessings and peace to you and your families throughout this special holiday time of remembrance.

BJ

Prayer for the Steven Curtis Chapman family

The five-year old daughter of Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman lost her life last night in a tragic accident.

Please pray for the family.

BJ

 

Words about the Word

It's no secret to many of you who visit Grace Notes that for many years now I've collected Bibles. Actually, I have only two collections: Bibles and Mac computers--not exactly a close fit, but there you have it.

Although I say I collect Bibles, it's probably more accurate to say I collect "versions" of the Bible. The different versions of the Word are what first drew me to collect various copies. But I also have some "specialty" Bibles that have nothing to do with their versions.

For example, I have the huge "family Bible" my grandfather gave my grandmother not long after they were married in the early 1900s. It's a work of art, it truly is. Embossing, rich, full-color illustrations, pages for family memories and statistics--and enough notes to satisfy the most eager student of the Word.

I also have an 1873 edition of a German "family Bible" that was passed down through my husband's family for years. It's the only Bible I've ever seen with a lock on it. Now why someone would want a Bible that locks, I'm not so sure, but this one locks. It also has "pockets" in the back for a dozen or so family photographs. I can't read it, of course--it was published in German--but my husband can, so he's answered a number of questions for me about some of the "extra features" included.

Both of the above are the kind of Bibles that used to be placed on pedestals in the "parlor" from which children were routinely banned. It's obvious that they were once beautifully bound and illustrated, but the bindings on each now badly need repair. I'm hesitant, though, to do anything that might spoil the original binding, so if any of you know of places that do the sort of work that restores, yet somehow retains, the original binding, I'd love to know about it.

I also have my mother's first Bible, which is in better condition than the older, family Bibles, even though it was much-used and well-marked.

One of the less elaborate "versions" in my collection is a first edition of the esteemed Pearl S. Buck's Story Bible. I found this to be an excellent version to read to our daughters when they were children.

A more contemporary version is The Learning Bible, published by the American Bible Society. This is the Contemporary English Version. Although this is one of the "dynamic equivalence" versions rather than a "formal, word-for-word equivalence" version, it's not a paraphrase. Just an easy to read Bible with an abundance of color illustrations, study helps, lots of articles, its own reading plans, and notes marked with icons for their relevance to geography, objects, history and culture, and other categories. This is much too large for carrying to church or elsewhere, but it's a great resource Bible for amplifying your home study--and it's interesting to just sit down and browse.

I wrote an earlier entry about the Literary Study Bible (English Standard Version), so I won't go into that here, but I've heard from a number of writers and readers who are really enjoying it. The ESV is probably my favorite literal, word-for-word version, and I'm anticipating with great interest the fall release of this same translation in a new study Bible.

My most recent addition to the collection is quickly becoming one of my favorite study Bibles, and that's the New International Version of the Archaeological Study Bible. I opted for the hard cover, large-print edition of this, because the standard font is really small, and if you use your eyes as much as I do, you need a boost when it comes to Bible study. The print isn't actually all that large--it's 11 point, which makes it very readable, but it doesn't "shout" at you. This is just a beautiful, amazingly comprehensive Bible of approximately 2300 pages, including nearly 500 color photographs, great, finely detailed color maps, insights into Scripture's roots, a good NIV concordance, and loads of other fascinating "extras."

Most of the other items in my collection date from the early 20th century (no, I'm not that old ... I'm a collector, remember) up through today, and include one of the first Life Application Bibles to come off the press; an early Thompson Chain-Reference Bible and a few later editions also (I've always been particularly fond of the TCRB, because of its chain method of study rather than the sometimes burdensome, copious footnotes and articles that tend to "clutter" the page (and my mind); and a variety of bindings and versions including the KJV, the NKJV, the NASB, the NRSV, the NLT, the Amplified Bible, the Good News Bible, two first editions of the Open Bible, and others.

One of the most fascinating traits all these versions and editions hold in common is the fact that, no matter the various ways God's Truth is presented, it's still God's Truth ... the Word still stands and shines its Light to the world ... and still draws seeking hearts to His gift of love and eternal life.

I love the Word. I love to feed on it and memorize it and cling to the promises it holds for all of us. May God bless your every reading of it, no matter which translation you choose. 

BJ

Revision & Self-Editing

Are you writing a novel? In the middle or nearing the end of a first draft? Facing yet another long and frustrating process of rewriting and revising your tenth manuscript, dreading it as you always do? Losing sleep and losing your nerve because you love your story but hate the grueling job of whipping it into shape before sending it off to your editor?

Not to worry. There's help. James Scott Bell, Christy Award winning novelist, contributing editor to Writer's Digest,  conference instructor, and author of Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure, recently published a terrific handbook for all writers--novice and experienced novelist alike.

Beginning writers need to learn early in the process that there are certain essentials they must grasp and command if they ever hope to sell. Advanced writers already know they're never finished with mastering the craft: there's always more they need to learn. 

Moreover, in today's crowded, competitive publishing world, there's an ever-increasing need for the serious writer also to be an accomplished self-editor. Editors don't have time and aren't paid to rewrite your manuscript--that's your job.

Plot & Structure makes the process easier and less painful, no matter where you are on the road to publication. The book is arranged in two parts, Part One covers self-editing, and Part Two covers the revision process. Here's a sampling of only a few chapters from both sections: Characters, Plot and Structure, Point of View, Scenes, Dialogue, Beginnings, Middles and Ends, Show vs. Tell, Voice and Style, Setting and Description, a Philosophy of Revision, and a Revision Checklist. The author also provides excellent writing exercises and questions to help you check your progress and comprehension.

I can't think of another author who could make the editing and revision process interesting and even fun, in addition to providing techniques that actually work--but James Scott Bell manages to do just that.

When I referred to Write Great Fiction: Revision & Self-Editing as a "handbook," I meant exactly that. It's a book for the writer to keep close at hand, because you're going to refer to it again and again. Just when you reach the point that you think you've covered all the secrets and richness it has to offer, you're almost certain to come up against a question or a problem you haven't anticipated ... and you're going to reach for this book. Trust me, it will not collect dust on your shelf.

So ... polish and publish, while enjoying the process.

BJ

A Visit with Katy

Sweet Katy McKenna Raymond invited me for a fun visit and interview over at Fallible.com .

For those of you who have read or who are reading Song of Erin, you can see the ancient Irish fort where Terese Sheridan managed to survive the hurricane that opens the book. And if you haven't yet seen the video trailer created for the book, Katy provides a link to it.

Drop by for a visit ...

BJ