Tag Archives: A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

Winner of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderThe 5th Anniversary blog draw is now closed. Thank you to each one who visited and entered… I wish I had a book for each of you. They are available through your favourite booksellers, online or on-store, and maybe even at your public library.

Congratulations to Denise Rumble, whose name I pulled from the basket! Denise is Managing Director for The Word Guild, and she’s also a writer, speaker, and a woman on a journey. Why not pop over to her website and say hello?

Three strangers walk into a bar…

Okay, two of them know one another, but they’re all strangers to me.

And it’s not really a bar (I think).

And they’re outside of it.

Celebration cake with candle.This week I made my annual “birthday” cake for my fictional friends, and it’s got me reminiscing. Some of these folks have been in my head for 19 years now. We have a fair bit of history.

Today, though, I’m thinking of my newest imaginary friends, hence the three strangers outside the local watering hole.

It’s a rough-ish, small building that sells some manner of food and drink. I think it’s wooden. It’s on a backwater-type planet somewhere.

I don’t know their names yet, nor their genders. I think two are female. For now, my notes read:

  • T = travelling character
  • D = disappointed character
  • W= wonder character

T is a stranger to this planet and needs to get to another one. S/he needs D and W to provide transportation. D refuses, and for W to return to that planet could mean death.

It’s possible that D is actually my old friend Sera, in which case I know she’s a former assassin, a crack shot, and the sort of person you want guarding your back. W is an older character and some manner of mentor to D/Sera. I have a special fondness for W and a few inklings into his/her past. W hasn’t had an easy life.

T, main character, isn’t talking to me yet.

I am so looking forward to this! Discovery is the best part.

Updates will be slow and sporadic, because I’m concentrating on fine-tuning the story of Carol, Paul, Joey and Patrick, another crew of my imaginary friends.

March is birthday month here at Tenacity. If you haven’t entered the draw yet for a copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, follow the link to the blog birthday page. [Edited: draw is closed now.]

Celebration Month

Celebration cake with candle.The earliest notes for my foray into the mad adventure known as fiction writing carry a March date. I’ve chosen March as the “birthday” month of my fictional characters imaginary friends, even those who have told me their “real” birth dates. My family thinks I’m crazy, but they never turn down free cake.

This blog began in March, too, and in 2013 I’m celebrating 5 years. Names have changed (the blog used to be God With Us: Finding Joy, and I used to write under the pen name of Joanna Mallory) but the focus is much the same.

God has given me a devotional every week. For five years. I love the chance to share what He’s showing me, and to see how sometimes He uses it in readers’ lives.

I’ve enjoyed spreading the word about books I’ve read and authors I’ve appreciated. Especially Canadian authors who are Christian…

And the blogging friends I’ve made, a few of whom could be my sisters separated at birth… some of you I won’t meet before Heaven, others I’ve met at Write! Canada, but it’s our online conversations that have rooted the relationships.

In celebration of it all, I’m giving away a free copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. To find out more, visit the Blog Birthday Party page. [Comments left on today’s post won’t be included in the draw… you need to go over to the giveaway page. Edit: The party’s over, and the page is gone now.]

So… join the celebration, and help yourself to a slice of virtual cake!

Now in ebook format: A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderNow you can get your serving of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider in ebook format. Kindle: Amazon.ca and Amazon.com; also available for Kobo.

Since I have a story in this book, I haven’t written a review. But here are what some others are saying:

“The stories in the anthology do not all have happy endings. There are people who write about devastating losses in their lives, or occasions that do not turn out as planned. Sometimes there are people of faith who make stunning breakthroughs; sometimes people of faith die. But through the grief, hope survives.” Read the entire article at North Shore Outlook.

“The stories in both Hot Apple Cider books are written in ways that some of us can relate to. I appreciate the honesty of the authors as theyshared from their hearts. Thank you!” ~Helga (posted on the publisher’s website)

“This collection of wonderful writing from a variety of voices is honest, personal, and compelling. Stoke the fire, put up your feet, and open this book. Like me, you’ll be comforted, inspired, and encouraged. I felt as if God were reading over my shoulder.” ~Michael Messenger, Executive VP, World Vision Canada

“This book is easy to pick up and tough to put down. You’ll love these stories of love, faith, and hope. Thank God for second helpings!” ~Phil Callaway, bestselling author, speaker, and humorist

[Amazon links are affiliate links that benefit The Word Guild.]

