Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer whose Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense novels have each been finalists in The Word Awards. She's also the author of the devotional collection, A Year of Tenacity. Janet blogs about faith and books. She loves Jesus and her family, and enjoys reading, worship music, and tea. Fans of Christian suspense are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.

3 Challenges of the Christian Book Lover (Guest Post)

3 Challenges of the Christian Book Lover

by Steph Beth Nickel

Giving a Kind Critique

Have you ever been asked to critique someone’s writing or been approached to be a beta reader? (A beta reader is given an author’s unpublished manuscript for review.)

Anyone who writes knows how hard it is to allow others not only to read the words they’ve spent hours—sometimes even months or years—grueling over but also to ask readers for feedback, both what they liked and what they didn’t.

As believers, we want to be kind and encouraging. We want to build up rather than tear down. These are godly responses, but we must also seek to be honest.

How can you and I express our opinion in a way that is both honest and encouraging?

Here are three suggestions:

Before you start to read, ask what the writer is looking for in particular. Don’t give them a list of grammatical errors if they primarily want to know if the characters are believable and the storyline plausible, for example.

Remember to list what you liked as well as what you didn’t. Some people use the 2-1 rule: list two positives for every negative. Others simply list the things they enjoyed first and then those they feel could be improved.

Even if you’re an editor, a critique is not the same as an edit. Try to approach the work as a typical reader rather than a professional, although there will, of course, be an overlap. It’s hard to switch off the editor brain even when reading for pleasure.

Tweetable: Build up, don’t tear down, when giving a critique. (click to tweet)

Leaving a Realistic Review

If we’ve been asked to leave a review—or simply if we choose to do so, it can be challenging if we didn’t particularly like the book.

We may not want to hurt the author’s feelings—or their sales—especially if we know them personally.

While we want to be kind to the author, we must also keep in mind those who may choose to read a book based upon our review.

Here are three suggestions:

Deliberately look for something positive to include in your review, especially if you can’t honestly give it four or five stars. Point out what you enjoyed—or what other readers might enjoy—before listing those things you didn’t like.

It’s best to leave a brief review. Even so, take the time to craft it well and read it over a few times before posting.

And when it comes to reviewing books by authors you know, you may not want agree to do so if you think your review may affect their sales and / or your relationship with them.

Tweetable: Give kind but honest reviews. (click to tweet)

Selfless Self-Promotion

Whether we write, edit or proofread, we may have to promote our work. As Christians, we may find this difficult to do. After all, humility is a godly trait. However, humility doesn’t mean denying the gifts and abilities the Lord has enabled us to develop.

I once heard of an author who said if he didn’t believe his book would be valuable to his reader and worth their financial investment, he had no business writing it. What a great perspective!

The same is true of any creative or professional endeavour we are involved in. And if it has value to others, it makes sense to make them aware of it.

How can we do so without coercing others or allowing pride to motivate us?

Here are three suggestions:

Truly consider how others will benefit. Keep them in mind when developing a marketing strategy and promoting your product or service.

Be generous. Many creatives, even those who aren’t believers, give away bonus material that is of significant value. They may offer their first book free. They may record podcasts or webinars that are more than simply promotional tools. Follow their example and seek to bless your readers or clients.

Although this may sound overly “spiritual,” believers ought to pray about this, as they should about all areas of life. God will show you how to engage in selfless self-promotion if you ask.

Tweetable: Consider how your writing will benefit the reader when marketing. (click to tweet)

Will you accept these challenges? What could you add to these lists?

Steph Beth Nickel
(Photo by Stephen G. Woo Photography)

Stephanie (Steph Beth) Nickel is an award-winning co-author, a freelance editor and writer, a labour doula, and a former personal trainer. She also loves to speak, teach, and take slice-of-life photos. She would love to connect with you on Facebook or Twitter, on her website or blog.

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To Hear and Obey

…and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord.
Haggai 1:12b, NLT*

What was the Lord’s message that the people obeyed?

