2017 Omega Writers Conference Highlights #omega17 | Narelle Atkins

Left to Right: Elaine Fraser, Andrea Grigg, Iola Goulton, Margie Lawson, Jeanette O'Hagan, Narelle Atkins, Nola Passmore.

By Narelle Atkins

Wow. The 2017 Omega Writers Conference in Sydney last weekend was fabulous. Awesome. Brilliant. Inspiring. Around one hundred writers enjoyed the relaxed rural conference setting on the outskirts of Sydney. I feel blessed to belong to Omega Writers and the wider Christian writing community that encourages and supports writers in our part of the world.

Many thanks to Raewyn Elsegood and her conference team who worked hard behind the scenes. Jenny Glazebrook's new initiative to place attendees in host groups provided another avenue to build relationships and ensure first time conference attendees were welcomed into the Omega writing community.

The amazing Margie Lawson was our keynote speaker. We love Margie and love her teaching gift. Thank you Margie for blessing us by attending our conference. 

Margie is pictured above with the six Margie Immersion Grads who were at conference. Elaine Fraser is a 3-time Immersion Grad: Melbourne in August 2015, Sydney in August 2016 and a solo Immersion with Margie in Colorado in May 2017. Andrea Grigg and Iola Goulton attended an August 2015 Melbourne Immersion with Elaine (hosted by 4-time Immersion Grad Dorothy Adamek). Jeanette O'Hagan and Nola Passmore attended a Brisbane Immersion in August 2016. I attended a Canberra Immersion in March 2017.

Margie included quotes in her teaching points from Elaine Fraser's book Amazing Grace and Andrea Grigg's book All is Bright. It was exciting to see their excellent writing featured on the big screen.

Multi-published author Alex Marestaing from Southern California was our keynote speaker at the CALEB Awards. Yes, we really did have an international author who has worked with Disney attend our Aussie conference and teach our Young Adult and Middle Grade writers!

I had the pleasure of introducing the delightful Patricia Weerakoon and her much anticipated workshop 'Sex without Sleaze'. An informative and challenging workshop for fiction writers on how to write about sexuality and related issues in both the Christian market and general market from a Christian perspective. 

Multi-published regency romance author Carolyn Miller presented a fun and engaging workshop for fiction writers. We celebrated with Carolyn as her third book, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, was released in the USA during the week prior to conference.  

Omega Writers President Meredith Resce and Margie Lawson presented the certificates to the CALEB Award finalists. We live streamed the CALEB Awards via my Facebook Profile to Australasian Christian Writers and Christian Writers Downunder Facebook Groups. The video footage is in two parts and can be viewed at the links below.

2017 CALEB Awards via Facebook Live - Part 1

2017 CALEB Awards via Facebook Live - Part 2

Facebook Live Part 2 video includes Alex Marestaing's inspiring keynote address.

Facebook Live Part 2 video also includes Rachel Sweasey and Rochelle Manners from Rhiza Press and author Catriona McKeown (2016 CALEB Unpublished winner) discussing the upcoming release of YA novel The Boy in the Hoodie.

CALEB Awards co-ordinator Judy Rogers presented the CALEB Prize to the overall winner, Cecily Paterson.

2017 CALEB ~ Published Fiction

Winner: 
Charlie Frank is A-OK - Cecily Anne Paterson (CALEB Prize Winner)

Finalists: 
Daystar: The Days are Numbered - Anne Hamilton 

Forgiving Sky - Jenny Glazebrook 

Amazing Grace - Elaine Fraser

2017 CALEB ~ Children’s Picture Books 

Winner: 

Small and Big - Karen Collum illustrated by Ben Wood (CALEB Prize Runner Up)

Finalists: 

The Mighty, Mighty King Christmas Book - Penny Morrison illustrated by Lisa Flanagan 

My Imagination - written and illustrated by Ellen Wildig

2017 CALEB ~ Published Non-Fiction 

Winner: 
Burn My Letters: Tyranny to Refuge - Ruth Bonetti
Finalists: 
Heaven Tempers the Wind - Hazel Barker 
Becoming Me - Jo-Anne Berthelsen

