Blog & Resources
Looking for my thoughts on everything from bioethics to movies? You came to the right place. And while you’re here, check out my free downloadable resources.
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Current Events
What are the limits of human dominion? What can we do about AIDS? Listen in on a radio interview I did about these and many other topics by going here at 7 PM Central tonight.
Win a Book, Write a Proposal
Win a book. Here's a link to a reviewer who's giving away a copy of Informed Consent. If you don't have a copy (or want one to give someone for Christmas), head on over. You have a great chance of winning! Also, today's stop on the blog tour is Beth's place.
Write a proposal. Are you ready to write a nonfiction proposal that grabs attention? Guest columnist Mary DeMuth tells you how in this excerpt from her downloadable tutorial on writing nonfiction proposals:
First things first: You need to know a few things before you start.
Know your passion. I’ve alluded to this earlier. A good book proposal emerges from a passionate idea. Examine yourself. Think about the topics you get passionate about when you talk to folks. Talk to others who know you well. Share your book idea and see if they catch your passion for it. It’s a huge undertaking to write a proposal, so be sure you have the passion to carry an entire book.
Know your book. What genre is your book? Where it would be shelved in a bookstore? How well do you know what the book will be about? Do you have access to good research, great interviews? How unique is your book? Will a pub board find it unique?
Know your immediate audience. The first audience of your proposal is actually the agent or publisher you’re querying. Find out everything you can about the agent or publisher. Do they specialize in the genre you’re writing? Do they take new authors? How many? Have you attended a writer’s conference and spoken directly to the editor or agent? What kinds of books are they looking for? Purchasing a market guide is a great first step. Analyzing books already represented or published is another great step. (If an agent already represents three mom authors, chances are he/she won’t want to take on another mom author.)
Know the bookselling industry. Do you know what is selling in the industry? What has oversold? What trends are up and coming? Go to bookstores and walk the aisles, sign up for newsletters and updates from the publishing industry, go to conferences, talk to booksellers. It’s absolutely imperative that you know what you’re getting into before you embark on this journey.
Know yourself. Writing a proposal is the first step in a very long journey. Do you have what it takes to count the cost of bringing a book to fruition? Can you take constructive criticism? Do you have the time it takes to not only write the book, but to edit it in a timely manner and promote it when it releases? Do you have a critique group to support and help you through the process? Author Jan Winebrenner says publishing a book “is like giving birth to an elephant—only more painful.” Are you ready for that?
Excerpted from Nonfiction Book Proposals that Grab and Editor or an Agent by the Throat (in a good way!) by Mary E. DeMuth. You can purchase the download here: http://www.maryedemuth.com/store.php
Mary E. DeMuth helps people to turn their trials into triumphs. An expert in Pioneer Parenting, Mary enables Christian parents to navigate our changing culture when their families left no good faith examples to follow. Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2007), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005). Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, including Watching the Tree Limbs (a Christy Award finalist) and Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress, 2006). A pioneer parent herself, Mary and her husband, Patrick, reside in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, where they planted a church. You can find her on the web here:
http://www.marydemuth.com/
http://www.relevantblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.pioneerparenting.blogspot.com/
Today's tour stop is here at Jennifer's somanybooks site. If you're a book lover, head on over and browse a while. Michelle also named Informed Consent as her pick for book of the month.
This Just In
Michelle, a master reviewer, has just finished reading Informed Consent, and she said to send you over to read her opinions.
I Rarely Use This Word
Magnificent! I rarely say it, especially after a concert. I may use words like great, excellent, or the overused incredible. But last night's performance by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) had me repeating "magnificent!" aloud. The first movement was great. But when the orchestra finished the fourth and last movement to Beethoven's 5th (the one with a hundred endings), I sat stunned for a moment. Then along with the rest of the packed house, I jumped to my feet to offer wild applause.
My friend Reiko and I took our daughters for girls' night out and thanks to a partnership with the DSO and DTS, we had seats on the eighth row. The DSO is performing all nine of Beethoven's symphonies in sequential order during this five weekend-long festival, and we had the great pleasure of hearing Symphonies 5 and 6 conducted by Jaap van Zweden.
