Remember 9/11!

By Debby Giusti

America must never forget what happened on September 11, 2001. Fanatic terrorists, their hearts twisted in darkness, planned and executed a horrific, multi-faceted attack that put a human face on evil. That day, our lives changed forever. We lost our innocent and perhaps naive belief that we were safe despite the rising tide of radical extremists hellbent on doing us harm.

The first, seemingly random crash of a jet airliner into one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, in New York City, caught the attention of the nation and indeed the world. For many, the tragedy unfolded as we stared in disbelief at television newscasts, horrified by what we saw. A second airliner exploded into the second tower, confirming our worst nightmare. The United States was under attack.

Struggling to fully comprehend the magnitude of those first malicious acts, we watched a third aircraft smash into the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C. With rumors of a fourth plane headed for the capitol, many feared the terror would never end.

Thousands died that day, innocent people who never expected an attack on U.S. soil or the catastrophic consequences that ensued.

First responders—fire fighters, police officers, EMTs—rushed into burning infernos in order to save lives only to lose their own as the towers collapsed into mammoth mounds of twisted metal and billowing clouds of smoke and debris.

In Washington, D.C., brave military men and women joined hands with civilians to quell the blazing fires and rescue co-workers trapped in the shattered and smoldering rubble of the Pentagon.

In the air above Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a planeload of heroic citizens fought to recapture an aircraft slated to wreck more havoc on our country. “Let’s roll,” became a battle cry for those brave men and women and the watchword that called all of us into action. Rolling up our sleeves and reaching out to those in need, we worked together to rebuild and heal.

Ten years ago, we learned that freedom is never free. With it comes responsibility. As post-9/11 people, we must be strong and vigilant and ever ready to defend our country and our way of life, knowing what happed once could happen again. Those who seek to do us harm continue to plot our demise, yet God is stronger than any enemy. He is our hope in times of peril and our surety in times of strife. We must put our trust in Him and return our country to His protection.

Today, as we remember 9/ll, let us rededicate ourselves to the principles upon which our country was founded. With one voice, let us proudly proclaim that we are the United States of America, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Officer's Secret!

I’m an Army brat, which is an endearing term for someone whose dad—or mom—was in the service. I’m also an Army wife and Army mom, and I love the military way of life. When my son was deployed to Iraq for the second time, I wrote MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA and had hoped to someday publish more books about the brave men and women in uniform. That’s why last year, when my editor asked if I’d be interested in writing a military series, I felt God had opened a door I needed to walk through.


As my editor discussed her vision for the series, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division came to mind. “The CID investigates crimes against the military or military personnel or crimes committed by someone in uniform,” I quickly explained. “The CID would provide a perfect backdrop.” My editor liked the idea and gave me the go ahead. Within a short time, I had outlined the first story in my new Military Investigations series, which went on to be titled, THE OFFICER’S SECRET.

Being partial to Georgia where I currently live, I wanted to include aspects of Fort Benning in the story. The Army post is located along the Chattahoochee River south of Columbus, Georgia, and is a beautiful military reservation with large grassy knolls, bike and running paths and a new museum located near the river.

Growing up, I had lived at Fort Knox, Kentucky, a number of times, and my son had recently been stationed there so that post, with its stately brick quarters, tall oak trees and expansive training areas, also provided inspiration. By combining aspects of Benning and Knox, I came up with the fictional Fort Rickman, a large Army training post near the small river town of Freemont, Georgia, which I also created.

The brick home on the cover of THE OFFICER’S SECRET plays an important role in the story and is similar to the last quarters I lived in at Fort Knox. Built in the 1930s, the grand structure had its own sense of history, and I had often thought about the many families that had made the house their home down through the years. “If only these walls could talk,” I often mused. “What secrets would they reveal?” That question played into the story, as well.

The hero, CID Special Agent Nate Patterson reminds me of my real military heroes…my father and husband and son. Nate is a dedicated professional who loves his country. When an officer dies on post, Nate is called in to investigate. The deceased—a female major—has just redeployed home from Afghanistan. Her estranged sister, Maggie Bennett, finds the body, but Nate soon realizes the family counselor from Alabama may be hiding secrets about her past.