2017 CALEB ~ Unpublished Manuscript 

Winner: 
Siren’s Fight - Kristen Young 
Finalists:
In the Middle of the Whirlwind - Hannah Currie 
The Gryphon Key - Elizabeth Klein 
Holy War - Anthony Peterson

Karen Collum & Cecily Paterson

Many thanks to Margaret Holahan who took hundreds of photos for Omega Writers during the weekend and allowed me to access the Dropbox and share photos in my post. The photos that are date stamped are from the Omega photo collection. Enjoy browsing the conference photos and plan to attend the 2018 Conference in Adelaide. 

Raewyn Elsegood & Margie Lawson

Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Rowena Beresford

Rose Dee at the Registration Desk

Katrina Roe

James Cooper

Penny Morrison

Does Online Book Advertising Even Work? + Giveaway - Kara Isaac

Ads, ads, ads. They're on buses, billboards, in your letterbox and always wherever you go on the internet. But do they provide results for the people paying for them? 

In June, I independently released my third book, Then There Was You. There are many pros to indie publishing but one of the challenges is that you, the author, are solely responsible for trying to create "buzz" around your book and get it in front of readers. No small feat when a new book is published on Amazon every three minutes and the odds of it being "discovered" by a new reader purely by chance are slim to none. 

As a result, I've had to delve into the wonderful world of paid online book promotion. So, over my next two posts I thought I would chat about the different types of promotion that I have tried and my thoughts/experiences! 

This post I'm going to talk about Facebook Ads/Boosts and GoodReads ads and giveaways. Then next post I will be talking about Amazon ads and email promotional lists. 

Facebook Ads/Boosts
Anyone who is on Facebook will have seen sponsored ads or "boosted" posts show up in their newsfeed. The reason for this is because even if you like the page for your favourite author/speaker/restaurant Facebook still won't show you anything and everything that person/organization posts. Instead, clever Facebook, makes people pay if they really want a post to be seen.

Pros: When well targeted, boosted posts and ads can get you back in front of your target audience with important news or announcements. They can increase engagement with your page (and when someone engages with a post it makes it more likely FB will show them more things from you in the future) and Facebook provides good metrics on the results you have gotten for each promotion.

Cons: No ability to see if a paid promotion has directly resulted in sales. Facebook can be very picky about the content/format of a boosted post. For example, if they think you ad has too many words then the algorithm will limit how may people it will be distributed to but if you are running something like a giveaway you have to have a lot of words to set out the terms and conditions!

Thoughts: Know what your goals are for each boosted post or ad so you know whether your investment has delivered the outcomes you want. Do you want more page likes? If so how many? A certain reach? A certain number of entries or comments? If you don't meet your goals analyse the results and try and work out why rather than shrugging your shoulders and putting it down to the Facebook algorithm having it in for you.

Be strategic about what you choose to boost.  The truth is that most of my posts are only of interest to my really committed readers and Facebook will usually show them my posts organically because they have a history of engagement with my page. If you want to reach a broader audience then boost posts that will appeal to them. For me this is giveaways, sales and big announcements (book contracts, cover reveals etc). Also, the Facebook algorithm is smart so if you boost often it will know that it doesn't need to offer you a good reach to get your money. Whereas if you boost sporadically it will offer you a bigger reach to try and get you to spend more money, more often :)

GoodReads Advertisements
GoodReads offers the ability to create advertisements that appear in members' newsfeed and sidebars. You pay "per click" and can target you advertisements to specific readers (for example people who have read books by other authors you nominate and rated their books 3* or higher)

Pros: To date I haven't found any.
Cons: Unlike most other providers who charge you retrospectively per click, GoodReads requires upfront payment (minimum of $50 USD) which then acts as a credit that they deduct your clicks against. I have run six different ads across my three books and, after a year and many attempts at rewriting and retargeting the ads, have spent $12.30. At that rate it will take me until 2020 to spend the $50!

