- erynnmangum@gmail.com

My story …. plus a GIVEAWAY!

Well guys, we are drawing Fall Fiction Frenzy to a close! Tomorrow, I’ll draw all of the winners – including the winner of the Old Navy gift card. So be sure to get your comments in by 6PM pacific time!! 🙂

Today, I want to do things a little differently! Obviously, I won’t interview myself (though I do tend to talk to myself quite a bit – particularly when trying to figure out what I’m going to wear that day), but I did want to answer a few of the more popular questions I get asked frequently in emails. And, side note, if you have a question for me, please don’t hesitate to email me! I’m not the best at responding, but I am trying to get better. Having a 15-month old who can’t seem to play by himself without getting in tremendous trouble makes it kind of difficult. 😉

Will there be a fourth Lauren Holbrook novel?

Sorry guys – unless I get a surprise call from NavPress, I’m not expecting to write a fourth Lauren Holbrook novel. But I do love the way it ended – I feel like it closed most strings and left a few open for your imaginations. 🙂

I want to be a writer – what should I do?

First, I hope that this current series is helping a little bit! Every writer has a different story of how they got published – I LOVE that because it just shows how uniquely God has planned each person’s life!

As far as practical suggestions, I would recommend checking out one of the excellent Christian writing organizations – The Christian Writers Guild or the American Christian Fiction Writers. They both offer fabulous annual conferences with great speakers, information-overloaded workshops and LOTS of opportunities to meet with publishers and pick editors’ brains. I hope you noticed how many of the people I interviewed got published because of one of these conferences!

Also, the Christian Writer’s Guild offers correspondence courses. I’ve graduated from both the Apprentice and Journeyman courses and they were excellent. I saw HUGE improvements in my writing!

How do you plot your books? How do you come up with your characters?

I don’t plot, actually. 🙂 I have a basic idea of a story I want to write, I sit down at my laptop, type “Chapter One” and go from there. It makes it interesting for me everyday because I never know exactly what is going to happen.

Characters are almost the same story as plotting. I know the basic details – name, approximate age, occupation. Then I learn everything as I go. Lauren Holbrook showed herself to be a caffeine-addict and chocoholic very quickly. Maya Davis had a sweet, tender heart that I discovered along the way. Kate Carter had a way of looking at the world that was SO different than anyone I’d ever written about before!

The key to characterization is to think about whether or not YOU would be friends with whoever you’re writing about. Do they seem real? Do they have faults and quirks and annoying habits? Do they struggle with something?

Are you anything like your characters?

A little bit of me ends up in every character I write. Lauren’s caffeine habit was definitely true of me – particularly at that stage in my life. When I wrote about her, I was also living at home, I was also very involved in a singles’ Bible study that was quickly becoming the Young Marrieds, and I still do love to watch movies (though, I don’t get to as much and when I do get the chance, I usually end up falling asleep!). 🙂

I feel like whatever I’m currently learning in my walk with God always, always ends up in my stories – even if I never intended them to go that direction. Maya’s struggle with learning to trust God with her future was a HUGE struggle for me as well – I was newly married, we were pretty much broke and Jon hadn’t gotten hired on as a teacher yet. We learned a TON about trusting God that summer!! I finished the series when I found out I was pregnant with Nathan and again, I had to trust that He cared not only for me, but also for my unborn child.

Do you have as much fun as your characters do?

Yes. 🙂

Will you reply to my email?

Oh you guys! I so wish I could reply to every email I get! I hate, HATE not having the time to do that! Please know that I do read every email and every single one is SO wonderful to read. You guys are the BEST readers any writer could ever ask for! I am seriously trying my best to write everyone back, you just may not get a response for a few months. 🙁 Between trying to get my writing done, trying my best to be a good mama to my son and a good wife to my husband, as well as have time to spend with Christ, go grocery shopping, clean the house, cook dinner, etc, etc, I just don’t have the time I used to. I am SO sorry. But I do hope to write you all back very soon!!

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Guys, I absolutely LOVE having the opportunity to do this little series!! I hope that you have all enjoyed it as much as I have!

Today, I’ve got one last book giveaway! I’m going to be giving away the winner’s choice of any of my novels. 🙂 One last reminder – only one comment per person, please leave some sort of identifying information and lastly, have fun! Every comment over these last two weeks enters you in the big drawing for the Old Navy gift card as well! And if you haven’t had the chance to comment on the other posts yet, hurry and go do it! I’ll be drawing the winners tomorrow night!

Today’s comment question: If you could steal anyone’s hairstyle, whose would it be and what would it look like?

See you tomorrow for the drawing!
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46 thoughts on “My story …. plus a GIVEAWAY!”

