Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Marketing Your Novel--101

by Molly Noble Bull
www.mollynoblebull.com

Do you spend a lot of time marketing your books to fellow writers? If so, maybe you should consider another strategy and another group of readers. Writers are interested in selling their novels, not buying new books. Besides, they can get plenty of free books by visiting various blogs and entering contests.
So, to whom should you pitch your books?
I think the list should include Christian women of all ages and moms who home school. I suggest creating a blog that would be of interest to these Christian women and be as different as possible from other blogs out there. In other words, find a unique niche.
I would start with your hobbies. What do you like to do when you are not reading or writing? Let's say you like to knit and are really good at it. You might create a blog for knitters.
Maybe you could call your blog
Knitting R Us.
(Below is an example of what you might post as the first lines of that blog.)
Can you knit one, pearl two and read a book at the same time? If so, this is the blog for you.
See what I mean?
Some writers might actually like to knit—either that or have a grandmother who does. So you would use this same pitch when promoting your blog to them as to readers and get Google or other search engines to promote your blog so that knitters from everywhere will read your info on knitting and perhaps buy you book.
Yep. You should also promote your book at your knitting blog but over to one side. The primary focus of your blog should be knitting. But your books should be plainly displayed as well.
Perhaps your blog readers will think that since they like your ideas on knitting, they might also like your books.
Happy writing and knitting—or whatever it is that you do.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Avatar--a Movie Review

by Molly Noble Bull

www.mollynoblebull.com


The dictionary as well as Hindu mythology states that an Avatar is an incarnation of a god, and like most Christians, I call any God but the Lord a false god. I also pray in the name of God's only begotten son, Jesus.
Nevertheless, I saw Avatar in a movie theater recently but don’t have a lot of good things to say about it. Exotic settings, an interesting storyline and exciting special effects might cause some Christians to allow their children and teens to see the movie.
Regardless, Avatar is very much a film about what Bible believers would call “lying spirits” and false gods—with a hint of demonic possession thrown in for good measure. Cursing and bad language only make matters worse. The movie also has an anti-military message, and its “tree hugging green” theme is so clear even Albert Gore would be proud.
In the film, Jake Sully—a paralyzed ex marine, goes to the planet Pandora to help obtain certain minerals for Planet Earth. Once there, Jake is given a new body in a dark shade of science fiction blue in order to look like the natives, and he soon falls in love with a young native girl and finally switches sides.
According to the Bible, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. To me, the Lord is the only God there is, making the Hindu-like god of Pandora a false one. It bothered me that in the movie characters cursed my God while praying to Pandora’s false god.
So, should Christian parents allow their children to see this movie?
No.
However, if a Christian parent is willing to see the movie with the child, cursing and all, and then sit down and discuss the movie from a Christian perspective, perhaps it could be a good thing.
It is hard to explain Idolatry even to some adults. Avatar provides a perfect opportunity for adults and teens to discuss God’s Word, learn why cursing is a sin and what the worship of false gods really means.
I give Avatar three and a half stars for the special effects and cinematography. Zero for inspiration and content.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Blind Side--A Movie Review

by Molly Noble Bull

With all the poorly conceived and downright filthy movies out there, it’s hard to find a film worth seeing anymore. But so far in her career, Sandra Bullock has made two what I call outstanding and family friendly “feel good” movies. The first was While You Were Sleeping and now, Blind Side.
Blind Side would be a good movie in any case with an excellent script and characters that seem so real you think you know them personally, and I wanted to shout for joy when I realized these characters were Christians. I won’t tell the plot because I don’t want to spoil the movie for you, but what makes this story so special is the fact that it actually happened. At the end of the movie while they were showing the credits, moviegoers got to see the real people these actors played on the screen.
With a possible score of five stars, I give Blind Side a five—and then some.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Honey and Cinnamon are good for what ails you.
by Molly Noble Bull

As writers, we are always looking for bits of interesting information we can include in our books and articles. Well, the informtion found in this article was forwarded to me from a veterinarian’s wife, and I can't say where she got it. But just because her hubby treats animals instead of humans doesn’t mean the amazing facts aren’t true. Still, I’ll bet drug companies would like to hide this one in a corner somewhere.

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:
It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases.

Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder,
apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack.
Regular use of the above process relieves loss
of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In
America and Canada, various nursing20homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University , it was found that when the doctors Treated their patients with a
mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were
totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and
one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours.
As Mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon Lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomachache and also clears Stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron=2 0in large amounts.. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ' Ingredient' which kills the Influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the Chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.
FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half Tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:
First thing in the morning, people of South America gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.
&nb sp;
HEARING LOSS:
Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

You might want to share this information with a friend, kinfolks and love ones

~ everyone needs healthy help information

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Trish Perry, author of Sunset Beach.

by Molly Noble Bull
www.mollynoblebull.com

Molly:
Today I am interviewing Trish Perry. Welcome to Books That Inspire.
Trish, tell about your exciting Beach House series and the names of your current and upcoming novels. .
Trish:
I’ll try not to gush or ramble, Molly. This is a little like asking a grandma about her grandkids.
The books in The Beach House Series each feature different characters, but they’re all set at the same little beach house in San Diego. Sunset Beach is my most current installment in the series. It’s about a young woman, fresh out of college, who engineers a gathering of people at the beach house in order to uncover a lifetime’s worth of secrets about her parentage and family history. She gets more than she bargained for, including a romantic flash from her past.
My other beach house book is Beach Dreams. It involves a brand new believer—a formerly bad, conniving girl who we come to love. Through a scheduling mix-up, she has to share the beach house with another woman who would be a challenge to Mother Teresa’s patience, let alone our formerly snarky heroine’s. When the roommate’s wonderful, unappreciated boyfriend arrives in town, he further complicates the situation and eventually adds an unexpected spark of romance to our heroine’s beach getaway.
My first two published novels are The Guy I’m Not Dating and Too Good to Be True. The Guy I’m Not Dating is about a fitness trainer who vows to go the no-dating route to relationships right before she ends up on a road trip with an amazing guy who seems perfect for her.
And in Too Good to Be True, an elementary schoolteacher, whose philandering husband divorced her a year prior, falls for a charming male nurse but struggles with the fear of being hurt again. And both of these dear young people have major mommy issues.
My upcoming novels will be for a new series called The Tea Shop Series, set in beautiful, historic Middleburg, Virginia. The first booking the series is The Perfect Blend. It will be release until early 2011.
My blog is on my website, which is www.trishperry.com.
Molly:
Thanks. Now tell us a little about Trish Perry.
Trish:
I was born in Newfoundland, Canada, but I’ve lived in the U.S. since I was a toddler. Although we traveled around the country like gypsies when I was very young, I’ve lived in Northern Virginia most of my life, and I’ve always loved it here. Much of my family still lives in this area, which is wonderful.
I have a gorgeous adult daughter and a brilliant and hilarious son.
Molly:
What would you like to say to young people who might want to one day become novelists? Is there a special book on fiction writing that you can recommend?
Trish:
I always say this to any writer who will listen: pray about your writing. Every day. Ask for God’s guidance with regard to your writing, and turn your writing efforts over to Him every day. That way, you’ll always know your writing is going the path He’s set for it. That knowledge eliminates so much of the angst that can go along with this craft. And try to get into the habit of writing; you’ll see how that habit will sharpen your skills at observing life around you. You’ll notice more about people, about sensations, about emotions. Write down what you notice—you never know what God might be preparing you for in the notes you take.
The book that helped me get started on my first novel, back in the 90s, was Donna Levin’s Get That Novel Started (and Keep it Going ‘Til You Finish). Very helpful in simplifying what seemed like an overwhelming task. I think her more current version is called Get That Novel Written. There are oodles of books I’d recommend to anyone farther along the writing path, if they want to contact me through my website.
Molly:
It was great having you today, Trish, and I hope you will come back real soon. Next month my guest will be Linore Rose Burkard. See you then.