Thoughts: Don't bother. Amazon ads (which I'll cover next time) are a far better spend for your money.


GoodReads Giveaways

With GoodReads there is an option to give away paperback copies of your books. You nominate the number of copies, the dates the giveaway runs and the countries it is available to.

Pros: Gets your book in front of readers who may otherwise never see it. You can see a direct correlation between the giveaway and people adding your book to their "to-read" shelves.

Cons: No way of knowing if it is directly responsible for any sales.

Thoughts: You don't seem to get any greater benefit/visibility from giving away a heap of books versus a smaller number. I personally think the sweet spot is 5-10. It's enough to make people feel like they have a chance at winning one but not so many that it's going to cost you a fortune to fulfil it. (Obviously this only matters if you are having to fulfill the winners yourself. If you have a publisher who will deal with the costs of books and postage then even better!)

Writers - have you tried any of these activities or are you intending to? What was your experience? Readers - what are your thoughts/reactions when one of them shows up on your screen? I've got a Kindle copy of Then There Was You for one commenter!

*Entries close Wednesday, 1 November, midnight CST*

Kara Isaac lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She is the author of Close to You, a RITA Award Double Finalist, and Can't Help Falling, an RT Review Top Pick. Her latest book Then There Was You released in June. When she's not chasing three adorable but spirited little people, she spends her time writing horribly bad first drafts and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in New Zealand. She loves to connect on her website, on Facebook at Kara Isaac - Author and Twitter @KaraIsaac

That tricky balancing act

I believe all of us as writers can learn something from those highwire acrobats we see at the circus. If these performers lean too far one way, they will fall. And if they lean too far the other, the same thing will happen. Instead, they must stay perfectly balanced on that highwire, carefully edging their way along until they reach the other side.

How does all this apply to authors in particular? Since I started writing around thirteen years ago, I have found I often need to practise the fine art of balancing boldness and self-confidence with a good, strong dose of humility. As writers, we might consider ourselves to be amazing—but we might not be. Potential publishers might line up for our manuscripts—but they might not either. In fact, they might never even want to look at those words we have slaved over for hours, days, months, even years—particularly as first-time authors.

On one occasion not so long ago, I found myself chatting to a lady I had never met who proceeded to talk about herself at some length. Her story was interesting but, after a while, I somehow began to feel almost irrelevant or invisible. Finally, in response to a comment she made, I told her I am a writer—and it was at that point that her manner towards me suddenly changed.

‘Oh ... who’s your publisher?’ she asked eagerly.

I barely had time to answer before she rushed on.

‘I’ve written a book too. It’s taken me a couple of years, but it’s ready to be published now,’ she told me. ‘I know the exact publisher I’d like—and the exact literary agent I want too.’

At that point, I held my breath a little. Yes, it was good she had a clear goal in mind for her book—and that she was familiar enough with the publishing world to know whom to contact. But it worried me that she seemed to think the road ahead would be so easy and straightforward for her. And it also disturbed me that she seemed unwilling to listen to anything much I might say. So I simply stayed silent and let her talk.

Yes, we need to believe in ourselves and our writing—otherwise we would not stick at it. Yes, we need to be bold at times, as we approach potential publishers or agents and look for ways to promote our books after they are published. But we also need to balance this with an equal amount of humility. We all have more to learn, whatever stage we are at in our writing journeys. None of us knows it all. And that is why, this very weekend, many Christian Aussie and New Zealand authors are coming together at the Omega Writers’ Conference in Sydney—to listen, to learn, to teach others and also to encourage and support one another.

I’m still working on perfecting my literary highwire act of balancing boldness with humility. And as I do, I’m trying to apply the following:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 4:3

How about you? Have you too found this aspect of the writing and publishing journey a challenge?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and two non-fiction works, ‘Soul Friend’ and ‘Becoming Me’. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

Book Review: Perennials by Julie Cantrell

By Iola Goulton

I don't usually read reviews before reading a book I've asked to review, because I don't want to be influenced (in contrast, I do read reviews before buying a book. Call me weird, but I find it easier to ignore a book's faults if I know them before I start reading page one).

