It's Beginning to Read a Lot Like Christmas 2022!

Hello Dear Readers and Friends!

It's that time of year again when I start doing blog posts exclusively with books that have Thanksgiving and/or Christmas themes. The authors who I will be showcasing this year have book genres ranging from children's stories, to sweet romance, mystery, suspense, and I'm even throwing in a bit of tongue-in-cheek "puny" satire. Each post will feature favorite Christmas traditions, some writing advice, and updates on the author's books. There might even be a few giveaways along the way, so I hope you'll continue following along with me through Christmas.

How did you come up with the idea for your Christmas book? Could you give a short synopsis on the book?
I have written numerous Christmas themed stories for children in the past, but this time I wanted to write one that would make adults laugh as well. Here's a short blurb… Santa has always tried to be good and kind, but now he's being he's being attacked by the media and government agencies for mistreating his reindeer, causing environmental harm, and being an international spy.

Can Santa be saved? Or will he become just a distant memory who lives in retirement at the North Pole? (Spoiler: Of course Santa can be saved if it's up to the kids.)It was fun to write and put together the images for the story. It will be available on Amazon on Friday

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Where to begin? I love decorating the house for Christmas. We have three trees. The first one is a 3 foot  size at the entry that changes its theme monthly. Larger trees is in our family room then features old versions of musical instruments to celebrate my husband who is a musician. the other one that's in our bedroom is ornaments we've collected over the years in our travels. We also love driving around looking at Christmas lights and seeing the various Christmas celebrations at our church.

What  books do you have coming out next?
My next Christmas I hope to have my time travel romance ready to go. Earlier in the year, I will be publishing a few more of my children's books.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve learned or been given you’d like to share?

Be persistent. Don't give up. Beware of “impostor syndrome” where you think you're not worthy to write. That happens to every author  one time or on another, but you can't let it get you down.

And treat it like a business, if you're not writing or marketing your books, you're not working. 

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wish you had learned sooner?
Statistics show that agents and traditional publishers only accept 10% to 15% of the submissions they receive. That means you've got a very strong chance of being rejected. You can keep submitting and waiting. Or you can learn about indie publishing and work at it like a business.

Any last words or tips?

Take a look at my other Christmas themed book, The First Noel: Digging Deeper Into Christ's Birth. It's a Christmas Devotional and study guide. Delve into Christ's birth story through historical references, Bible scripture, hymns, poems, and discover what's real and what's myth. This guide takes you through the original Christmas story in 25 days. Each day begins with a scripture reading, shows an early hymn that highlights the scripture, adds notes on the reading, discussion questions to ponder, and provides links to historical details for further study. BUY THE BOOK & SUPPORT A CAUSE: ALL royalties will go to a prison ministry. The details are on my Amazon page.

If you'd like to learn more about my books for children and adults you can find them through my Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Christine-L-Henderson/e/B09L2Y7XNP  Right now I'm featuring one of my children's picture book stories, A Special Scrapbook Memory, in eBook format for 99 cents.
 
 

BOOK RELEASE: Exploring the Bible - Prayers, Poems, Praises, Bible Verses, and Fun Pages

What inspired you to write your kids’ book for MG readers?
I taught middle grade Sunday school students for 15 years in addition to writing and directing Christmas and Easter plays for my church. My previous writing has been published in numerous devotional magazines and inspirational story anthologies including Chicken Soup for the Soul. I love writing for children, so this was a natural for me to write a devotional and activity book for them.

What’s the hardest part for you in publishing and marketing your own books?
Formatting was the most tedious part. Luckily, there are a lot of good videos online explaining how to do the process. However, I learned it only made sense to review those that were created in 2022 since Amazon and other publishing sources are constantly changing their formatting guidelines.

Designing the cover was fun but I gave up trying to figure out how to get the pixels and DPI correct on my own. For that part I hired somebody else.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
Choosing each of the Bible verses and life applications to go with each Bible reading was the easy part. Writing a poem for each of the lessons was a joy to do. Finding just the right additional materials for the puzzles and coloring images to go with the lessons was a little more difficult because they had to fit within the book size.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Like many of my writing friends, I have a bit of insecurity about my own writing. That's known as Impostor Syndrome. You think your books just aren't good enough, so you keep editing them over and over. So when a reader tells me that they liked my book, and they kept thinking about it after it was finished, that makes me smile and gives me a purpose to keep on writing.

