EPCOT International Garden and Flower Show features characters

Self-publishing success story

Check out this self-publishing success story.

Back from Disney World

Sorry for MIA, but I was visiting one of my favorite places in the world -- Disney! I shot a ton of Tout videos at all of the parks. You can check the 15-second shorts here. I've included one from each park below for a quick glimpse.

Disney World Electrical Light Parade
Hollywood Studios
International Flower and Garden Show at EPCOT
Animal Kingdom

Revising a completed work is fun, fun, fun!

I love revising. And I'm amazed at what I find when I return to a completed work. Such was the case with "The Lion Awakens." 

The YA is about two 17-year-olds who find information hidden in anonymous gifts that leads them to a parallel universe with an enemy hell-bent on taking over the world. 

I realized that the story didn't start in the right place. It didn't grab me and entice me to read on. So I chucked it and wrote something new. And, I condensed the first four chapters into two, trashing a bunch of stuff that I didn't need. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, and the book is so much better because I wasn't afraid to take the ax to it. 

So here's the new opening. Does it make you want to read  more? Yes or no? If no, what would make it better? 

Paper buddies for 'The Office' fans

Look at what my awesome friend Sam made. And you can make them, too! Sam blogs at Artist's Bloc.

Michael Scott

Angela Martin

Dwight Schrute

Jim Halpert

Pam Halpert

Stanley Hudson

Craft powerpoint: Gift card/money holder and gift tags

Thought you might like this!

Giftcardholderandtags from Buffy Andrews

'The Christmas Violin' structured like a concerto in three movements

I finished my WIP, “The Christmas Violin.” The story is told in three movements, like a violin concerto. In Movement 1, we meet a young woman, a young man and an old woman. None of the characters are named in Movement 1. It begins in the cemetery with the young woman playing, and the old woman and the young man listening.

In Movement 2, we learn that the young woman is Willow Channing, the young man is Peter James St. John. But we never learn the name of the old woman. 

The story unfolds via passages, starting with Peter, then Willow and finally the old woman. It alternates in this order throughout Movement 2, incorporating the characters’ back stories and building an understanding of and empathy for their individual journeys and the obstacles they must overcome.   

Movement 3 contains two characters, Willow and Peter, and they are no longer separate vignettes but have become one.

In everything that happens there's a seed for something better

For months, I’ve prayed for God’s guidance about my writing career, for the wisdom to make the right choices and the strength to bear the weight of those decisions. I kept asking God for a sign that I was doing exactly what I was meant to do, but a sign never came. He wasn’t listening, I thought.

It turned out that I was the one who hadn’t been listening, who hadn’t seen the signs that were right before my eyes.

Sorry, God. I got it now. Promise.

I think that in everything that happens there's a seed for something better. But first, you have to recognize the seed and plant it in fertile ground. Then, you must nurture it, making sure it gets just the right about of water and sunshine.

Inspirational song of the day

Take Five: Jim McClure, journalist, historian, author and blogger

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Jim McClure, editor of the York Daily Record/Sunday News in York, Pa. Jim has penned numerous history books, including the recently released “East of Gettysburg” on Kindle (previously available in hardback). I’ve worked with Jim for more than a decade, and he’s one of my heroes. Not only is he a terrific journalist and author, but the best mentor I’ve ever had.

He’s agreed to kick off my Take Five series. If you’re a published author and would liked to be featured, email me at Buffy@ydr.com and put “Take Five” in the subject line. And now, meet Jim.

Jim McClure

Editor of York Daily Record/Sunday News and author

Historian and author

Connect: Facebook, Twiitter

Books: All available here

“Never to be Forgotten, A Year-By-Year Look at York County’s Past”

“Nine Months in York Town, American Revolutionaries Labor on Pennsylvania’s Frontier”

“Almost Forgotten, A Glimpse at Black History in York County, Pa.”

“East of Gettysburg, A Gray Shadow Crosses York County, Pa.”

“In the Thick of the Fight, York County, Pa., Counters the Axis Threat in WWII.”

“Civil War Voices From York County, Pa” (co-authored with Scott Mingus)

“Echoing Still: More Civil War Voices from York County, Pa.” (co-authored with Scott Mingus)

Blog: York Town Square

Questions

Q. If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask?

A. Jonathan Edwards was a 18th-century theologian and philosopher, a leading New England intellectual of his day. He produced a body of work so large that scholars at Yale and elsewhere have spent years preparing it for publication and still have a way to go. I would ask him simply: “How did you do so much, so provocatively, so well?

Another inspirational song

I love this song. Added it to my playlist:) Enjoy!

Love this song

I love this song! Keep the dream alive!