If you believe in love at first sight, you’ll understand Nate’s instant attraction for Maggie. She’s a bit more reserved and needs time to ensure she can trust the special agent. Although they end up together, the past must be revealed and healed before the investigation can be put to rest.

The second book in the series, THE CAPTAIN’S MISSION, features Special Agent Kelly McQueen and will be out in October. Currently, I’m writing the third book in the series, which is Special Agent Jamison Steele’s story.

Last year, I walked through the door God opened and accepted my editor’s offer to write about the military men and women who protect and defend our nation, for which I’ll always be grateful. I hope you’ll enjoy reading THE OFFICER’S SECRET, the first book in my Military Investigations Series, as much as I enjoyed writing the story.

Happy reading!


Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

I'm giving away 5 copies of THE OFFICER'S SECRET on http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/, May 18.  Stop by and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing.

A time of new beginnings…

Spring has arrived in Georgia, and the world is in full bloom. Red buds and cherry blossoms burst forth with color, along with gnarly dogwoods interspersed among the hardwoods. Day lilies and hostas poke their heads from the earth, enticing deer to feed on the tasty new growth.
The daffodils and Bradford pear trees were beautiful this year. Now, with blossoms spent, the pears are clothed with new foliage that rustles in the breeze and brings shade upon the earth.

Geese fly over our lake. Ducks waddle along the shoreline. Before long, baby goslings and ducklings will swim behind their mothers, all in a row like a Madeline book I used to read to my children.

Each morning, birds welcome the new day with song. Squirrels leap from tree branch to tree branch, then scamper down the giant oaks to forage for nuts. Like a pregnant woman preparing for delivery, they carry twigs and last year’s fallen leaves to pad their treetop nests for their babies soon to be born.

All around me, the world is bringing forth new life.

What new life will the Lord bring forth in me?

I’m working on a proposal and apologize for being away from the blog for so long. Regrettably, I stopped blogging when I was on deadline and have put off posting since then. Not because I haven’t been thinking of all of you, but because sometimes a twenty-four hour day is not long enough.

At this time of new life and new beginnings, I promise to be more present in the days ahead. Stop by often. Leave a comment or a prayer request.

I pray daily for each of you who visit the blog. I also pray for everyone who has ever read one of my books. I believe the Lord hears my prayer and sends blessings to all of you, the special people in my life.

Japan is on my list of prayer intentions. I know you join me in lifting up the people in that country, asking the Lord to provide for their needs and to keep them safe in this time of distress.

May the Lord bless you abundantly today and in the days ahead. Thank you for being a dear friend.

Hugs!
Debby Giusti 
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
http://www.ladiesof/ suspense.blogspot.com

Two Conferences in Two Weeks!



LtoR:  Debby, Missy Tippens, Michael Hauge,
and Janet Dean at ACFW 2010.



Writing is a solitary business, but each fall two conferences – held only two weeks apart – pull me away from my computer and allow me to interact with others. On September 16, I flew to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. The Friday to Monday event was packed with workshops on craft and technique and provided numerous opportunities to learn how experts create their stories.

Hollywood Screenwriting Guru Michael Hauge gave a two-part class on Plot Structure. Initially he worked with screenwriters to help them enhance their scripts. A few years ago, he began speaking to writers groups and soon realized the same techniques apply to full-length fiction. Using examples from movies, Hauge described the six stages that take a character from his or her ordinary world through a series of escalating complications, which result in changing the hero or heroine, to an exciting climax where the lead character faces his biggest obstacle. In the end, the character is a new and hopefully better person because of what he experienced.

Interestingly, Mr. Hauge is also presenting at the Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, which I will be attending this upcoming weekend. No doubt, he’ll provide even more information for me to absorb and apply to my own writing.

L to R:  Seekers Cheryl Wyatt, Janet Dean, Missy Tippens,
Audra Harders, Steeple Hill Assistant Editor Emily Rodmell,
Debby Giusti, Glynna Kaye and Myra Johnson.

The highlight of both conferences is reconnecting with friends. Many of the Seekers – 15 of us began as a group of online friends all working toward publication…for the last three years we’ve blogged about our experiences (http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/) and celebrated when doors opened and our books sold—were at the ACFW conference so it was especially wonderful to get together with them. The Georgia writers are a warm and welcoming group, and I’m excited about seeing many dear friends this weekend as well.

