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!

Guys, I need to introduce you to my amazing Australian friend, Rel.

I get a ton of emails asking me how to get involved in reviewing books. Rel has been running Relz Reviewz for a while now and she’s now one of the best (not just in my opinion!) book bloggers for the Christian fiction market out there.

Plus, she’s Australian.

I think I might have mentioned that already, but it is very important. 😉

And she’s just about the nicest person I’ve never actually met. Are y’all seeing a trait when it comes to being a writer? How all of your friends are just pictures you see on the internet and signatures on emails??

Anyway, here we go! 🙂

@font-face { font-family: “Wingdings”; }@font-face { font-family: “Cambria”; }@font-face { font-family: “Arial Unicode MS”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Erynn: You blog about books which is SO cool. Tell us how you got started. Rel: I began by writing a few reviews for my local Christian bookstore and started my blog, Relz Reviewz, to have a record of them. I stumbled across the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and began reviewing books for blog tours and subsequently publishers, publicists and authors. I couldn’t have imagined that five years on I would be turning away books due to an overload of books! I used to read. Then I had a baby and even a shopping list seems like reading overload. How long did it take you to build up a blog audience? Honestly, I haven’t really paid much attention to that aspect of my blog. My passion is to share great books and authors with my readers by way of reviews, author interviews and character spotlights and somehow, in doing that, I have been blessed by people reading my thoughts and those of the authors that I highlight on my blog. I’m still amazed that I have an audience at all – LOL! It has steadily built up over the past five years. I love my readers and appreciate every comment I receive. 🙂 I think this is awesome. What genre do you most love to read? Romantic suspense is my favourite ~ high on the suspense with a subtle but meaningful romance. That said, other than sci-fi, I read and enjoy all genres. Any books that just released you’d highly recommend? That’s asking for trouble!! LOL! I’ll try to keep it to a minimum! Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig The Colonel’s Lady by Laura Frantz Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh The Doctor’s Lady by Jody Hedlund Torrent by Lisa T Bergren (Waterfall & Cascade are must reads first!) And…….Sketchy Behavior by one Erynn Mangum!! Aww, now I’m blushing. Thanks Rel! How do you develop contacts with publishers and authors? You need to show publishers and authors you are serious about blogging and reviewing and you are not just in it for a free book! Book blogging is very time intensive and accordingly significant commitment is required. Reviewing books you already have or have borrowed from the library is a good place to start. Publishers and authors need to see that you are writing genuine reviews before they will be willing to send books your way. Join some of the publishers’ book blogger programs and establish your credentials with some well written reviews. Once you have a “folio” of reviews you will be in a better position to approach authors or publishers directly (if that option is available). All this great info!! So, now the most important question of all… What is your favorite hot drink? Hot water with a squeeze of lemon! Strange, I know, but coffee and tea just don’t do it for me ;-D I think the problem is you just need to come here for a bit and I’ll treat you to a Pumpkin Spice Latte. 🙂 For my readers who would like to start their own blog reviewing books, what is the one most important thing they should do? Write honest, well written reviews that are respectful even when offering a criticism of the writing. Do you ever get sick of reading? 🙂
No, but sometimes it is lovely to just read a book I don’t have to review! It is a more relaxing read 🙂 I bet! You live in Australia, which makes me incredibly jealous. What’s the best thing about living there? Mmmm…..that could be a long list, too! I love that as a culture we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we can laugh at ourselves, fabulous open spaces, beaches and, of course, vegemite! I am on my way to Google “vegemite”. Any additional advice for readers wanting to know more about review blogging? Check out some of the established book review blogs around and see how they do things on their blogs. Think about the focus for your blog ~ do you want to review Christian Fiction or have a YA focus? Write a review policy that reflects your individual requirements. Never, never give away spoilers in a review! Finally, love what you do! Thanks Erynn ~ loved the questions and hope my answers are of some help to your readers :)Thank you so much, Rel!! I hope that those of you who are interested in book blogging learned a lot! So, you guys know the drill now – leave a comment on this post to win an autographed copy of Sketchy Behavior!! And remember, every comment left during Fall Fiction Frenzy enters you to win the Old Navy gift card!Please, guys, only one comment per person. Today’s comment question: If you could buy only one thing for your house or future home, and money was not an issue, what would it be?

Welcome to another edition of Fall Fiction Frenzy!

