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How I Write: Christina Sinisi

August 17, 2020 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Some writers wait for the muse before they write (not a recommended strategy), but not Christina Sinisi. She actually turns to simple math to help her get her stories written–and it’s working! With two novellas and one novel releasing in three years, she’s figured a few things out, and she’s here to share her secrets.

Thank you for being here! First things first: what do you write?

Thank you for having me! I write Christian Contemporary Romance. So far, I’ve sold two Christmas novellas—The Christmas Confusion came out last November and Christmas on Ocracoke is expected this December—and one full-length novel is expected next summer, Sweet Summer. 

I chose this genre because it reflects who I am. My faith is the most important thing in my life, followed by my husband of 34 years and my children. Now, did I realize that at first? No. I was writing fantasy/sci fi and getting nowhere until a friend (who also happens to be a NY Times best-selling author) said I think you should write inspirational. She was right.

What’s the most difficult part of writing your genre? How do you work through those challenges?

There’s a balance between demonstrating how God works in people’s lives and being preachy; I need to work to find that happy medium, not lukewarm, but neither do I want to turn people off. I want to depict people’s struggles with their faith as well as how wonderfully faith can be a comfort in the tough times.

How long does it take you to: write the book? Edit it? Finalize it?

Don’t hate me—but I can write in whatever time frame I’m given. I wrote The Christmas Confusion in 3 and a half weeks because that’s how long I had between seeing the call for novellas and the deadline. I set a goal and I reach it. Now, if I could only do that with my diet. J

What’s your favorite book on writing? What do you like about it?

Deb Dixon’s GMC, Goal Motivation and Conflict is a very hands-on and useful book. I use her charts for every book I write. I find it really important to get to know my characters as people and the plot follows from there.

What conference do you most want to attend? Why?

I’ve attended RWA and Moonlight and Magnolias several times each, as far as the general romance writing world, but I have yet to attend ACFW. Since this is my writer’s world now and I really love our local chapter members so I look forward to attending the national conference as soon as I can.

What’s your writing day like?

I rarely get a day to just write. I’m a professor in my day job and that, along with being department chair, never seems to completely stop.

In the summer, though, I do get afternoons or mornings depending on what comes up. When I sit down to write, I usually journal first as a warm-up. Then, I write until I reach my page count for the day.  I set my page count by literally counting the days until the book is due (or, when I don’t have an official deadline, I’ll set one) and divide.

So, for example the typical novel is around 300 pages (check guidelines for whichever publisher you’re considering submitting) and if I have three months…I’ll give myself a week for plotting and planning and creating the GMC for my characters. Then, I’ll deduct at least a week or two at the end to revise and edit and send to a writing partner for critique. So, that gives me about 2 months and a week which rounds out to 5 pages a day. That’s not hard!!

What advice do you have for new authors?

If you love writing, keep at it. Don’t let rejections or the lack of time or everybody’s confusion—how can you keep writing when you’re getting nowhere—get to you. I mean, what else are you going to do with your spare time? Binge watch Netflix all day? Nah.

How do you self-edit your manuscript?

I was a member of RWA for over a decade and attended monthly workshops as much as possible so I’ve learned quite a few strategies on self-editing and revising. Generally, I love the process where you take turns going through the manuscript, maybe with different colored post-it notes looking at different things. These passes can include—POV, romance threat, conflict thread, faith thread, and grammar. I’ll also take notes as I go about small points I need to check on—like does my secondary character have the same name through the entire thing (I tend to write fast and try out different options). I talk more about plotting and this pass-through process in my own blog at www. https/ChristinaSinisi.com


A member of the American Christian Ficiton Writers, Christina Sinisi writes stories about families, both the broken and blessed. Her works include a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and the American Title IV Contest in which she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. Her published books include The Christmas Confusion and the upcoming Sweet Summer, the first two books in the Summer Creek Series, as well as the upcoming Christmas On Ocracoke expected this December. By day, she is a psychology professor and lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with her husband and two children and cat Chessie.

Website/Blog: https://www.christinasinisi.com/
Twitter: @ChristinaSinisi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christina-Sinisi-Author-105861987440664/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Instagram: @csinisi123
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/csinisi/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/101218889-christina-sinisi

Filed Under: interview Tagged With: author interview, editing tips, self-editing, writer's conference, writing tips

How I Write: Janet Sketchley

July 20, 2020 by Karin Beery 1 Comment

There’s no right-or-wrong answer when it comes to the best way to publish a book. It boils down to what you’re willing and able to do. Janet Sketchley has been on the traditional and self-published sides of the aisle, and today she talks about why she picked the path she’s on.

