It feels like I’ve been waiting for this forever! 

But in one more week, Beneath the Surface will officially release.

Early readers have already begun posting reviews and sharing their thoughts and the reception for Beneath the Surface has been overwhelmingly positive.  I’m humbled and thrilled. Especially when readers tell me how much they love one (or more) of these characters. So far the one comment I’ve had the most has been “Please tell me Gabe gets his own book.” (He does. In fact, I’m writing it now).

I want to thank all of you for being on this wild ride with me! And of course I hope you’ll stay with me to see how #RyanandLeigh help their friends on the dive team in the remaining books in this series!

Over the next couple of months there will be a whirl of activity including blog tours and podcast interviews and hopefully a book signing or two. I’ll try to keep you all up-to-date.

But for now, I’d love to invite you to join me, LIVE, on Facebook. Tuesday night, March 6th, at 8PM Eastern to celebrate the release of Beneath the Surface. I’ll be live answering questions about the characters, the series, writing, and anything else people ask about over the next week.

If you can’t join in live, you’ll be able to find the replay on Facebook and I’ll link to it here on the blog as well.

If you have questions you’d like me to answer, please leave them in the comments! 

Grace and peace,

 

I am thrilled to tell you that I will be one of 29 authors participating in the Spring Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt next weekend!

The event runs March 1-4 and it’s going to be amazing!

DETAILS:

  • It begins and ends at Lisa T. Bergren’s website, March 1 at noon MST, and ends March 4 at midnight, MST. (Look for Stop #1 after noon MST on March 1).
  • All you have to do is sit back, read, collect/write down the clues, enter for extra prizes along the way, and then enter for the big prizes at the end.
  • It is open to international (outside the USA) readers.

CONTEST-WIDE PRIZES INCLUDE:

  • Grand Prize: All 29 books plus $250 Amazon Gift Card
  • 2nd Prize: All 29 books plus $75 Amazon Gift Card
  • 3rd Prize: All 29 books plus $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • 4th Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • 5th Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card
    If a winner outside of the USA is randomly chosen, then the gift card will be the equivalent value in funds in your country.

 

You don't want to miss the Spring Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! March 1-4, 2018. 29 Authors offering over $1500 in books & prizes! Share on X

I will be doing a giveaway here on my site in addition to the contest-wide prizes. People who sign up to receive my newsletter will be entered into a drawing for a copy of my new release, Beneath the Surface, as well as copies of my previous two books, Covert Justice and Hidden Legacy. I may even add some #DiveTeamInvestigations goodies to sweeten the deal.

I’d love for one of my readers to win the Grand Prize! 

 

Grace and peace,

 

 

 

 

 

I’m taking a five-minute break from the Beneath the Surface promotion (Release Date: March 6, 2018) to reveal the cover of Book 2 in the Dive Team Investigations series, In Too Deep!

 

More about In Too Deep . . .

When the dive team is called in to recover a body from a submerged car, they aren’t prepared to find an encrypted laptop—or an unsettling connection between investigator Adam Campbell and the dead accountant.

Adam turns to his friend Dr. Sabrina Fleming—a professor at the local university with unparalleled computer security and forensics skills—to recover the files from the laptop. But the deeper they dig, the deadlier the investigation becomes with some people willing to silence anyone who threatens to reveal their secrets. When evidence leads them to a human trafficking ring and implicates members of Adam’s own family, he and Sabrina will have to risk everything to solve the case.

The truth could set hundreds free—but could it also destroy the Campbell family legacy?

In Too Deep releases November 6, 2018 and is already available for pre-order!

So . . . what do you think about the cover and the story? I’d love to hear your reactions!

Grace and peace,

I love writing. I love taking the stories in my head and putting them on paper. I love the way a good romance points us, ultimately, to the One who loves us best.

Do you know what I don’t love so much?

 

Selling the book.

 

But, that’s how it works. There may have been a time when an author could stay hidden and write book after book and never get involved in selling their books, but those days are long gone.

