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Sally Bayless

Contemporary Christian Romance

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Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin: Christmas in Abundance

December 9, 2019 By Sally Bayless

Welcome to the next stop on the Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin! As a reminder, at each author’s blog post, including mine, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide your answers at this Google Form. Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round-robin to be considered to win the prize. At the end of this post is a link to the next blog, which will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.

Merry Christmas! I’m delighted to tell you about my novella, Christmas in Abundance. It’s part of my Abundance series, but it’s a complete story and you can read it without having read the rest of the series. Here’s a little about the story:

Lanie Phillips has a quiet holiday planned. So quiet, in fact, that the only sounds in the house where she’s staying should be the clicks of her computer keyboard and the occasional bark from a chocolate Labrador retriever. No joyous choirs of angels, no jolly laughs from Santa, and no jingle bells—nothing to distract her from her master’s thesis or bring up painful Christmas memories.

But for the single dad who’s her closest neighbor, simple holiday decorations just won’t do. Kyle Mattox is determined to give his five-year-old daughter the best Christmas ever—one that includes an outdoor display lit with fifty thousand lights, activated in time to music shared through four giant loudspeakers.

When Lanie comes to complain that she can’t write with the lights flashing and carols blasting, Kyle realizes that—unknown to her—their circuits have crossed in the past. If he wants his daughter happy, he needs to keep that information to himself, keep the show running, and keep his distance from Lanie.

I loved writing this book! The combination of a Christmas romance, a kind-hearted heroine, a slightly goofy hero who adores his daughter, and a chocolate Labrador retriever expecting puppies was so much fun to create!

And now for the scavenger hunt! Go to my book on Amazon at this link. My scavenger hunt question is: What is the name of Lanie’s sister?  When you have the answer, fill out this form and head on to the next blog!

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Andrea Boyd, who is telling us all about her Christmas book Mistletoe Kiss. You can find it at this link. Remember that the round-robin will end on December 16th at 11:59 PM EST!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

March 8, 2019 By Sally Bayless

I’ve been writing fiction for ten years. Over that time, I’ve learned a lot about plot, structure, dialogue, and all the other elements that contribute to a story. I’ve also learned that there are certain things that help fuel my creativity. They aren’t—as I would have at first expected—exotic, artsy things. Or even—since I write contemporary Christian romance—romantic things. No, for me the path to creativity is much more down-to-earth and practical.

Normally, when I’m drafting a book, my goal is two thousand new words a day. That’s about eight, typed, double-spaced pages. If I’m going to write that much every day, five days a week until the first draft is done, I turn to three “magic” ingredients.

First, and foremost, is quiet. You know those writers you hear about who take their laptops to coffee shops? Or get into the mood of a story by having a special song for each book? I’m not one of them. Most often I write at home, alone, and I usually have the door to my study closed. I don’t play music, not even instrumental, and I even have earplugs in my desk drawer for times when a dog keeps barking, like the day the utility people went door-to-door in the neighborhood. Quiet lets me focus on the story without distractions.

Of course, sometimes I can’t work at home, like when the power goes out. (Here in Appalachian Ohio it happens more than you’d think.) Earplugs can’t help with that! On those days, I go to the local university library. Up on the third floor, behind the art history books, is my favorite corner. I tell myself that being around all that art makes me more creative.

My second essential ingredient for new words? Tea. I don’t like coffee, and though I love it, I’m trying to cut back on diet soda. So I drink lots and lots of tea. Iced tea all summer, and cup after cup of hot tea in the winter. Strong English Breakfast, Prince of Wales, jasmine green, orange herbal… You name it, if it’s tea, I drink it! My current favorite is Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Red. It’s a rich, dark tea, similar to an English breakfast tea.

My final ingredient for creativity is positive reinforcement. Every day after I write, I open an Excel spreadsheet and put in the day’s word count. If I’m on schedule or ahead, the last column shows three smiley faces. If not, it says “Next time!” For you Excel folks out there, I used an IF formula. Currently I have three days of smiley faces in a row. It’s simple, quick, and—unlike positive reinforcement that relies on chocolate or other people—always available and calorie-free!

So those are my three magic ingredients for creativity: quiet, tea, and an Excel spreadsheet.

They don’t seem very magical or even very artistic, do they? But they work for me.

If you’re a writer, you probably have your own magic ingredients. If you’re just starting to write, I encourage you to trust what works, as long as it’s healthy. And don’t worry if the things that help seem rather unartistic. The art happens on the page. You just have to get the words down.

The main thing is that you trust yourself. Find the environment and tools that allow your creativity to blossom and embrace them!

http://www.sallybayless.com/1212-2/

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Can’t Decide What to Read?

January 16, 2019 By Sally Bayless

Are you looking for a great book? These are the best Christian romance novels I read in 2018.

Some were published in 2018, some are older. All are fabulous! These are listed alphabetically by the author’s last name.

Please know that there are many, many fabulous books published in Christian romance. Some of them may be even more wonderful, but I haven’t read them yet. I can say that over the past year I truly enjoyed these books. I hope you do too!

To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander (2012). A fabulous historical romance set after the Civil War in Nashville, Tennessee. I recently read a whole pile of books by this author and although they were all wonderful, this was my favorite.

The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz (2018). A historical Christian romance set in Colonial Williamsburg. Why wasn’t the American Revolution this interesting when I studied it in eighth grade? Filled with suspense and great historical details. Delightful!

All Made Up by Kara Isaac (2018). When reality TV brings together a world-famous makeup artist and a farmer from out in the boonies of Australia, you’d never expect them to fall in love… until you find out they have a past and until Kara Isaac works her magic. What a great book! I definitely stayed up too late reading this one!

The Best of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason (2018). This book, set just after WWI in Toronto, is the first of a new series called Canadian Crossings, and is the touching story of a romance between a Canadian aristocrat and a lowly English woman determined to protect her nephew. A fabulous, heartwarming love story! (Yes, Susan Anne Mason is my critique partner, but I would have loved this story no matter what!)

The Brushstroke Legacy by Lauraine Snelling (2009). I’ll be the first to admit I have a weakness for stories about women who leave their busy city lives and find peace, love, and happiness in the country. The Brushstroke Legacy is all that and more. A beautiful story.

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano (2017). A delightful Gilded Age romance, full of the author’s trademark humor. Jen Turano’s quirky characters and the situations they manage to get themselves into always, always make me laugh!

Falling for You by Becky Wade (2018). I think this is Becky Wade’s best yet! That’s high praise, considering she is one of my very favorite authors. Don’t miss this touching romance about a model and a former NFL quarterback!

Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh (2018). A sweet romance between an uptight small-town florist and a bad-boy professional skier. My goodness, how I cared about these characters! Another winner!

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer (2014). Oh what a fun book! A spunky heroine who grew up wanting to be a pirate tangles with an engineer. I’m married to an engineer and the character is spot on! Don’t miss this one!

Photo by Glen Noble on Unsplash.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Christian fiction, Christian romance, clean read

Video–Christmas in Abundance–Chapter One Read Aloud

December 5, 2018 By Sally Bayless

From YouTube.

Filed Under: Videos

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