Purple Prose:
fiction

Well, I just happened to remember I had this, so I thought I'd use it for it's purpose... to talk about me. I figure I'd write all of the things I would normally write in to my friends on a message board, but most of it is very random and well, this way they don't have to read it if they don't want.

Today's thoughts:

1. The O.C. fanfiction people are the best in the world!!! And I truly believe that. They read, give feedback, are friendly, etc... and some of the stories they write are amazing. I love it. If you want to check it out, go to fanfiction.net and find OC stories. Now, if you don't like the OC, you probaby won't get any enjoyment out of it. But if you are new to it like me, then you'll probably love it. You will learn, if anyone ever reads this, that I tend to be about 3-4 years behind on what's 'in'.

2. Never go to Wal-mart to get your hair colored. You go in for brown and come out with jet black. Not fun. If I make it through tomorrow at school, then I'll be all set.. but man my eyes look pretty. They have never looked green before.

3. It's not right when your 2 kids wake you up at 3:45 am because one has peed in her bed and one has lost her fooler. It's not a fun way to start a day... especially when you've got newly black hair.

So you see basically what this will be is a place where I can write random stuff. I hope you like random LOL.

It's a little bittersweet. About a month ago, I started contacting blogs to see if I could possibly add them to my CROSSING THE DEEP book blog tour. Every blog, except maybe three that I never expected to answer anyway, either said they would OR they would do facebook/twitter posts.

All in all, I had EIGHTEEN blog stops! *thud*

Thanks to all of the blogs, the people who have put up with me for the past 2 weeks on this book blitz, readers, people who comment, buyers of the book, etc. It has been a pretty special 2 weeks for me.
Here is a list of the participating blogs. Please go over and show them some love :)
Oct. 8th
Mom's Tool Box (How the Bible in 90 Days program Influenced me to write the book)

Oct. 9th:
Shakin' the Foundation (Questioning your faith)
Walking In Faith 4 Him (Forgiveness)
A Word of Encouragement (Encouraging others)

Oct. 10th:
K.Victoria Chase (Author Interview)
Sweet Blessings (If God gives you the passion, He will give you the time.)

Oct. 11th:
A Pause on the Path (Is your 'thing' what you expected?)
Student, Mama, Cook (Time for yourself)
A Song Along the Way (Young Adult Novels)

Oct. 12th:
She Fancied Herself a Writer (How to manage -semi- chaos)
I Love Devotionals (Unto the End of the World)

Oct. 15th:
Undivided (When you see no way out)

Oct. 16th:
Do This in Remembrance of Me (Alone in a Crowded Room.. or Forest)
Daily Surrender to Jesus (Author Interview)

Oct. 17th:
Imitation by Design (Why I write Christian Fiction for Young Adults)

Oct. 18th:
My Daily Walk in his Grace (When We Know Better)

Oct. 19th:
Just a Little Place to Write (A Wild and Crazy Ride to Publication)
Keepin' It Real (Author Interview)

** THANKS TO LAURA from Beholding Glory and Cyndi from Walk in Grace and Beauty for tweeting and facebooking about the book release :)
And, of course, it wouldn't be a book blitz without buy links ;)

BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Astraea Press
Wow! A great read for teens or adults. Wonderfully written. From a great start to a fantastic finish. I can't wait for her next book.-- Review from AMAZON Bought this book today and cannot put it down! I will be finished by tomorrow and I am so excited as each new chapter and character develops! -- Review from AMAZON Kelly Martin is an amazing author! She really sets the bar high for her first novel. I really enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions of the Smokies alone make you feel like you are right there with the characters. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from her -- Review from Amazon ... If you enjoy fiction (and even if fiction isn't really you're thing) you'll be entertained by this young adult novel. I would certainly recommend it for any lover of a good action/adventure story. -- Review from AMAZON

Today's letter in the A to Z challenge at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ is...

