CFRR in Review

A month and a half ago I had the wonderful experience of participating in something NEW! If you’ve been on social media, you might have heard about it. At the end of August, the very first Christian Fiction Readers Retreat happened in Nashville, TN.

So…what is CFRR?

At first it was a dream – but with the right people in charge, it became a reality. From a wish whispered to Julie Lessman three years ago by Bonnie Roof, to a treasure-of-an-opportunity in Nashville, TN. Three devoted readers and bloggers decided that there needed to be an opportunity for readers and authors to meet together and mutually encourage, support, and uplift one another.

CFFR was born.

Bonnie from Overcoming with God, Annie from the blog Just Commonly, and Carrie from Reading is my Super Power cast a wide net to gather readers, bloggers, and authors alike to meet to learn, teach, laugh, pray, and worship together. It was such a unique and amazing opportunity.

So I’m going to give you a brief overview.

The theme of the conference was Honoring God Through Christian Fiction

YES! Readers + Authors + Jesus????? Add some chocolate and you have a perfect day! :-)

The atmosphere lit with a beautiful merging of learning, conversations, prayer, prizes, praise, and laughter.

Bonnie, Carrie, and Annie kicked off breakfast by sharing how the Lord blew their socks off with miracles in preparation for the retreat. Authors they never imagined showing up and response from readers that surprised them – definitely pointing to how this retreat as something lots of people had been waiting for!

Debby Giusti started the retreat off right with prayer. Interspersed through the panel discussions, presentations, and speed chats, was some praise time offered by Caryl McAdoo, Melony Teague, and Rachel Dixon.

The dynamic duo of Mary Conneally and Ruth Logan Herne (Seekerville Divas) hosted a presentation on their own writing journies (as well as some hysterical interactions between the two of them), followed by the amazing Julie Lessman, who shared her gripping testimony. Tamera Alexander came next, encouraging authors with her own struggles and successes along the writing journey. 

The first panel discussion included authors Carrie Turansky, Gabe Meyer, Jan Drexler, Jennifer Slatterly, Laura Frantz, and Myra Johnson. They answered questions related to the ‘writer’s life’ – and just proved that even within our sameness there are a lot of differences :-)

After lunch…in a very “Hogwarts looking’ dining room – where I sat with some new friends as well as sharing wonderful space with my lovely Krista Phillips, my adorable Rachael Wing, and my cute & sassy Sarah Monzon, we returned to the main rooms for worship and then back to some fun afternoon activities.

Laura Frantz spoke next, bringing her sweet spirit, fantastic southern accent, and beautiful personality to the audience by asking them questions.

Next was one of those ‘surreal-thank-you-Jesus-for-letting-me-be-here’ moments where I sat on a panel entitled Pucker Up (talking about romance and smooching in fiction). I was on this panel with the following AMAZING authors – Ruth Logan Herne, Melanie Dickerson, Kristi Ann Hunter, Janet Dean, and the ‘kissing queen herself’ Julie Lessman. WOW what fun!!!! I loved chatting about how a kiss is NEVER just a kiss – it should always have much more than just lips-on-lips. (though that part is fun too :-)

A Reader panel gave us authors a chance to hear from our audience about what they enjoy most about stories and authors. Readers like to hear from us, people!! And they want organic books that are realistic.

Speed Chats ensued – where authors moved from group to group like speed dating. So much fun and a great way to get to meet new people.

The next author panel about Imaginary Friends featured Kara Isaacs, Becky Wade, Carrie Fancet Pagels, Sarah Monzon, Dani Pettrey, and Mesu Andrews (who is now in my neck of the woods in western NC :-)

My thoughts:

I LOVE readers!!! Getting to meet readers, engage in conversations, find out what they loved about our stories, made this retreat truly spectacular. That touch point in closing the gap between authors and readers was amazing.

This retreat was the perfect combination of stories, readers, authors, and Jesus. The room exploded with joy and acceptance.

The retreat offered something unique in the realm of Christian fiction. Our writer’s conferences are fantastic, but this opportunity moved our words from a ballroom to an intimate fireside chat.

I can’t wait to experience it again in 2017!!!

In celebration of CFRR, I have a giveway for you!!

