With the controversy that erupted recently about #copypastecris we decided that a discussion about ghostwriters would be a good idea. If you haven’t heard about this controversy it must be because you are hard at work writing your masterpiece and not wasting time on social media.
Basically, a bestselling author plagiarized large chunks of her books, stealing from other best-selling authors. There were whole paragraphs lifted right from the pages of other peoples work. If you Google @copypastcris you can catch yourself up on all the sordid details.
In our podcast we decided not to focus our attention on this other author, who blamed the whole fiasco on ‘a ghostwriter she hired’, but on the issue of actually using a ghostwriter in the first place.
Should we, as Christian authors, (Christian being the operative word) hire a ghostwriter for any reason, or would it be morally wrong. In other words, should we be passing ourselves off as the author of a work we didn’t write?
Join our discussion and let us know what you think about this issue. Don’t forget to head over to Patreon and watch our Postcast.
In Him, Christina Cattane
Episode 28: Online Release Parties
During our podcast meetings, we have thrown around the idea of posting an out-takes video. Well, your wait is over because today we filmed a whole hour’s worth! Of course, this wasn’t intentional but we’re hoping that all of our goofs and silly mistakes are a good omen concerning Jen’s own online book launch party tonight; you know, similar to the old ‘break a leg’ adage.
Ecclesiastes 7:14a (NIV) reminds us of this:
“When times are good, be happy but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.”
There was an important lesson in today’s crazy podcast. It showed me how nice it is to have a group of women whom I can be comfortable enough with to flub in front of them without too much embarrassment. I believe that this group is the type of the thing God blesses His children with when we trust Him during the good times and the bad. And I felt like it was a good bonding experience for our writing group. I hope they did too…because these women are my valentines 🙂
While I am praying for only the best for Jen tonight, if the avalanche of oopsies continues throughout the night, I know she will be thanking God for the results He has in mind for her. Regardless of our (my) performance today, we gave much valuable advice and plenty of tips to get you thinking about how to launch your own book.
Episode 26: Self-Editing: Planning Your Process
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11
This has always been one of my favorite verses. While it may not have anything to do with writing a novel directly, It still inspires us to use our best words when honoring God as Christian writers. Today’s episode is all about editing our works to polish them up like a golden apple.
Jenifer, Jamie and Tina discuss their individual editing processes. While all three of these ladies always end up with a wonderfully clean piece that is a pleasure to read, they all go about it in their own personalized way.
If you’re new to editing as I am, you are sure to come away from this video inspired; if you’ve been editing your books for years, we still think you’ll enjoy the camaraderie of our little think tank. If you have a tip to add, we’d love to hear from you!
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 23: In the Trenches: Publishing Your Novel
Writing your book is hard. It takes dedication and true grit to take a story idea and turn it into an 80,000 word representation of that story. So, before I go any farther, if you have been able to type the words “The End,” then congratulations! If you have yet to finish your novel, then let me encourage you… you can do this! The world needs your story!
After all that hard work, the rest should be easy. Just hit the publish button, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. Next comes the editing, then book covers and layout, then marketing and promotion, and the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming. It can be frustrating. We know. Because we are smack dab in the middle [Read more…] about Episode 23: In the Trenches: Publishing Your Novel
Jenifer Carll-Tong is the best-selling author of historical Christian romances and co-host of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast.
Episode 22: Writing Goals
This week our encouragement for writers comes in the form of a goal setting session with the podcast hosts. Tune in to the podcast each week for more encouragement for writers and self-publishing tips!
Episode 19: TGIO NaNoWriMo
Hop on the roller coaster that is this episode, the final wrap up for our 2018 NaNoWriMo.
Episode 17: NaNoWriMo Week 3
It’s week three! Thanksgiving Day! Whee!
Jamie & Jen, holed away in their den
chatting with glee, they seem to agree
so many things to say, before eating turkay.
Episode 15: NaNoWriMo Week 1
Check in with the hosts to see how they are doing this National Novel Writing Month! Includes readings of RAW material from their current projects.