So this is the part where I have to ask you, the people who have followed me along my publishing journey, to continue to support me by helping me spread the word about my newest book. Beneath the Surface, Book 1 in the Dive Team Investigations series releases on Tuesday, March 6, 2018.

It’s available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, and your local bookseller.

Some of you have asked what other ways you can help. Here are a few:

  1. Like my author page on Facebook. My publisher loves to see the number of “likes” going up! They like to see Twitter and Instagram followers, too.
  2. Sign up for my newsletter. I promise – your inbox won’t be flooded with messages, but you will get access to exclusive behind the scenes information and goodies.
  3. Share information about Beneath the Surface on your social media accounts, add it to your Goodreads “want-to-read” list, and tell your friends.
  4. Preorder Beneath the Surface–publishers like to see preorders. You can preorder at all the major online retailers and your local bookseller.
  5. When you’ve read it, leave a review on several different media sites (Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Christianbook.com, etc.)

Thank you all!

Now, for a little bit of housekeeping…

With the ever-changing landscape of social media, authors have to be willing to adapt and adjust.

In order to that, I’ve recently made a switch to the way I manage my blog and my newsletter. In the process, we had to rebuild the subscription lists.

We’ve made every effort to ensure that no one is getting anything they don’t WANT to see in their inbox and I hope we’ve gotten it right. But if you’re seeing anything you don’t want to see, please let me know!

And for those of you who came to this post via Facebook or Twitter, could I ask you to take a second and subscribe to my blog posts? It’s really the only want to ensure that you never miss a post. 🙂

You can subscribe to blog posts here.

You can subscribe to newsletters here. 

Grace and peace,

Hey y’all!

It’s been a busy couple of months for me. Lots of great stuff has happened and as I’ve had a few days to switch gears from “writing mode” to “Christmas mode” I’ve been feeling rather reflective – thinking about how God has worked and moved in ways I wasn’t expecting, but how His plans are beautiful and good and how excited I am to get to be part of His Story.

That got me thinking this morning about this blog post and I wanted to share it with you today. Because even though I wrote it seven (7!!!) years ago, it’s still true (except for the part about being pregnant . . . that little boy is now almost seven years old)!!

I pray you have a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year. Things will really be hopping over here at LynnHBlackburn.com as we prepare for the release of Beneath the Surface in March. I hope you’ll join me for all the excitement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the archives – Originally posted December 24, 2010

I have a confession.

Sometimes I read a book so fast the first time through that as soon as I’m done I need to re-read it.

Why?

Because I have the patience of a gnat? Possibly.

Mainly because I am so engrossed in the story, so engaged by the characters, so entranced by the plot . . . that I HAVE to know how it ends. As soon as possible.

I have never read the last page first. That’s cheating.

But speed-reading is perfectly acceptable.

And I can read fast. Very fast.

So I zip through the book, heart racing, chewing off one nail at a time, barely stopping for food, until at last, I reach the end and all my questions have been answered.

Or have they?

Because often in my rush, I miss stuff.

Which is why I have to go back and re-read at a slower pace. I savor each word and examine each plotline and I enjoy the journey.

Because I know how it ends.

I think sometimes I live my life this way. I can’t enjoy the moment because I’m trying to figure out how it’s all going to work out. How it’s going to end.

I can’t relax into motherhood because I’m thinking five, ten, twenty years ahead. I can’t enjoy the writing process because I’m wondering about publication. I can’t enjoy the Season because I have so much to do by Saturday!

All that, combined with my own pregnancy, has had me thinking a lot about Mary.

She knew, far better than we, the consequences of accepting God’s will for her life. When the angel said “You’ll conceive and bear a son” she knew the gossip, the looks, the potential stoning, that would follow.

But beyond that, she didn’t have a clue. She didn’t know she’d watch Him grow and then someday watch Him die.

Her response to the angel?

Be it unto me, according to thy word.

My guess is that this response is the reason Mary was chosen.

And it does make me wonder.

How many things do I miss out on because I don’t respond the same way?

I analyze . . . ok . . . over-analyze. I think . . . ok . . . over-think.

But how often do I accept? Not often enough.

My Christmas prayer this year?

That I can say “Be it unto me, according to Thy word.”

