image: header
image: gownflare

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Marsha Hubler and Bachelor's Choice

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MARSHA HUBLER
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE KEYSTONE STABLES SERIES
And THE LOVES OF SNYDER COUNTY AMISH/MENNONITE SERIES

MARSHA HUBLER has had a background conducive to effective writing. She has a master’s degree in education (focused on learning disabilities) from Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, and has been an educator for over forty years. She had co-founded two private schools, Kreamer Christian Academy, Kreamer, PA, and the Bethesda Prep School, Milton, PA, and had served as teacher/administrator in each. She is presently a PA certified homeschool consultant, working out of her office in her Middleburg home, where she lives with her husband and two dogs.

Marsha has owned horses for over 20 years, therefore knows her horse facts in and out. She also lives in central PA, “Dutch” country, highly populated by the Amish and Mennonite, who have been a valuable first-hand resource for Marsha’s latest project, THE LOVES OF SNYDER COUNTY, a series about the Amish and Mennonite folk in the beautiful Susquehanna Valley in central PA. A follow-up project she’s working on now is THE SNYDER COUNTY QUILTING BEE, 12 short stories about characters from THE LOVES OF SNYDER COUNTY. The three books and short stories (seven to date) are in e-book format with BACHELOR’S CHOICE, book one, the first to be released in hard copy as of November of 2012.

Marsha is excited that her eight-book “Keystone Stables Series” juvenile fiction published by Zonderkidz has become a best seller with over 100,000 in print. She also is quite proud of her last two stand-alone books, RICKIE RIDES TO THE RESCUE and THE SECRET OF WOLF CANYON. She has 14 books in hard copy print with her Amish/Mennonite fiction series for ladies joining her publishing credentials.

She hears from her fans on a regular basis. Several have said they have started to seriously think about God, and one gal wrote that she was thinking of killing herself until she read one of Marsha’s books.

“That’s the best pay any writer could ever get,” Marsha says. “I write not only to entertain but also to encourage my readers. Every one of my books has a positive outlook on life with solutions to every problem with God’s help.”

Her life verse is 1 Corinthians 15:10a: “But by the grace of God I am what I am …”

Visit her at www.marshahubler.com, http://marshahubler.wordpress.comhttp://www.facebook.com/marsha.hubler.3, or http://horsefactsbymarshahubler.wordpress.com. She loves to hear from her readers of all ages.

BACHELOR'S CHOICE
by Marsha Hubler
Published by Helping Hands Press, a division of Trestle Press

ABOUT THE BOOK

John Friesen is a bachelor at the age of twenty-three and is having the time of his life. One of the most handsome eligible young men in the Mennonite community, John has never been in a hurry to choose a wife and settle down. He’s not a bit worried about being “passed over.” He enjoys the simple life of helping his dad with the family farm and breeding registered Tennessee Walking horses on the side.

Every unmarried gal in the Mennonite community has her eyes on John, not only because of his stunning looks but his godly, quiet demeanor and kind, gentle ways. Whenever the gals are together, John’s the talk of the quilting circles and Sunday fellowships after church. Three girls, in particular, care deeply for John and secretly determine to win his heart in their own special way. Only a serious accident—a fall from his horse—leads John to the one girl who will love him unconditionally. But which one does he choose?

Readers, buy your copy of Bachelor's Choice today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

If You'd Like to Write a Book

Over the last twenty years, I’ve met dozens of folks who have told me they want to write a book. Some of them I’ve met once over a lunch date, where they lamented about having this “marvelous” idea but didn’t know how to get started. (I think they actually wanted ME to write it for them.) Many of these folks actually attended our local critique group for a while and had their first few pages critiqued, never to be seen again. Some folks have called me; some folks have sent me sample pages for me to review; some have even paid me to edit a few of their pages, but to date, few of these folks have ever been published.

What is it about writing that makes it so difficult to be published?

The answer is simple: professionalism and patience. Let me explain.

Too many folks in the general populous have the following mistaken impression about writing: “Oh, I have some time on my hands right now; I think I’ll get a book published.”

Few, if any beginners, realize the depth of commitment it takes to “get published.” And most beginners have no idea what it takes to get a book published, unless they plan to put their own money up front and self publish, which can run into the thousands of dollars and often produce a very poorly written work.

My advice to all beginners has always been the same. I’ll share the most important aspects of “getting published” in the following list. For you who are contemplating writing and trying to get your name in print, please take these points to heart. If you do, you are well on your way to becoming a published author, but it will take hard work and a lot of time, sometimes years. I have listed the following points in the order of importance:

  1. Commit several hours a day to writing. Realize that editing and revising your work many times over is the actual “writing” part of the craft.
  2. Learn the craft by starting out with short stories and articles. A book can come later after you’ve mastered good writing techniques.
  3. Purchase several “how to write” books and read them from cover to cover.
  4. Read published works in the genre in which you’re interested in writing.
  5. Join a local critique group and be prepared to accept their criticism. This is hard on the pride factor, but it’s essential to making you a better writer.
  6. Attend writers’ conferences where you learn about all aspects of writing: writing proposals, fiction vs. nonfiction writing, marketing, social networking, editing, different publishing houses, etc. Meet editors and agents, who might take an interest in your projects.
  7. Study the market and send out queries by following the guidelines of the companies in which you are interested.
  8. Build your credit listing with published short stories and articles. Then you might get a publishing company’s interest in your book idea.
  9. If you plan to self publish, BY ALL MEANS, hire a professional editor to edit your work. You want to publish a work of which you can be proud. Too many folks ignore the fact that their manuscript needs help. Printing a work of poor quality not only degrades the writer but also is a poor reflection on the writing/publishing world itself.
  10. Once you are published, be prepared to spend a lot of time marketing yourself. Develop a platform where you can make personal appearances or speak to different interest groups who would want to buy your book. Develop a presence online in social networking sites like Facebook and Pinterest.

Well, there you have the nuts and bolts of getting published. If you’re sincere about your desire to be published, follow these ten suggestions, and as you develop your writing style and determine not to quit, you just might one day hold a published work in your hands of which you can be proud.

Reader Question: Marsha has a Master's degree in what field? What's the highest level of education you've completed and what was your motivation behind wherever you stopped?

* * * * *

Thank you, Marsha, for sharing with us today.

ENTRY RULES - There is no giveaway with this post today. Come back next week for a new post, or check out the previous posts and leave a comment on any that are still open.

2 comments:

Cheryl said...

Marsha has a Master's degree in education with a focus on learning disabilities.

I've made it halfway through my Associate's degree, but life and money continue to be an obstacle. My hope is to return to finish off my degree program if we become financially stable enough for me to do so.

This sounds like a fascinating book.

Many blessings,

Cheryl

ccmal(at)charter(dot)net

Tiffany Amber Stockton said...

Cheryl, I can relate to the financial delays. Had I been wiser at the time, I would have either attended a local community college, or I would have delayed my schooling until the cash was available for it, instead of loans. Now, the financial side of my Bachelor's is hitting us hard. :(

Congrats on being halfway through your Associate's though. Keep plugging away!