A remnant of Israel had returned to Jerusalem, but in the busyness of rebuilding the city and their homes, they’d neglected to finish rebuilding the Temple.

God asked, “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4, NLT*) He said that was why the people were working so hard for meagre results. They weren’t honouring Him.

Prophetic messages were often rejected, but not this time. These people listened. They chose to obey.

We can be like them, getting off-track or drifting away from what the Lord would have us do. He may let us wander for a while and miss the best He wants to give us, but isn’t it wonderful that He will call us back?

Let’s be quick to listen and to respond.

Good and merciful God, You know we’re prone to distraction. Please guard and direct us, and make us responsive to Your correction. Give us ears, hearts, and spirits attuned to You, for Your glory and our own wellbeing.

∞

A good song to pray regularly is “Search Me, Know Me,” by Kathryn Scott.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Review: Scrivener for Dummies, by Gwen Hernandez

Scrivener for Dummies, by Gwen Hernandez (John Wiley and Sons, 2012)

This is probably the only reference book I have ever read cover-to-cover. It’s definitely the only one that’s ever caused me to cheer.

I’m posting a photo of my own copy, complete with page markers, instead of the standard cover shot, to show how many important things I want to be able to easily find. (The index will take me to the proper page, but will I find the specific line that I need?)

Most users would follow the expected method of looking up their immediate question in the index and reading only the relevant sections. I did that a bit when I first bought the book, but didn’t find it as helpful as I’d hoped even though that’s what it’s designed for. I think I wasn’t very good at defining my need well enough to search for the solution.

Scrivener is considered by many writers to be the best thing since the word processor. Now, after using the program for a few years, having worked through the tutorial, learned from some excellent free webinars and one of Gwen Hernandez’ paid courses, I decided to read Scrivener for Dummies to pick up some advanced knowledge – and to refresh myself on some of the basics I’d missed along the way.

Honestly, the cheering? That was for the discoveries about some of the program’s features. But I found the author’s explanations very easy to understand. She’s funny, too, which definitely helps anyone reading very far.

This is an approachable resource, intelligently laid out and with clear examples and screen-shots. Each section is self-contained, pointing to other sections where needed, for the person who dips in for a specific answer instead of reading straight through.

The book covers both the Mac and Windows versions, and while Scrivener has made some changes since 2012, enough of the material is the same. If you find something in the book that you want to do but your version of Scrivener handles it differently, if you can’t figure it out by poking around in the program, either the Literature and Latte forum or a Google search will find you the answer.

Gwen Hernandez is a romantic suspense novelist and Scrivener teacher, offering interactive online courses. I found her Compile course very helpful, and she was patient to answer our many questions. For more about the author, visit gwenhernandez.com. For more about her Scrivener classes, visit scrivenerclasses.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

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God First

They sweep past like the wind
and are gone.
But they are deeply guilty,
for their own strength is their god.
Habakkuk 1:11, NLT*

This prophecy describes the Babylonians, whom God says He will “raise up” (verse 6) to conquer everything in sight.

He calls them “a cruel and violent people” (verse 6) yet it seems their worse offense isn’t wicked behaviour – it’s the attitude of their hearts. It’s what they worship.

Today’s verse reminds us that, as important as our conduct is, of greater importance is the orientation of our hearts. Even outward righteousness wouldn’t be acceptable to Him if it came from a wrongly-focused heart.

God requires our obedience, but even deeper, He requires our worship. Not because His ego needs it, but because we were designed to worship Him. We are only complete when our spirits are lined up with His. When He is our Source, our focus. Our God.

Holy and all-powerful God, You alone are worthy of worship. If we fixate on anything else, we’re missing the fullness of life that You have for us – and we’re offending You by exalting something of lesser value above You. Forgive us for how easily we get distracted. Capture our hearts with Your goodness, and draw us to worship You alone. Only You are worthy, and only in You we find life.