And mean it.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the archives – Originally posted December 24, 2010

Hi Everyone!

Today is a big day. This project has been several months in the making and this morning I’m thrilled to unveil the new www.LynnHBlackburn.com to all of you!

Katrina Glover of kikaDESIGN worked her magic on my very random ideas and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. I’d love for you to pop over and check out the information on my books, events, and a few random things like what I don’t leave home without and what I will never do. Ever.

I’m leaving tomorrow for the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Dallas where I’ll be co-teaching a class on the Mentor-Mentee relationship with *my* amazing mentor, Lynette Eason. I’m looking forward to spending real face-to-face time with people I usually only get to interact with online and I’m excited to make new friends from all over the country and the world who share my passion for writing. I have meetings and dinners with my agent and publishers and I’m praying for time to write as well.

My sister is coming with me and our first priority when we land in Dallas is to go find us some Texas brisket. 🙂 Then she’s going leave me to work while she makes her way down to Waco to visit the Magnolia Market at the Silos. Knowing her luck she’ll actually see Chip or Joanna. #jealous

If you want to see my ACFW adventures in (close to) real time, I’d love for you to follow my author page on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. The links are ALL OVER the new website.

Most of all, I want to say thank you for joining me on this journey and ask that you cover my writing and speaking in prayer. I am so far out of the boat that every day is a new adventure where my own fears and faith collide. I sink below the waves often but Jesus is always faithful to save me from myself and set me back on the path he has for me.

Much grace and peace to you!

Lynn

I’m sitting inside a warm, dry house. We never lost power, but thanks to Hurricane Irma, yesterday was the windiest day I have ever experienced. As far as I can tell, the worst thing that has happened to us is that we lost one tree in the backyard . . . and the stray cat that adopted us a year or so ago might think she is an indoor/outdoor cat now after we brought her inside to protect her from falling debris.

But all you have to do is turn the TV on and you can see that there is so much devastation all around us. Storms of different kinds are all over the place. Harvey in Texas. Irma all over the Caribbean and the Southeast. Western states are on fire and have been for months but it isn’t making national news. They are losing homes and acres and acres of precious natural lands. Earthquakes in Mexico. And that’s just some of what’s happening in North America. There’s a whole big world out there, and we aren’t the only ones being hit and hit hard.

Your storm may not have anything to do with the weather or natural disasters. It may be the illness of a loved one, a marriage in crisis. A child on a devastating path. Financial woes that never let up.

If you feel like you have nothing left, I want to share something with you that God showed me this week as I watched the hurricane coverage.

Have you seen the videos/images of the water being sucked out of the bays and away from islands? The first one I saw was video from the Bahamas and when it first popped up on my Facebook feed, I couldn’t figure out what I was seeing. But then it happened again and again as Irma made her way to the US. The Tampa Bay event received quite a bit of news coverage.

In case you didn’t see it, it turns out that as the storm comes by, it literally sucks the ocean away from the shore. People can walk around on ground that used to be the bay because the water is g-o-n-e. It’s absolutely fascinating and awe-inspiring to think of the natural phenomenon that is taking place.

As the storm passes, the water will return and things will return to “normal” – but during the storm Tampa Bay was empty. Dry. The reporters and people they interviewed kept going on about how they’d never seen anything like it. I certainly hadn’t.

It turns out that it takes a very big and powerful storm to do this.

I watched, completely fascinated, but then as He so often does, I felt that stirring in my spirit and God showed me something.

He isn’t surprised by this at all. He knows this happens in nature and He knows this happens in our lives.

We all have a certain tolerance for a “reasonable” amount of storm activity. We all get up and go about our day with various small storms – maybe even tropical force or Category 1 storms – brewing around us.

But the BIG storms quite literally suck us dry. We have nothing left to give because all our energy has been taken up by this powerful storm.

And yet we beat ourselves up over it. We say horrible things to ourselves and feel extraordinary amounts of guilt because we’re so tired and so empty, but God is not seeing it that way.

