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Your Path to a Published Book!

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Poetry, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on June 18, 2009 @ 12:38 pm by admin 

If you want to get your book published, now’s the time! I can help you achieve that goal by coaching you in the process, editing your book manuscript, and helping you write a winning proposal that will get your book noticed (and accepted) by publishers!

Writing and publishing a book is not easy, but it’s not impossible. There’s no “magic bullet,” but publishers, agents and editors do tend to work according to a formula when considering projects for publication. I can help you perfect your manuscript, write a fantastic book proposal and focus your writing and speaking platform and career in order to achieve that fulfilling goal of publication. There’s nothing like opening that FedEx package and holding that pristine copy of your first book in your hand! 

I worked with writer Dave Sterrett to edit two of his books and prepare them for submission to publishers. I’m pleased to announce that he has received fantastic book contracts for both books! Here’s a recommendation from him: 

“Marla Alupoaicei is one of the best writers and editors in the Christian market today. Very few Christian editors and writers have the ability to meticulously edit while adding creative suggestions with theological soundness. Marla, on the other hand, provides all three: accurate grammar, innovative ideas on your manuscript, and biblical accuracy. I highly recommend her writing and editing services!”

Qualifications:

-Have over 15 years of writing and editing experience for companies and ministries like Insight for Living, W Publishing, Purdue University, East-West Ministries, Living Stones Ministries, Joni & Friends, and for many personal clients  

-Have been successful in helping a considerable number of clients write winning proposals and publish their books, articles, and poetry in major publications and with top publishing houses

-Degrees from Purdue University (B.A. in English and Communications) and Dallas Theological Seminary (Master of Theology)

-Have written, edited or contributed to over 30 books, Bible study guides and workbooks for a variety of publishers, including Harvest House, W Publishing (Thomas Nelson), Regal Books, Moody Publishers, Broadman & Holman, Insight for Living, East-West Ministries, and more 

TO SPEAK WITH ME FURTHER ABOUT YOUR PROJECT AND TO DISCUSS MY AFFORDABLE CONSULTING AND EDITING RATES, please e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com or give me a call anytime at (214) 497-4614. I typically work on a per-project basis, and I am sensitive to the needs of my clients, especially those who work in ministry like I do! I look forward to working with you to make your publication dreams come true! Give me a call today.

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Fending Off Arrows of Discouragement

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on May 28, 2009 @ 12:10 pm by admin 

   

     “We and the world, my children, will always be at war.

     Retreat is impossible.

     Arm yourselves.”           ─Leif Enger, Peace like a River 

 

Man, it’s tough to fight off discouragement, isn’t it? We pray, we work hard, we love people, we serve others, and yet sometimes it seems like we just hit setbacks at every turn.

 

When I face discouragement, I have to remind myself that WE ARE AT WAR. I like to think of this world as a happy and friendly place, that if I love God and people and invest in them, that the positive fruit of that will return to me.

 

But sometimes it doesn’t. And it’s then that I have to remind myself that Satan is my enemy and that this world is not my real home. The root of the words “courage,” “encourage” and “discourage” is the same: COR, meaning “HEART.” Don’t let Satan steal your heart!

We tend to think that no one wants more good things for us than we do, but our heavenly Father is able to provide for us better than we ever could. He has greater plans in store for you and me than we could ever dream of. He has given us exquisite gifts. Through prayer, our heavenly Father intends to do a work in our lives that is “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

We read in the book of Proverbs, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (4:23). As Christians, we’re passionate about guiding others and guarding their hearts (as well as our own) as we watch them grow. I want to provide the best for my husband and loved ones, knowing Jesus came so that we “may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Unfortunately, we face fierce opposition in our quest to obtain abundant life. We have an enemy called Satan, whom Jesus describes as “the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Satan is the deceiver, our adversary, who seeks to oppose and destroy God’s people. He wants to keep us and our loved ones from receiving God’s best for us.

Satan’s sneakiest ploys are twofold. He wants:

1) to convince us that he doesn’t exist; and

2) to convince us that we are not at war.

In his book Waking the Dead, John Eldredge writes, “By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn’t just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. In other words, yes, the offer is life, but you’re going to have to fight for it because there’s an enemy in your life with a different agenda. There is something set against us. We are at war.”

Yes, engaging in spiritual warfare against Satan, the enemy of our souls, can be scary. But we have this confidence: through Christ’s finished work on the cross, we have already won the victory. God’s power always has been and always will be greater than Satan’s.

The devil knows that his time on earth is limited; the game is up. Eventually, he will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity (Rev. 20:10). So when we bring our praises as well as our needs before the Father in prayer, we know that we have “checkmated” Satan. We can have supreme confidence in the Lord, knowing that we’re on the winning side of the battle.