Some of the questions asked in the panel discussions are below. Pick TWO and answer to be entered into a CFRR-inspired giveaway!!!!

1.       What was the moment that you KNEW God had called you to write?

2.       What's the funniest/weirdest thing that's happened to you on your writing journey?

3.       Do you prefer stand-alones or series? 

4.       Do you prefer more passion in your books-both spiritually and romantically-or less? 

5.       How do you prefer to interact with your favorite authors? Through social media, or via newsletters?

6.       Speaking of just right, what elements do you think must be in the perfect fictional kiss? 

7.       What's your favorite kissing scene that you've written? 

8.       If your characters could describe YOU as an author, what would they say? 

A winner will be announced next Friday, October 21!!

Kissing Panel Notes - #smoochysmoochy

How many of you stopped by just because of that title? Oh I hope you did!! Because today on The Writer’s Alley we’re going to talk about kissing.

(Just so you know, our very own Amy Leigh Simpson has some GREAT archived posts on kissing too....so if you like this one, you'll definitely want to check hers out ;-)

I have notes from a few experts who converged on Nashville two weeks ago to share their insight on kisses.

If you haven’t heard the first annual Christian Fiction Readers Retreat happened on Nashville on August 24^th. It was a full day event of readers, bloggers, reviewers, and authors – learning, laughing, eating, and hugging! Authors presented and there were several panel discussions.

I was part of the Kissing Panel. Just so everyone knows, there was no kissing involved. Just talking about kissing :-)

Oh yes! And guess who I got to share that amazing panel with???? Are you ready for this (dreamy sigh from my inner fangirl)

Julie Lessman, Ruth Logan Herne, Melanie Dickerson, Kristi Ann Hunter, and Janet Dean!

#pinchme

Anyway, the hostess of the panel (Carrie Schmidt) was kind enough to provide hand fans for the discussion – but let me tell you, despite popular belief the discussion didn’t get TOO spicy (except maybe when Julie Lessman shared examples :-) (no surprise there)

Most of the time, we talked about the heart behind kissing scenes and that goes much deeper than lips on lips.

What do I mean?

There are some very important aspects to writing a good kissing scene and they don’t necessarily focus on the physical contact! (WEIRD, right?)

A great kissing scene eventually involves some healthy smooching, but the reason why the smooching is memorable has less to do with the pucker and more to do with the heart.

You know what I’m talking about?!

If you threw two people on a page together and immediately had them smooching, for no reason whatsoever, that would either be gross, weird, or totally animal-instinct sort of reaction. We would NOT call that romance.

Ah! The key word!

Romance.

All the ladies on the kissing panel write ROMANTIC fiction – and THAT’s what makes their kissing scenes different than the awkward example I mentioned above.

Three keys unlock the door to a beautiful kissing scene.

1.       The Buildup – the ‘story’ behind the kiss is what makes the kiss believable.

How did the story get to this point that a kiss is an organic extension of the moment? Even surprise kisses happen with some sort of ‘background’ to the. If there’s no buildup to the kiss, then the kiss is less believable.

2.       The Characters – the people involved in the kiss is what makes the kiss meaningful.

Would these characters kiss? Is there enough going on emotionally between them to make a kiss the next step to show their affection. Kisses change things. The total dynamic of a relationship changes when two people smooch.

3.       The Description – the description of the kiss is what makes the kiss memorable. 
       This should be your last consideration on the quality of the kiss, because the first two form the basis for this third part of the kiss. The description. One of my heros will respond very differently in a kiss than another one of my heroes. (same for my heroines). The internal responses of the characters from the buildup of the story and their own personal characteristics changes how they’ll physically relate to one another. Will it be hot and heavy? Gentle? Desperate? Slow and easy?

I’m a medium physical descriptor. I give some detail about the physical contact but then leave room for the imagination, but there are plenty of authors who write in different ways. More or less – the first two keys of the kiss have to be present regardless of the physical description level.

So – here’s a sneak peek of a ‘kiss’ from my upcoming November release, The Thorn Healer.

READY?????? First look right here!!!

