If I'm not mistaken, (the Queen? Wrong? Peeshaw!) Allison will be in Texas for the first few days of November, then she will be here with US the rest of the month. She asked if this was okay when we approached her about being the guest author, and of course we said BY ALL MEANS! We're just tickled pink to have her, even if she is off lounging on a couch somewhere, being fanned, and eating grapes. What?

Okay, okay, if you read above, she's in Texas speaking at the Books Alive! convention. But next week, she's ours!

Welcome Allison. We're anxiously awaiting to hear all about your life, your mission, and how God has worked through you. And of course, how you learned everything you know from moi. What? Hmm...tuff room.

JJ

Can't wait to meet you Allison!

Allison checking in....while eating grapes and being fanned with palm fronds by George Clooney look-alikes. Just hit the "send" button on my second novel...it's now officially at the publishers and I am officially able to be a mush-brained lunatic for the next day or two until I leave for Texas. I'll be back and online to meet and greet on 11/6. Please, folks, please have questions ready and tell your friends to join us so Da Queen will get off my case. :-)

And if by chance my name on the left still has me listed as a "Stranger" and my photo still appears as a mustery woman sillouette...will someone please tell me how to fix this?????? Pretty please, with copious amounts of creme brule on top?

Over and out!
Allison Bottke
www.godallowsuturns.com

Your wish is my command....

Hi Allison, welcome to BWS. You have certainly accomplished A LOT! I am interested in the Writing for the Soul conference that meets in my home town of Colorado Springs. Do you have a link for that? I look forward to chatting with you.

I read Allison's book, A Stitch In Time and loved it. It was fun escaping into the glitzy world with her well developed characters. She kept me guessing until the second to last page.

It is Christian chick lit at it's best. Her comments about her faith that are spursed throughout the book were perfect. As a Christian, I've had many of the very same thoughts through the years. It was a perfect mix of glitz and glamour, thrown in with some down to earth folks, and a teeny sprinkling of Christianity to boot.

I also read the book and loved it. As a matter of fact, I read both books. I would recommend either of them but I guess Stitch was my fav...I could get "into" the character and like Dotsie said, the lifestyle was glamorous. I loved visualizing the clothes and shoes.

Hello Everyone!

I'm a day late and a dollar short, as the saying goes. I was supposed to check in yesterday but for some inexplicable reason the day got away from me. Might have something to do with flying in from Texas late the night before. Please forgive me, but I'm here now and excited to LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

I've read all of the postings so far, and I'm looking forward to the next month, sounds like we have a good group started!

Thanks to Da Queen for removing my "Stranger" status and giving me an actual name and location. Bless your heart!

Lynnie, here's the full information about the writers conference. The main organization is called The Jerry Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and they have an annual conference every February at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs called WRITING FOR THE SOUL. This year the conference is being held February 15-18 and all the info is on the web site. Go to the main page and click on the CWG Annual Conference link in the right sidebar. I'll be attending as a Faculty Member, you'll see me listed under Editors as God Allows U-Turns. The conference is well worth the money - very professional, amazing speakers and teachers, and sure to jump start any writing career. Jerry does an excellent job. This year he has Tim HaHaye, his co-author of the LEFT BEHIND book series, as one of the keynote speakers, along with Liz Curtis Higgs and a host of others.

www.christianwritersguild.com

Vicki in Tampa asked me two questions regarding my 21 books and my outreach ministry, "How do I do it?" and "What is my secret?"

I think I'll start there in my next post.

Please start posting your questions regarding writing (since this is the Writing Forum...ha-ha) and I will begin to respond as best I can.

Looking forward to a great month! Thanks for having me here.

Blessings and God's Peace,
Allison Bottke
www.godallowsuturns.com

Before I respond to Vicki's two questions, I'd like to thank Dotsie and Da Queen for their encouraging words about my debut novel: A STITCH IN TIME, as well as comments about my co-authored non-fiction book: I CAN'T DO IT ALL.

I would love to discuss these books in greater length during this month, so feel free to ask specific questions related to these books, or to any of my published books for that matter.

Both of these featured books are available from your local secular or Christian bookstore, as well as on Amazon.com or directly from my web site. If you order from my web site and pay via PayPal, I will gladly autograph the book(s) for you and make sure (personally) that your order is immediately processed so you can have the book as quickly as possible. Send me an email if you want your book(s) personalized. allison@godallowsuturns.com

Onward!

Thanks, Vicki in Tampa, for the questions!

For those of us who are "writers," we write because it's in our DNA. We write because it's the lens through which we view our life and the lives around us. While I can carry an audible conversation with little challenge (ha-ha) writing is my preffered method of communication.

(Side note: SPELLING, HOWEVER, IS NOT A GIFT. And I don't think this Forum has a Spell Check feature, does it? I'm also horribly dyslexic with adult ADD, so I'll apologize ahead of time for any words I might unintentionally slaughter, okay?)

As someone who writes from a Christian worldview, I'm of the personal belief that the "How Do I Do It?" comes directly from God's call on my life. I do what I do not because I've found a niche or a genre that I like or that I feel confident about, although that is true, but because I sincerely feel God has placed me here specifically for the purpose of sharing how faith has transformed my life.

For me, because I am a writer, I have been able to share my faith via the God Allows U-Turns compilation series, via my first non-fiction "women's issue" book (I CAN'T DO IT ALL) and it's clearly evident in my debut novel (A STITCH IN TIME) as some (but not all) of my characters are people of faith.

As for "My Secret?" That's easy. Hard work. Committment. And having a focused STRATEGIC PLAN. And actually...now hear this... WRITING EVERY DAY.

I'm not a particularly gifted writer, I'll never be a literary giant. In fact, I quit school after the ninth grade to marry a young man whose abuse nearly killed me. I've spent years trying to pull myself up by the bootstraps (whatever THOSE are!) and taking classes, attending seminars and writer's conferences, reading lots and lots of "How To" books, conducting research and simply acquiring "On the Job Training" as I learned while I lived.

Where there's a will, there's a way is my simple belief.

Additionally, acquiring thick skin to handle countless rejections, learning from my mistakes, listening to editors and to criticism (and NOT being defensive) and generally having a Half Full as opposed to Half Empty view on life could also be called "My Secret."

Any more writing questions, my fellow baby boomer friends? I'm ready, willing, and able to answer whatever you throw my way.

Until the next time...

Allison
www.godallowsuturns.com