So, I have to introduce you to my friend Christa Banister. She’s another one of my fellow Scribble Chicks and she’s got one of the coolest jobs in the writing industry – she’s paid to go watch movies! Granted, she’s not just sitting there with popcorn (that I know of).

I’m so glad Christa decided to drop by today!

Me: Ok. We have to know. What’s your favorite kind of cheesecake?

Christa: Pumpkin and any Italian cheesecake where they use mascarpone instead of cream cheese. It makes it so much lighter in texture and so incredibly delicious.

Drooling now. Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing.

I’ve been obsessed with writing ever since my grandfather started reading to me. I think my first “book” was about a turtle named Buddy who went to a birthday party. Why that wasn’t the biggest book of my career, I’ll just never know! Ha ha. In all seriousness, I knew I wanted to be a writer when I read my first Judy Blume book, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I figured if Judy got paid to write crazy imaginative stories for a living, well, then that’s exactly what I wanted to do. So I wrote for the school newspaper, treasured every creative writing class I took, read everything that even remotely interested me and eventually majored in Journalism. After college, I moved from Minneapolis to Nashville and started working my way up at the magazine I always dreamed of writing for. After five and half years there, I launched my own freelance writing company and review movies, music and books, write for several magazines and had my first two novels published in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Oh! I loved Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing! Fudge. That was the brother, right? Speaking of, Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin cookie?

Mmm, can I have an oatmeal raisin cookie with chocolate chips in it?

Why not? So, any new books coming out or in the process of coming out?

I’m working on my third novel, Tuesday Nights in Italia, as we speak, which has been totally been this labor of love. After working on a couple different book ideas, this was the one I fell in love with, and I love seeing the story unfold day by day.

What a great title! What is your least favorite part of writing?

Transcribing the interviews that’ll eventually be the quotes in my articles.

Tell us a little about the genre you write in. Why did you pick that route?

I write what I call romantic comedies in novel form. I love to play with this format because it’s a perfect match for my voice, plus it’s a genre I enjoy reading myself. The title I’m working on now, however, is more in the woman’s fiction category, and I love the freedom it’s given me to switch things up, which has been a refreshing change of pace.

I love that – it’s so important to write something that you would enjoy reading. So, what is your favorite part of writing?

Well, everything. Characters. Dreaming up crazy plot lines. Creating the perfect setting. Finding the perfect word to encapsulate what you’re thinking. Yeah, I’m a total writing geek.

Ha! 🙂 Favorite character you’ve ever written?

Probably Lucinda Buffington, the boss of Sydney Alexander, my protagonist in Around the World in 80 Dates and Blessed Are the Meddlers. I love her warped sense of reality and how high-maintenance she is. But at the very core of her (and really, only a few people have ever seen this side of her), she’s a decent human being with the same hopes and fears as everyone else. But her voice is just so much fun to write because she’s sort of ridiculous.

Got any advice for prospective authors?

Read. A LOT! Great writers are readers, so read everything in the genre you want to write in and put your own spin on it. Also, don’t be afraid of rejection—it’s even happened to your favorite author. Everything worth doing is worth fighting for, so if you want to write a novel, work on it diligently and don’t give up!

GREAT advice! Ok. You’ve got one minute to grab whatever you can at Target and money is no object. What do you buy?

Wow, how did you know that I’m a Target-o-holic? I’d head over to the section with all the dishes, candles and homey-type things and grab all the latest patterns. They always have the cutest stuff for your home at Target, so I’d go crazy and redecorate a bit.

Love it! Thanks so much for the interview, Christa!

Christa is being WAY generous and giving away a copy of her book, Around the World in 80 Dates today! Every comment gets a chance to win – and don’t forget the rules! One comment per person, please. And remember, every comment over these next two weeks gets you a chance to win the Old Navy gift card!

Today’s comment question: If you had to pick, would you want a star or a street named after you and why?

Some people have amazing stories of how they got published. Like the one I heard one time about the author who hit someone with his car. The other driver turned out to be an editor, the author told the editor his five-minute pitch while they were waiting for the police and then got signed to the publishing house a little later.

DISCLAIMER: I do not recommend plowing down editors in your car in attempts to get your book published.

