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Friday, January 13, 2017

A Two-Page Spread

Erica here:

Ever since I received my first publishing contract, back in the fall of 2008, I have marked writing milestones in the journey in a scrapbook. My daughter, Heather, has helped on many of the pages...and by helped, I mean designed, cut, and glued!

I have a page for each of my books or novellas, pages for awards won, for articles published, and other fun things that have happened along the way.

When it came time to create the page for Seven Brides for Seven Texans, I quickly realized that one page just wouldn't be enough.


We started with the left-hand page, a green background with gold embellishment and a pink flower. The colors exactly matched the tones of the book cover. Included on the page are a photo of El Regalo and GW and Victoria Hart's names in gold and pink hearts. Cowboy boot stickers and a map of the US with Texas in red complete the page.


On the left hand page, all the heroes and heroines are written on hearts, and the photos that the authors originally used as templates are included beside their names. A couple of Texas stickers and a cute surprise complete the page.



I drew an eye patch on Bowie. :)


Can you see the surprise? Here's a closer look:


It's hard to read on the gold foil in this picture, but the little heart attached to Emma's heart says "Jack." You can guess what that means!

7 Brides for 7 Texans was one of the most labor-intensive, exhilarating, fun projects I've ever worked on a s a writer. From the initial concept to the final pre-printing read-through, I learned so much about teamwork, about leadership, and about cooperation. I wouldn't change much at all!

We hope you've enjoyed learning about each of the stories through the past six weeks, and we hope you'll come back tomorrow when our guest will be our editor JoAnne Simmons giving us her take on what it was like to work with us on this project!

Today is the LAST giveaway of a dvd copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!

Every day this week, I'm giving away a copy of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the musical!



To win the DVD, leave a comment telling me about your own creative efforts. Do you quilt or cross stitch or crochet or paint or play music or scrapbook or take photos? What is your creative outlet?





a Rafflecopter giveaway

24 comments:

  1. I used to do a lot of knitting and cross stitching, but that was before kids. Hopefully one of these days I can get back to doing some of that. These days I make soap, lotion and lip balm. I have even experimented now with lip tints. I also love to cook.

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    1. You are a wonderful cook! And those lotions and soaps...Ah, you are so crafty, even if you're not knitting or cross-stitching right now, you're still using your talents!

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  2. I used to scrapbook and look forward to creating some albums down the road. I've inherited the pictures from my in-laws and my dad, and I want to capture those memories for our daughter and any children she might have down the road.

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    1. What a treasure trove! I'm sure you will create beautiful pages!

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  3. I used to cross-stitch/needlepoint and make cards, but sadly I gave away/sold all of my supplies. Photography has also been a hobby of mine. I have even sold a few pictures before. However, I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately. One of my goals for the year is to pick the camera back up and start taking more pictures. Of course, you have inspired me to also take up cross stitching again. One day, I would love to start on a quilt. :)

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    1. Did you find something amazing from Heaven and Earth Designs?

      Quilting is additive! Begin with...abandon! :)

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    2. I found several things that I liked! haha . Now to decide what to start on. :)

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  4. I love the pages you do for your books! This one, with all the names and pictures is just fabulous! I used to do scrapbooking, but just haven't had time since homeschooling all 4 kids while everything else. I assume I'll have more time once they start leaving the house!

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    1. I don't scrapbook for my kids! LOL Just my book babies. I scrapbook with my daughter. Perhaps you could scrapbook with your kidlets as part of a homeschooling art project?

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  5. I have loved the past six weeks!
    Thank you so much! Your scrapbook pages are so nice too. I don't have that creative talent.

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    1. I don't either...according to the scrapbook store we once had here in Rochester. I stopped in to see if they had some stickers that would work for one of my book pages, and was told that unless I had taken a 'cropping' class, I wasn't a real scrapbooker...to which I say, "Long live the amateur!"

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  6. My creative outlet is making cards. I used to do cross-stitch but I don't do much of that anymore due to arthritis. I recently finished reading Seven Brides for Seven Texans. It was so fun to read it at the same time I was reading these blog posts. I do wish some of these extras could have been included in the book, especially the maps showing the brothers' property and the town. It was a delightful book, probably the best novella collection I've read, because of the natural flow between the novellas. It read like one story rather than seven. Thanks to you and the other authors for all your hard work.

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    1. Hi, Pam, I'm so glad you enjoyed the collection! And I'm glad you've been able to follow along with the blog posts. :) I haven't heard of any collections having illustrations, but I can tell you having those sure helped the authors keep things straight. :)

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  7. Love the scrapbook pages ,Erica! Really fits the mood of the story! I would say my creative outlets are scrapbooking,cross stitch,and drawing. Guess my artistic interests lead me to many different things. Thanks for all of these posts for 7 Brides for 7 Texans. It's also made me all the more excited to read it! :)

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    1. Hi, Lynne, we have a lot in common! Though I can't draw a lick! I hope you get a chance to read the collection soon!

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  8. I crochet, cross stitch, scrapbook, make cards, sew, make primitive things for my home, etc.

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    1. You are one talented lady, Lucy! Have you posted any pictures of your creations online?

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  9. I like to design greeting cards on the computer for family and friends.

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    1. Monica, I haven't done that before. Do you use a specific program?

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    2. Yes, I use Hallmark Christian Card Studio and also Hallmark Card Studio. There are lots of premade cards but also a ton of clipart and greetings to customize cards with. You can also upload your own pictures.

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    3. If I like the message on one card but not the picture, I can delete the picture and insert a different one. Or vice versa. Every element of the card can be edited so you can make it just the way you want it.

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  10. What wonderful pages you created, Erica! I don't scrapbook, but I do enjoy photography.

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    1. Thanks, Britney! My husband is an amateur photographer, too. I love to see things through his eyes when I go through his pictures.

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  11. I used to do a lot of crafts, but have had little time lately. I enjoy embroidery, sewing, and cooking. I have done needlepoint which I enjoyed, and tried quilting which wasn't my thing. I have done jewelry making and hope to get back to it. I wish I could paint and play an instrument. I have a dulcimer and an indian flute. I really want to learn how to play them.

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