Spacious Living in an Expansive God - Part III

Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

~ II Corithians 6:11-13(The Message Version)

Welcome to part three of my series. (Click for Part I and II) Today I’d like to focus on the expansive nature of God. True confessions time. I’m a bit of a science geek. I actually have a favorite physicist. How many blonde, ballerina, romance authors do you know who have a favorite physicist? He’s a Jewish man named Dr. Gerald Schroeder, and his theories on the creation of the world blow my mind.

Here are just a few amazing statistics about our universe. It is thought to be approximately 93 billion light years (light years, not miles) in diameter. And a light year is roughly 6 trillion miles. Written out that looks like 6,000,000,000,000. That’s an awful lot of zeroes. Now multiply that times the 93 billion. Whew!

Our universe is believed to contain about 100 billion galaxies. And to put that into perspective, our own Milky Way galaxy is thought to contain 200 – 400 billion stars. Should I write that out with zeroes as well? Now consider that it would take over four light years (again, that’s light years, not earth years) to travel to the nearest star beyond our solar system. Are you beginning to get a picture of how staggering our universe is? And beyond all of that, our universe is in a constant state of expansion.

Yes, that blows my mind. And God blows my mind. That God would build countless galaxies to create the perfect world just for us. For me. For you. It reminds me of the expansive nature of God. That he is just sooooo big! That while he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, our awareness and understanding of him can grow everyday.

This mind-boggling God, how can he be both alpha and omega? Both beginning and end? How can he embody both justice and mercy, righteousness and grace, order and freedom. Yet in his paradoxical expansiveness, he does.

Sometimes we can’t quite handle the bigness of our God. The seeming contradictions contained within him. So what do we do? We make him smaller. We put him into little boxes of denominations, traditions, and doctrines that we can wrap our finite minds around. And in doing so, we create our own graven images. Our own little “g” gods made after our own preferences and limitations.

But God cannot be contained in a little box. In him the entire universe, galaxy after galaxy, all the laws of nature, down to the smallest particle of an atom, exist and function.  No wonder he desires for us to live spacious, wide-open lives in the expansive world he designed for us. Rather than try to put God in a box, how about we gaze at him in awe and wonder, hoping each new day we’ll grasp him just a tiny bit more. How about we just say, “Wow!”

Amazing, unfathomable, God. Father. Daddy. Help us not to put you in a little box. Help us not to create our own graven images. Rather help us to grow in relationship and intimacy with you so that we might become more accurate reflections of your splendor to those around us here on the earth. 

Dina is on Pinterest!

Today's post is short and sweet, I'm now on pinterest. http://pinterest.com/dinasleiman/

So why don't you take the next five or ten minutes to hop over there and check out my new boards. Of course I've pinned pictures for each of my novels, and those boards serve as fun visual tours of the books, complete with commentary. I've also collected some inspirational dance photos. Oh, if only my body moved like some of those dancers. Sigh. One can always dream. And finally I have boards for our WhiteFire books as well as the books by the ladies at my group blog, Inkwell Inspirations. And every last one is great!

Captured by Moonlight

Today I am pleased to recommend an amazing book, Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay. If you haven’t read book one of the Twilight of the British Raj series, Shadowed in Silk, you need to check out this award-winning novel as well. If you have already experienced this breathtaking adventure, let me just say, I think Captured by Moonlight (unbelievably enough) might be even better.

Here’s the official blurb.

Prisoners to their own broken dreams…

After a daring rescue goes awry, Laine Harkness and her friend Eshana flee to the tropical south of India…and headlong into their respective pasts.

Laine takes a nursing position at a plantation in the jungle, only to discover that her former fiancé is the owner…but fun-loving Laine refuses to let Adam crush her heart like he had years ago.

Eshana, captured by her traditional uncle and forced once more into the harsh Hindu customs of mourning, doubts freedom will ever be hers again, much less the forbidden love that had begun to flower.

Amid cyclones, epidemics, and clashing faiths, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts?

First let me mention the facets of both books in this series that I love. The settings and history are amazing!!! I love these peeks at Gandhi’s India rich with spices and colorful silks. They are full of adventure and a realistic depiction of the difficult lives the characters faced. The spiritual elements are beautifully and organically woven into the stories, and truly inspire me. Christine is a topnotch writer in every sense of the word.