(setup – August (the hero) told Jessica (the heroine) she’d have to kiss him first because he knows she’s had a really bad experience in the past from an unwanted kiss. He’s just been hit in the head and rendered unconscious for a very short time)

She sighed against his hair, a sudden relief washing over her as she tied the cloth in place. David had been unconscious for a week. A minute or two presented a much better prognosis. August pulled back from her and she placed her hands on his shoulders to help him orient himself. Those periwinkle eyes stared back, clearing with each blink.

            “Jessica?”

            Her name had never sounded so sweet. “Nice to see those eyes, Mr. Reinhold.”

            He squinted and winced, attempting to straighten his back. “What happened?”

            “The rafter beam fell and you pushed me out of the way of it.”

            His gaze rose to hers. “Are you injured?”

            She smiled, softening her hold on his shoulders, and wondered how she ever mistook him for a villain. “Your speedy reaction saved me from any harm, but you? You hit your head, I assume, from coming down hard on the floor.” Her gaze dropped to his chest and her makeshift bandaging skills. “And the beam grazed you with enough force to leave a mark.”

            He touched his forehead, grimacing as his fingers inspected the impressive lump now turning a lovely shade of green, and then he looked down and ran a hand over the cloth across his chest. “You…you did this?”

            “I am a nurse, you know.”

            His smile wobbled into place, and the spark returned to his eyes as he scanned her body. “I am grateful, I’m sure.” He examined a loose piece of the cloth between his fingers. “And this? This was from your petticoat?”

            She crossed her arms, her face warm. “Desperate times, Mr. Reinhold. Your life was much more important than the welfare of my undergarment.”

            His brow tipped in that attractive way of his and she prepared for the impish aftermath. “I’ve been wrapped in your petticoats? I believe a wedding is necessary now.”

            Jess stood to hide her smile. “You, August Reinhold, are an incorrigible flirt.”

            He struggled to stand so she braced his arms with her hands and assisted him the remainder of the way. His muscles flexed beneath her touch, budding the awareness of his shirtless form with a bit more potency. They stood close, much too close for a bare-chested man who was unashamedly wearing pieces of her petticoat.

            “Only with the right woman who is in desperate need of an incorrigible flirt.”

            She fought the urge to look away and instead, stared back, drinking in the sight of him, whole and somewhat safe. In fact, besides the knot swelling on his forehead in brilliant colors, his appearance left a feverish wave running through her body. Or perhaps it radiated from his skin, infecting hers with an intoxicating need to feel encapsulated by his strength one more time.

            “I think you’re going to be fine,” she whispered, her gaze dropping to his lips.

            “No, I still suffer from an ailment only you can cure, Mause.”

            “Do you?” She swallowed her fear and edged a step closer into the foggy heat. “I’m afraid your malady requires training for which I’m ill-equipped.”

            “I suspect you are a quick study.” The tenor in his voice reverberated low.

            She touched his cheek. “Not as quick about things of the heart, I’m afraid.”

            “Then take your time. I’m a willing patient.”

            He didn’t hurry her, made no movement to rush but merely stood there, waiting for her initiation, bending slightly to give her more ready access to the items of her fascination—his lips.      She drew close enough to feel his breath on her mouth, and she hesitated, flipping her gaze from his lips to those eyes. His brow rose in question, but otherwise, he didn’t move an inch, and she smiled, finishing the distance.

            His lips were soft and warm beneath hers, sweet and inviting. She waited for the fear to overrun the curiosity, but it didn’t. Instead, he gently stroked her lips with his own, ever so slightly. She pulled back to take in a breath and check his status. Did his pulse pound in his ears too? Was breathing becoming increasingly more difficult? He opened his eyes and looked at her with such tenderness, such life, it welcomed her to bridge the gap for another sampling. She cradled his face in both hands and brought her lips to his again.

Okay, you’ll have to read the book to find out how all this turned out ;-)

Any advice you want to add to the kissing panel? I’m all ears and I’ll even blow you a kiss for your thoughts :-)

***************************************************************

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of 5 great kids, speech-pathologist to about fifty more, lover of chocolate, jazz, and Jesus. Her debut historical novel, The Thorn Bearer, released in May 2015 and has garnered awards such as Reader's Favorites Award, finalist in the Grace Awards, shortlisted for the Inspy Awards, and most recently a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards. Her second historical novel, The Thorn Keeper, released in Feb 2016 and her first contemporary romance, A Twist of Faith, released in April 2016 with a 4 star review from Romantic Times. The third book in the Penned in Time series, The Thorn Healer, releases in November, and Pepper has more books planned to arrive in 2017 – so stay tuned!!