More Awards for A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderWriters from A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider won an unprecedented 13 awards, consisting of six first-place prizes and seven awards of merit in the 2012 Canadian Christian Writing Awards.

The book won recognition for its excellence in all six categories in which it was nominated. The winners were announced at a gala presentation recognizing the best in Christian writing published during 2011.

It also broke records for being shortlisted 27 times, the most ever for any book, and for conducting the most extensive launch ever done for a Canadian Christian book, with more than 175 author events held in seven provinces.

Four of the anthology’s contributors received multiple awards.

Angelina Fast-Vlaar took two first prizes for her personal experience article “Forgiven,” as did M. D. Meyer for her short story “Bannock and Sweet Tea.” Judges gave the book’s co-editor, Wendy Elaine Nelles, one first prize and two awards of merit for her profile “Soulmates.” Adele Simmons won for her nonfiction piece, “Charlie,” plus collected an award of merit for “The Bulletin Board.”

Other awards of merit (acknowledging finalists who received judges’ scores very close to the winning entry) went to Bonnie Beldan-Thomson, Glynis M. Belec, Marguerite Cummings and Evangeline Inman.

The bestselling book A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider is a collection of stories by 37 Canadian writers who share a Christian faith perspective. It contains short fiction, poetry, and personal experience articles, all chosen to provide hope and encouragement. (Click to read the full press release A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider Wins Big at the Canadian Christian Writing Awards.)

It’s a great summer read for you or for a friend.

A Gift Book, and a Special Offer

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderA Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider released one year ago, and has already reached bestseller status in Canada (5,000 copies sold). Many of the entries are short-listed for The Word Guild’s Canadian Christian Writing Awards, my story won an award in the InScribe members-only contest, and the anthology itself was awarded 2012 Book of the Year: Gift Book Category by the Christian Small Publishers’ Association.

To celebrate, the publisher is offering a special deal for the month of May 2012: Buy a copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider and get a free copy of the original Hot Apple Cider. Just in time for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day!

Visit the Hot Apple Cider website for more information. And follow this link if you’d like a sample of my story, “The Road Trip that Wasn’t.”

A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

More Kudos for A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderPositive reviews and reader comments started appearing soon after the release of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider last year. You can read some of them on the Hot Apple Cider Anthologies website (follow the links above).

I didn’t do a review because I have a story in it—didn’t seem proper, even though I really enjoyed the other selections and would love to tell you how great they are. There’s something for everyone, though: true life, fiction, poetry, spoken word, allegory/parable, serious, reflective, humour and more.

The reviews and author appearances continue (37 of us across Canada) and now that the book has been out long enough to be considered for awards, those are starting to show up too.

A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider was named 2012 Book of the Year in the gift book category by the CSPA (Christian Small Publishers’ Association).

My story, “The Road Trip That Wasn’t,” received first place in InScribe Christian Writer’s Fellowship’s 2011-2012 members-only contest for published work. You can read an excerpt here.

Expect to see a lot of Second Cup selections on the short-lists for the Canadian Christian Writing Awards later this spring.

Interview: The Editors of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider (part 2)

Last Friday we began an interview with N.J. Lindquist and Wendy Elaine Nelles, the co-editors of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. [If you missed it, here’s part one.] Here’s where we left off:

Janet: I’m not sure where you found time to write, but you each contributed a piece for the anthology as well. Was it difficult editing one another’s work without that second, impartial editor?

N.J. LindquistNJL: We tried to get at least a first draft done before the submissions deadline because we knew how swamped we’d be after that. I actually tried writing about four other short stories before I hit on the one that we used in the book.

I have two terrific concept/substantive editors who live close-by, so they always read my work first anyway. (My #2 son and my husband, in case you’re wondering.) They give me very honest and often annoying feedback. So I don’t think editing our own pieces was a huge problem. I think I was as tough on Wendy as I’d been on everyone else.

The real problem was that we kept leaving our own pieces to the last to edit, which wasn’t good.

Wendy Elaine NellesWEN: Yes, we were tough on each other’s pieces too, and we went through a number of revisions just like everyone else. But it was hard slogging because we were completely exhausted by the time we focused on finishing our own pieces at the end.