Now for a few of the things that I liked even better in book 2. Laine Harkness is a spunky heroine full of courage and conviction. I love that about her. She’s not afraid to take risks and fight for what is right. I also love the even richer setting of the jungle full of exotic plants, animals, and characters. Finally, my favorite character in book one is Eshana, and she moves into a more pivotal role in book two, launching on her own adventure and exploring her own first hints at romance. Eshana faces many trials in this book which push her to the very edge, yet her deep, personal, and even supernatural faith see her through.

Did I help edit this book? Guilty as charged. But I was given a true gem to start with. The story completely engulfed and delighted me, even in the early draft. I have no doubt you will love it as well.

Historical Romance in the American South

 (As first seen on Southern Writers Suite T)

When my agent asked me to write a historical romance, my next task was to decide on a specific setting. Prairie stories dominate the inspirational romance world, but I’m not really a prairie kind of girl. I long for settings with elegance and mystique. My favorite place on earth has long been a stretch of country situated on route 17 near Paris, Virginia, featuring rolling hills, vineyards, horses, and gorgeous old plantation houses. You see, I’m a transplanted Southerner. I’ve now lived in Virginia for twenty years, and for a decade, I would pass that spot on route 17 while driving to visit my parents in Pittsburgh. I fell utterly in love with it.

But alas, once I pinned down my 1817 date and the plot for my novel, I realized the best setting would actually be Charlottesville, Virginia. A location slightly to the south and east of my personal paradise, but every bit as picturesque and even more full of history and gorgeous plantations. There I found the legendary Three Notch’d Road and the lovely Birdwood Pavilion, which almost perfectly matched the plantation in my head.

Maybe you’re wondering why more inspirational romances aren’t set in the ideally romantic American south. I mean mint juleps on the verandah? Gone with the Wind? I think the answer lies in slavery. An issue far from romantic or ideal. That idyllic Southern existence was an illusion based on oppression, often even abuse. And inspirational romance fans aren’t the best audience for ugly stories about oppression and social injustice. So my challenge in choosing this Southern setting was to find a way to deal with this issue and still create an enjoyable, romantic read.

The solution I found was to face it head on. Several of my main characters are involved in the abolitionist movement. So the ugliness of slavery is not overlooked. Meanwhile, my primary plantation owners are kind to their slaves, treating them like family. And my main character, Constance Cavendish, often finds herself drawn to befriend the slaves around her.

Meanwhile, my reader is able to focus on Constance’s primary challenge, to teach the “scandalous” waltz to the twin sisters of her former fiancé, the man who jilted her when she needed him most. That gives the reader the perfect opportunity to visit those amazing plantation homes, including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and take a fun peek at the planter elite class of Virginia complete with its balls, fancy parties, and Regency fashions. They get to glimpse the culture of that day including music, dance, literature, and even science. They also get to experience the nearby mountains, frontiersman, and American Indians.

I call this my Scarlett O’Hara meets Jane Austen novel, and I’m glad I took the risk of setting my book in the beautiful South. Historical Virginia might have included a degree of villainy and oppression, but it was also a fascinating place full of beauty, excitement, and legendary figures, which I’m thrilled to explore in .

And I’m not the only author branching out to the American South. Mary Lu Tyndall has been using Southern settings for years. In her newest book, Veil of Pearls, she takes a direct look at the world of slavery. Tamera Alexander has set her most recent books, ALasting Impressions and To Whisper Her Name, on the plantations of Tennessee. And look for Magistrate’s Folly, a great short historical romance by Lisa Richardson set in Williamsburg that should be releasing early 2013. I’m excited about this shift in romance settings, and I know many other authors and readers are thrilled to visit the American South through fiction as well. I hope to continue exploring the rich history of Virginia for many years to come.

Edit Like a Pro!

For the last two years I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of working as an acquisitions and content editor for WhiteFire publishing. So I thought I’d pass on a little of what I’ve learned to the aspiring authors in our audience. Publishing companies take manuscripts through a series of edits in a strategic fashion from macro editing to fussing over every last comma and period. By following the roadmap that publishers use, you too can learn to edit like a pro, producing a quality manuscript while saving time and effort along the way.