R is for Rejection.
We talked yesterday about how if you send query letters then you will (more than likely) get a few rejections. Rejections aren't fun (how dare they not like something you worked so hard on!), but they are part of it. You get sad, you move on, and you keep sending them out. Simple as that...
But if it's not *that* simple for you, I've found a site that has the number of rejections famous authors have gotten over the years. The link is: Wavy Lines. Go visit because I'm not going to write them all...
I found out that:
Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling): Rejected 12 times
Mary Higgins Clark: Rejected 40 times
A Time to Kill (John Grisham): Rejected by 15 publishers and 30 agents
Twilight (Stephenie Meyer): Rejected by 9 agents and 5 no responses (which equal no)
Carrie (Stephen King): Rejected 30 times
SO, the point is for you (and for me). Rejection doesn't equal bad or give up. It means to keep going and find someone who does love it-- if not, write something else and keep going :)
That said...
WELCOME TO THE VERY FIRST FAITH-FICTION FRIDAY!!!!
*Balloons... confetti... streamers!!!*
Because I'm sure this will cause some confusion, I'm going to give you the deets below.
1. I will post a picture.
2. You will get inspired by the picture and write a 100 word (give or take) story (either fiction or non-fiction OR devotional).
3. You will post your story in the comments section of this blog below.
4. You can post your blog on the link-up after you've added a story to comments.
5. Somewhere on your blog, put the Faith-fiction Friday button.
6. Since this is new, I'm asking, begging, pleading, kissing your feet, to please spread the word about this. I'd love for this to be a great place for people to read and write Christian fiction (believe me, there aren't many places on the internet that have it).
If you have any questions, just ask. Like I said, I'd love for this to just be fun-- but it won't be fun for me (or anyone else) if no one participates (I'm paranoid that I'm going to check back after work and there be no comments or links up... )
Anyway...
Here is today's picture:

Today's letter in the A to Z challenge at www.a-to-zchallenge.com is...

S is for Sweet, Sweet people.
Sometimes, people do things and it makes you smile (I guess smile could have been our S word-- actually lots of words could have been.)
I want to say a BIG Thank You to the people who participated in the first Faith-Fiction Friday. It actually did better than I thought it would-- especially for the first week. It will be a weekly event here at OTMA so I hope you come back and participate again. I LOVE reading short stories, and like I said, there aren't many places on the web for short Christian fiction. Please head over to that post and click on the people who linked up. Each have a wonderful blog and would appreciate the visits.
Yesterday was also a big day for one of our FFF participants. She had a lot of firsts-- First blog party, First writing contest (though it not really a contest-- the ideas the same), and the first time she copied a button code. You can read all about her exciting day at Catching Foxes.
I also want to thank the Sweet, Sweet People who have encouraged me and this blog (along with my other blog) over this past year. I would name you all, but I'm afraid I'd miss someone and I don't want too.
And lastly, the Sweet, Sweet People who take the time to make blog hops every week to spread God's word. There are a lot more, but 3 I participate in are Laura's at Beholding Glory, Shanda at A Pause on a Path, and Tracy at My Daily Walk in His Grace. Those are just a few of the great blog hops around the web: OH yeah there's Courtney at www.womenlivingwell.org as well.
Today's post is a little scattered, but I wanted to take time to thank the sweet, sweet people who I've 'met' while blogging. To all of the followers and commenters-- THANK YOU!
For all you readers, thanks for taking the time to read. I know your time is precious (and short if you are like me). You didn't have to read, but you do. That means a lot.
For all of the people who send me emails about adding your blog to the Encourage 365 Blog Directory -- you are so sweet. Your emails make me smile :)
Jenifer at Sweet Blessings for giving me something to add to my bio when I sent my queries to agents. (My first magazine writing credits.)
And to my big sister, Kathy, who reads (pretty much) everything I write. And sends me 'Oh wow' texts when I tell her about some "big" (to me) news. BIG SMOOCH!
There are so many sweet, sweet people in the world. Who are the ones in your life? Is there anyone you want to thank for being sweet? Take time to do that today. :)
Have a great Saturday :) Remember, Faith-Fiction Friday is still open if you'd like to add your story.
Much Love,

Today's letter in the A to Z challenge from http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ is...