Hello, and thanks for being here. What do you write?

I write Christian fiction, currently mysteries. The genre kind of picked me, with a suspense idea that wouldn’t leave until I started writing it. Eventually, that story became my debut novel, Heaven’s Prey, and while it’s more intense than I want to write again, it set my genre direction. My next two novels are romantic suspense, and now I’ve moved to mysteries. I’ve also written a daily devotional book and published a couple of fill-in-the-blank reader’s journals.

If you’ve written multiple books, which was harder: the first book or the following books?

First-draft-wise, the first book was easy: seat-of-the-pants and only write when the next bit’s burning in my imagination and ready to pour out. Revision-wise, it was the hardest. I had so much to learn about writing fiction, and I found it difficult to rearrange structure in a single Word file. (I have since discovered Scrivener.)

Later books have been harder to start because it’s daunting to know how much work is ahead. I want to write well, and I’m aware of how many layers and nuances need to be woven in. Still, there’s the comforting truth that I’ve done it before. Revision’s getting easier, but writing and rewriting are always work. On the most challenging days, I remind myself that it’s better than cleaning toilets 😊

What’s your favorite writers conference? What do you like about it?

Write Canada, held annually in Ontario. I’ve missed the last few, and this year’s will be online like so many others (thank you, COVID-19). I’m on Canada’s east coast, and air travel is expensive, so I’ve never made it to the larger US-based conferences on my wish list.

In its early days, Write Canada was held in a private, Christian retreat centre. It felt like three events for the price of one: professional development, spiritual retreat, and reunion with friends. It’s the one place where people may actually mistake me for an extrovert. I wish I’d picked a different question to answer, because now I’m feeling homesick—yes, I’ll attend this year’s event virtually, but I miss my friends.

Oh, I’m so sorry! Let’s get back to writing and get your mind off the sad times, okay? How do you prepare to write your books: pantser, plotter, both, something completely different?

With each novel, I become more of a plotter. Discovering the story is fun, and doing it ahead of time doesn’t make it less fun to write. I actually find my writing flow is more consistent this way because I’m not stopping to figure out what happens next or how it unfolds. And going in with a map means I can assess whether a new idea is good for the story or would derail it.

A novel outline isn’t one of those sterile, bullet-point skeletons high school English teachers want for essays. K.M. Weiland’s books on outlining and structure have been a huge help in learning how to organize my stories. With my current novel, I’ve nearly finished this level of plotting and I’m planning on actually outlining each scene. Again, not bullet-point, but I want to understand the characters’ scene goals and conflicts and discover where and how each scene will play out.

You’re an indie-published author—why did you pick that route?

My first novel was with a small traditional publisher, who then closed. One of their other authors reacquired the rights to her novels and went indie and since she was willing to share what she learned in the process, I followed her. I released a second edition of my published novel and carried on with the series.

I like the flexibility of being my own publisher because I can set prices, manage promotions, etc. And I like having final say over content and direction—of course, balanced by input from skilled freelancers for editing and cover art. Self-publishing is expensive to do well, and it means I’m doing things like my own formatting and promotion, but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to looking for a traditional publisher.

What advice do you have for new authors?

Enjoy the writing journey, keep learning, keep persevering.

Make friends with other writers because you’ll need encouragement from people who understand.

Learn from those ahead of you on this road, support those alongside you, and share with those behind you.

Read books and blogs on the craft.

Listen to podcasts.

Attend conferences if you can (to learn, and to meet those writing friends).

Learn the rules so you’ll know how and when it’s okay to break them.

Listen to different authors’ methods, but don’t try to force yourself into their mold.

Use what works and ignore the rest.

Set aside time to write regularly, and write.

If you recognize your writing ability as a gift from God, submit it to Him in gratitude and pray regularly for His leading in how to use and develop it. The longing to be published—or the drive to finish your work in progress—can become an idol. Be careful to resist this and to keep God first. You are a writer, but that’s only part of who you are. Keep grounded in your identity in Him.

How did you find your editor? How would you describe the experience of working with an editor?

I found my current freelance editor through my membership in ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). So far, we’ve done one book together.

I might describe the experience as “tough love.” Definitely eye-opening to some of my weaknesses. After I sulked a bit, I felt encouraged that I was in partnership with someone who wanted the best for my story and who believed I could achieve it. Editing comments came with advice, encouragement, and even positive feedback.