He sees our dry bays. He sees the empty shorelines. He knows the category 5 level storms we are facing and He is not sitting there wondering why we can’t get our act together and deal with it because *HE KNOWS* what has happened.

Others may not see it. They may not understand it.

But God knows. God sees. He is still 100% in control.

If you’re walking around every day like those crazy reporters, hunched over in the wind just trying not to get blown away, my prayer for you (and for me) is that we will relax in the grace God has shown us. That we will rest in the knowledge that He is not expecting more of us that we can give.

In his time, the water will return to the bay. The waves will again lap along the shore. The storm will pass.

Be kind to yourselves friends. Give yourself and those going through huge storms around you the same grace He gives.

Grace and peace,
Lynn

Click to Tweet: Powerful storms and dried up oceans. What God showed me about his #grace during #Irma.

Last month, I shared what I learned from the book Grit—The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Dr. Angela Duckworth and how it applies to the writing life. If you haven’t read that one, you might want to pop over there first and read the post, A Book to Help Writers Persevere. I’ll wait.

Done? Good. Glad you’re back. 🙂

That post was already way too long, so I saved something to share with you this month.

In Grit, there are multiple anecdotes about elite swimmers—what makes them so good, what separates the champions from the talented, that kind of thing.

Near the end of the book the author shares an interview with a man who has studied elite swimmers for three decades. After affirming the author’s thoughts on how important grit is he said, “But I left out the most important thing. The real way to become a great swimmer is to join a great team.”

When I read that line I stopped and took a picture of the paragraph so I’d have it in my phone. Because while I don’t doubt it’s true for elite swimmers, I know from first-hand experience—it’s true for writers, too.

*********************
It’s the first Thursday of the month so I’m over at The Write Conversation. I’d love for you to pop over and read the rest of the post. 🙂 

It’s been too long since I did a “What I Learned” post, so this month it’s really more of a “What I’ve Learned in 2017” rather than just in August. 🙂 
1. I need to be in a Bible study, even if it means doing it on my own. When I started homeschooling both boys I had to give up my Bible study group at church and I’ve missed it. I did a study on the book of Jonah this summer and it rocked my world. I didn’t make it to a single meeting of the group that was doing it, but it was still life changing and I need to do that kind of thing more often. I haven’t nailed down what I’m doing this fall because my FB feed was full of suggestions! But I’ll be choosing something soon. 
2. Apple watches are A.MAZ.ING. I was the biggest skeptic when they came out. Why on earth does anyone need to check their email on their wrist? But then I discovered how handy it is to be able to glance at it and decide if a text or call is worth stopping what I’m doing. Now, I can leave my phone on the kitchen counter all day and not be worried about missing an important call from Emma’s school. I’ve worn it every day since I got it. It actually helps me NOT have my phone in my hands all the time, and that’s a big deal to me.
3. Teaching is fun. It’s exhausting, too. This applies to homeschooling, but I’m talking about teaching adults about writing. 🙂 I’ve had the opportunity to teach at a couple of conferences this year, as well as an all-day Scrivener workshop. I’m surprised by how much I enjoy it. I get to co-teach a workshop at the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference later this month and then another Scrivener class later in the fall. I’m really looking forward to both. 
4. “Out with the old, in with the new” is something I should try more often. After fifteen years of looking at the same bedding, we bit the bullet and got a new bed, furniture, and bedding for our bedroom. I know for some of you this is something that happens every few years and you cannot imagine looking at the same stuff for a decade and a half, but I naturally resist change of any kind and it shows up in weird places—like re-doing rooms. My husband resists spending money, which also shows up in weird places like re-doing rooms. Between the two of us, we can shut down a room makeover in a hurry. 🙂 
We still need to paint and get curtains, a few pictures, etc. But the difference is amazing. It reflects our style and our sensibilities and is a restful place to be. Which is what bedrooms are supposed to be like, right? 
It was a lot of work—a lot of hours spent shopping, re-organizing, and using Allen wrenches on furniture that came in boxes. And there were a few times when I wondered if it would be worth it. But it totally was. 
5. Early morning exercise is awesome. I claim I hate it. Because I do. Except I don’t. I’m coming to terms with the fact that the 5:30 a.m. class is the best one for me. My entire day goes better when I get it knocked out first thing. Also, I workout at a CrossFit box with no A/C. It’s summertime in the south so it’s already hot and muggy at 5:30 a.m. By 4 p.m. no one in their right mind should be doing burpees and box jumps. I have lots of friends who do, but for me it’s worth the 5 a.m. wakeup call to get it over with before the sun comes up. 
I’d love to know what you’ve learned lately. Are there any fun “life hacks” you’ve recently discovered? Let’s talk about them in the comments.
Every so often I want to give you a little “peek behind the curtain” of my #authorlife. 