Q is for Query.
Do you know what a query is?
I had no idea what it was until I started trying to learn how to find an agent. A query is a letter, proposal, fight for your book's life that you send to an agent. It (in between 200 and 500 words) tells an agent everything they need to know about your 50,000+ masterpiece.
In a word: it's difficult.
I'm not good at them yet. I'll admit that, but I like it. I'd buy the book if I were an agent ;)
The thing about sending a query is that you inevidably (unless you are extremely luckly) will get a rejection. (REJECTION will be our R letter tomorrow. I have a neat little post written for that letter-- stay tuned--).
Are you good at writing queries? If you don't write them, are you good at summarizing? What resources did you find helpful? I LOVE absolutewrite.com. They have a great spot to post your queries (if you don't mind getting beat up a few times for it ;) )
Don't forget to come back tonight and tomorrow for the very first 'Faith-Fiction Friday' post/link-up/writing frenzy. Your support is humbly, beggingly, and lovingly appreciated.
Much Love,

If you've noticed, I've been working behind the scenes in phases to change this blog around. I wanted to have an author site, but I already had 3 other blogs. That just seemed like a lot.


So, I've closed down Encourage 365 (well it's still there, but I won't be posting... devotionals will be written and posted on this blog now). I've decided to keep Encourage 365 open :)

I've bought a new domain name for this site: www.kellymartinstories.com (do you like it?) You will still be redirected here by typing www.ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com

I'm going to use THIS site as an author site and as a devotional site (I'm actually really excited about this!). Most things will stay the same except for the name and devotionals here and not on the other site. Plus, there will probably be more writing updates.

I hope you continue to stay with me as I go through these changes. I'll always be a mommy and will always write on it, but I wanted this blog to be about different kinds of stories too: my home stories.. bible stories... and fiction stories.

I'm so glad to have you along for the ride! :)

Much Love,

~*~Kelly~*~

Today's Friday, so that means that the Faith Fiction Friday prompt is up @ Faith Filled Fiction... and the 5 minute Friday prompt is up at Lisa-Jo Baker's Gypsy Mama.

5 Minute Friday is simple. Lisa-Jo gives a prompt and you promptly (hehe) write on it for 5 minutes. No backsies, no edits (though I will spell check... because I just have too... )

Today's word is: Dance

GO

There is a dance going on inside of me, maybe inside of you too. It's a delicate tango between the "I want too" and "I can't... "

As I glide on the dance floor of life, these two dancers glide around inside of me, twirling until I am dizzy and run down.

The "I want too" is strong. I WANT to do a lot of things. Sometimes those things seem so big they will never happen. And sometimes they seem selfish.

The "I can't" is always there, following the "I want too", matching every step. I can't do... because I'm just me. Seems to be the typical dip. It seems logical enough. I'm just... me.

There is a dance inside of me, maybe inside of you too. A delicate tango between "I want too" and "I can't". Maybe it's time to find a new dance partner...

STOP

Much Love,

~*~Kelly~*~

I was going to post about my AWESOME shopping trip where I bought enough food for a family of 5 (ie us) for about 7 days for $50 (I'm so excited about it!) and I will... but man, I'm not feeling so great today.

Hopefully, I"ll get the post up tomorrow. UNTIL THEN, Please head over to Faith Filled Fiction and read M.J. Wille's story for the week. It's got romance, heart, and faith. All things we need to read about sometimes. Much Love, ~*~Kelly~*~

It's Friday again (has another week already gone by!), and that means two things. One: it is faith fiction Friday @ Faith Filled Fiction AND Two: it is 5 Minute Friday @ Lisa-Jo Baker.

I'd love for you to check them both out.

What is 5 minute Friday?

Basically, you sit your bottom in a chair, read the prompt, and write on the prompt for 5 minutes... The kicker is you can't go back and edit (for content anyway... I do use my backspace, silly Kelly). It's time to let your imagination run while.