What do you know now about writing and publishing you wished you had known sooner?
There is a whole lot more to formatting and publishing than I realized. Even though I've been going to conferences and watching webinars for several years about marketing books, when it was time to actually start the process, it felt like I was trying to learn a foreign language.  

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Writing a book is like riding a rollercoaster. Some days you're creeping up a steep climb. Other days you're speeding fast with the words flowing fast and easy. Then there are times it seems like you're going around in circles. The key is holding on tight and keeping focused until the book is done. Then there's the roller coaster ride for marketing and publishing!

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
This book it's a large print edition so it's accessible to as many children as possible. I have additional materials to do two more volumes. When they are released will be determined by how well this book does in sales. The “look inside” feature on Amazon will show you the first lesson so you can get a feel for what the whole book is like.

If you are considering purchasing a Christmas devotional, I hope you’ll take the time to look at my family devotional and study guide called The First Noel–Digging Deeper into Christ’s Birth. 

For this and all my other books, go to my Amazon author page https://www.amazon.com/Christine-L-Henderson/e/B09L2Y7XNP

Need Some ChristmasJoy...

Rather than being frazzled 

by the upcoming holiday, 

find the true joy of the season 

as you follow this devotional guide 

through the original Christmas story. 

Celebrating Christmas Books with Christine L. Henderson

Today I’m going to share my writing journey with you and my favorite Christmas traditions.

My writing journey… For the last 12 years, I’ve had my inspirational stories and devotionals published in numerous magazines and book anthologies. I’ve taken part in a yearly Advent devotional with a group of writers for ten years and I thought it was time to do a book of my own.

Publishing this book was in the works for several months, but I procrastinated about finishing it. Then I went to a three-day zoom writing seminar and signed up for their extended breakout sessions on indie-publishing. This was not the first time I did one of these seminars, but this time I was ready to follow through.

The technical side… I added more details to the book and started the final edit. Then I did some in-depth study about designing book covers. Over the years, I’ve done multiple brochures and flyers for my business as a Realtor, so the idea of creating an image and an eye-catching design wasn’t something new to me. However, what was new to me was sizing for DPI and an image to fit Amazon’s format.

The motivating force… I attended a fundraising dinner for a prison ministry. It’s part of an international organization - evangelism explosion.org. The person who leads this national prison ministry is one of the lead singers at our church. I enjoy his singing and have a few of his CDs. However, I was even more impressed by what this ministry does to touch hurting hearts by creating a new spirit in them. Those who complete the ministry program have a 5% return rate to prison as opposed to the national standard of an 85% return rate. I knew this was a ministry I want to be involved in.

Making the publishing commitment… After hearing their mission statement, I decided I wanted to dedicate my book to their organization and give all my royalties to them. That’s what made me complete this book. Here’s a link to the ministry so you can learn more about them: https://eeprisonministry.com/services/about-us.  

The book… The First Noel - Digging Deeper Into Christ’s Birth guides you through the original Christmas story in 25 days, Each day begins with a scripture reading, shows an early hymn that highlights the scripture, adds notes on the reading, discussion questions to ponder, and provides links to historical details for further study. Reading this book is a great way to celebrate Christmas.

My favorite Christmas traditions… I still take part in doing a Christmas devotional book with other writers on a theme and look forward to reading each of their stories. My husband and I enjoy watching Christmas movies with redeeming themes and seeing Christmas musicals and plays done by churches. For several years, I directed the drama department at a church and put on numerous plays. Now it’s nice to see the work others produce. I also enjoy making Christmas treats for family and friends, which are always well received.

If you’re looking for more Christmas joy, I hope you order a copy of my book. It’s available in eBook, paperback, or hardcover editions.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christine-L.-Henderson/e/B09L2Y7XNP

Website: http://thewritechris.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christine.L.Henderson.author