In February the DSO announced the appointment of van Zweden as its new music director. During the 2007-2008 season, he will conduct three weekends as music director designate, and we attended performance number one. What a way to start! (I'm trying to remember when I've had a more enjoyable experience watching a conductor.) He assumes the music director position for the 2008-2009 season. Bravo!
Sad Day for the Dallas Cowboys
One of Dallas Seminary's grads, John Weber, had served as the Dallas Cowboys' team chaplain since back in the Landry days. But he died suddenly last night after suffering a heart attack while swimming at the YMCA, according to news sources. Just days ago DTS released a short e-video in which the chaplain talked about his work and his connection to DTS. And you can view it here.
Schiavo Revisited?
Picture this case: a patient in a persistent vegetative state (PVS), a spouse moving to remove the feeding tube, and parents arguing otherwise. Sounds like the Schiavo case, right? Well, unlike Ms. Schiavo, this man walked out on his own two feet after fully recovering. That's because in this case his mother prevailed to have food and hydration restored. Check out this article, as well as the new evidence about what people in PVS's apparently understand.
Love Your Library
Thanks to the libraries listed below for carrying Informed Consent. Thanks also to my readers who have donated copies to church libraries. When you're finished with your copy, consider donating it to a library or a jail. And thank God you can read! About twenty percent of the world population is illiterate.
Dodge City Public Library, Dodge City, KS
Daniel Boone Regional Library, Columbia, MO
Jefferson Country Library Co-op, Birmingham, AL
West Des Moines Public Library, W. Des Moines, IA
Knox County Public Library, Vincennes, IN
Denver Public Library, Denver, CO
Weld Library District, Greeley, CO
Thorntown Public Library, Ft Wayne, IN
Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, IN
Rockford Public Library, Rockford, IL
Dakota County Library System, Eagan, MN
Saint Clair County Library, Port Huron, MI
Nioga Library System Lockport, NY
Toole County Library, Shelby, MT
Alibris, Emeryville, CA
Mesquite Public Library, Mesquite, TX
Salem Public Library, Salem, OR
That last one is especially fun as it's the library where my mom took me every week when I was a kid.
Head As a Noun not a Verb
Today on the blog tour we stop by Margo's place, and she (bravely) asks me to tackle the whole marriage thing in Ephesians 5, which has nothing to do with Informed Consent but is certainly worth discussing! And I also do the radio thing this morning, but it turns out they're taping it rather than running it live. Sorry!
In other news did you read about the folks who picket funerals with plackards that say stuff like "God hates fags"? Do you think they're right? And do you think God delights in their approach?
Listen In
This Thursday I'm scheduled to talk with station WCTS (Minneapolis) at 9 AM Central. If you want to listen to the live broadcast, go here.
Meanwhile, check out this interview and book review on my continuing blog tour. Find out which of my books is my favorite and of which I'm most proud and why.
Win a Book
Enter to win a copy of Informed Consent by leaving a comment here. (Last time I checked, you had a 100% chance of winning!)
On the Columbia
After that we met my folks for lunch, again overlooking the river. Then my sister Carrie and her hubby showed up for five minutes to surprise me with a vase of red roses. I just happened to be in the lobby when they got here, so they had no trouble finding me!
From there I went to dinner with board members out at a place called Claim Jumpers. The dessert was the most decadent I'd ever ordered. I asked for a piece of chocolate cake and received a slab that measured about nine inches long. With everyone at the table helping, we got through half of it. Dante would have been appalled. (He has a thing about portion control.)
We used my friend Doug's GPS to find our way to and from the restaurant, where the server was the son of someone in our party. We joked about the irony that people pay hundreds of dollars to get a voice telling them the same directions they've resented hearing from "back seat drivers."
Today's blog-tour host is Jenny. Hope you're having a great weekend!
Friday's Stop
Today's blog-tour stop is at Carla's. Stop by and have a read.
Mirtika also followed up her original post about Informed Consent with a thorough review. And I also found this cool review by seasoned reviewer, Becky.
I awoke in Portland, Oregon. I stayed up until really, really late last night having one of those memorable heart-to-hearts with my niece, Heather. She and her hubby, Chris, are the coolest! This morning Heather and I are off to enjoy coffee, food, and fall color. Fall in Oregon. Ahhh.
Informed Consent blog tour stop, day 8: Mirtika's Place. (Once there, you can enter to win a free copy!)