This week's word is: RISK

GO

I'm not much one for taking risks. Seriously, I would rather stay at home than drive somewhere (even though I do). I'm not thrilled with trying new foods, and I HATE Ferris wheels (I'm all Ryan Atwood that way-- OC reference-- so shows my age... )

So, a few months ago when I decided to write a book, I hesitated a bit because it was a risk. Now, I wasn't going to die (like I might on the Ferris wheel... in my mind anyway), but it was hard putting myself out there. I've gotten used to it now.

I'm more of an introverted person. I don't talk a lot if I don't know you... not that I don't want too... but because I don't know exactly what to say. I don't want to risk sounding silly or stupid or weird.

I do want to say that some risks are good (writing a book, doing something you have always wanted to do, getting on that blasted Ferris wheel when your 6 year old says it will be ok because she will hold your hand... ). Some risks aren't (gambling your last money away, tempting God, etc). Before you do anything that might be considered risky, pray about it.

That said... what would life be without a little risk...

STOP

Yeah... that was a total ramble. Sorry about that.

BUT, gonna post it anyway (I'll risk it ;) )

Much Love,

~*~Kelly~*~

Linked with:

http://lisajobaker.com/2012/06/free-writing-exercise-in-five-minutes-risk/

And Faith Filled Friday @ Beholding Glory

**Before I tell you my happy dance news, I'd LOVE if you'd click over and read this week's story at Faith Filled Fiction. Stacey has done a great job writing it! I know you will be blessed.

~*~

Last night, I made my first $0.24 as a writer!

This morning, I made my first $0.48!

I wrote the Ruth Bible Study for the Women's Ministry at church. I put it on Smashwords for free download, but I had some wonderful friends who said they didn't want it for free... they wanted to BUY it (awesome friends!).

So, I put it on createspace...

And now it's on Amazon!

Ignore the fact that it has Mrs. Kelly Martin as the author (it grates my nerves, but my husband thinks it's sweet ;)).

A five part Bible Study on the book of Ruth. This humorous and heartfelt study brings the verses to life and shows how love and respect can change the world. If you are interested in learning more or are interested in buying it, please click HERE. You can also download the free eBook version by clicking the link on the sidebar :)
*If you're wondering about the other books... 'Crossing the Deep' is still being queried to agents and publishers. If it doesn't get picked up, it's ok. I'll work on it and probably self-publish it (now that I kinda know how).
*I'm 44,000 thousand words into my second book. (Thanks campnanowrimo! :)) It reminds me of "The OC meets God"... I'll probably finish it up this week, then do edits. The PLAN is to not rush edits like I did the first book and do it right the first few times.
Both are Young Adult/Christian books which are REALLY hard to sell to agents/publishers, but that's ok. If they are meant to be published, they will be. I just love writing them.
Much Love,
Kelly
Linked with: Women Living Well Wednesday

Faith Fiction Friday will now be posted at Faith Filled Fiction: www.faithfilledfiction.blogspot.com.

Please head over and read/write some good Christian fiction :)

Much Love,

Kelly

*First of all, I'd love for you to go visit FAITH FILLED FICTION today for our very first story :) Stacey from Shakin' the Foundation did a great job writing it.

*Also, @ Encourage 365, I'm having a giveaway to celebrate 365 days of continuous blogging. Please click HERE to find out details.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Without getting too much into it, something happened this week that made me question things... actually, it wasn't this one event-- it's been building for quit a while.

I wasn't in the happiest place I've ever been in.

To tell you the truth, I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do.

*I DO know that about every blog post I click on has to do with not giving up.

*The baby woke me up at 3 am this morning (she NEVER does that). I got online for a few minutes before going back to bed and read a post that nearly brought me to tears. Guess what it was about?

*I went to bed and was flipping through channels. I found something called 'Inspirational... ' something, and I turned it on there (I NEVER turn it on those shows). It was exactly what I needed (don't give up... who do you THINK wants you to give up!). I was sleepy, so I decided to DVR it. I thought it lasted maybe 10 more minutes. I checked this morning, and it's over an hour (can't wait to watch it later).

