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I did it! Now what? Celebrate your accomplishments!

~ Beth ~ Leave a comment
Beth Jones International Speaker Amazon Best Seller Author
Beth Jones
International Speaker
Amazon Best Seller Author

This isn’t my main website, and I forget to update my blog here sometimes. So I’ve had other things happening since the last time I blogged here. For starters, I wrote and finished my first FICTION book! Woot! My husband Ray and our daughter Leah are avid fiction book fans and sci fi geeks.

Ray has been encouraging me for years to write a fiction book. I had every excuse you could think of, the main one being I don’t usually read fiction and I’d never written fiction before so I didn’t know how to write it. He said writers of classics like Ernest Hemingway or Jane Austen didn’t take fiction writing classes, either; just sit down and write it.

Hemingway said this is how you overcome writer’s block: “I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, “Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there.”

Storm Tossed book series 1

So I did write the fiction book–and the response to it surprised me. I have 5-star reviews at Amazon and it became an Amazon Best Seller in its category and sub-category! The book is called Storm Tossed and you can buy it here.

The other things I’ve done since I last blogged here are to upload the rest of the books I’ve written to KDP. It’s been a goal of mine for two years to get all 10 of the books I’ve written on Amazon for the Kindle. This weekend I accomplished that! You can find all my books I’ve written on my Amazon Author Page here.

The Hands of a Woman: Everyday Women in Everyday Battles at Amazon

The most recent one is my book on prayer and spiritual warfare–8 women’s true, inspiring stories of how they overcame their greatest spiritual battles in their own “War Room” of prayer through faith in Christ and standing on God’s eternal word. 

The Cheesecake Factory cheesecake
The Cheesecake Factory cheesecake

Now what? I celebrate this dream and huge goal! This week I’m going out with my husband Ray for a nice dinner to celebrate. I’m thinking The Cheesecake Factory at The Plaza in Kansas City, MO! Yum!

Whatever dreams and goals you’ve accomplished, even if it’s a small goal, celebrate it. It’s important to acknowledge what you’ve done. Then set some new dreams and goals, and go kick butt! With God’s help you can do it. 

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I’m writing my first fiction book

~ Beth ~ Leave a comment

My husband Ray has been encouraging me for awhile to write my first fiction book. I’ve always bawked, saying that I’d never done that before, but then I hadn’t ever written a book before when I wrote my first one! Finally this year, I decided to just go for it and do it!

My first fiction book, Storm Tossed, is due to be released in 2015. I’ve been working on it the last several weeks. I found the beautiful cover at Istock and hired a graphic designer to design the eBook cover for Amazon. I love it! What do you think?

Storm Tossed book series 1

The book is about a Christian woman, Rachel, who travels to Destin, Florida (a play on the word “destiny” and because I love the ocean!) to get away from everyone and everything and really think and pray about her life: her deeply troubled marriage to her husband Jackson, their unhappy but extremely creative daughter Faith, the strained relationship Rachel has with her stepdaughter Autumn, and Rachel’s chaotic writing career.

When Rachel goes to Florida, it is hurricane season, but she thought she’d be okay. Hurricane Ana strikes while she is there. Rachel has to face the storm not only outside, but within herself. Only Jesus can give her the peace she needs.

It’s got a LOT of autobiography in it, which wasn’t my intent when I began writing it, but that’s the way the book is taking shape! My goal is to have it released on Amazon by July 2015. 

To my surprise, the manuscript is becoming longer in length than I thought it’d be, and it’s now novella length. Ray is joking that it’s soon going to be a novel.

To be first to hear about this eBook’s release and public launch, sign up with your name and email address here at The Writing Room at the top of the page on the right hand side. You’ll also receive my free gift, A Cuppa’ Muse, and my new updates.

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Season of rest

~ Beth ~ Leave a comment
Me speaking at The Cinderella Story: The Power of Shoes women's conference, Overland Park, KS
Me speaking at The Cinderella Story: The Power of Shoes women’s conference, Overland Park, KS

I haven’t been here for awhile. Just life happenings. 

This year I did what I believe God wanted me to accomplish:

  • Just Write! No Excuses Summer Virtual Bootcamp for aspiring authors. A 4 week virtual training in the summertime. Nineteen students signed up. They loved the support, prayers and accountability in the Facebook private group and sharing their writing on the live calls each week. I’m thinking of having this bootcamp quarterly each year since it was such a success. I can’t wait to read their books after they write them! This bootcamp was for beginning non-fiction and fiction writers. I loved reading what they were working on and seeing them connect and get to know each other better, encouraging each other, in the Facebook group. 
  • The Cinderella Story: The Power of Shoes women’s conference. When I flew to Manitoba, Canada to speak at my friend Doreen Penner’s women’s retreat, I shared about the story of Cinderella and her glass slippers – walking in your unique shoes. This is now my signature talk. This year I hosted my own women’s conference in Overland Park, KS doing this speaking presentation. Fifteen women in all, and God’s presence was there. It was so much fun. It’s the first time I’ve had vendors at an event (Origami Owl, Thirty-One Gifts, and an authors’ book table) The DoubleTree Hotel in Overland Park was a beautiful venue and I plan to have more events there in the future. Their staff was wonderful and the lunch they served us was delicious. Ray saw some cute shoe chocolate and vanilla cupcakes online and our daughter Heather ordered them at HyVee -yummy. The women were blessed and encouraged.
  • The Advanced Writing Camp. This 4 week virtual training in October was the follow-up to the Just Write! No Excuses Virtual Bootcamp. My job was to motivate the writers to FINISH their book, conquering the 3 P’s that hinder or stop writers from writing or finishing their book: perfectionism, procrastination, and other pitfalls (distractions, social media, entertainment, busyness, writers’ block, writer’s envy, etc.) I may also offer this training every other quarter in 2015.
  • Wrote and self-published my book Promises In The Dark: One Woman’s Search for Authentic Love. The world promises you so many things, but leaves you empty. Sex. Success. Money. Alcohol. Drugs. Education. Entertainment. Being the best spouse or parent. You’ve tried many different things that the world offers and promises to give you happiness, but they’ve left you unsatisfied. always searching, never finding what you’re looking for. But there is One whose promises you can count on and who will fulfill you: God. His promises are for real and forever. Click here to learn more and buy the book. Get Christmas shopping done early; give the gift of my book to your family and friends. It will bless them!

 I’m now taking Doreen Penner’s 3 week coaching group, Finding the Real You, to reveal and release what God has placed inside you to do and to step into your potential. It’s about discovering your brilliance, what makes you unique and have to offer the world. I’m excited about being part of it.

Doreen Penner
Speaker/Author/Coach Doreen Penner

 

Our first call was last night and I was taking lots of notes. Doreen is an anointed speaker, and she always makes you think with her questions. She is a “heart-interpreter,” able to sense and draw out what is in your heart. She also happens to be my prayer and accountability partner each week – I just love her. It’s not too late to sign up. Last night’s call was recorded, so you’ll get it in an email. Just click here. 

Yesterday I sent in a chapter for a new book writing project, in which I’m a contributing author. I’m waiting to hear back from the editor. I can’t wait to tell you more about it!

Other than that, I’m now in a season of rest. Just being still and listening to God, and allowing Him to refill and refresh me and to tell me the next step. 

Woman writing in field with mountains
Woman writing in field with mountains

What are you working on now in your writing? Leave your comments below.

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