Anyway, if the review I read was accurate, this book had a lot of faults. The chief fault appeared to be that it was from a Christian publisher, yet was not Christian fiction.

Well, sold. 

Okay, not sold. But I requested a review copy from NetGalley, because I wanted to find out for myself.

The writing was brilliant.

Julie Cantrell has a gift with words, with emotion. The plot was generally strong. I thought the plot device used to get Eva home to her family was contrived almost to the point of being unbelievable, but the writing was outstanding and the characterisation was solid enough that I was prepared to let a less-than-believable plot point pass.

Perennials is the story of a middle-aged professional woman who learns the hard way success isn't defined by your salary or your job title (or your ability to life a Pinterest-worthy life), but by being true to yourself. She also learns that we can't judge and resent others for their Pinterest-perfect lives, because we don't know what they're hiding.

These are powerful lessons.

Eva, the main character, wasn't the most likeable person to begin with. She has a chip on her shoulder the size of a small planet, and even at forty-five years of age, it's never occurred to her that her outlook on life and on her family (especially on her family) is anything but right. Being home again forces her to review and rethink some of her perceptions. The more I saw of her in her home town, the more I was able to sympathise and empathise with her situation.

Overall, I'd classify this as an inspirational women's fiction version of Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh. It definitely doesn't fit in the narrow echo chamber of Christian fiction. If it was a romance, I'd say it was angling for a RITA nomination for Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements, because it had plenty of spiritual elements—but most of them weren't Christian:

Namaste. The light in me sees the light in you.

The ancestors have a lot to teach us.

Kachina Woman, Hera, Kuan Yin, Mary. Whoever she is, she is timeless and omnipotent, representing all things feminine and calming and wise.

Definitely not Christian—and that last quote is in direct contradiction to the Gospel of John, which makes clear that Jesus is the way. Not one of many. Yet there were also lines like this:

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

And:

Jesus experienced the worst. Betrayed by someone he trusted, destroyed by the people he loved. Public shame, humiliation ... but despite it all, he chose to love.

No, Perennials doesn't fit into the shiny bucket that is CBA fiction. 

If you're looking for a typical Christian fiction novel, then I wouldn't recommend Perennials. But if you're looking for something that doesn't fit the Christian norm—perhaps as a gift for a non-Christian friend who appreciates good writing and enjoys books such as Eat, Pray, Love—then Perennials may be a good option.

Perhaps Perennials does present Jesus as an option to be considered rather than as the answer. But in doing that, it may attract readers who wouldn't ever pick up a 'Christian' novel. And if those readers are true to themselves, they will consider Jesus. And I believe we need more books written by Christians for a general market audience, books that address real-world problems and present Jesus as an option.

As Perennials does.

What do you think?

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nzto download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Embrace your Blush.

Do you blush? I know I do, but then I’ll admit I’m prone to finding myself in embarrassing situations and often suffer from a good dose of foot-in-mouth disease. Blushing is often seen as a negative thing. It may signal wrongdoing, or draw attention to our shortcomings, but I’ve recently discovered several truths about blushing that has made me think differently about it—even welcome it.

This is how I came to my blushing epiphany.

Lately, I’ve been praying for understanding about the growing rifts I have noticed in our western societies. Whether it is in Australia or the U.S., I feel the intolerances between the left and right sides of politics are growing, as well as the gap between city and country. There have been times I’ve wondered if I’m witnessing the deterioration of godly society’s right before my eyes.

‘Surely not,’ I’ve thought. ‘It’s impossible that such firmly established societies could crumble.’

Then I started reading the book of Jeremiah.

The book of Jeremiah is about the very societal demise I have been contemplating. In the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the elite of society were riddled with pride. This man of God spent decades tirelessly warning them of their future demise, yet his words fell on deaf ears. Every facet of society, from kings to priests, denigrated Jeremiah and his message. Even when disaster fell in the form of invasion and exile, the false prophets maintained that Jeremiah’s God-given message was wrong.