*Last night before I went to bed, I had the strongest urge ever to read my bible. So, I had to. I flipped it open to Psalm 119:8. The last part got my attention: (the psalmist talking to God): Please don't give up on me!

I'm in a doubting time, but that's ok. It's made my husband stand up and really cheer me on. I still have doubts and questions and (I SOOOO can't do that!), but it's ok. I've seen God more this week in my doubts than last week in my 'I can SOO do this' because last week *I* could-- This week *GOD* can.

Sorry for the ramble.

Much Love,

Kelly

Linked with: Women Living Well Wednesday

If you didn't know, I have 3 blogs (I know... EEK). One of them, Encourage 365 was made because I promised God I'd write 365 consecutive devotionals (one for every day of the year). Except for 2 guest posts, I've done that (or will on June 19th).

To celebrate, I want you all to have some GREAT prizes! Click HERE and find out how to win. I have 2 of the prizes and would LOVE to have the other 2! (I'm so jealous of you for getting the opportunity to get them!)

Thanks so much for the support :)

Much Love
Kelly

OH, and don't forget. Our first story at Faith Filled Fiction goes LIVE this Wednesday :) It's a great one-- :)

5 Minute Friday, from The Gypsy Mama, is where you write for 5 minutes. No editing. No going back. No second guessing (ok, maybe a little second guessing).

This week's word is: Expectation

Go:

I have a lot to say on expectations, but I'm not sure how much I want to actually say 'out loud'. Let's just have a hypothetical situation and go from there:

Picture if you will, it's your anniversary. You have expectations on how it will turn out. Your husband has other ideas. In the end, you go to bed bitter because your expectations haven't panned out and your feelings are hurt.

Yeah...

I'm not going to lie, me and anniversaries don't go well. I always end up upset over something. Yesterdays being upset came from a lack of communication (you'd think being married for 9 years would make you able to communicate... )

I have other expectations besides in marriage that hurt me sometimes. When I check my email, hoping for some news on an agent or a publisher and fine a rejection letter-- or worse yet-- nothing.

Expectations are a thorn in my side. If I could just move forward, not expect so much, just... *be* I'd be a much more content person. That's what God wants. He wants me to be content with what I have-- not what I don't.

If yesterday was a test, I failed.

But today is a new day (thankfully!). The sun is shining. The kids are smiling. Today is loaded with possibilities... as long as I don't expect too much, I should be fine. ;)

Lord, I pray that I keep a positive attitude today. I pray that I don't get bitter, and I have a wonderful day. I pray that, in some small way, I help someone today as well. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Stop.

Linked with:

It's not too late to write your 'faith fiction friday' story and post it HERE

It's kind of sad today, but kind of happy. This is our last 'Faith-Fiction Friday' here at OTMA.

Why?

Well, if you don't know, I've started a new blog called Faith Filled Fiction. That site is all about Christian/faith fiction so it's only natural that Faith Fiction Friday be posted there. Don't worry, I'll put a link to it here for you.

So... what is Faith Fiction Friday? 1. I post a picture.
2. You write a 100 word (give or take) story (fiction, non-fiction or devotional) about the picture.
3. You put the story in the comments section.
4. You add your blog (if you have one) to the linky.
5. Come back and read all of the great stories!
6. I normally ask you to put the faith fiction Friday button somewhere on your blog, but this time I'm not since the link will be different next week anyway.
Ready?

(WEDDING PHOTO)

Here we go...
This picture was inspired by Megan's post at Just a Little Place to Write. Her Creative Writing Wednesday post was a wedding picture. I saw this and couldn't resist. Today being my anniversary and all, I couldn't help but be a bit sentimental. Not that this looks anything like my wedding.
(from pinterest.com)
Happy writing!

The new blog I have which will be dedicated fully to Christian fiction is at: www.faithfilledfiction.blogspot.com.