I deliberately chose to write someone else’s story, because I think too often writers who are Christian focus only on their own experiences when many other people have wonderful stories others would benefit by reading. But writing a 3,500 word human interest profile is a huge amount of work, because you have to get to know the people, do lengthy interviews, ask the right questions, transcribe everything that was said, organize the material, condense it all, focus on the story aspects, get the answers to any missing details, retain the other persons’ voices… and make sure that you have represented them fairly, accurately and compellingly.

Janet: Contributors had to be Canadian who are Christian (as defined by their acceptance of the Apostles’ Creed). They also had to be members of The Word Guild. What collective benefit does this bring to contributors and to TWG?

NJL: If I’m going to invest my time in someone, I want it to be for a person who understands the value of being part of a team. So working only with members of The Word Guild seemed logical to me. No, just becoming a member by paying one’s dues doesn’t guarantee the person won’t just get what he or she wants and then leave, but it’s a start.

Also, The Word Guild is promoting the book, so it’s only logical to prefer that the writers in the book be members.

WEN: I think that people don’t always understand that both the Hot Apple Cider books were created to benefit ALL members of The Word Guild, whether or not they were chosen to be in the books. We’re modeling what it means—and the amount of work it takes—to produce an excellent product that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any other book on the market. We’re modeling working together as a team, to the benefit of enhancing everyone’s career. We’re increasing the public profile of all Canadian writers who are Christian, and everyone who’s in The Word Guild.

I like using the analogy “a rising tide lifts all boats.” We are working hard to enlarge the market and strengthen the publishing community for all Canadian writers who are Christian.

Janet: The Word Guild raised the money to pre-purchase 30,000 copies of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider to donate to World Vision for their Girls’ Night Out and Couples’ Night Out programs. This happened with the first book too, so obviously it’s considered a win-win deal. What are the key benefits to TWG?

NJL: When we began The Word Guild, there were certain “givens” in terms of the book publishing industry in Canada. 

            A. Few people (including staff in Christian bookstores) were even aware there were Canadian writers who were Christian.

            B. Since there was virtually no publishing in Canada, you pretty well had to get published in the United States, and the fact that you were Canadian was rarely mentioned, even in Canada.

            C. There was a stigma that Christian books published in Canada weren’t very good, since most of them were self-published.

So the benefits to The Word Guild are the ability to get a lot of Canadian writers’ work in one book, you have clearly Canadian content, and you have a terrific book published in Canada.  And an extra 30,000 copies are being given out across the country.

WEN: To this day, many people—including staff in Christian bookstores or church librarians—may be surprised to hear that authors published in the U.S. such as Janette Oke or Mark Buchanan are Canadians. Yet today, I’d estimate at least 95% of the product in Canadian Christian bookstores is American. The Word Guild has done a lot in the last 10 years to change public perceptions, but we’ve to a lot more to do.

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderYes, the Hot Apple Cider books are a win/win situation for everyone. The writers help the humanitarian ministry of World Vision. World Vision gets a valuable gift to distribute at its events. The writers get their work directly into the hands of 30,000 potential buyers. Attendees are excited to receive a gift, and become aware that Canadian writers are worth reading. They hopefully become more interested in seeking out Canadian writers, so they can read stories relating to their own country, their own culture, their own history, their own neighbours.

Janet: The quieter member of the That’s Life Communications publishing team is Les Lindquist, who’s been assessing the changing trends of publishing and handling contracts and other details.

NJL: Without Les, there would be no organization called The Word Guild, no publishing of Hot Apple Cider, nada.

Janet: I’m thankful to be a contributor to A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, and have enjoyed reading everyone else’s stories. The anthology has the same restful artwork as the first volume, and it’s a delightful gift book as well as one to keep at home. Dare I ask if there’ll be a volume three?

NJL: We hope so.

WEN: Some experts say that writing a good book is just 10 percent of the work, promoting it effectively is the other 90%. So although we’ve made history by holding over 150 promotional events in seven provinces since the book was released, we’ve only scratched the surface of what could be done to make more people aware of this great book. Helping A Second Cup reach its potential and its audience is the focus for now. But building on everything we’ve done to expand the series would be great.

Janet: With the intensive editing behind you, what projects are you working on now?

NJL: I basically stopped writing close to ten years ago when I began the process that ended up in the founding of The Word Guild. I feel that A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider is a fitting finale for my years of involvement in virtually every aspect of The Word Guild. It meets our initial mandate of having a team of people working together, helping people develop their skills, and working together in marketing and promotion.