∞

Let this song from Lauren Daigle remind us to keep God “First”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhsi5gh45m0

Review: Raise Your Gaze, by Peter A. Black

Raise Your Gaze, by Peter A. Black (Angel Hope Publishing, 2014)

Subtitled “Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart: Fifty-Two Articles and Words to Bless,” this is an encouraging collection of some of the author’s inspirational columns as published over the years, plus a selection of brief verses of blessing.

The content is arranged to follow the calendar year, beginning in the winter of a new year and moving through the seasons to Christmas. As such, it’s suitable for a weekly reading plan, or of course to be enjoyed in a shorter span of time.

Articles range from slice of life and personal experience to nature-inspired lessons and profiles of worthy but often unsung heroes. Many pieces end with a portion of Scripture which ties into the day’s thought.

Peter A. Black is a Canadian-based writer and former pastor, and the author of Parables from the Pond. He is now on his 21st year of writing his weekly column for The Watford Guide-Advocate, and considers it “a door of opportunity to present a Christian perspective and an inspirational moment for those who care to read it.” He’s also a contributing blogger and regular commenter at The Word Guild blog.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

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Tested Trust

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13, NLT*

This level of trust isn’t a casual belief, nor is it taking something for granted. It’s an active, deliberate choice to trust God, regardless of the circumstances – or the consequences.

Trust like this seems risky at first, like sitting in a chair that looks rickety. You might lower yourself gingerly onto the seat, listening for creaks, leg muscles tensed to spring up if the chair collapses.

Gradually, you relax and let the chair take your full weight. It holds you well.

The next time you may still be cautious, but not as much so. Each time you experience the chair’s solidity increases your ability to trust it. The chair has been strong – trustworthy – all along.

With God, we have many proofs of His faithfulness, from His Word and from experience – others’ and our own.

It’s still up to us to choose to place our trust in Him in each situation. That choice locks out the enemy’s mind games and focuses us on our true Help. It’s a choice that sometimes we’ll need to make minute by minute.

The more we rely on God, and the more fully we do so, instead of keeping our options open, the more we will prove His faithfulness. This is when we discover the hope and confidence He gives.

God our Rock and our Salvation, our Help and our Sustainer, be our Source of hope. Give us the faith to actively trust You so we’ll be open to your infilling of joy, peace, and confident hope – for our own sakes and for the sake of those who need to see that You’re real.

∞

Our song today is “In Christ Alone,” sung here by Geoff Moore and Adrienne Liesching.

Review: Frayed, by Kerry Nietz

Frayed, by Kerry Nietz (Freeheads, 2016)

Fans of the DarkTrench saga will be pleased to return to that same, dystopian future Earth. New to these books and not sure what to think? The book that started it all, A Star Curiously Singing, is free on most ebook platforms.

Frayed is the start of the DarkTrench Shadow Series, with new characters. Chronologically it overlaps the last part of A Star Curiously Singing. (Now I want to go back and read that one for a refresher to what happened off-screen in this book.)

The protagonist, ThreadBare, is a debugger (human, implanted with a computer chip that lets him wirelessly interact with all the machines so he can fix them). Debuggers are essentially slaves. In this society built on a form of Islamic law, their one bonus is they’re guaranteed entry to paradise because their chips block them from sinning – and from any other behaviour their masters forbid.

Debuggers are gifted at asking questions, solving problems. But the questions ThreadBare starts asking could land him in serious pain.

Frayed is written in the first person, present tense, and that works for these books. It’s like ThreadBare is talking to you, the reader, streaming to you a real-time account of what’s happening. At least once he’ll even speak to you directly, calling you a freehead (because you have no implant).

As well as the DarkTrench books, Kerry Nietz has also written Amish Vampires in Space and Amish Zombies in Space. I haven’t read the zombie one, but the vampire one is a serious novel, not a joke like the titles imply. For more about the author and his books, visit nietz.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

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Set Apart

And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.
Acts 20:32, NLT*

God has set us apart for Himself. Not because of anything we’ve done to earn it, but because of His great mercy and grace.

