Welcome, Jan Elder. Could you please tell our readers about your writer’s journey?

I started writing Love, Lies, and Fireflies seven long years ago in the fall of 2009. I had just turned the ripe old age of fifty and feelin’ blue. I’ve been a writer since I was a little girl, always penning poems, letters, and short stories, and a couple of years previously I’d kicked around an idea for a novel. I even had a whopping four pages written!
I heard about the National Novel Writing Month (http://nanowrimo.org), an annual internet-based creative writing project that takes place every November. NaNoWriMo challenges its participants to write 50,000 words with the goal of stimulating those creative juices and keeping writers motivated throughout the process. A group of fledgling writers were meeting at a café fifteen miles from my house, and I decided to give it a try. I only made it to 30,000 words, (okay, okay, it was actually 29,000 something, but thirty thousand sounds so much more impressive) but I was hooked.
And thus began my humble writing career. Did I have any idea what I was doing? Not much, but I could learn. That’s been seven years ago now, and since then I’ve published a couple of other books. But Love, Lies, and Fireflies is very special to me because it’s the first one I started.

Can you give us a short synopsis of Love, Lies, and Fireflies?

Sure! Here’s the back cover copy:
 
Didi O’Brien is engaged—at least she was an hour ago. Now she’s not so sure. Her fiancé, the suave Kevin Cabot, has just revealed that he’s been unfaithful, and he’s not the least bit sorry. Reeling from the betrayal, with her plans for a happily-ever-after life in doubt, she prays for direction. The answer comes as a complete surprise. God has someone better in mind.

Middle school teacher, Jake Montgomery, is struggling with some issues of his own. Sadly, a year previously his fiancée had been killed in a car crash. Battling anger and despair, in a mountain-top experience, Jake wrestles with the Almighty, and is ready to live again. In his youth, he’d felt an unmistakable call to the ministry but, like the prophet Jonah, since then, he’s been running hard in the wrong direction.

Through a crisis of faith, and glimpses of mercy, Didi and Jake find each other. But can they find the strength to resolve the many obstacles that conspire to keep them apart?
    
Sounds interesting. Could we have a short excerpt of the novel?

Alrighty. The following is one of my favorite passages:
 
With sleepy, half-closed eyes, Jake yawned and opened his arms in invitation. Without hesitation, Didi slid into his embrace. “You’re welcome,” he murmured into her ear. He stroked her hair as she nestled into his shoulder. His arms around her were warm and comfy.
Knowing Jake needed his rest, Didi stretched up and planted a light kiss on his cheek. When she tried to let him go, Jake tenderly drew her closer.
“Not this time, Didi.” Pulling back slightly, his gaze full of longing reached out to her. Gentle fingers wound themselves in her hair as he whispered, “Close your eyes.”
His husky voice sent shivers of anticipation down Didi’s spine. Heart pounding, she drew in a deep breath and lowered her eyelashes. Slowly, so slowly, he drew her closer and kissed her with soft, chocolate-scented lips. With her eyes still closed, she melted into him, and he kissed her again—this time not quite so softly.
They stood in the hallway, arms draped around each other, until a drowsy Jake bent back against the door and groaned. “Now I really do have to go before I collapse on your floor, but I’d love to see you again. What are you doing Friday night?” His eyes held a trace of fire as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.
The touch of his fingers on her cheek warmed her heart and gave her shivers. He was a good kisser—no, a great kisser. Beating back apprehension, she made a quick decision. This man was a gentleman, unlike Kevin. “Instead of going out, why don’t you come here? I’ll make dinner if you bring popcorn and a movie. Does that work for you?”
“A nice, quiet evening sounds wonderful, but don’t fuss over dinner. I’m easy to please. Around seven?”
“Perfect.” He leaned in for a swift final kiss, and Didi was charmed that he seemed to have a hard time letting her go.
She picked up his lunch bag from where he’d let it drop to the floor, handed it to him, and stepped back. “Night, Jake.”
 
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Find a good writers group that is both encouraging and honest. Your mother can tell you you're already a wonderful writer. You want your writers group to challenge you and help you stretch and grow. Conferences are also a great way to learn an amazing amount about the craft in a short period of time. I would highly recommend the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. Also, think about joining a group such as American Christian Fiction Writers. They have been a tremendous inspiration to me in many ways and I give back by hosting an ACFW writers group in Williamsport, Maryland.
 
In closing where can we find out more about you and your new book?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1537410849
http://janelderauthor.com
https://www.facebook.com/janice.elder.author
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13261561.Jan_Elder
 
Thank you so much, Brooke, for featuring me on your blog! It’s truly been a pleasure talking with you today.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a writer's group and at a writer's conference on the topic "How to Start a Freelance Writing Career." And while I won't ramble on for an hour like I did in those workshops, I thought those of you who want to be freelance writers might find a few of the tips I offered interesting and/or helpful. Here are just a few top tips on starting a freelance writing career.