I'm hoping to have the first story up and have everything going by next Wednesday (I said July... I can't wait that long lol).

Please check it out and become a follower so you can get updates when the stories start being posted.

Thanks so much :)

Kelly

It's no surprise that I love writing, especially stories on faith. I've been putting them in the 'oh that mom again' blog, but I feel that they need their own space. That blog has just kinda become a 'catch-all', and it's not fair to it.

I am working on a new blog called 'Faith-Filled Fiction'. I'm looking to lauch it on July 1st. I'm looking for all kinda of fiction on faith. I'd love for the stories to be no more than 1000 words and deal with, well, faith. I won't be able to pay for your stories, but I'm hoping it will grow into a resource for Christian writers. I have big plans for it (don't I always... )

If you are interested or would like more details, please email me at ohthatmomagain (at) yahoo. com.

Thanks so much. If you aren't a writer, your prayers in this new site would be VERY much appreciated.

Imperfectly yours,

~Kelly

Happy June! It's been a pretty exciting May for me. Ruth (the free version) hit 100 downloads in less than 2 weeks! And I launched the paperback version (because some people like that better). I've been sending the fiction book (Crossing the Deep) off to agents and publishers. I know that even if I don't get a book deal with it, I've learned SO Much that will be helpful in the future :)
Also in May, my sister, Kathy, found out that she's getting to preach at a church starting in July, and is on her way to becoming a full time preacher (Happy Dance :) )
As for June, well, Monday we are starting the Ruth Bible Study at church (squee!). I have to say, I'm kinda nervous. I'm more nervous about reading and finding the inevitable typo and not being able to change it.
Also, June 7th, is our 9th anniversary! We were watching TV last night and I bolted up, saying, "Do you realize we've known each other 10 years?!" It seems like a long time-- but it doesn't, know what I mean?

Anyway, enough about me, it's time for Faith Fiction Friday. Why is it up so late? Well, I forgot to do it yesterday. With school out (and TV shows on hiatus), I kinda get my days mixed up.
I think we have the basics of it, but just in case, here's a review:
1. I post a picture. 2. You get inspired and write a 100 word story (either fiction, non-fiction, or devotional) about the story. 3. Post your story in the comments section below. Leave your name and word count in the post. 4. Then add your blog (if you have one) to the linky under the picture. Do you have to have a blog to write a story? Nope. This just gives your blog some added traffic-- if you want. 5. Check back and read other's stories. I love reading them. It's amazing how this many people can see one picture and write different things (except for with the rainbow when we all wrote sad stories lol).

6. Link back to oh that mom again somewhere on your blog. QUESTIONS? Here we go...

Free images from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I thought since we mostly wrote about sad things with the rainbow, wonder what we'd write about with a stormy picture... hmmmmm...
Can't wait to read your stories!!

Welcome to Faith Fiction Friday!
Here are the details: 1. I post a picture.
2. You get inspired by the picture and write a 100 word (give or take) fiction/non-fiction story or devotional.
3. Post your story/devotional in the comments section.
4. Add your blog to the bloggy link-up. Then add a link back here on your blog (you can use the FFF if you'd like)
5. Come back and read/encourage your fellow writers.
That's it :) I hope this is something that's fun for you.
This week's picture is:
(RAINBOW PICTURE)

(THE LINK IS OPEN FOR FAITH FICTION FRIDAY, BTW... )

BUT...

I just finished something and I wanted your input. I don't know if I've mentioned it on the blog or not, but I just finished the first draft of a 5 week Bible Study on Ruth for church. I'm editing it (see how well I'm doing... ;)). Anyway, I thought I *might* self-publish it on Smashwords.

So, tonight, I was tried of writing *my brain was literally unable to form words* so I decided to do something else: make a cover for the Ruth book.

Here is what I came up with:

What do you think?

Also, I'm toying with names. I don't know if I want to go with my real name or a pseudonym. Ideas? Experiences? Thoughts?

I need some feed back here ;)

Much Love,

Kelly