I know in my case, I wrote my first novel, and then spent countless hours proofreading. Then I changed the whole book, and spent weeks line editing and proofreading again. And I followed that cycle through at least five rounds of edits. Goodness only knows how much time I wasted. Don’t make my mistake. Instead, follow this outline to edit in the proper order.

* Strategy - Purpose, Audience, Genre

At the publishing level, this first step in editing takes place even before we acquire a novel. And ideally for an author, this step should take place first as well. Of course newbie authors are still getting their feet wet. They often just follow the story or characters where they lead. Even experienced authors might do some pre-writing of this sort to get in touch with their idea. However, it is advisable to know where you’re going before you get too far into the process. You need to know why you’re writing the book, who you are writing it for, and what genre you are writing in.

These three factors will guide many important decisions along the way including things like point of view choices and length. Don’t make the newbie mistake of thinking, “This is a cross-genre book that everyone will love.” Translation: “No one in particular is going to want to read this book unless they are related to me.” Publishers need to know your purpose, audience, and genre before they even consider your book, so you should consider those factors first as well.

* Macro Editing

This level of editing can also be called content or substantive editing. Publishers generally content edit after they’ve purchased a book, but if an editor really likes an idea but sees too many problems, they might send content suggestions at this level and ask for a resubmission. Similarly, content editing by the author could take place at different points in the process—but it must take place! Some authors like to write “organically” or “by the seat of their pants” as opposed to planning and outlining in advance. That’s fine. But at some point you must go back and take control of your story.

Major content editing generally looks at issues like plot structure (proper introduction to the story, turning points, mounting tensions, climax, and resolution), characterization (consistency, goals, motives, and conflicts), proper pacing, themes, and point of view choices. All of these need to be working well before a publisher can consider your manuscript. And there’s no use fussing over scenes, paragraphs, or sentences until all of these major elements are solid and in place.

* Scene by Scene

Once a publisher has acquired a book and made certain the big elements are all in order, they move to editing on a scene by scene basis. This could also be considered part of the content editing, but for the writer, this level needs to be addressed separately.

After those big elements are in order, each scene should be carefully examined. First, decide if the scene even earns a right to be in the book. Something significant should happen in every scene that drives the story forward or adds to character development, preferably both.

When you’ve decided that the scene stays, make sure that it’s strong and active. Check if you have entered the scene properly. To enter a scene you should quickly establish the time, place, and point of view character. These elements are necessary to pull your reader into the fictional world. This can be best done with some sensory details about the setting from the point of view character’s perspective. While you might choose to start with a few lines of dialogue, within the first few paragraphs, you need give us this information. 

Once the scene is going, make sure that there is conflict (or tension) in the scene and something happens that shifts the dynamic in the scene. You don’t want a static scene. Examine the scene to make sure that there is a nice mixture of dialogue, action, description, and internal monologue from your point of view character. The best scenes weave these all together. Also check that the five senses and adequate emotion are used throughout. Finally, exit the scene with a strong closing hook that will drive the reader to keep going into the next scene.

 *Line Editing, Copy Editing, and Proofreading

After the content of a book is all finalized, the next level of editing is line editing. At this level the editor examines sentences and paragraphs to make sure the writing is effective, tight, and properly communicates the author’s intent. Often sentences can be combined or restructured to better express the meaning. Sometimes connectors or further description are required. Sometimes redundant words or lines are cut. Another main goal of the line editor is to make certain that the prose is fluid and pleasurable for the reader. When line editing your own work, it is very helpful to read the text out loud to yourself. Your ears will catch many problems that your eyes are not likely to see.

Next comes copy editing. Copy editors study all the words, looking primarily at grammar and punctuation. They know the publishers style guidelines and apply then to the manuscript.

Finally, the publisher will take the manuscript through the proofreading stage, in other words, looking at every single letter and punctuation mark for typos. Often this is done by a number of people after the book is available in the “Advanced Reader” format. You might want to ask friends, family, or your beta readers to help you with this stage. When looking for last minute errors, it is helpful to read the manuscript on a printed page, read out loud, and if possible, have a text to speech program read it to you. These last three stages are sometimes compressed into only one or two stages by publishing companies, but be sure that you treat each one separately.

So that’s the road map. Notice how it starts big and works it’s way in. Remember, by using these techniques in proper order, you too can learn to edit like a pro.

Writers, what are some of your editing secrets? Readers, what are you pet peeve problems that you find in books and wish authors would do a better job at editing out? 

