A Joint Look at Publishing & Submitting-Karen Syed & Roxe Anne Peacock

The interview with Karen Syed and Roxe Anne Peacock has been posted at WaukTOWN Radio.

I met Karen and Roxe Anne at the recent Love is Murder conference. They are the first in a series of mystery and suspense authors we’ll meet in upcoming shows.

It may seem like Karen Syed of Echelon Press and Roxe Anne Peacock are at opposite ends of the publishing world: one owns a small press and one is a writer. Actually, there’s another way to look at it. They are the embodiment of the best of publishing and therefore very much in the same category. Karen is a publisher looking for writers that she can develop, work with, and introduce to the word while providing a positive experience for all. Roxe Anne may be an unpublished author --at this particular moment-- but she believes in her stories so strongly, and is dong the right steps so positively to get published, that the end result will surely come her way.

Roxe Anne belongs to Rockford Writing Guild and says she received some great information as a newbie from Guppies , the Sisters in Crime support and information group for writers.

Christian Writers Focus Beyond Publishing-Dave & Neta Jackson

The interview with Dave and Neta Jackson has been posted at WaukTOWN Radio.

When Dave and Neta Jackson decided to go into business for themselves as writers twenty years ago, they had a business plan based in practicality. Yes, they planned on writing their own books, but they also planned on co-authoring books for others on variety of topics. With contacts they made while working in Christian publishing, Dave and Neta knew there was a need. Their published books have gone on to include several series—including Neta’s popular Yada Yada, which she says in the interview are in line for a major development.

As Christian writers, Dave and Neta say it's not that they follow guidelines from publishers but they follow the philosophy that is at the core of their belief and transferred to their writing. This internal belief keeps Christian books from sounding preachy, Neta explains, because the values are woven into the story and are a part of the character’s lives, actions, and reactions.

Dave’s tip to writers it to read like a writer. When reading something ask why it works ...or doesn’t. Stop and figure out what comes next and compare it to what you would do if you were the author.

What book are you currently reading? Stop at the middle and try Dave’s strategy. Is the story working…or not working? How would you continue the story from where you stopped reading? How did the author finish the story?