Women of the Secret Place

IT'S HERE!!!


Women of the Secret Place is a compilation of personal experience stories--think along the lines of Chicken Soup for the Soul, but with a distinctly Christian focus. 

The "official" blurb:

Faith. Hope. Humor. Who wants to face the challenges of life without them? Not the Women of the Secret Place! Explore this collection of real-life experiences and glimpses into a woman s personal relationship with God. Discover for yourself what the Women of the Secret Place have learned. As you relax with the fifty-two devotionals in Women of the Secret Place, you will laugh, cry, and be encouraged. You will gain new appreciation for God s unique plan for you as a woman of faith. You will be inspired to trust Him through life's most difficult circumstances! The power and beauty of story is captured in the spiritual reflections of award-winning author Ruth Carmichael Ellinger and other contributing authors who candidly share their experiences. 

Reviews:

Women of the Secret Place is the perfect bedside table companion: start your day with encouragement or end it with comfort. Readers will relate to touching, heartfelt, candid stories that are embroidered with meaningful scripture. Over fifty-two devotions, written by several different women, are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always inspirational. This book will appeal to women of all ages and all walks of life. 

--Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of Amish fiction and non-fiction Christy Award Finalist, The Waiting

These heart-felt readings took me from laughter to tears within a few pages. The real stuff of life, this. From the whimsical to the sublime, a variety of gifted writers transport the reader to the throne of God on the wings of soul-stirring personal anecdotes accompanied by scripture and prayer. A marvelous devotional that magnifies grace and fully satisfies that need within for quality face time with our Savior and King. 

--Debora M. Coty, award-winning author of Too Blessed to be Stressed and More Beauty, Less Beast.

Find it on AMAZON and B&N.COM.

RUTH CARMICHAEL ELLINGER is the primary author for this inspirational collection, Women of the Secret Place. She was born and raised in the Ohio Valley, the setting for her historical and inspirational trilogy, The Wild Rose of Lancaster, Wild Rose of Promise, and Sword of the Wild Rose. Ruth is a two-time recipient of the American Christian Writers Writer of the Year award and the 2010 Brandon Arts Council Award, Artist of the Year for Excellence in the Arts. She has received numerous writing awards for both fiction and nonfiction. Ruth is currently the co-director of Florida Inspirational Writers Retreat, and founder and president of Brandon Christian Writers. As a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Ruth celebrated her patriot ancestry by winning first place for OH DAR, Bells of Freedom. Ruth is a member of two Scottish clans, Carmichael and Davidson. The author s unique ministry experiences have taken her and her family from deserts of Arizona to the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia to the tropical banana plantations of Central America. She writes about her experiences in her blog, The Shepherdess. Ruth and her husband, a pastor, make their home in Florida and spend time at their summer home, Wildrose Cottage, an 1882 restored historical cottage in the picturesque Ohio Valley area. They have four grown children: Lucy, Kendy, Kathy, and James.

January 2012 Meeting -- New Officers

Hello BCW members,

Our January meeting opened with election of new officers the first hour and viewing of the seminar film, "Making the Mummies Dance,” the second hour. This was a fantastic start for the new year.

After founding BCW ten years ago and serving as your president for that time, I have retired from the position. I felt the group needed a fresh perspective to help writers move forward in their writing journey. Cheryl Johnston, our  newly elected president, is just the person for the job. Cheryl was unanimously elected and is well qualified to fill the position. Her teaching and writing expertise has been helpful and her lovely personality makes her an inspiration to the group. So get behind Cheryl and let her lead you into this new year. Vice President is Debora Coty, Secretary, Sharron Cosby, and our treasurer remains, Sand de Laski. Yippee!

I have enjoyed leading the group this past ten years and will remain a part of BCW and enjoy less responsibility and more time to take on new projects.

BCW will meet again Feb. 23 with the duly elected officers taking the reins.

Blessings to all,

Former president, Ruth Carmichael Ellinger 

www.ruthellinger.com

Book Signing Photos

BCW president Ruth Ellinger and BCW member Debora M. Coty joined Amish romance author Suzanne Woods Fisher at a Lifeway signing for her latest book, Lancaster County Christmas. 