Tips to Treasure with Melanie Dickerson

Melanie Dickerson has made a name for herself in YA as well as with many adult readers. Her fantastic retellings of fairytales bring realistic heartwarming details to our childhood imaginations. (Not to mention her bookcovers are phenomenal!!!! Absolutely stellar)

So lets hear from Melanie.

Who has been one of your favorite heroines to read?

I would have to go with Elizabeth Bennet. She was fun and confident and Mr. Darcy’s perfect match. I also love India Opal from Because of Winn-Dixie. She was delightfully quirky, and she made me cry and wasn’t even trying.

Who has been one of your favorite heroines to write?

You sure know how to ask a hard question. But I do believe my favorite heroines to write are the two I’m writing now. One is Leorah

Gilchrist, the heroine in my second Regency, because she’s so confident and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, and she’s really sweet. The second one is Lady Margaretha from my Frog Prince story, my 5th Medieval fairy tale retelling, because she’s funny and doesn’t know it. She talks too much, and she misunderstands a lot of things. She’s just fun to write.

Sounds to me like the day is full of humor - so let's hear your take on it.

What is one humorous character you've enjoyed reading and what made them so funny or likeable? 

What's Up the Street Next Week?

It's a fabulous weekend in Iowa as the AlleyCats have their FIRST annual Alley Cat retreat!!


In celebration of our fun, we're offering another fabulous week of giveaways and guests for you.


Monday - Denise Hunter chats about Writing Heroes.


Tuesday - Laura Frantz gives us some tips on writing spell-binding heroines


Wednesday - Verses to encourage your writing - from various authors


Thursday - Melanie Dickerson brings us tips on how to write heroines.


Friday - We end with more Hero Talk from Jody Hedlund

Make sure to stop by for chances to win fabulous books and enjoy some healthy encouragement along the way!

Perseverance with Melanie Dickerson

Thanks to Pepper Basham for inviting me today, that amazing writer/mom of 5/pastor’s wife/full-time teacher/soon-to-be Professor Dr. Pepper. (Sorry Pepper, I couldn’t resist!) Pepper is a fun person to be around, and I believe she must be really energetic to keep up with so many different things. She has talent in abundance, but aside from boundless energy and talent, I submit to you that the most valuable characteristic she has is perseverance.



Perseverance is perhaps the most necessary thing for a writer trying to get published, simply because one never knows how long it’s going to take. You can be the most talented writer in the world, but if you’re not willing to learn a few basic rules and principles about writing fiction, how to submit to publishers, and to keep submitting when the rejections come, you will never get published.


The publishing world is hard to break into. There are so many reasons a publisher might reject your work. Some reasons may seem obscure, and other may seem reasonable and understandable, but the reasons are legion, I’m afraid. More than I even have to go into in this blog post. This is something we as writers must accept and not get too caught up in. I’ve seen authors spend their time railing against the injustices of publishers and their seemingly random reasons for rejecting manuscripts, but let’s face it. That isn’t doing them any good.


A writer’s best friend is perseverance.


If at first you don’t succeed … I wrote a few short stories and articles for children when I first started writing, and the first short story never got published, but a couple of the others did. I kept sending them out until they sold. I learned so much from that experience. I learned that there are many, many reasons that a story may get rejected. A rejection doesn’t necessarily mean “Your writing stinks.”


When I started my first novel about six years ago, I was confident it would get published. But when I went to my first ACFW conference and found out that nobody wanted my missionary story, that publishers just weren’t publishing missionary stories, I realized I was probably going to have to write something else if I wanted to get published.