Tip#1: Start with Job Boards
Job boards don't pay very much at first, but they give you a good place to practice. Job boards (like The Content Authority, Zerys, Textbroker and others) can connect you with potential future clients and allow you to start building your writing experience.

Tip#2: Save Save Save
If you are just starting out in the freelance writing world, you may not have many writing samples. Save everything you write so you can use the work as samples for future clients. People thinking about hiring you almost always want you to prove that you can write. Sending something you've written in the past is proof!

Tip#3: Practice Typing
The faster (and more accurately) you can type, the more earning potential you have. If you can write one 500 word blog in an hour at $10, you've made $10 in that hour. If you can write 5 similar blogs in an hour, you've made $50. Practice your typing skills and your earning potential rises.

Tip#4: Make Goals
Freelance writing isn't a career that happens overnight. Make small goals for yourself and build your career as you go. Decide on a certain amount of time to dedicate to writing every day or choose a money goal. Give yourself an hour a day, or strive to make $30 a day. Make a specific goal and stick with it to challenge yourself.

Tip#5: Get Good at Research
Almost everything you write will require at least a little research. The research needs to be done in a fast, effective manner so you can get the writing assignment done as quickly as possible and start on another. Glance through a few articles with similar topics in order to grab the inspiration you need for your original piece.

Tip#6: Line Up Technology
As your career begins to take off, utilizing certain aspects of technology can be really helpful. I use the Expensify app on my phone, for example. I can list any expenses that go into the business so I can easily deduct them for tax purposes later. You might also consider Invoice2Go, a service that helps you create invoices for your clients so you never forget to get the payment you deserve. These little things can add up and help you succeed.

Working as a freelance writer is marvelous, if you like to write, which I do! :) Keep in mind that, like with many careers, it's a marathon, not a sprint. When I first started, many clients paid me 1/2 a cent per word. That's a whole $1.50 for a 300 word blog. But as you start to gain client trust and become more in demand, the money amounts raise and so do the level of orders you have rolling in. If writing is something you really want to do, don't give up. Do it because you love it and the rest will fall into place with time and dedication.

I wanted to drop a brief note to let you know I'm on the radio today! If you go to http://www.TheAuthorsShow.com anytime today and click on "Accept this Dandelion" in their broadcast schedule, you can listen to me in a 15 minute interview. The interview is available any time you have 15 minutes today.

I was in radio for 12 years, but it's been about 7 since I had a job in that industry. Hopefully I came off okay in the interview. I'd love for you to sit back and take a listen as I talk about my romantic comedy series.

My niece is doing a project at school called Faith in Action. She was given $10 to "multiply" over the school year. At the end of the year, she gives the money she raises to a charity. She's quite the little artist so she decided to create a website to sell her original artwork for donations. She sent out an email with information and asked that we share it with anyone interested. I thought I would put it out there on my blog and let anyone interested take a look. And please share with anyone you might think would be interested.

You just go to the website, look at the art, choose which one you want, and then send an email to her through the website for details on where to make your donation.

I had both of my girls look at the options and choose one. The tie one below is my oldest daughter's choice. I want to put a picture of her above it to make it look like she's wearing the tie. I think that'll be cute. My younger daughter chose a heart picture.

Here's the website: http://canvases4jesus.wixsite.com/canvases4jesus

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a writer's group and at a writer's conference on the topic "How to Start a Freelance Writing Career." And while I won't ramble on for an hour like I did in those workshops, I thought those of you who want to be freelance writers might find a few of the tips I offered interesting and/or helpful. Here are just a few top tips on starting a freelance writing career.

Tip#1: Start with Job Boards
Job boards don't pay very much at first, but they give you a good place to practice. Job boards (like The Content Authority, Zerys, Textbroker and others) can connect you with potential future clients and allow you to start building your writing experience.

Tip#2: Save Save Save
If you are just starting out in the freelance writing world, you may not have many writing samples. Save everything you write so you can use the work as samples for future clients. People thinking about hiring you almost always want you to prove that you can write. Sending something you've written in the past is proof!

Tip#3: Practice Typing
The faster (and more accurately) you can type, the more earning potential you have. If you can write one 500 word blog in an hour at $10, you've made $10 in that hour. If you can write 5 similar blogs in an hour, you've made $50. Practice your typing skills and your earning potential rises.

Tip#4: Make Goals
Freelance writing isn't a career that happens overnight. Make small goals for yourself and build your career as you go. Decide on a certain amount of time to dedicate to writing every day or choose a money goal. Give yourself an hour a day, or strive to make $30 a day. Make a specific goal and stick with it to challenge yourself.

