Donna Hechler Porter

When, in the course of human events, did one nation infiltrate another and then seek to subvert the very culture of that country they were desperate to be a part of? The answer? Never, at least that I know of, until now. America has long been called (unless it is no longer politically correct to do so) as the “great American melting pot.” Anyone else remember the History Rock video of the same name (before videos were cool). A melting pot, of course, is a . . .

Bunnies hop. Feet hop on hot pavement. Toddlers can hop and hop and hop . . . Dr. Seuss likes to “Hop on Pop.” But readers should not be forced to hop between characters while reading a book. This is called head hopping, and it is one of the first mistakes emerging authors will make. And nothing, I mean NOTHING, screams “amateur” like head hopping.

This week for Toolbox Tuesday we are going to switch from prose to content, specifically characters. After all, characters are an integral part of any novel. I have stuck with some rather sloppy reads as far as prose and structure, especially from newbie authors, simply because the characters popped from the page and I CARED about what was happening to them. I previously discussed how to use the four temperaments in creating characters here . . .

It’s really hard being a historical writer. We work for hours, sometimes years, learning as much as we can about the period we are writing in – from speech, to food, to dress, to religion, and on and on. Even then, there is always someone who knows more than you and things trip you up. When they are pointed out you cringe and make a vow to not do THAT again. One of the easier things to get, however, are the social mores and constraints. These, in my opinion, are biggies . .

When I finished my first novel, Keeping Secrets, it came in at a whopping 180,000 words. Of course, that was way way way too long. It was time for a crash course in editing and revising. One of the first things I realized while in the throes of trying to cut down words was that I was being redundant. Redundancy, for those needing a formal definition, means “not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous” or “word or data able to be omitted without loss of meaning or functio

Tags. New authors love them. Seasoned authors hate them. And no, I am not speaking of shopping. For those of you who do not know, tags are the words at the end of dialogue. They usually take the form of the words said, asked, or answered, but other words can be used as well. One of the mistakes new authors often make, and seasoned authors fight against, is the overuse of them.

This is a sweet historical, so there is no sex and only mild steam. Despite that, the book starts off good and pulled me in. There was a bit of a mystery with the characters which unfolds nicely. However, near the center, the story becomes a bit muddled and drags, and at times I was bored. But, I have to be honest, I did have a lot going on at the same time I was reading, so I cannot totally blame all my boredom on the plot.

I finished Mary Andersen’s A Trusting Heart this past weekend. I very much enjoyed it, and a formal review will be coming on Roses and Thorns review blog in about three weeks. Andersen writes what is being termed as edgy Christian fiction, which category I would imagine my own books fall into. The best definition of this fiction can be found at her own website. I quote it here:

Emily Burns is an orphan, so when she receives news she has inherited a Mississippi Plantation by the name of Ironwood she is stunned. Grateful for the fresh start selling the plantation will give her, she never considers staying in Mississippi. That is, until she makes friends with the locals, learns of her past, and meets the dashing preacher/handyman who helps her restore the house. Oh, and the diary she finds in an old trunk in the attic that belongs to her great-great-g

I’ve set the final release date for Breaking Promises (which is two weeks earlier than planned) on May 28, 2015. So, I feel this is a post I simply MUST make. I feel I should offer all my readers a fair warning. The red flags are up. I have a dart board attached to my chest. I am ready to run if I need to. (After all, I have to write that third book.)

Recently an article came over my Facebook feed from a fellow homeschooling mother. (You can find it here.) It was a mock poem from a little boy begging his teachers to let him keep his recess because he was jittery enough in class and had a hard time focusing. Needless to say, this boy was one that had been diagnosed with ADHD. He is, sadly, one of thousands. And the number of boys medicated into “submission” is growing by the day.

I am waiting for the day I get a review that disputes the education level of both David and Annie in my book Keeping Secrets, as well as the historical context of the school they attend. The fact of the matter is, members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) placed a higher value on education in the 18th century than the average colonial citizen. They had more schools, with more teachers, than the average colonial community. What is even more remarkable is that they educated t

Okay, so my boys are learning to drive. Actually, we’ve been at it a while now. But yesterday, while one of them was driving and I was sitting in the passenger seat, I thought for the first time “Geesh, why do I have to live in this time period where it is dangerous to even let them leave the house alone?” Then, I heard a voice in the car, and no, it was not from the kid in the backseat – “life has always been dangerous. Two hundred and seventy years ago . . .

Everybody knows my head turns when I see a man in a tricorn, which only happens on a book cover or on television. Ben Barnes in a tricorn is even better. (I have no idea why I have this affinity for dark and handsome, but that’s a subject for another blog.) When the advertisement for Sons of Liberty flashed across the screen, the nerd in me very near had heart palpitations. Anyone old enough to remember the 70s and the plethora of Revolutionary stories? I miss those days.

I have a special treat today! I am hosting author Amber Schamel. Her new release, The Messiah’s Sign, is scheduled for release October 16th. Amber was homeschooled, and as many of you know, homeschooling has been in my heart for the past ten years as I have homeschooled my own boys. You can read an interview with Amber below. She is having a giveaway, so be sure and click on the link at the bottom to enter!

Alright. I admit it now. I’m having trouble finding books that I just can’t put down. The last one I read that gripped me to the point of choosing to read rather than write, work, or even breathe was Kirsten Heitzmann’s The Breath of Dawn about a year ago. I’ve not read one since. And A Shelter of Hope  was not it either. Tracie Peterson is a prolific author . . .

Contrary to popular historical thought, colonial America was not built upon freedom of religion. Not counting the lost colony of Roanoke, the first settlement in the New World was at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Although this colony went through several periods of near abandonment, the colony survived enough to consider that year as its date of establishment. This colony was NOT founded on any sort of religious pretext whatsoever, but was founded purely on England’s desire

Every now and then I come across a couple that are so sweet with each other, it makes my heart warm. Usually, but not always, they have been childhood sweethearts. However, all the relationships I’ve ever had with men have been fraught with angst, turmoil, and just plain friction. It makes for some highs and lows, but rarely is the relationship showered with the ongoing tenderness I see in these sweet couples. on’t get me wrong, there is tenderness. But there’s also an awf

Well, I finally got my wish – a book I couldn’t put down. I stayed up till almost midnight reading Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden. To be blunt, I picked the book because of the cover. I know. I plunged into the shallowness of cover intrigue for a brief moment in time. The cover did not disappoint.

It finally happened. I put a character into a such a stressful situation, I had to get up and walk away from the computer. Poor David. And it was all Jackson’s fault, sort of. I love writing. I love the craft of creating the characters, giving them their own little strengths and weaknesses, putting them into situations they can’t seem to find any way out of.