I have about 24 books I’ve begun in the past, and I want to get busy on finishing some of them. High on my priority list is the third of my Manziuk and Ryan mysteries, and then I have a fantasy I need to figure out what to do with, and some other novels and non-fiction, including a memoir. I have lots to keep me busy.

WEN: I have lots to keep me busy too. Like N. J., my energies were completely used in writing and editing related to The Word Guild or Hot Apple Cider books in recent years, with time for just a few freelance articles. I’m working on developing several non-fiction books I’ve envisioned, as well as using my experience to produce some e-books and webinars geared to teaching writing.

Janet: I look forward to what we’ll see from you both in the future. The Lord continue to equip and bless you, and to accomplish great things through you.

Interview: The Editors of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider

Since A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider: Words to Stimulate the Mind and Delight the Spirit was released in May 2011, the book’s writers have participated in more than 150 readings and signings in seven provinces.

A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider is an all-Canadian book that is receiving five-star reviews. The inspirational collection of stories by writers who share a Christian faith perspective contains short fiction, poetry, and personal experience articles, all of which provide hope and encouragement. [See more about the extensive cross-Canada launch.]

The book signings continue, and they’re listed on the Meet Us page of the hotapplecider.ca website. If there’s one near you, drop in to say hello!

In the January/February 2012 issue of Faith Today, reviewer Violet Nesdoly wrote, “Though the writing styles  are varied, the book [A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider] was skilfully edited to preserve  the individual  voices while  providing  a smooth  read.” [Faith Today review, part one and part two.]

The anthology’s co-editors, N.J. Lindquist  and Wendy Elaine Nelles,  did an amazing job of pulling the selections together, and they’ve taken time to answer a few questions:

Janet: A year ago now, you were both putting in some incredibly long hours to get the book ready for print. The initial work had started in August 2010, and for four months (October/10 to January/11), you were working seven days a week. You barely took time off for Christmas or New Years. This is the second volume of Hot Apple Cider, and you knew what you were getting into. What made you believe so strongly in the project?

N.J. LindquistNJL: Back in 2007, I was very frustrated because there were so few Christian books being published in Canada and there was very little support. When the opportunity arose to work with World Vision Canada, to have Canadian books given out at their events, I was determined to find a way to do it.  That led to Hot Apple Cider in 2008, which was written by 30 authors who had already published books.

However, I really wanted to have an open call for stories so that newer or unpublished writers could have a chance to be included. I knew that if the opportunity to produce a second book arose I would grab it. It was a terrific opportunity to help a whole bunch of new writers learn about the editing and promotion process, not to mention having their voices heard. And it also means another great book going out to readers.

Wendy Elaine NellesWEN: We believe strongly in the project because of all the many benefits it creates. We’ve showcased 60 Canadian writers who write from a Christian faith perspective in the two books. The first book became a Canadian bestseller, and the second book is well on its way. Mainstream stores like Chapters/Indigo are willing to stock it and hold book signings. Christian book retailers are becoming more aware of Canadian writers.

Janet: I know from personal experience that you didn’t just take whatever stories people turned in (my first submissions didn’t make the cut). Briefly, what submission criteria helped you choose the best of the best?

NJL: The pieces had to fit our themes, they had to be new (not reprints), they had to have originality and good writing, and the writers had to be willing to make changes and, ultimately, to trust us—or at least be willing to dialogue with us if they disagreed with a change we suggested.

Janet: Many of the final selections came in much rougher form than readers see in the book. The two of you make a formidable and effective editing team. I’ve heard contributors say they wished all their publishers edited like you do. Not only does this give a stronger result, in some cases it’s an investment in the development of new writers.

NJL: Thanks for your comments. Yes, there was a lot of editing. I’d say maybe 10 to 15% of the pieces required only minimal work on our part. Several final pieces actually involved combining two (in one case, three) smaller pieces.  A number were almost completely rewritten or reordered. But we didn’t mind investing our time and energy if we felt the writers were learning, and of course, if we felt the resulting book would be great.

We could have rejected pieces that needed a lot of work, or picked more pieces that were okay but not great, or we could have gone in and made the changes on our own, but we wanted the writers to be involved in every part of the process, so they would understand the many facets of good editing, from concept through substantive, fact-checking, copy-editing, and proof-reading.