A Note From Ruth Ellinger--Brush Strokes Award

Hello Writers,

Sorry to miss BCW’s October meeting, but was presenting an award at the 2011 greater Brandon Arts Council Brush Strokes Awards. Whew! Long name. I met so many interesting people through this one event and found it amazing that there are so many talented and compassionate people in our community. Very impressive.

“The Arts” not only include visual arts; painting, sculpting, and other forms of visual art, but other art forms such as writing, composing, drama, and music. This annual event is an all-inclusive night for the entire scope of creative arts, and those who support the arts and give generously to these community endeavors. The arts are the heartbeat and inspiration of any community, a wonderful and unique part of our society that we should celebrate every year with such events as the Arts Council awards presentations.

The gal with the hat is Betty Jones, "Love the Hat" lady.

Some say that creative artists are strange people. Well, perhaps this is so, but oh, what color and dimension they add to the human drama of life. I am glad to be counted among them. After all, wordsmithing is quite an art and it comes from exercising our imagination. In my new e-book soon to be released, I wrote:

Some stories are written from a vivid imagination and woven like threads in a tapestry to form a tale alive with color and contrast. Some are mere ideas, methodically and carefully framed and put into words. But others are the true experiences of life lived, of stories more wonderful than fiction could ever produce and the writer holds the pen.       

Blessings to you all and keep writing,

Ruth Ellinger, President

Brandon Christian Writers

 

BCW in the "Patch"

Our group has made the news! Okay, it's not CNN, but it's still exciting. Brandon Christian Writers was featured in the Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch.

Click HERE to read the story online and to see a few group photos.

We owe this all to our fearless leader, Ruth Ellinger, for founding BCW! Thank you, Ruth! And her partner in crime, Deb Coty ;).

Book Sales Advice from Ruth Ellinger

Hello Writers!

I have just returned from a working vacation trip to OH and am looking forward to our next BCW meeting August 25^th with guest speaker, Sheryl Young.

While in OH, I delivered books to a variety of gift shops including the beautiful Glenlaurel Inn. This upscale Inn sells the Wildrose trilogy in addition to other lovely items. Online ordering is available.

This particular area of OH is the setting of my ‘Wildrose’ trilogy and has a number of unique shops frequented by summer visitors from all over the US. This it is a lively market for selling this trilogy.

On this note, my last post encouraged writers to seek unique events for marketing their work and this time, I would suggest that you not forget those privately owned and unique shops that lend themselves to high end and nostalgic buyers.

For one exclusive shop, I painted a small antique cupboard burgundy and found an oval framed painting in a thrift shop that suited the Wildrose theme. This shop charges 10 percent commission and they are happy to have my books of local interest. The hutch has shelving at the top and storage at the bottom so the staff can add books as needed. I do a brisk business from the little hutch. Every month I receive a nice check for books I am selling myself (and I’m not even there). My royalty could never match this.

Okay, you ‘creative writers’ out there;, find your niche in non-traditional shops and watch the sales grow!

Blessings to all,

Ruth Ellinger, President

Brandon Christian Writers

Update from BCW President Ruth Ellinger

Hello Writers,

This summer, I had two writing events that were exceptionally fun and profitable. Neither event involved sitting in a store hoping someone would find my book interesting enough to buy. Recently, I have been exploring some options to the traditional “book signing” and finding these opportunities quite rewarding. I’m sure I will continue to do store signings after a book release, but it is good to explore the other options so readers can become acquainted with our work.

One event was a Scottish International Gathering of Clans that hosted a Davidson Clan booth at the Kansas City Scottish Games. Since my historical novels contain a Scottish theme, I was invited to seal my trilogy from the booth. The success in this non traditional setting was outstanding and I had so much fun! I sold loads of books with orders for more. I have also made some valuable international connections and received invitations to participate in other clan events right here in FL.

Another unusual event was out annual high school alumni event in Ohio. One of the alumni organizers had visited my web site and asked if I would speak about my books and about writing. I accepted with the same outstanding results. Sold lots of books and was invited to other bookish events. That same weekend, the town was hosting a tour of historical homes where our cookbook was featured in one of the homes. This spawned interest in my current writing.

Who wouldda thought? So don’t just look in the obvious places to promote your work. There are thousands of ways to get your “self” out there. Any unique suggestions from our members?

Ruth Ellinger, President

Brandon Christian Writers