Tip#5: Get Good at Research
Almost everything you write will require at least a little research. The research needs to be done in a fast, effective manner so you can get the writing assignment done as quickly as possible and start on another. Glance through a few articles with similar topics in order to grab the inspiration you need for your original piece.

Tip#6: Line Up Technology
As your career begins to take off, utilizing certain aspects of technology can be really helpful. I use the Expensify app on my phone, for example. I can list any expenses that go into the business so I can easily deduct them for tax purposes later. You might also consider Invoice2Go, a service that helps you create invoices for your clients so you never forget to get the payment you deserve. These little things can add up and help you succeed.

Working as a freelance writer is marvelous, if you like to write, which I do! :) Keep in mind that, like with many careers, it's a marathon, not a sprint. When I first started, many clients paid me 1/2 a cent per word. That's a whole $1.50 for a 300 word blog. But as you start to gain client trust and become more in demand, the money amounts raise and so do the level of orders you have rolling in. If writing is something you really want to do, don't give up. Do it because you love it and the rest will fall into place with time and dedication.

I'm part of a giveaway that includes 40 other romance novels, some of which are sweet and others of which are spicy, from what I hear. In order to enter, you can visit the website hosting the event and enter your email and name etc.

When you do that, you are giving permission for those involved in the contest to have your email address. Just so you are aware. You may get put on their mailing lists. All of which you can unsubscribe from if you wish. Just want to make sure you notice that! But you may want to get that information anyway so that would be all good!

Boy do I have some sales for you! I'm putting almost all of my books on sale for a week in the upcoming weeks. Mostly October, but some for September too. I wanted to let you know so you could set an alert for yourself in case you want to grab one of them cheap. If you already have them (awesome!) you can share with friends or whatever. Just don't want the sales to go by without letting you know! You can click on the book titles and it should take you to that book through a link. So here's the master list...

Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut         1.99 sale    September 18-24, 2016

Someone Always Loved You      .99 sale       October 2-9, 2016

Shower in the Rain                      .99 sale       now-October 3, 2016

After the Final Dandelion           .99 sale       October 10-17, 2016

Dandelions on the Road             .99 sale        October 17-24, 2016


As for upcoming book updates... The Leftover has been sealed in its title. My publisher was concerned that there is a TV show called "The Leftovers" on HBO. I'd never heard of it. I wasn't opposed to changing the title of the book, but I never came up with anything better. And my editor feels the title is important to the plot and wants to leave it as is and I agree. So there it is! The Leftover shall be called...The Leftover! :) It's in editing now, in the process of round three. And the cover design concept is in process as well. So exciting! Still slated for a June 2017 release. I've been working on looking up book clubs and blogs behind the scenes for a big marketing promo blast this spring.

Other than that, just concentrating on freelance writing and trying to keep up with client's needs. This week I've written about shutters, windows, and package wrapping. :) You just never know what's next in this world!

I'll post on facebook and twitter about the sales as they arise. So share with friends and family as you feel led. Thank you so much for your continued support!

Here's some shocking news for you (or at least for me!)...

Someone Always Loved You, the very first book I wrote over a decade ago, just won a Reader's Favorite Book Award in the Finalist position.

Let me explain. In this award, there are gold, silver, bronze, honorable mentions and finalist awards. So, in essence, Someone Always Loved You is in the fifth position. The way these awards work, the judges give points to books and the books that gather the right amount of points get the awards. So there could be two gold medalists and no finalists and so on.

I can't tell you how many people entered this contest, but apparently there were thousands from all over the world. I am truly speechless and honored that "Someone Always Loved You" caught someone's eye enough to receive a finalist award.

So what does this mean? Well, I'm officially invited to the Miami Book Festival in November to accept the award at the Reader's Favorites Award Ceremony. I'm going to have to sell a few book in order to get myself there so we'll see about that.

The book gets press and exposure and so on and so forth. And maybe Jim Carrey will give me a call sometime (he won a gold medal at a past Readers' Favorite Contest) :)

It just amazes me that a book I was inspired to write, one which I had NO idea what would happen from day to day as I wrote it, is still around and kicking! It's interesting to think that I one time sat across from a seasoned professional at the San Francisco Writer's Conference, feeling myself melt into my chair as he told me it sounded like this novel, based on my descriptions to him, needed a complete re-write in order for anyone to be interested in it. Let this be a lesson to you (and maybe a little to him). Write what you're inspired to write and don't let anyone tell you it's wrong. If it means something to you, that's enough to push you forward. With any luck, it'll mean something to someone else too someday.

More details to come. I was just too excited about this to hold off on divulging the news!