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Is where we introduce listeners to people who have found their way out of the dark shadows of life and back to light and those who lead others on their journey from darkness to light.

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PATTI’S BLOGS

The Over Fifty Writer (1^st and 3^rd Friday)

Patti’s Porch (2^nd and 4^th Tuesday)

Meet seasoned authors, learn about new books and find inspiration to help you along your journey. No matter how far you’ve come or where you are going, I’d be honored to travel with you. If you like what you see, please subscribe to avoid missing updates.

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Step Into the Light Blog Talk Radio Show

Latest Show

2023-09-14
Episode #241 - Featuring Bryan Canter

Bryan E. Canter is an author, independent publishing consultant, and retired Army officer. He launched Telikos Publishing to help Christian authors publish to non-Christian audiences and has published his own works under that imprint. As a book and audiobook publishing consultant for My Word Publishing, he helps authors navigate the complex world of independent publishing. Join us as Bryan talks about his works and ways Christian authors can reach non-Christian audiences.

Recent Shows

2023-08-24
Episode #240 - Featuring Joan Patterson

2023-08-10
Episode #239 - Featuring Alicia Whittle

2023-07-27
Episode #238 - Featuring John DiGirolamo

2023-07-13
Episode #237 - Featuring Catherine Ulrich Brakefield

Recent Posts

A WRITER’S LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT by MICHAEL GARRETT
9/15/2023 3:40:00 PM BY Patti Shene

FEATURED BOOK: Nothing to Lose

AUTHOR: Michael Garrett

PUBLISHER: Soncoast Publishing

GENRE: Clean Christian Romantic Suspense

SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Part one of a series

TARGET AGE: 18+

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR MICHAEL GARRETT TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. MICHAEL SHARES THE UP AND DOWNS OF HIS WRITING CAREER.

A WRITER’S LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT

Michael Garrett

Writers are entertainers who

perform on pages rather than stage or screen

I originally started this article by stating that I’ve been an author for over forty years, but that’s not entirely true. I’ve been a writer my whole life—there were just times when I didn’t write. But it is a fact that I’ve been a published author for more than forty years

I’ve always felt that my readers’ opinion of my work is far more important than my own. I constantly ask myself what does my reader want to see in my stories as opposed to what I want to write? After all, what is a writer without satisfied readers?

I try to grab my reader’s attention on page one, providing a solid reason to keep reading. For instance, the opening line of my Christian suspense novel, CAPTIVE, is:

HE COULDN’T DIVERT his attention from the crusted blood on the passenger-side floorboard.

For my Christian suspense novel, Over the Edge, it’s:

DRIFTING IN A FIBERGLASS FISHING BOAT a short distance from the shore, Clyde Hopkins felt a rush of exhilaration at his first sight of her stretched out in a lounge chair on the deck of a lakeside home.

I admittedly should have done better with that one.

And for my Christian romantic suspense novel, Nothing to Lose, it’s:

TENSION INSIDE THE CAR had steadily risen before they even arrived at the proposed contract hit site.

That’s more like it.

My philosophy as a writer is that the purpose of page one is to convince the reader to read page two. The purpose of page two is to convince the reader to read page three, and so on.

I’m also a strong believer in outlines. Not the stiff Roman numeral type that we learned in school. Not even necessarily one that’s written down somewhere. To me an outline is a plan, and it can be in my mind only. I always need to know to which direction I should be headed. If I write without a plan, I tend to ramble with no direction in mind.

Filling pages with words is not writing. Those words must work together to advance the story line. I hate irrelevant detail when I read for pleasure.

My first and only secular novel, Keeper, was originally published in 1990. It remains available over thirty years later in print, digital, and audio formats, and it was optioned for a television movie in the ‘90s, which unfortunately never got off the ground.

As a writer, I feel as if my work is never finished, not even after it’s published. Not long after Keeper was originally released I realized that I could have taken it in a much better direction and regretted that I couldn’t immediately withdraw the book from circulation for a rewrite.