Did I try to find out what the publishers were looking for, the popular genres of the day? No, I wasn’t that smart. I started writing a book that had been haunting me for months. A Medieval fairy tale retelling romance for Young Adults. Well, at my next conference, I found out CBA publishers weren’t publishing a lot of YA’s, they didn’t publish romance for YA at all, they believed Medievals didn’t sell well, and there were absolutely no fairy tale retellings in all of CBA, as far as anyone knew. My book had absolutely nothing going for it.



Long story short, I didn’t give up on that book. I kept revising it, learning all I could about writing and editing. I sent query letters and proposals, per the guidelines on agents’ and publishers’ websites, and after two years, I finally found an agent brave enough to take on my Medieval YA fairy-tale-retelling romance. Meantime, I had written a second Medieval YA fairy-tale-retelling romance. My agent sent the first one out to nearly every CBA publisher in the business but one by one they all rejected it. Finally, when it seemed all hope was lost, I saw that the YA editor at Zondervan was open to historicals, so I asked my agent to send The Healer’s Apprentice to her. And the rest, as they say, is history. But it took three years and a lot of perseverance.



What causes a person to persevere against seemingly impossible odds? How can you get this thing called perseverance? I remember Dr. James Dobson talking about how he had been picked on a lot as a kid, and he believed his drive to succeed in life had a lot to do with his desire to show those other kids, the ones who’d picked on him, that he could be successful.



I did want to prove that I could be a successful writer. I may not have admitted it, even to myself, but I wanted validation. I wanted to show that all those people who had rejected me were wrong. I wanted to show my husband and family that all the sacrifices were not in vain. I felt a drive inside me to succeed.



But I have seen that kind of drive get people, me included, into trouble, cause them to fall into sin, like pride and jealousy and envy. It’s not wrong to want to succeed, but we must always let God guide us. We must humbly submit our drive to God and let Him tell us which direction to go, how to have balance in our lives, when to write and when to spend time with our family or friends. And we must always confess our pride, jealousy or envy to God and let Him take it from our hearts, because those emotions are so destructive. And yet they are almost inevitable in this business. We must constantly remind ourselves to “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.” And we must ask God to help us not compare ourselves to other people, which always leads to either pride or jealousy.



Were there ever times that I wanted to quit? Oh yes. I asked God to let me quit and do something else, to give me a job that would bring in actual money and would make me feel productive and give me some validation. But always, and in different ways, God told me to keep writing. And He still tells me that.



Because let me tell you, the need for perseverance doesn’t go away when you get published. There have been many times when I asked God, Why am I doing this? A few months after The Healer’s Apprentice was released, my publisher did a week-long promotion giving away my book as a free download. Already my book was getting some really negative reviews from people who didn’t realize it was a Christian book. Being a fairy tale retelling, the title and the cover, all appealed to people in the mainstream. Amazon was flooded with negative reviews, people speculating about me, insinuating things about me that weren’t true, attacking not only my story and my writing but also me as a person.


I was devastated. But eventually, perseverance kicked in. I realized so many things, not the least of which is that it’s not about me. It’s about God and what he wants to do. And I know God won’t let me quit.


So perseverance is vitally important. If you don’t have any, get some! Prayer is the key to that. The three P’s I like to stress are Perseverance, Priority, and Prayer. But that is fodder for another blog post.

May God bless your writing!

**********************************************************************

Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer's Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of The National Reader's Choice Award for Best First Book. She earned her bachelor's degree in special education from The University of Alabama. She has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee, and English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at www.melaniedickerson.com.

When Joy Spills Over - Celebrating Your Friend's Success

Hi everyone. Pepper here and I'm filling in for Wendy whose family is dealing with the first snowstorm of the season (which means no power) AND her family can't even go home yet. So I'm sure she'd appreciate your prayers as they transition and wait.

Yesterday Melanie Dickerson sent me a sweet thank you note for celebrating her upcoming release, The Merchant's Daughter, and posting about it on FB. (Isn't that a fabulous cover!!) Her gratitude warmed my heart and reminded me about why it's so important to celebrate our writing friends's sucesses because eventually the joy spills over on us.

We live in a dog eat dog world – or so I’m told. Gone are the days of ‘good will toward men’ or a random act of kindness. Some say true gentlemen are extinct and the majority rule is ‘look out for number 1’.