I couldn’t help but see correlations between Jeremiah’s pride-filled society, and my own Western society. I was especially convinced of the similarities when I came across two very specific references to blushing:

Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the LORD. Jeremiah 6:15 (NIV)

Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the LORD. Jeremiah 8:12 (NIV)

These two almost identical verses so close together encouraged me to contemplate blushing. Who wants to blush anyway? If we could avoid blushing, we probably would.

So why, in these verses, does God say He will deal so harshly with those who don’t know how to blush? It must be important as He repeats it.

I found a fascinating article about the study of blushing titled: ‘Why blushing may be good for you.’ It is published by the BBC and written by Claudia Hammond. Here is the link:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140310-why-blushing-may-be-good-for-you

Essentially it outlines various studies that reveal the positive effects of blushing. Here is an extract from the article:

‘Other research has found that if you blush people are more likely to forgive you, and it can even avert a conflict. When you’re trying to work out who to trust, it makes sense to choose the people who would feel guilty if they did anything wrong. The ideal person to trust is someone who would blush and give themselves away.’

I deducted that blushing is a visible sign of acknowledgement of guilt. If we, and everyone around us, know we are guilty, that could lead to confession and repentance.

If only the elite in Jeremiah’s society had blushed. Even if just one of them had blushed, maybe there could have been a flow-on effect. Maybe they would have turned back to God. How did they get so full of pride that they couldn’t even blush? Not even when they were proven wrong. Not even when they had been humbled.

This led me to contemplate the times I had blushed before God. Times when I came to Him embarrassed by my actions, or cringing over my lack of faith, or trust, or obedience. The red patches on my cheeks, the heat enflaming my neck, the heavy, sick feeling in my stomach—all were physical proof of my self-professed guilt. And it was good. It was positive. My blushing led me to confess my sin, seek forgiveness, and repent. To ask for His help, His way, and His grace.

I sought to detail my life. What was in my life, my heart, that caused me to blush now? I asked the Lord to reveal anything that should be making me blush before Him. I started to see blushing differently, and discovered I am grateful for it.

Blushing is our body’s reaction to a spiritual humbling. It reveals the truth of our hearts, even when our mouths still dare not confess. It covers a multitude of wrongs. It inspires others to sympathize with us in our embarrassing moments. It brings repentance.

So, dear reader, embrace your blush. And I challenge you to ask the Lord to reveal the things in your life, and your heart that should be making you blush before Him. Ask for it. Invite it. Welcome it. Then blush away.

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:12 (NIV)

First seen in Book Fun Magazine: 

https://indd.adobe.com/view/95a28925-3401-470c-86a4-30fde1cbc371

Rose was born in North Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach community would later provide inspiration for her Resolution series. 

Two of the three Resolution novels have won Australian CALEB awards. She has also released The Greenfield Legacy, a collaborative novel highlighting the pain of Australia’s past policy of forced adoption, as well as standalone novel, Ehvah After. Her most recent release is A Christmas Resolution, which is part of the novella box set, An Aussie Summer Christmas.

Her novels are inspired by the love of her coastal home and her desire to produce stories that point readers to Jesus. Rose holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and resides in Mackay, North Queensland with her husband and son.

Visit Rose at: www.rosedee.com

It's conference time!

Omega Writers Australasia will be meeting this coming weekend for their annual conference, and it is set to be a great weekend meeting our writing friends from around Australia and New Zealand, and engaging in some first class learning with our conference speakers.

We are thrilled to have had a number of businesses join us as partner sponsors, and as a result we have been able to bring in a couple of sought after speakers who I know will bring another level again to those of us who have been writing in Australia for many years.

Added to this, we will have the CALEB Prize awards evening, where we will recognise Australasian Christian writers in different genres. Our partner sponsors have generously contributed towards the prizes that will be awarded to our winners.