Absent from writing for the next thirty years, I had become a different person. Following a spiritual awakening, I felt compelled to use my God-given talent as a writer to honor Him and the graceful way that Jesus’ forgiving presence in my life has led me to a state of happiness that I never dreamed possible.

I had a second chance with Keeper by rewriting it for the Christian market and re-developing it as I had wished to do those many years before. I eliminated several supporting characters and added a major one to shift the dangerous external threat requiring my two Christian adversaries to join forces to fight evil. The second-chance result, CAPTIVE, a Firebird Book Award winner, is far better than the original. No swearing or sex this time.

Over the Edge, my Christian suspense novel published in late January 2023, also became a Firebird Book Award winner and received rave reviews. Innocent woman Larissa Baxter goes on the run to avoid being prosecuted for a crime she didn’t commit. She’s apprehended by renegade bounty hunter Clyde Hopkins. who is duped by the false promise of a million dollar reward for her capture. At odds with the ruthless people who hired him, Hopkins’ only chance of survival rests on killing Larissa and staying permanently on the run. Larissa’s only weapon is the strength of her faith,

My upcoming Christian romantic suspense novel, Nothing to Lose, publication date not yet determined, is actually the prequel to Over the Edge. Larissa Baxter, an Arizona socialite, is falsely charged with the murder of her husband facing an almost certain life in prison without the possibility of parole. She jumps bail and is sheltered by Derrick Walton, a dying stranger. Their roles reverse, however, as Larissa is initially completely dependent on Derrick; however, as he approaches his deathbed Derrick becomes fully reliant on her and a deep spiritually based love grows within them.

For those of you who may be unpublished writers, I return to my statement at the top of this article: Writers are entertainers who perform on pages rather than stage or screen. Prepare for your greatest performance by writing and rewriting as many times as it takes. Read your work out loud, and if you stumble in places, revise those sections. When it’s the best that you can possibly do, hire a top-notch book editor to point out where it still needs work to meet professional standards, then rewrite again.

Don’t rush the process. You don’t want to merely be published; you want to be successfully published. You’ll find more valuable tips on my website, ManuscriptCritique.

Also, understand who your target audience is. If you participate in a critique group through your writers group, remember that it’s members are not representative of your target audience. Your target group is average readers who are not also writers. They evaluate what they read differently than you.

Will I write novel number four? I really can’t say at this point. I don’t write just for the sake of writing; I need inspiration, so if God points me in that direction again I’ll go at it vigorously.

Every day I enjoy the fruits of God’s blessings.

It has, indeed, been a wonderful life, and it only gets better.

Life is good.

Michael Garrett holds the distinction of having served as Stephen King’s first editor and publisher. He’s one of the world's top independent book editors, living in a small Alabama town. His life revolves around God, his wife of 35+ years, Sharon, two adult children, five grandchildren, a dachshund, and one grand dog.

As a former Writer's Digest School Editorial Associate and contracted editor with Pocket Books and Kensington Publishing, Michael has worked with scores of highly successful authors, as well as hundreds of new writers seeking publication. For over twenty years he taught a highly acclaimed writing workshop series on college campuses coast-to-coast.

Michael is a devoted Christian who is truly blessed. “God has given me so much comfort at this stage of my life. I have no fear of dying.”

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GOD BUILT US FOR RELATIONSHIPS by PAULA PECKHAM
9/13/2023 1:00:00 AM BY Patti Shene

FEATURED BOOK: A Father's Gift

AUTHOR: Paula Peckham

PUBLISHER: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.

GENRE: Historical Romance

SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Book two in a series (will read as stand-alone)

TARGET AGE: 30 – 70

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR PAULA PECKHAM TO PATTI’S PORCH. PAULA SHARES ABOUT HER EXTENSIVE TRAVELS AND WHY THEY MEAN SO MUCH TO HER.