I appreciated being able to send off occasional questions while I revised. Then she made a second editing pass, which left me feeling much more confident in the final version. As soon as my current work in progress has a foreseeable completion date, I’ll be contacting her again to see where I can fit into her schedule.

How do you self-edit your manuscript?

When the first draft is done, I let it sit for a while until I can look at it with some distance. Then I read it through and flag everything that jars me. I try not to “fix” anything other than simple typos or grammar but to leave myself notes and keep reading. Then I’ll go back and address each note. I’ll go through this process a few times, deepening some scenes, condensing others, sometimes adding or deleting.

My outline has vague targets for the percentage of word count and I use this in identifying areas that could benefit from extra cutting or expansion. Once I’m happy with the content, I search for words and expressions I tend to overuse. Then I’ll go back through to be sure there are enough sensory details and to see where else I can condense. I may ask for input from a trusted reader at this point, or I may submit it to my editor first.

Once the manuscript has passed the editor’s second look and I’ve made any changes she highlights, my final stage is to give it to a few eagle-eyed advance readers whose mission is to find those pesky typos that somehow always lurk.


Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer who likes her fiction with a splash of mystery or adventure and a dash of Christianity. Why leave faith out of our stories if it’s part of our lives? You can find Janet online at janetsketchley.ca.

Newsletter signup: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews
Facebook: fb.me/JanetSketchley.author
Goodreads: goodreads.com/janetsketchley
Follow me on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/janet-sketchley

Filed Under: interview Tagged With: author interview, Christian fiction, editing tips, interview, Janet Sketchley, Write Canada, writer's conference, writing tips

Meet Book Publishing Professionals in 2019

January 7, 2019 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Are you looking for an editor for your Bible study? I can help. Would you like an opinion on an early draft of your story? I can help. Is your manuscript ready for publication but you haven’t found a publisher yet? I can help!

Last year, I started several new gigs that have put me in a position to help others navigate the publishing world. In case you missed it, here are the biggest changes:

  1. Christian Editor Connection Coordinator: Whether you write novels or nonfiction, whether you need a developmental edit or proofread, the Christian Editor Connection is a free service that matches you with editors who provide the specific services you need. As Coordinator, I process the requests and test applying editors to make sure all of our editors provide the best level of service.
  2. Write Now Editing—Turning Good Manuscripts Into Great Books: My dream has always been to work in fiction, whether I’m writing or editing it. Last year, I took a step in that direction by cutting “and Copyediting Services” from my business name to focus solely on fiction. My expertise? Substantive edits and critiques.
  3. Guiding Light Women’s Fiction: Venturing onto a path I’d never considered, I started working as Managing Editor for Guiding Light Women’s Fiction, meaning I acquire books for the imprint, then work with the authors through the publication process. It’s a weighty responsibility, but one I’m happy to accept. (For regular updates on the imprint, join our Facebook group!)

All of these changes came with new responsibilities, but they also provide new opportunities. For example, this year I am already scheduled to be on faculty at four writers’ conferences across the country. Now you have the chance to ask me in person for advice on writing, editing, or publishing (and here’s a tip for free—if you want to get your novel published, you need to start attending some conferences). Here’s where you can find me this year and who I’ll be representing:

  • April 2019: Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference (WNE and GLWF)
  • May 2019: PENCON (WNE) and The Well (CEC and GLWF)
  • June 2019: Write-to-Publish (GLWF)

There’s the potential for at least two more conferences in late-Summer/fall, but this should keep be busy!

If you’re ready to take that next step in your writing journey, consider attending one of these conferences (at the very least, attend any conference near you). Invest in yourself and give yourself an opportunity to meet like-minded people who will support and encourage you along the way (like me!).

What do you like the most about conferences? If you’ve never been to one, what’s holding you back?

My debut novel—Summer Plans and Other Disasters—is now available on Amazon! Sign up for my monthly newsletter and you’ll receive the unpublished prologue: find out what inspired Calista Stephens to make those summer plans. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for writing tips, updates on Guiding Light, and more!

Filed Under: best practices, publishing Tagged With: book publishing, Christian Editor Connection, Guiding Light Women's Fiction, writer's conference, writing conferences, Writing Now Editing, writing tips

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

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Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Press Release Tool Kit Stop waiting and hoping for people to notice you and your organization! With this Press Release Tool Kit, you’ll learn to apply the step-by-step process I use to … [more]

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