Here are just a few things that are going on right now. 
  • Last Saturday I taught an all-day class on Scrivener – a writing software that I love. But wow – all day. It’s a lot of talking, even for someone who talks as much as I do! I’ve made a mental note to be sure to plan to eat out after teaching this class in the future! And maybe to plan to sleep in the next day, too!


  • Even though Beneath the Surface – Book 1 of the Dive Team Investigations series – doesn’t release until March 2018, this week started with some emails about promotional materials for the book  – things like postcards, bookmarks, and social media images. I’m super excited to see what sorts of things the team at Revell comes up with! 

  • Then the edits for Beneath the Surface hit my inbox (Yes, the Darth Vader theme music is appropriate here – you’re humming it now, aren’t you? Excellent). The edits are due back to the editor on the 29th. Yikes!

  • At the end of the edits there’s this lovely little spot for me to provide the “teaser” for Book 2 in the Dive Team Investigations series.  This would be the same Book 2 I am currently writing and that is due to my editor in early December. 🙂 

  • Now, my brain can’t decide if it wants to work on the revisions for Beneath the Surface, or rework the first chapter of Book 2, or just ignore all that and work on a proposal for a completely different book that is half-written and just needs to be finished and turned in! (Yes, for those of you wondering, this is Max and Sara’s story).

  • This week I also got invitations to attend two different publisher dinners – at the same time – while at the ACFW conference in September and I had to choose which one I would go to (because sadly – no clone). And yes, getting invited to a dinner with a publisher makes me want to pinch myself!
  • I also had the privilege of sitting down with a White Collar Crimes investigator who is going to help me bring my hero for Book 2 to life (the fictional hero’s name is Adam Campbell and he looks like Ryan Reynolds). He answered a ton of questions, showed me a real credit card skimmer they’d taken out of a gas pump, and was super patient. This kind of research is one of my very favorite things about being an author. 
  • I’m in the process of developing a new website so I’m making decisions on that stuff, too. And by developing, I mean I’ve hired an A.MAZ.ING website developer and she sends me ideas and I try to make decisions without hurting her feelings and she tells me not to worry about her feelings because she is awesome (but I still worry).

  • If you’ve been following along on social media (and if you haven’t – why not?) you already know that this week was also the big “Lynn gets an office” week around here. So instead of writing, I’ve been painting and sanding sheetrock and cutting boards and loving the fact that my kids get to work with my Dad (who can build anything – really). More pictures and a big “reveal” will happen eventually. For now, I’m still dusting. Everything. It’s everywhere. Dust is evil. (And before anyone comments – No, I did not have on safety goggles. No, my hands were not actually anywhere near that blade despite what the picture might look like. Yes, I was being careful. For the cut I needed to make, that actually was the safest way to do it. I try to take good care of my fingers. They are rather important for writers! And yes, I do like power tools.) 
  • Oh, and did I mention we’ve already started back to school with my homeschoolers and my precious Emma is d-y-i-n-g for school to start which won’t happen until next week? 

Whew! I’m tired just reading all that. And believe it or not, I left stuff off the list. All sorts of things that are part of life and don’t have anything even remotely to do with writing, but are still super important. 
If you’re so inclined, I would appreciate your prayers. Especially over the next few weeks as I juggle multiple projects and a lot of life craziness. 
And if you have any burning questions about writing and publication, share them in the comments and I’ll try to answer them soon. 
Grace & peace,
Lynn

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