PAULA IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! SIMPLY LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING FOR A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF A FATHER’S GIFT.

GOD BUILT US FOR RELATIONSHIPS

Paula Peckham

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. ~Audrey Hepburn

Life since mid-July has been a whirlwind for me and my husband, John. We’ve traveled through three different countries and four different states. And all our journeys revolved around relationships.

First, we traveled to Nebraska for the funeral of Aunt Margie. While there, we visited with cousins, catching up with each other’s lives, and stayed with Mary Lou, the lone surviving aunt, poring over photo albums.

Next, we flew to Japan to visit my childhood friend, Ronda, who now lives in Okinawa. Visiting brand new places and learning about an unfamiliar culture were fun and interesting. Ronda and I fell right back into our old habits and conversations, like we’d never been apart. We laughed until we cried. I was sorry to leave.

Days after we arrived home, we drove the opposite direction to the Mexican border. Our church does mission work in Rio Bravo, and we’re currently helping them build a high school in the rural neighborhood where we have a small home. We spent two days putting stucco on the walls of the building so students could start the year at the new school. These people are our neighbors, and parents and students alike worked alongside us in the August heat to prepare the building. We’re so excited about their futures.

After a week at home, I flew to St. Louis, Missouri, to attend a writer’s conference. I went to learn, but also to connect with author friends whom I normally see only in Zoom meetings. I met a critique partner in person for the first time after we’ve worked with each other for a year. What a blessing to share with people of like minds who understand the struggles writers face.

The day after I returned home, we drove back to Mexico. We are friends with a family in Rio Bravo, and their son Luis spends the months from August to June living with us. We picked him up and brought him home for the new school year. That trip was even quicker than the first one, but while we were there, we visited Flor, our paralyzed friend who is bedridden, and Marco and Abril, friends who have worked with us in the mission projects over the past fifteen years.

But we weren’t done. Over the Labor Day weekend, we flew first to Denver, Colorado, so my husband could have a mini reunion with four of his best friends from high school. Forty-plus years later, they’re still as close as they ever were, and it was great fun to watch them reminisce and catch up.

From Denver, we flew to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend John’s daughter’s baby shower. Sheri-Ann’s husband, Abiy, is Ethiopian, and let me tell you, that family knows how to celebrate! We ate, danced, played games, laughed, and worshiped together while celebrating the little boy to come.

Finally home, I’ve spent the down time settling back into my normal routine and pondering the blessings of family. This weekend, we’ll meet with my two children and the accompanying nine grandchildren at my mom’s house for our weekly Saturday night dinner. It will be noisy and chaotic and filled with laughter and chatter. And I’ll love it.

Lonely people surround us in this world, and it breaks my heart to think not everyone has such an abundance of loved ones—either friends or family—with which to share their lives. But I’m grateful we have a Father who is always there and always loves us, no matter what. People may wonder how God can replace a person in their lives, how he can become the person they talk to, turn to, celebrate with. But he can.

1 John 3:1 says this: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (NIV)

I trust what God says about his love for us. And I’m eternally grateful there is nothing I can do to separate myself from his love. I pray for the people in our world who feel alone, and I hope someone will be present in their lives to guide them to God. Perhaps that person can be you. Pray each day for God to show you how he can use you. Matthew 22: 36-40, shows Jesus explaining how loving each other is the most important thing we can do. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

In A Father’s Gift, my second book in the San Antonio series, Manny seeks answers about what happened to his father, who was killed when he was a young boy. He and his pregnant wife, Abby, struggle to trust God when danger swirls close, uncovered by Manny’s questions. Manny misses and needs his father as his own impending fatherhood draws near.

Book three, Accepted, will be out on October 24.

Book cover blurb for A Father’s Gift

Abby and Manny Blair anticipate the birth of their first child. Nausea plagues Abby every morning, and fears keep her awake at night. Orphaned at age eighteen, she prays daily for a safe delivery and a future with her child.