While my friend C.J. Darlington doesn’t have quite such a dramatic story of publication, she does have a very fun one! She’s the co-founder of TitleTrakk.com – one of the absolute best Christian review sites out there. But, she also wanted to be a novelist and in 2008, she submitted her novel, Thicker than Blood, to the Christian Writer’s Guild Operation Novel contest. It won and she got signed with Tyndale. Wow!!

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C.J.: Triple grande cappuccino. Sometimes I order with sugar free caramel or vanilla flavoring too. Yummy!
Oo. That does sounds really good! Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing.
I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. I think that’s what really spurred on my writing. I too wanted to tell stories like the authors I read. I actually dabbled in guitar and oil painting as well but was never completely satisfied with them. I realized later both were attempts to tell stories, but nothing clicked like writing fiction. When I was a teen I discovered you could actually learn how to write better through instruction books, and I devoured every one I could get my hands on. Through years of practice and plenty more reading I was blessed to have my work published. My first short story was accepted for publication when I was eighteen. Little victories like that helped me stick with writing until eventually my first novel, Thicker than Blood, was published by Tyndale House.
Such an amazing story! I love how you mentioned that writers tend to also be creative in other ways as well! Summer or winter – which one do you prefer?
If I can’t have fall, hands down I’d pick winter. I am not a heat/humidity kind of gal! I’d rather bundle up.

Yay! Me too! With a hot cup of coffee, preferably. Any new books out or in the process of coming out?
My latest novel is Bound by Guilt, which released this past spring. It’s the story of a troubled teen named Roxi Gold who finds herself on the wrong side of the law. She’s searching for love and acceptance, and through her journey I hope readers will catch a glimpse into God’s heart for those like her. I’m currently writing my third novel. Hopefully I’ll finish it up before year’s end!
I absolutely love your novels! I love how real your characters are. What is your least favorite part of writing?
Plotting doesn’t usually come easily for me. Once I have an idea of where I want to go, the writing flows so much more smoothly. Problem is, I’m not an outliner, so most of the time I’m discovering things right alongside the reader. That often makes for some cool serendipitous moments, but it’s also frustrating at times. But really… if writing were easy, everyone would do it.
Love hearing that you aren’t an outliner either. I think it makes writing so much more interesting for the author! Tell us a little about the genre you write in. Why did you pick that route?
I never consciously chose to write in the contemporary fiction genre. It just so happens the stories that spoke to my heart fit into that genre. Often I’ll sprinkle in elements of other genres, like suspense or YA, into my stories. I write the stories God puts in my heart and let the genre chips fall as they may.
That’s exactly what I tell everyone who asks me what genre is selling – you’ve got to write what you feel God is calling you to write, not what is currently selling. So, what is your favorite part of writing?
When the picture in my head ends up appearing on the page exactly like I envisioned it. This usually doesn’t come on the first draft, or even the second or third. Most times it takes lots of editing and tweaking and honing to get it right. But when I’m done, it’s thrilling when a scene really works.
I love that feeling? Care to share who’s your favorite character you’ve ever written?
Roxi Gold is one of my favorites for sure. She’s so vulnerable and yet shows a great deal of strength throughout the story of Bound by Guilt. Another favorite is Beth Eckert, the young veterinarian from my first novel Thicker than Blood (and who also has a cameo in Bound by Guilt). I had a lot of fun writing her!
Got any advice for prospective authors?
Write the story of your heart. Don’t worry about markets, editors, or readers. At least not when you’re first starting out. There’ll be plenty of time for that later. But if you’re not passionate about a story, it will show on the page. And remember—writing is an apprenticeship. Go in knowing it can take years to be published and you won’t be as discouraged on the hard days.
Wonderful, fabulous advice! Ok. You have an entire day with nothing planned – what would you do if money was no object?
I’m a pretty simple gal. I’d probably go to Starbucks, then go horseback riding, and after that take in a movie (with lots of popcorn!) before heading out to dinner. I’d fall asleep with my doggies in bed reading a good book.
Thank you SO much, C.J.!!

C.J. has been SO generous and offered to giveaway the winner’s choice of either Thicker than Blood or Bound by Guilt! WOW!! I know you guys will just love her books!

Entry rules are still the same: Leave a comment to enter, one comment per person, please leave your name or sign into your Blogger account, etc. 😉 And, don’t forget that every comment in the Fall Fiction Frenzy enters you into the drawing for the Old Navy card!

Today’s comment question: If you were accidentally left overnight inside a restaurant, which one would it be and why?