Set apart for God…

for His glory, in our conduct and in the transformation others will see in us
for His service, as and where He leads and empowers
for personal relationship with Him, because He has adopted us
for our rescue and resuscitation, and to build us up
for an inheritance in eternity

Because He chose us, while we were still dead in our sins. (Romans 5:8)

God our Rescuer and Redeemer, You have given us new life and hope, not just for ourselves but that we may live set apart for You. Help us fully embrace Your rule in our lives so we can be filled with Your Holy Spirit and live lives that please You. Shine through us to draw others who are still in the darkness.

∞

Another Matt Maher song this week: “Deliverer.”

Review: Thicker than Blood, by C.J. Darlington

Thicker than Blood, by C.J. Darlington (Mountainview Books edition, 2015)

Christy’s life is a mess, and she has nowhere to turn. She walked out on her younger sister, May, after their parents died. That was years ago, and she couldn’t bear for May to see her now.

May still carries the grief of abandonment, and wonders what she did wrong. She thinks she’s forgiven Christy – until her wayward sister stumbles back into her life.

The story alternates between the two sisters’ points of view. Christy sees May offering unbelievable love and patience, while May reveals to her friends just how hard it is to give consistent acceptance to someone who seems so ungrateful.

There’s more to the story than that, of course. Christy’s job is on the line and she has an abusive ex. May’s about to lose her beloved farm to foreclosure. But it’s the relationships and the characters that drive the story.

I found this an honest look at the cost – and benefit – of unconditional love.

Thicker than Blood was originally published after winning the 2008 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest. It’s book 1 in the “Thicker than Blood” series, and it’s free as an ebook on most platforms. For more about author C.J. Darlington and her books, visit cjdarlington.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Without Proof Photo Album

I’ve shared photos before of things my characters might have seen in Secrets and Lies, and today I have a few images from Without Proof. If you’ve read the novel, you’ll know that Amy’s estranged father wants to be part of her life, but there’s a lot of hurt for her to get past first. When he visits Nova Scotia, once she agrees to meet him, they spend part of a day prowling some of the local tourist sites to avoid the awkwardness of sitting and making conversation.

A natural spot for them to visit is Peggy’s Cove, which is not too far from where Amy lives and which is the home of perhaps the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. Here’s a brief tour:

Wooden bench on the rocks at Peggy's Cove

Amy and Neal may have sat on this bench when they shared a brief heart-to-heart.

View from the bench: plenty of ocean, with the rock-lined edge of a roadway in the foreground.

Looking straight ahead, this is what they might have seen, if the wind was calm that day.

The iconic Peggy's Cove lighthouse, surrounded by tourists.

Looking to the left, they’d have seen the iconic lighthouse, surrounded by tourists. Yes, this whole area is essentially a collection of huge rocks with a few plants growing wherever they can.

Peggy's Cove Fisherman's Monument, carved by William E. deGarthe

Amy pointed out the Fisherman’s Monument to Neal. The monument was carved by William E. deGarthe, and if you click the image, the link will take you to more information. As I said, the rocks are everywhere. So too are persistent plants. In the lower right-hand corner are wild rose bushes, and you can see grass and a few trees as well.

Wild rose growing in a crack of a granite boulder

Trivia point: the background image of my website is a huge chunk of Peggy’s Cove granite with a tenacious wild rose blooming in a crack. Here’s a smaller version of the image.

If you walked up to the restaurant and out onto the point, you’d see a greater expanse of boulders that project like hills into the sea. People love to clamber across the rocks, although, tragically, some venture onto the slippery black rocks where the water comes, and get swept into the ocean. I didn’t include that part of the locale in our photo tour, nor the restaurant and shops, because how many pictures do you really want to look at? And I didn’t include a shot of the gourmet ice cream sold on-site, because that would have just been cruel. 🙂

If you haven’t read the novel and want to know more (it’s Christian romantic suspense), check out the Without Proof book page.

[All photos on this page are my own, taken by me.]