I would like to take a moment to mention some of our partner sponsors, and ask that you would consider them if you are in need of this sort of service:

Tabor College – Education in creative writing

Ingram Spark – Self-publishing and Print on Demand specialists

Book Whispers – Writing and self-publishing assist specialists

Finesse Writing Services – Writing and self-publishing specialists

Breath of Fresh Air Publishing

Cam Print – Screen print and embroidery for t-shirts, corporate wear and caps

Simon Malcolm Productions – Video production specialist

Rosanna White – Graphic designer specialising in book covers

Christian Super – Superannuation specialists

Christian Editing Services – Professional and respected editor

Details for all these partner sponsors can be found on OmegaWriters website 

I hope to see many of you at the conference, and that you will enjoy the workshop streams that are being offered. If you have been unable to make it this year, the good news is that it has already been booked in again for next year. This time we will be headed to beautiful Adelaide, South Australia, and now would be a good time to make a plan to join us in twelve months time.

I have only just finished up a skype session with our Omega Screen Writers group this evening, and we have talked about trying to introduce a new stream to next year’s conference especially for writers of screenplay.

Don’t forget that there are writing chapters functioning around the country, so if you’d like to get together with other writers and can’t wait until October next year, look up the groups that may be functioning in a place near you.

http://www.omegawriters.org/meet-other-writers/

As always, I like to remind members of Australasian Christian Writers and Christian Writers Downunder that Omega Writers continues to function because we have financial members. If you believe in the work that we do, and the services we provide, I would encourage you to consider becoming a financial member. There are benefits to be had. More information on this is on our website.

I would like to take this opportunity to bless you in your writing journey, and pray that you will continue to grow in God and as a writer.

Best regards

Meredith Resce

President

Omega Writers Australasia

www.omegawriters.org

So You Want To Be A Sheep by Letitia Suk

“Take five minutes to pray for your work each day and see what happens,” was the challenge proposed by our pastor to the congregation years ago. I remember thinking something like, “Duh!” Of course, I already pray at least five minutes a day for my work...don’t I? Surely all the praying-on-the-run I did each day for all the flying curveballs added up to more than five minutes.

The nudging continued so the next morning I grabbed a timer on the way to my prayer chair, set it for five minutes and began to pray specifically for my work. Wow, that timer took a long time to ding! Challenge accepted—I was ready to see what would happen.

Like many of us, my work is multi-faceted. So I decided to give a minute to each of the five areas for my day-to-day projects. It seemed like one minute would be easier that five. I know, wimpy, right?

The first minute I gave to my coaching clients. They invested time with me to bring focus and intentionality to their lives and I wanted to give them my best work. My writing got the next minute. The current projects, the longed-for projects, my skill and wisdom in putting words on a page. Good thing the timer rang because it was easy to zone off into work mode instead of praying.

Speaking ministry was next. Events already scheduled and those I wanted to schedule. For my communication skills to grow and for lives to be changed. A lot for one minute.

My part-time chaplain work got minute #4. Patients, sensitivity, staff and overall blessing for the hospitals.

The last minute I saved for specific work stuff on that day’s agenda: marketing, blogging, networking. This time the five minutes flew by.

He was right—things happened! I felt more partnered with God in all aspects of my work. Not just that I was working for Him but with Him as I laid the concerns out each day. I saw clearer productivity and greater results.

All these years later, I still set my timer most days. My work depends on it.

Each day holds 1440 minutes...hard to claim a legitimate excuse for not finding five of them to invest in prayer over your work. You might be amazed at the return.

P.S.—The same five-minute principle works for other areas of your life too!

ABOUT

Letitia (Tish) Suk, www.letitiasuk.com, invites women to create an intentional life centered in Jesus. She blogs at hopeforthebest.org and authored Getaway with God: The Everywoman’s Guide to Personal Retreat) and Rhythms of Renewal. She is a speaker, personal retreat guide, and life coach in the Chicago area. Find Tish: https://www.facebook.com/Letitia.Suk.Author/