Now more than ever, Manny yearns for guidance from his own father. But you can’t share good news with a man who’s been dead for years. Sheriff Williams delivered the devastating news of Mark Blair’s death at the hands of an unscrupulous card shark when Manny was only five years old. His grandmother, Yaideli, raised him, doing her best to stand in the gap. She did well by him and taught him how to become an upstanding, caring man.

But the impending responsibility of fatherhood looms over Manny like a storm cloud. He fears he will fail his young family. So many questions surround his father’s death. The desire to know what happened, to understand why Mark left him behind, overwhelms Manny. It’s nearing Christmas and the babe’s birth. He sets out on an adventure of discovery and finds something completely unexpected. Abby and Manny receive a precious gift—learning about the love and sacrifice only a father can give.

DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A PRINT OR EBOOK COPY OF A FATHER’S GIFT BETWEEN NOW AND FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22^ND AT MIDNIGHT MT. (U.S. residents only eligible for print copy).

BY LEAVING A COMMENT, YOU GRANT PERMISSION FOR YOUR EMAIL TO BE REVEALED TO THE AUTHOR IF YOU ARE THE WINNER TO FACILITATE RECEIPT OF YOUR BOOK.

A fifth-generation Texan, Paula Peckham graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington and taught math at Burleson High School for 19 years. She and her husband, John, divide their time between their home in Burleson and their casita in Rio Bravo, Mexico. Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., published her debut novel, Protected, book one in the San Antonio series, in April 2021. Protected was an ACFW Genesis semi-finalist in 2020. The follow up, A Father’s Gift, came out in August 2022. For more about Paula and her books, follow her at paulapeckham.com.

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MY REFLECTION by DESIREE FUTURE
9/1/2023 1:00:00 AM BY Patti Shene

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR DESIREE FUTURE TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. DESIREE SHARES WHAT A REFLECTION OF HERSELF TAUGHT HER ABOUT GOD’S GRACE.

MY RELFECTION

Desiree Future

One day I was shopping in the retail store TJ Maxx. My plan was to go directly to the Housewares Department as one of my cooking utensils needed replacing. As it happened, the department was in the back of the store, meaning I had to bypass the beautiful accessory and clothing departments.

As I made my way to the rear, I passed a full-length mirror hung by a row of dresses. Catching a glimpse of myself wearing jean capris, sneakers, and a purple shirt, I had to double back to the mirror. I stopped and stared at my reflection because something was different.

I was well-dressed for a person going on an errand five minutes from my house for just one item. So it wasn’t that my clothing was in disarray, but it was something else I couldn’t put my finger on. Whatever it was, I kept it in the back of my mind.

Back to my mission, I continued to search for a new spatula. By the time I got to the register, I had my intended item and a few other things. Heading to my car, I couldn’t shake the feeling of seeing myself in that mirror. Although I have a full-size mirror in my bedroom, something was unusual and I wasn’t sure what it was.

A few minutes later, I was pulling into a parking space at home. It was then that I realized what the unshakeable feeling was. I was driving my own car instead of standing at the bus stop. I was going to my own apartment instead of being homeless like the man living under the bridge down the street from me. I was spending my money from my paycheck instead of being unemployed.

The reflection in the mirror was the me that God made me to be. It was not of my own doing. The mistakes I’ve made had me run away from a mirror. But if it wasn’t for the grace of God, I’d be a misguided person.

When He makes you a new person even your reflection shines bright. I love the new me in the mirror. What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Desiree Future is an Inspirational Blogger at Hope Faith & a Smile where she pens inspirational and encouraging posts. Her background consists of being a contributing author in the motivational compilation The Courage to Write. In 2013 and 2014 she self-published two Christian romance novels. Since 2019 she has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Within that chapter of ACFW, she’s also been a member of a Writing Critique group since 2020. When not writing she loves to travel and do DIY projects to spruce up her home. Connect with Desiree:

Website

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