I’ll return home on Monday and head back to my computer. Hopefully, my writing will benefit from the workshops I’ve attended. I know I’ll have wonderful memories of the friends I cherish that will carry me through a winter of writing.

Wishing you abundant blessings!
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.crossmyheartprayerteam.blogspot.com/
Visit Seekerville (http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/) for our October Birthday Bash. Great blog interviews, lots of fun and giveaways, including a Kindle loaded with Seeker books!  Be sure to stop by on October 5th when Steeple Hill Assistant Editor Emily Rodmell will provide tips on getting published.  Hourly drawings, including the four September Love Inspired Suspense releases!

Prayers for Our Nation

A friend sent me the following in an email. I thought you might be interested...

2nd Chronicles 7:14 states, "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Someone has said that if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.

Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing everyday at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people, and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America . If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation.

If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Wishing you abundant blessings!

With prayers and love,

Debby

THE PERFECT PITCH

One of the main reasons for submitting to contests prior to publication is to attract the attention of an editor or agent. Sure, the awards are nice to receive, and the credits look great in a cover letter, but bottom line, writers want to sell their stories. To do that, manuscripts need to be requested and read. So if a particular submission doesn’t make the final round in a contest, what’s Plan B? Pitch the story at a writing conference!

With the RWA National Conference approaching in July and the ACFW in September, I thought it might be interesting to throw out some ideas about how to pitch. My advice? Keep is simple.

First impressions are important. Start with a firm handshake and warm smile as you introduce yourself. Thank the editor for taking time to meet with you and/or for coming to the conference. A minute spent exchanging pleasantries—perhaps ask about her flight or if she’s had a chance to see the sights in the local area—can put you both at ease. Yes, believe it or not, the editors and agents are sometimes as nervous meeting you as you are about meeting them.

Now sell yourself. The clock is ticking so pick and choose a few facts that will give the editor/agent an idea about your professionalism, your commitment and your expertise. Be sure to mention your writing credits, such as any magazine or newspaper articles you’ve had published. Don’t forget web publications or chapter newsletters, especially if you’ve done a series of articles or how-to pieces. Have you presented workshops at writing conferences? That would be of interest to the editor as well.

The editor/agent wants to know if you’re new to writing or established. Give her some sense of how long you’ve been working on your craft either in years or the number of manuscripts you’ve completed. (Remember a manuscript is an unpublished story. The story becomes a book once it’s in print.) Are you a member of professional writing organizations? Don’t forget to mention any offices you hold.

Contest wins? If you’ve won a number of them, summarize: “I’ve won ten national writing awards, including . . .” Then mention some of the more prestigious wins. Or you could say, “I’ve finaled in a number of contests, and the story I want to talk to you about today won the Maggie Award of Excellence and the Jasmine.”

If you have expertise or training in an area that plays a part in your story, be sure to include that information, such as if you have a law degree and your story is a legal thriller. But expertise doesn’t have to be limited to higher education. If you ran a dude ranch in Colorado and that’s the role you’ve given your heroine, the editor will enjoy hearing that you’re writing what you know.

Now sell the story. Word count, genre and whether the manuscript is completed are important. If you’ve targeted a specific line the editor publishes, be sure to mention that as well.Just as stories should start with a riveting opening, so should the pitch.

Can you come up with a high concept, hook or one-liner she’ll remember? What’s high concept? In his book, WRITING SCREENPLAYS THAT SELL, Michael Hauge says, “If that single sentence describing your story idea(s) is enough all by itself to get people to line up or tune in to see the movie, then it has a high concept.” He goes on to provide the following high concept for WAR GAMES, “A teenager computer genius breaks into the Pentagon computer system and has to prevent World War III.” Hauge is talking about movies and screenplays, but high concepts work for manuscripts as well.

Another possible opening is to throw out a question pertaining to your book that catches the editor/agent by surprise. “What would you do if TSA found a bomb ready to detonate in your carry-on luggage?” You’ve got her attention, now tell her about how your sassy heroine caused a national stir when she grabbed someone else’s luggage off the airport shuttle and the bag contained an explosive device.