That Magical Moment

The writers journey is long, challenging, discouraging, and often tedious. On average it takes ten years of committed work to get published, just so you can sell (again on average) about 10,000 books and make about $10,000 bucks. Typically, it takes another decade and several books to even begin making something that looks like a living. And only a few, rare, authors (whom lightning strikes) will ever get rich. Instead most will face constant criticism and scathing reviews while they rake in their pittance.

So why do writers do it? We do it because we love to write. We love the creative process. Bringing to life worlds and characters upon the paper that will spark to life in the imagination of our readers.

And perhaps nothing is more magical and rewarding in the eyes of the author than that moment when inspiration strikes. Some authors get inspiration all the time. Every creepy barn they pass on the highway is the site for a murder. Every quirky old man the basis for a character. And inspiration builds slowly. But for me inspiration hits fast, and it hits hard. Like a tidal wave I can barely control.

Inspiration hit me last week. I had discussed the possibility of a YA medieval romance series with an editor a year and a half ago. Then last Saturday, while I took a walk, inspiration hit. NO, not hit. Inspiration smashed me upside the head and hi-jacked the next 8 days of my life. Not only with a book idea this time. That would be too easy. With an entire series that must be mapped out, plus the beginning of book one.

So this past week has been a haze of research, editing, and manic writing. Thank God for my faithful team of supporters who jumped right on the project with help strategizing and critiquing. And somehow, in the midst of it, I managed to not burn down the house or neglect any of my children. As of today, a full series proposal along with three chapters of book one is ready to be sent off to publishers.

It's been an amazing, exhilarating, roller coaster of a week. And a wonderful reminder that these magical moments are why I write.

Paint Chips

Susie Finkbeiner

I'd like to introduce you to my wonderful friend and WhiteFire author, Susie Finkbeiner. Susie and her novel Paint Chips are both very special to me. I first met Susie by commenting on Novel Matters. I loved her spirit and her intelligence. So, feeling confident that she'd make a wonderful WhiteFire author, I started a friendship (yes, authors, when editors seek you out to "court" you, that's a pretty good sign.) When I heard Susie had finished her first novel, I immediatley let her know I would be interested in seeing it. And to my complete delight, she said she would love to send it to me. The book ended up being my first official acquisition for WhiteFire, not to mention the first book I edited.

Don't worry, you don't have to hate her. Yes, she made some of the typical newbie mistakes, but the energy, the life in that novel, blew me away. She had just the young, edgy, yet wonderfully spiritual vibe we look for at WhiteFire. (See adorable nose stud in her picture, not to mention those piercing eyes.) Her book kept me awake late into the night. I read it straight through, which is a rare thing for me to do, and yet another sign that it would be perfect for WhiteFire. And, Susie turned out to be a great author to work with. She was a quick learner and ate up everything we taught her. The resulting manuscript, in my opinion, is thought-provoking, life changing, and award worthy.

Since it seems odd to do a "review" under the circumstances, let me tell you some of the stand out features that drew me to this book. 1) The characters are so vibrant and alive that they jumped off the page and into my heart. 2) Her writing voice has an understated sort of elegance and artistry reimiscent of Lisa Samson. 3) The subject of the book, which involved healing from abuse and human trafficking, was so relevant and today. 4) The book brimmed with hope and youthful energy. 5) Susie looked at difficult spiritual questions without offering easy answers or platitudes. 

Here is the official blurb for Paint Chips. (written by yours truly and tweaked by the word wizard, Roseanna White)'

What lies beneath the layers of hurt?

Though haunted by her troubled past, Dot has found a safe haven. She has a fierce protector and a colorful collection of friends...but sometimes she wonders if her life will ever be normal again. Though college and romance await her, embracing them requires a new kind of strength--one she isn't sure she has.

Emerging from years of confusion, Cora struggles to latch hold of the sanity she needs to return to the real world. She yearns to find a place of peace...but first she must deal with the ghosts of her past.

Can this mother and daughter overcome abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and the horrors of sexual trafficking, and make it back into each others arms?

Facing the past is never easy. But as they chip away the layers, they might just find something beautiful beneath the mess.

The subject might sound a little depressing, but it's one of those books that will break your heart and put it back together, while making you laugh along the way. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book! Order it for your ereader today for only $3.99.
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