WEN: Publishing the two Hot Apple Cider books is being done for higher purposes. N.J. and I both invested much of the past decade in founding and building The Word Guild and directing the Write! Canada writers’ conferences, and working on these books is being done with the same vision, the same passion and philosophy. Our goals are to bring glory to the God we serve, to help readers who need to read these books, to strengthen the Canadian Christian writing and publishing community, to develop members of The Word Guild to become better writers, and to raise the bar of professionalism.

So we were willing to invest vastly more time and energy into the editing process than any other “commercial” publisher would, whether secular or Christian. From a strictly business or financial viewpoint, publishers can no longer afford the intensive editing and mentoring of promising writers that we were willing to do. So the Hot Apple Cider books are unique projects, which the publishers Les and N. J. Lindquist who own That’s Life! Communications were willing to do. 

NJL: As to how we work, I tend to lean more toward the bigger picture things such as concept editing, substantive editing and general flow, while Wendy is much better at seeing inconsistencies, fact checking, grammar, and details in general.

WEN: We both did all the levels of editing, from developmental down to copy editing, on all the pieces. But we each came at the pieces from different viewpoints, experiences and skill sets, so we each would spot different things. It’s a prime example of the teamwork The Word Guild has been trying to exemplify since its inception 10 years ago. And it proves the old adage, two heads are better than one.

NJL: Wendy and I each read and discussed each piece, then we each did first edits on about half. I did the poetry and short stories and some of the non-fiction while Wendy stuck to first edits on non-fiction. Then we switched and each did a second edit of the one the other had done first edit on. Then each piece went to the writer, who could agree or disagree, add or delete as suggested, and so forth. Then we did the process a second time, and then a third time, each time getting more detailed and hopefully having fewer and fewer things to change or correct. This went on until all three of us were satisfied (Wendy, me, and the writer).

WEN: Some pieces went through three “back and forths” with the writer to get to the final version, others went through seven or eight.

Janet: I’m not sure where you found time to write, but you each contributed a piece for the anthology as well. Was it difficult editing one another’s work without that second, impartial editor?

[For NJ’s and Wendy’s answers to this and more, read the rest of the interview.]


The most extensive launch ever done for a Canadian Christian book

Since A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider: Words to Stimulate the Mind and Delight the Spirit was released in May, the anthology’s 37 writers have participated in more than 150 readings and signings in seven provinces.

This all-Canadian book, which is receiving five-star reviews, is an inspirational collection of stories by writers who share a Christian faith perspective. It contains short fiction, poetry, and personal experience articles, all chosen to provide hope and encouragement.

The contributing writers have held launch events at venues ranging from bookstores, public libraries, churches, and conferences to farmers’ markets, craft shows, summer camps, and apple harvest festivals. The authors are carrying out promotional events throughout autumn—the perfect season for relaxing with a heart-warming book while enjoying a cup of hot apple cider.

I’m the sole Nova Scotian contributor to this all-Canadian anthology, and I love being part of this team of writers from coast to coast. And I cannot say enough good things about our editors, N.J. Lindquist and Wendy Elaine Nelles, whose attention to detail goes above and beyond reasonable service.

Janet Sketchley and Evangeline Inman at Miracles Christian Store

Miracles Christian Store in Halifax, Nova Scotia, hosted a book signing this fall with Evangeline Inman (New Brunswick contributor) and me. Owner/Manager Heidi Nelson says, “A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider is a wonderful read and a great gift idea for any reader on your list. The stories are both heart warming and inspiring, from a wide array of talented Canadian authors.”

Everyone involved in the Hot Apple Cider anthology series is a member of The Word Guild, a national association of over 400 Canadian writers and editors who are Christian (www.thewordguild.com). Editors N. J. Lindquist and Wendy Elaine Nelles co-founded this organization in 2001.

The first book in this groundbreaking series, Hot Apple Cider: Words to Stir the Heart and Warm the Soul, has nearly 45,000 copies in circulation. A Second Cup is well on its way to bestseller status as well.

Both books received five-star recommendations from the respected Midwest Book Review. It calls the stories “touching and poignant… a reminder that there is something good in the world.”

The books are published in Canada by That’s Life! Communications.

A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider and Hot Apple Cider are available through most bookstores and other retail channels, and make ideal choices for Christmas gift giving. To find out about upcoming author events in your area, or to download free Study Guides for book clubs and discussion groups, visit http://hotapplecider.ca.

[Post adapted from a press release created by Wendy Elaine Nelles.]