Besides the fact that if I only looked out for ‘number 1’ there would be a whole lot more car accidents, greater job openings (because loads of people would be fired), more homeless children, a higher divorce rate, and hospitals full of patients who have nobody to care for them, the world would be a emotionally parched place.

We’re surrounded by other people. Unless we’re hermits in the Himalayas, people are going to be a part of our lives whether we like it or not. Even in the Himalayas there might be an occasional ‘lost hiker’ :-)

And as writers in an increasingly competitive profession, it’s pretty easy to become stingy with our congratulations and celebrating. Envy, jealousy, or hurt feelings can pull us from our focus and send us spiraling into a pouting place.

But as Christians we have a few secret weapons in this battle. God has given us His spirit of generosity and He also helps us to cultivate a thankful heart. Left up to us, we’d be pretty helpless and doing this, but because God knows we’re woefully unprepared, His Spirit gives us the strength to do what we can’t on our own.

So – how do we celebrate with others? How do we allow their joy to spill over on us?

1. Remind yourself of God’s great love for you – Hebrew 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

2. Remind yourself of the calling He’s put on your life (not just the call to love others, but the call to write. Ephesians 1:18 -19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

3. Remind yourself of God’s perfect plan in His perfect time – Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose

4. Remind yourself to be thankful – Colossians 2:6 -7 - So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness

5. Remember to pray for others, because in doing so you are opening up God’s joy to spill out on your heart through prayer. We’re getting our minds off of ourselves.

Life is more wonderful when we fill it with good things – and that especially includes our thoughts.

What an honor to celebrate with our friends? To find the joy in the moment with them.

Even if we still have to fight the ‘green eyed monster’ from my last post, we have to weapons to fight it. Weapons straight from the Joy-Author himself.

Next time you're tempted, let the joy spill over on you. Celebrate with those writers. Dance with them. Shout with them.

And some day – in God’s good timing, they can celebrate with us.

****************************************************************************
This blog post by
Pepper D. Basham

 
 
Photos courtesy of:
http://thisisnotabout.me/
 
http://www.hydratedliving.com/

What's Up the Street For Next Week?

Time to celebrate that cold, white stuff that’s causing a lot of fuss and confusion right now across the U.S. Snow!


Aren’t you just loving it?!? If you didn’t get to see the great pics that Mary put up on her post, go here. Wowzers.

Christmas is on the way.

And speaking of Christmas – we have a gift to give out today. Colleen Coble’s The Lightkeeper’s Bride goes to Jill W! Congrats, Jill.

Send me an email with your snail mail to pepperbasham(at)yahoo(dot)com

And for this week – Oh, it’s a REAL treat!!!! Are you ready?!? Melanie Dickerson’s debut novel, The Healer’s Apprentice. Yes, oh YES!!! For your chance to win, leave the name of your favorite fairytale and your email address! Good luck!

So, what’s going on this week?

Monday - Angie starts off the week with a sparkle in her eye...er...wait! With a sparkle at the end of her pen. Stop in to learn about A Writers Twinkling Personalities

Tuesday - Grab a tissue box and computer. Julia talks about the healing power and creativity of writing through the grieving process. Don’t miss it.

Wednesday - While SOMEONE is braving the snows in Paris this week , no names mentioned – SARAH- she’s leaves us wondering if she’ll drop in Wednesday for a taste of Paris. I love suspense, don’t you? Oh la la. Stop in to find out!!

Thursday - The leash is on for Thursday. Let Wendy take the lead as she talks about Who’s Walking Who? How Writing is Like Walking a Dog.

Friday - Cindy’s going to chat about those pesky characters today. (whispering) You know the ones who kind of barge into the middle of the book? Yeah, we all have them. Make sure you check out what she has to say about their grand and pushy entrances :-)

Alley Cat Newstand

Learn more about Hannukkah at http://mimaryvee.blogspot.com/

Pepper’s posting a Christmas series called Christ in the Carols. You can check it out on her blog, Words Seasoned With Salt .

Links to Visit

James Scott Bell was the guest on Rachelle Gardner’s blog this week. His post was really helpful, and gave some good info about agents. Check it out at http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2010/12/agents-got-heart.html

Hope to see you this week. In the meantime, may your days be merry and bright.