  1. I thought Kristen Wiig's hair do was super cute in the movie "Bridesmaids," short and naturally wavy. I would want something like that, easy to fix up nicely but still cute pulled back in a ponytail, you know: the mom-do 🙂

  2. I would want hair like Maya Davis! In the book you talk about how it curls all crazy but I picture it looking like she didn't spend much time on it but it still looks great!! I just think it's sobcute even though I've never really seen it outside of my thoughts!!(:

  3. Great question once again!

    I have been thinking about my next hairstyle all week! I'm trying to grow it out so that I can donate it to Locks of Love again, but I am getting annoyed with it.
    I wish I had natural big (not tight and small) curls…that stayed in place all day. LOL! Wishful thinking.

    laurelprincess12 at gmail dot com

  4. I'm not being a suck-up, but I would totally steal your hair as it is in your publicity photos!!
    Either yours or my friend's (whose hair is actually quite similarly styled)

    joyfuljewelz (at) gmail.com

  5. What a good question, because my "hair style" is just throwing my hair up into a pony tail…

    But anyway, if I had the time/ability to style my hair, I would love to have a style like Emma Stone. Because, 1) she's a redhead (like me!) and 2) I always think that soft curls are SO pretty. 🙂

  6. Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. So soft and wavy, and it frames her face beautifully. Of course I would also like to wake up, and it already be fixed for me. (:

  7. I would absolutely love to have Taylor Swift's super curly hair, except dark brown. I think extreme curls are adorable, but brunette hair is my favorite 🙂

  8. I have always been a little jealous of my cousin's beautiful thick, strawberry blonde hair, so I will say hers.

    Holly
    oceandreamerfla(at)aol(dot)com

  9. I love Reese Witherspoon's hair! I am blonde too and I have used pictures of her hairstyles to try to get the same cut several times. 🙂

  10. I think that for just a day, I'd choose one of my students' really boingy hair, after that I'd pick some long STRAIGHT hair (that doesn't take an hour with a straightener). Thanks for this fabulous fall fiction frenzy…it's been fun.

  12. I'd would want Taylor Swift's hair. Not blond. Just the way it looks. I have hair like Maya Davis. And I would just LOVE if my hair could be long, curly, and wavy again without being…my hair. All crazy. I like the wavy/curly, did nothing and it looks awesome look. Would love to have it.

  13. I would love hair like Pink. I've never been brave enough to cut my hair like that, but I've always wanted to and I think it would look really cute.

  15. I would like a hairstyle that looks good in a ponytail, mines always seems to look like a mess after the end of the day, I also think I would like to change up the color maybe, a hint of red, I'm not really sure

  17. Hi Erynn!!! I LOVE your books! Thanks for this fun contest!!! I don't know who's hair I would steal, but I would want super long, thick hair with ringlets!!!! LOL 😉 Thanks again!!

  19. Lately I would have Quinn from Glee's hair from this season. So cute and fun. I hate long hair on me because mine is really thick and curly so it's so much easier to do when it's short. 🙂
    ~Sarah

    Ps, I loved this interview! You are so cute!

  20. oh wow steal anyones hair style! Gosh, who do I pick? I would probably have to say that I would take Anne Hathaway's curls in a heartbeat. Long, loose, spirally curls – yes please!

  21. Jennifer Aniston. I have always loved her hair – long, simple, classic… I always seem to tote along a pic of her when I go to the hairdresser!

  22. My favorite hairstyle would probably be Emma Watson's. She always has amazing up-dos or really long, pretty hair, even her pixie cut is cute!

  23. I would definitely steal Kiera Knightly's hair! I thought it was completely adorable when she had it medium length, wavy blond with lowlights. I have to say that I've coveted it many times 🙂

  27. I'm a day late on this one, but I'll answer anyway. I also would pick the Duchess of Cambridge's hair. It always looks so healthy and gorgeous. Thanks for this series, Erynn! Very enjoyable! 🙂

  28. So, I hope you don't think this is too crazy but I actually took a picture of your hairstyle to my hairdresser! It looks like we have a similar hair texture and I think it's a cute and easy to maintain style 🙂

  32. I don't mind how my hair is now however in a few years when I start to gray I wish I could have hair like Diane Keaton in the movie "Family Stone". If I had a few hours to give you everyday Erynn, I would, just to see this Fall Frenzy series continue. I've had fun getting to know some favorite authors and learning about others along the way. Thanks!

  33. Recently I tried getting a haircut like some celeb I found on Google (haha). It didn't quite turn out. Oh well. Hair grows!

  37. I love most of Meg Ryan's hairstyles! (I say most because for a time she had that whole mullet phase for awhile but thankfully that ended well.)

  39. I'd probably pick my sister's hair, since I know it really is that easy to style. It has a natural wave and curls really well when she wants it to, but straightens easily too. It's also very thick. (If I win something based on this comment, I don't have to share with her, do I? After all – she has the good hair!!!) 🙂

  40. Hmmm. Maybe my friend Janice or Tammy's. They both have hair that doesn't frizz or poof, looks nice short and long and they look great even if they don't spend time on it. Or my sister's ringlety hair. Hmm. Some hair style that can decide if it wants to be straight or curly. But I'll keep my blonde color.
    Thanks for doing this, Erynn – I'm glad to meet some new authors.
    And the word verifications are always entertaining too – today is glayadd.

  42. It has been so much fun! Thanks for all the awesome interviews {not to mention the giveaways 🙂 } I love the haircut I have now,but if I changed it radically, I like Taylor Swifts Pretty well 🙂

  44. I love Dianna Agron's (Quinn from Glee) new short hair style 🙂 In a way I have kinda stolen it though, by getting my hair cut short and layered at the front (keeps my bangs under control). But its not layered as much as hers! My hair is really thick but the strands are fine so the longer it is the harder it is to manage (and wash).

  45. I loved Jennifer Lopez's long curls in The Wedding Planner–especially the part where she and Matthew M. are dancing and she has the sides pulled up with cute curls in the back. So pretty and girly.

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