Wednesday, November 11, 2009

MEET OUR GRANDDAUGHTER

by Molly Noble Bull
www.mollynoblebull.com


My husband and I met our granddaughter for the first time on Monday of this week. She is five months old—twenty weeks. Our son and daughter-in-law were there, too, along with the baby’s maternal grandmother. Our granddaughter is so cute. She lifted her little arm really fast as if she was waving to us, and there is a DVD to prove it.
So far, we haven’t held her and don’t know what her name will be yet. Her parents are still deciding. But by the time she is forty weeks, they will have decided. Around that time, we will be able to hold her for the first time. We can hardly wait.
Our granddaughter has a half-brother who is six years old, and she is the little sister he has always wanted. She has four cousins on our side of the family and one cousin on her mother’s side. The cousin on her mother’s side is a little younger than she. Our granddaughter also has a step-cousin on her mother’s side that is also a little younger than she is. So she will have plenty of family members to hold her and love—not to mention her adoring parents.
Our first visit with our granddaughter brought back memories of a time when her father was only three months old. Back then, a mother could only discover whether or not she was going to have a child via a doctor. I was teaching school at the time and chose to have a “rabbit” test. On the day I called for the results of the test, I was given permission to use the phone in the principal’s office, and I will never forget what happened during that phone conversation.
The nurse said something like, “The results were positive.”
“Positive yes or positive no?”
“Positive yes.”
“Do you know how old I am?” I asked.
“Yes, we do, Mrs. Bull, and if you would like to have an abortion, we have a number you can call.”
I was shocked that she would say such a thing.
Then I said, “You don’t know who you are talking to. I am a pro-life activist. I don’t do things like that.”
I wish I’d said more. But I had to get off the line. It was a public phone.
Now I can say what I wish I’d said then.
We have three grown sons, and like their parents and grandparents, all three were humans at conception. Our family didn’t come from animals, and yours didn’t either. We were humans from the beginning and made in the image of God.
I pray for our sons, our daughter-in-laws, our grandchildren and our descendants and their spouses for as long as there is a world.
And what do I pray?
I pray that they will seek and find the Lord so that they will go to heaven when they die. I also pray for their safety.
Abortion is not a woman’s right because abortion is a death sentence to the unborn child. In this country, we execute criminals—at least in some states. But we execute unborn children in all states.
My five-month-old granddaughter is safe in her mother’s womb. Many other babies her age are not safe.
We have laws preventing our tax dollars from paying for abortions, but it’s not enough. The killing must stop! By now, the blood of the innocence has reached to the top of the horses’ backs—perhaps higher.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
To learn more on this topic, please visit my blog.
http://voiceoftheunborn.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

What Are YOU Working On?

They say writers love to talk about themselves. I used to laugh at this. I'm generally quite shy, and don't tend to be a conversation starter. I certainly avoid being the center of the conversation. If you've ever attended a writer's conference, you can just imagine my discomfort at certain times.
Pitching, for instance. Yes, I know, you make your appointments, go sell your stuff. Nobody forces you to do it.
Ahem. I beg to differ. You all know who you are.
Then there's the meals. I usually dig in and keep my mouth fairly full so when my turn comes I have an excuse not to talk. But usually, at some point over five days, somebody is bound to ask, "What are you working on?" or "What do you write?"
The latter is much easier to answer. Spit out a genre and move on. But what am I working on? This second? What did I come here to pitch and hope to get a good response for?
Yeah.
I need to work on my marketing skills. And a bunch of other issues I have.
If I ever do sell a book, it's pretty much going to have to be one of those million dollar babies that just sells itself. I'll be the reclusive writer hiding away in a cave in an unknown land, such treacherous territory that only the stupidest of journalists would brave the terrain to get an interview.
That's my dream, but it's not very realistic, is it?
So I thought we should all band together, suck it up, and get some practice in here. We've only got nine months until the next ACFW conference!

You can do a full pitch if you want, or just tell me what you're working on at the moment. I'll be nice, I promise. I've had coffee.
I'll go first.
I'm working on a short contemporary romance that we'll pitch to Steeple Hill. It's an old manuscript that I'm rewriting, pretty much completely. So far so good. I haven't worked out a pitch yet. Ha. Good excuse, right?!
I'm also working on getting down some ideas for a new book idea that's rattling around in my brain. It's going to take place in Thailand. I think.
And I'm working on finding a home for my Vietnam book. Am I a little masochistic or what? Time will tell.
Well, that's me.
What are YOU working on?

This post is cross-posted over at My Blog
Why? Because I'm lazy. And I'm actually supposed to be writing all day today, not writing blog posts.