Remember less is sometimes better. Donald Maass, in his WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK, says, “All I need to get hooked on a story is to know its category, the setting, the protagonist, and the main problem. Add to that one unusual detail that makes this story different from any other like it, and you’ve probably got me.”

For my first novel, NOWHERE TO HIDE, my one-liner was, “When the men who killed Lydia Sloan’s husband try to kidnap her six-year-old son, she and Tyler flee to an island community off the coast of Georgia and run headlong into the trouble they were trying to escape.” I added that, unbeknownst to Lydia, her husband freelanced as the Web master for a gentleman’s club porn site.

For SCARED TO DEATH, my second Love Inspired Suspense, I started my pitch by saying, “Kate Murphy never expects a quick trip to Mercy, Georgia, to retrieve her grandfather’s missing gold cross will land her in the middle of a transplant tourist racket.”

After you’ve thrown out your hook, reel the editor in with a few comments about the story, especially plot points that drive the protagonist to the climax. You could mention the hero’s greatest fear or greatest need or how the characters change, what they learn, what they overcome, who they save, etc. Again, keep it brief.

For my third release, I used the following: In MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA, a returning war hero’s search for a missing girlfriend leads him through the dark side of inner-city exploitation to a woman of faith who teaches him that memories of the past are not always as they seem and authentic love is grounded in truth.

Be prepared to provide information on another manuscript if the editor asks what else you’ve written.

Pitching to an agent? She’ll want to know if an editor’s shown interest in the story or requested a submission so include that as well.

The ending is as important as the beginning. Know when to stop so the editor/agent can ask questions. Once you’ve satisfied her curiosity, ask if she would be interested in seeing three chapters and a synopsis or the full manuscript.

Nothing else you need to discuss? Then thank her, shake hands and leave the room, even if you haven’t used up your allotted time. The editor or agent will appreciate having a minute to relax. Hopefully, she’ll make a note on her tablet about the polite and professional writer with whom she just spoke.

One sheet: Some Christian houses request a one sheet when you pitch. Compile some of the personal information mentioned above and add a short blurb about the manuscript. Place your address, phone and email at the top of the page along with a downloaded photo of yourself. Even though you hand the one sheet to the editor or agent, be sure to mention a few of your professional accomplishments and credits at the beginning of your meeting.

Practice makes perfect so start working on your pitch now! Good luck!
___________________

You'll find this article and others on my Web site, http://www.debbygiusti.com/. With the RWA National Conference next week, I thought it might be time to review the tips on pitching. I'm praying for everyone who plans to meet with an agent or editor. Stop by my table at the Literacy Autographing next WED so we can pray together. God always has a way of calming frayed nerves. Plus, I'll be handing out The Writer's Prayer and my new--just off the press--Prayer for Our Military. Hope to see you in Orlando!

With love and prayers,
Debby

Stop by Seekerville, http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/, on WED, July 21, for a chance to win one of my books--title of your choosing--and a $10 gift card to Starbucks!

Laughing Out Loud!!!

A little laughter always makes the day more fun! I just checked out the Seekerville weekend edition posted by our web guru Tina Radcliff. She outdid herself this time by including pics of a few of the Seekers in Super Hero attire.

She connected me with the military femme fatale pictured left and named me, THE GENERAL.

Thanks, Tina! I'm laughing out loud!

If you want more laughter, log onto Seekerville this Wednesday, July 21st, when I'll be blogging about writers, Jeff Foxworthy-style. Bring your creativity and leave your email addy to be included in a drawing for one of my books--title of your choosing--and a $10 gift card to Starbucks!

Good news...I talked to the dear woman who ended up having four surgeries on her spine less than a month ago. She sounds wonderful and is feeling stronger each day, but still needs our prayers!

I also talked to my son in Iraq today. In fact, I called him. Not sure what type of new phone system he was able to get through his computer, but when he's logged on, his cell phone activates. Thank goodness for technology. He sounded great, but tired. There's a seven-hour time difference, and I caught him at the end of long, long workday. Here's a shout-out to all our military heroes and heroines and prayers for their protection and safe return home at the end of their deployments.

Wishing you all a joyous Sunday!

Love and prayers,
Debby