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Home » Archives for Tamela Hancock Murray » Page 48

Tamela Hancock Murray

An Atypical Time in an Agent’s Life

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 6, 2014
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I have enjoyed reading various “typical day” posts lately on other blogs, so I thought instead of sharing a typical day, I’d share an atypical month:

Sad News for Us

My father-in-law, a Baptist minister, passed away at age 89 after two strokes. While our family is sad to lose him, his funeral was a celebration of his life. 

Snow, Snow Everywhere!

I realize snowfall in Virginia is laughable in comparison to other places, but the number and intensity of our storms has been atypical this winter. We drove to Connecticut in between storms, only to be greeted by a storm when we arrived. Instead of visiting my mother-in-law on our first full day in town, we had to hole up in the hotel room.

And Speaking of Hotel Rooms…

Because of a variety of circumstances, my father-in-law’s funeral in one state and internment in another state required that my husband and I be on travel for eight days. So we stayed eight days at the Hampton Inn. 

Contracts Abound!

All the while, I kept getting messages that contracts were pending, on their way, or attached to emails arriving on my smart phone. Thankfully, this is the one aspect of this time period that is not atypical. My 88-year-old mother-in-law asked if all the ringing notifications got on my nerves. “Oh, no!” I assured her. She also said, “You are always on the phone.” I forget that not everyone is as plugged in as I am.

Are You in a Cult?

The nice lady who prepared our free breakfast every morning (Yay, Hampton Inn!) asked us why we were there and we said we were there for a funeral. And we were there. And we were there. And we were still there. On our last day, I asked her if she wondered if we were part of a weird religion where burial requires eight days. She laughed, but I still wonder if anyone there did a Google search on weird religions.

Florida Christian Writers Conference

No time to settle in before leaving for the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference! http://www.floridacwc.net/

This conference is headed up by the lovely Eva Marie Everson and the awesome Mark Hancock. Of course, Hancocks are always awesome. Everyone was wonderful and understanding about my late arrival. By the way, this is a very good, informative, and enjoyable conference. This year, several key note addresses were given by our agency’s own Ellie Kay! (www.elliekay.com) Do consider attending next year.

And finally, Snow!

Today is Monday and in honor of my arrival home, more snow! So a-shoveling I will go.

And there you have it: an atypical time in the life of an agent.

Your Turn:

What has been the most atypical time in your life?

Leave a Comment
Category: Agency, Personal, TamelaTag: Agency, Agents

How Much Back Story?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 27, 2014
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Sometimes in my review of a novel, I find that the story doesn't pick up soon enough. I'm not sure what I'll be reading about and my interest may lag, though I can still eye great writing.

"But I wanted my readers to know about my characters," the author may protest.

Understandable, indeed.

However, I believe it's important to lay out the basic conflicts for the reader early on so she'll …

Read moreHow Much Back Story?
Category: Craft, Editing, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Back Story, Craft, Writing Craft

Do You Like to Cry While Reading?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 20, 2014
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I'll have to admit, I don't like to cry. I don't even like depressing songs. Instead I prefer things that are upbeat. For example, here are some of the lyrics to a song that helped me get through my teen years:
Flashlight.
Red Light.
Neon Light.
Spotlight.
Most of all you can funk. Help me find the funk....
Yoww
I think I found the funk!
["Flashlight" was written by Ronald R. Brooks, …

Read moreDo You Like to Cry While Reading?
Category: Reading, TamelaTag: Reading

Rooting for the Bad Guy?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 13, 2014
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Last week I blogged about amoral protagonists. But what about protagonists who are unquestionably immoral?

Some general market books make their readers root for the bad guy. Think about accounts of bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, written from their points of view. Or a book written primarily from the point of view of a courtesan, such as Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement. These books set the …

Read moreRooting for the Bad Guy?
Category: Craft, Creativity, Genre, Tamela, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Genre, Protagonists

The Moral Protagonist: A Key Difference

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 6, 2014
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This is entirely an opinion, but in my reading of general market fiction versus Christian fiction, I have noticed one key difference:
The protagonists don't have to be moral.
In Christian fiction, the protagonists must be moral or have a great desire to be moral at their core, even though they may make mistakes.

Christian fiction offers a Christian world view.  The characters' circumstances …

Read moreThe Moral Protagonist: A Key Difference
Category: Craft, Creativity, Genre, Romance, Tamela, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Genre, Moral, Protagonists

Why Did I Keep Reading?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 30, 2014
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As I believe I've mentioned on this blog, along with Christian books, I try to keep abreast of general market books. But I admit, I don't always finish reading the books I begin reading. So what makes me stick with a book from cover to cover? Here's just one example for nonfiction:

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune  by Bill Dedman …

Read moreWhy Did I Keep Reading?
Category: Book Review, Craft, Creativity, Reading, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Book Review, Reading

Five Reasons Not to Brag

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 23, 2014
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We've all done it -- bragged -- whether intentional or not. Not only should all glory go to God for your accomplishments, but bragging may not get the reaction you think. Say you tell someone you made ten million dollars last year. Rather than the reaction you're expecting, you may instead:

1.) Look foolish. Ten million dollars? I paid more than that last year in taxes.

2.) Hurt someone …

Read moreFive Reasons Not to Brag
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, TamelaTag: Career, Communication, Success

A Major Money Mistake

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 16, 2014
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When I was working for a small company years ago, the extremely reliable woman who cut our paychecks missed the Big Day -- a Friday. As it became evident she would be a no-show, one of my co-workers revealed she was upset. "I wrote out and mailed checks for all my bills last night because I thought I was going to get paid today. Now they'll all bounce."

I didn't understand why anyone would …

Read moreA Major Money Mistake
Category: Book Business, Career, Money, TamelaTag: Book Business, Money

Two Basic Tips on Budgeting with an Irregular Income

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 9, 2014
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One challenge of writing books for a living is the fact that unlike many other jobs, you don't usually see a cycle of paychecks appearing at regular intervals with predictable amounts. Instead, you may see a whoosh of money, followed by smaller amounts every few months triggered by actions on your part, such as turning in manuscripts and proposals. Only well-established authors will have this …

Read moreTwo Basic Tips on Budgeting with an Irregular Income
Category: Book Business, Career, Money, TamelaTag: Book Business, Budget; Finances; income, Money

A Year in Review

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 2, 2014
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This year has been one of success and career growth for me. I am humbled and grateful to work with outstanding writers and the best editors in the business.

Challenges

As with every year, the needs and expectations of publishing houses continue to change and grow. Publishers are maintaining and even exceeding past quality to offer readers the best Christian books possible. This means that …

Read moreA Year in Review
Category: Agency, Personal, TamelaTag: Agency, Personal
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