Tamela Hancock Murray

In Honor of St. Patrick’s Day — My Trip to Ancient Ireland

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 17, 2016

Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be fun to revisit a story collection I wrote about ten years ago with my wonderful and talented friends, Pamela Griffin, Vickie McDonough, and Linda Windsor. Brides o’ the Emerald Isle was a lot of fun to write, and an enjoyable change for me since my story, A Legend of Light, takes place in 500 AD.

Inexplicably, the volume of stories is available for a penny, here.

And again for $35.47 here.

The more expensive book has a story not written by Tamela Hancock Murray, but by Tamela Hanc. Obviously Tamela Hanc is by far the better writer.

To celebrate writing my story, I bought Celtic Barbie. While not a pure representation of my heroine, Sorcha, Celtic Barbie reminds me how much I enjoyed writing books. Oh, and how did I choose Sorcha as a name? Well, I had to choose something today’s reader could easily identify, and one I could type with some sort of accuracy – not an easy challenge when consulting a name book including the time period of 500 AD. How about Hyge, or Aelfflaed or Eormenthryth? Sexburg is listed as a female name, a feather in my cap in case I ever decide to write a steamy story taking place in ancient Ireland – NOT.

By the way, the book I used, Names Through the Ages by Teresa Norman, is still available and a great reference. And it’s an engrossing read for anyone interested in history, or just names.

So now you have two books to read, and they are both so old I doubt any of the authors will make even an, ahem, penny from your purchase. But have fun anyway.

I leave you with this Irish blessing:

May you always have…
Walls for the winds
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire.

Your turn:

Have you ever written a story set in Ireland?

What is your favorite book set in Ireland?

What is your favorite time of history to read about?

What time in history would be the most challenging for you to write?

Turn Envy Upside Down

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 10, 2016

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins and not easy to conquer. Who hasn’t felt jealous over someone else’s success, especially when it doesn’t seem deserved? Seeing an outright enemy succeed is even worse. It doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, take your feelings of envy and put them to good use. That is, make those feelings work for you so you can succeed. Here’s how: When someone in your sphere …

Category: Career, Communication, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Envy, The Writing Life

Criticism – What Are They Really Saying?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 25, 2016

Any time you send a book – or even an article – into the world, you subject yourself to both praise and criticism. Sometimes praise seems embarrassing but criticism can hurt. By criticism, I’m not referring to the helpful, constructive kind. I’m talking about the mean kind. When someone says something hostile, consider that it’s not about you. That person is expressing what matters to her. The …

Category: CareerTag: bad reviews, Criticism, Critique

Unpublished and on Social Media as an Author? Why?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 18, 2016

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It’s hard to get through a week without seeing at least one article on platform. Well, here’s yours for the week! We agents ask authors for a platform, but I have found that unpublished authors wonder how or why they should show a professional presence on social media. That question is understandable. Without a book, what is the author promoting? Promoting Yourself? Yes, you are promoting …

Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Career, Communication, Marketing, Social MediaTag: Facebook, Platform, Social Media, Twitter

Do You Write in Your Books?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 11, 2016

When we were first married, my husband bought a new Bible. The first thing he did was to sit down at his desk with a pen. I gasped. “What are you doing?” “I’m transferring notes from my old Bible so I’ll have them.” At that point, I think he’d also started in with a yellow highlighter. I had never seen anyone do this. When I was growing up, I had one Bible. When I was in the third grade, my …

Category: ReadingTag: Books, Reading

Sending Your Submission to an Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 4, 2016

Submitting your work to an agent can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. A few simple steps will help you gain confidence, regardless of your method. Unsolicited submission This is when you are querying several agents and you have no connection other than seeing them on a list. I really don’t recommend the cold call submission, because it’s not likely you’ll find exactly the right agent for …

Category: Agents, Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Get Published, Submissions

Deadlines: Pre-Emptive Strike

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 28, 2016

Last week I wrote about a process on how to manage deadlines. Despite our best efforts, events may put us awry. To avoid this, eliminate overconfidence. When you see a contract and the advance – one you may desperately need, you may be tempted to say, “You know what? I really don’t need to go to the beach this year. I’ll write all summer instead.” Or, “Sure, I can write 3,000 words a day, seven …

Category: Career, CraftTag: Career, Deadlines

Meet Deadlines with Simple Math

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 21, 2016

During your publishing journey you may have the delightful problem of too many deadlines. You may have to ask yourself if you can accept another contract because you’re so busy. I’ve advised many clients about this over the years, taking them from panic to peace. Simple math can help. Determine time Look at all your contracts and how much time you have to write the books. Calculate how many days …

Category: Career, CraftTag: Career, Deadlines

What Keeps You from Following Up?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 14, 2016

You’ve been to a conference, probably at great expense and some trouble. You’ve met a few agents and editors. And you probably got at least a couple of requests to follow up with a manuscript. Now you’re home. And it’s time to follow up. Will you? If not, why not? Fear Fear is a natural emotion. In fact, if you don’t feel any fear, maybe it’s time to be scared. Or at least, worried. When you …

Category: ConferencesTag: Conferences, Follow Up