Katie Ganshert, Author at Katie Ganshert

3 C’s – It’s Friday & Picture Time

Posted on July 20, 2012July 20, 2012 by Katie Ganshert

Rockin’ the Badger Hat for Tot Lot

Petting the puppies at Teskes

Beating the heat at the sprinkler park

Cares:
I’m hitting the airwaves. I will be joining The Conversation (Faith Radio) at noon today for an hour of laughter and fun conversation. We’ll chat about my debut novel, faith, and romance. If you miss it, you can listen online in the archives. These ladies are a blast!

I’m visiting on Heather Gilbert’s blog today. She asks me questions about marketing, social media, and my writing journey.

I love when God uses our disappointments to reveal His grace.

Concerns:
So You Think You Can Dance’s new format is concerning me. I am not a fan. If the show fails, I blame Nigel.

Celebrations:
I signed a copy of my debut novel for Beth Moore! Gotta love unexpected, fun opportunities.

Revising is going well! No walls yet. Hoping they stay far away. Hoping to finish the BIG revisions by Monday. Then take another couple weeks to work out the smaller ones.

I love having my hubby home from work. I’m already dreading the day he returns.

Let’s Talk: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations this week?

Bubba is not amused. Brogan, on the other hand, thought it was hilarious.

The Still Small Voice

Posted on July 18, 2012July 18, 2012 by Katie Ganshert

It is with great honor that I introduce you to our guest blogger today – debut novelist and historical romance writer, Keli Gwyn. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Keli for a couple years now and all I can say is she is one of the kindest, most sincere, encouraging, supportive people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

So it was with great anticipation that I opened up her debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California. I knew I’d support Keli regardless of how I liked the book, because she’s just that amazing of a person. What an added bonus that her novel grabbed me right away!

I started this week and already I’m invested in the characters and excited to find out what happens to Elenora and her adorable daughter, Tildy. If you love romance, if you love historicals, if you love Christian fiction, if you love supporting really awesome people, if you want to give this author an amazing belated birthday present (her birthday was yesterday) then get thee to a book store and buy this book. Or you can buy it right now on Amazon.

The Still Small Voice

By Keli Gwyn

Do you hear voices in your head? I do.

I’m a writer, and my characters talk to me all the time.

I know some who hear a different Voice, that of the Lord. I used to battle—dare I, a professing follower or Christ admit this?—a twinge of jealousy when people would talk about how He talked to them regularly. They spoke of a still, small voice, but I’d never heard Him speak to me that way and would have been happy with a barely audible whisper.

Imagine my surprise when I sat in church one day five years ago, intent upon the sermon, and heard the Lord speak to me. Loudly and clearly. So loudly, in fact, that the Lord’s voice drowned out Pastor Randy. Since he’s a real sanguine who preaches with passion—and volume—that’s saying something.

I’d been writing for a year or so and had grown a bit downhearted. I’d prayed about it, surrendering my discouragement to the Lord and asking for His guidance.

There I sat in my customary spot in the third row, second chair from the aisle, on the left side of the sanctuary, when all of a sudden I heard God talking to me. His Voice came from above, very near the spotlight to the left of the lectern.

I knew the Lord was talking to me, because of what He said: “You will be published…in my time.” When I heard that, I was able to relax. I released my expectations and focused on enjoying each step in my journey.

That experience showed me that the Lord is there all the time and can use whatever means He wants to communicate with us.

Being a writer, I got to thinking about the story I was writing at the time, the one that—five years and three major rewrites later—has become my debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California.

As Elenora’s story evolved, my struggle to have the Lord commune with me in a clearly distinguishable way became hers. Unlike me, Elenora was raised by a controlling father and had a hard time feeling close to the Lord as a result. While she wants to feel His presence and feel close to Him, she doesn’t.

Taking Elenora on her spiritual journey was exciting. The Lord does speak to her at one point, but not in the same way He did me. That scene, when she experiences the presence of God for the first time, is one of my favorites.

My experience hearing the Lord’s voice so distinctly hasn’t happened again, but I’ve learned to recognize His presence in other ways. Should He choose to use an audible message once more, I can say with certainty that I would listen and heed His words—even if He did whisper.

Let’s Talk: Have you experienced the Lord’s presence in a unmistakable way?

One random commenter will win a signed copy of Keli’s amazing debut novel, A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California. So please don’t be shy!

To learn more about Keli, please go visit her fabulous website!

From Caricature to Character

Posted on July 16, 2012July 16, 2012 by Katie Ganshert

As novelists, we work hard to breathe life into our main characters. We even work hard to breathe life into our secondary characters.

But what about the minor characters?

The ones that make brief cameos. Perhaps for a scene or two or three. The ones that have no significant impact on the story. The ones that are simply filler.

Like the hostess who sits your protagonist at the restaurant.

Or the police officer who pulls your hero over for speeding.

Or the delivery guy who brings your heroine flowers.

Or the doctor who delivers the hard news to your main character.

I don’t know about you, but I find it incredibly tempting to throw a stereotype on the page and leave it at that.

Especially after all the energy I expend at making my important characters dimensional.

Recently, however, I’ve been challenged. To avoid the easy cliche and bring these characters to life.

While speaking with my editor last week, she said something like this: If it’s easy for a reader to replace the minor character with an actor or an actress or a character from a movie or a TV show, then you haven’t made the character your own.

Even though this is one of the more minor revisions I have to address, it’s still worth some thought.

How do I make these minor characters my own? How do I change them from caricatures to characters?

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Give them a problem.

Give them a desire.

Neither of which will be addressed in the novel.

Both of which will determine the character’s personality, actions, and speech.

Giving these characters a problem and a desire will make them more than filler.

This gives them a life of their own, apart from the story.

Just like everyone we come in contact with in our day-to-day lives. They might not play a big role in our personal narrative. We may never know they they are the way they are and why they act the way they act. But they are just as real and complex and needy and problematic as you and me.

Let’s Talk: How much time do you spend on minor characters? How do you bring them to life?

I’m vlogging on Jennifer Slattery’s blog today about adoption and the importance of “getting in over your head”. One randomly selected reader who leaves a comment will win a signed copy of my debut novel. If you already have a copy, think free gift for somebody you know!