Take heart, my friend.  

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Social Networking: Can You Strike a Balance?

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on May 24, 2009 @ 9:33 am by admin 

Just read an intriguing post on this topic by Alan Weiss. Many authors/editors/speakers and others in the industry are spending countless hours on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Is this social networking just for fun and for “giving back” to others from what you’ve learned throughout your career? Or does this type of networking really help to build your platform and increase traffic to your ministry or business? For tips on maximizing your effectiveness, check out Alan’s excellent article “What Price Glory?” at http://www.contrarianconsulting.com/what-price-glory-orcan-we-get-some-air-in-here

 

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Check out the Tapestry Blog on www.bible.org!

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Resources, Writing Inspiration
Posted on May 24, 2009 @ 8:48 am by admin 

Hello! I’ve enjoyed reading and posting on www.bible.org’s Tapestry Blog for women. You’ll find practical and inspiring articles there to encourage you in your life, marriage, work and ministry. I highly recommend it! To read the blog, see http://blog.bible.org/tapestry. Enjoy!   

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Finding its own way to beauty…

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Poetry, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on May 9, 2009 @ 10:24 am by admin 

I enjoyed reading an online interview by Jendi Reiter with Robert Stewart, the editor of the literary journal New Letters. Mr. Stewart had some profound thoughts to share about the spirituality of writing and art. My favorite comment of his was this: 

“Every piece of writing that succeeds as literary art finds its own way to beauty.” To read the full interview, see: http://www.newletters.org/wwinterview2007.asp   

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Toward the Light

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Poetry, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on May 6, 2009 @ 5:29 pm by admin 

Just wanted to let you know that the Christian literary journal Toward the Light: Journal of Reflective Word and Image is now accepting submissions of poetry and photography for its fall and winter issues. The journal’s editors recently selected three of my poems for publication in their Summer 2009 issue. For more info, see http://www.towardthelight.net. Blessings!

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Now Available for Pre-Order… Your Intercultural Marriage!

Filed Under Articles for Caregivers, Children, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Food, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Illness and Grief, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on April 27, 2009 @ 5:26 pm by admin 

I’m pleased to announce that you can now pre-order my new book, Your Intercultural Marriage: A Guide to a Healthy, Happy Relationship, for a great discount on Amazon.com! Click here to order and to read more about the book: http://www.amazon.com/Your-Intercultural-Marriage-Healthy-Relationship/dp/0802418546/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240867234&sr=8-2

Moody Publishers is releasing the book, and I’m thrilled to be working with them! It’s so exciting to have this, my “heart book,” finally come to fruition. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the highlights:

-Personal stories, insights, and advice from hundreds of intercultural couples

-Tips for anticipating and working through conflict in a healthy way

-Relevant and vital questions to ask your fiance or spouse on a variety of topics, including food, finances, intimacy, family, child rearing, and more

-A close-up and intriguing look at the intercultural marriages in the Bible 

-A list of fun intercultural movies to watch at the end of each chapter

-Practical resources and websites for further information, advice, and research

Now, you can download chapter one of the book for FREE on this website, Leap of Faith! Simply click on the box on the right on my home page. Enjoy! 

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Instead of Twiddling Your Thumbs…

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Resources, Success, Writing Inspiration
Posted on April 20, 2009 @ 8:30 am by admin 

After you’ve worked slavishly to complete and submit an article, manuscript, book, or other artistic masterpiece, you often feel so relieved that you just “veg out” for weeks… or even longer. Next time, use these methods to create income, hone your writing and build your platform while waiting for a response. Art Spikol presented these useful pointers in the latest issue of Writer’s Digest:

1. Recycle. Revamp your previously published articles and pitch them to another magazine. Think of creative ways to re-package your existing work and sell it elsewhere. Look through your completed articles, short stories, poems, and book ideas, and glean the best possibiities.  

2. Write on spec. Send out one article query a day. Go to your local bookstore and look through magazines to get info on the latest trends. Pitch ideas that can be used at any time of year.

3. Make multiple submissions. Get the most mileage out of your work by submitting to several publishers at once. Follow up with each publisher several weeks later.

4. Get intimate with your markets. Study the publishers and publications you want to break into. Take notes on what types of material and articles they are accepting. Tweak your ideas accordingly.

5. Write about research you’re doing anyway. Cull through the books, stories, poems and articles you’ve written. What are you an expert on? Pitch some nonfiction articles on those topics.   

6. Don’t just sit there. Don’t let slothfulness take over. Exercise. Attend writer’s groups and conferences. Visit places you rarely go (the E.R., a local bowling alley, a diner, a comic book store) to get fresh ideas. Schedule interviews to get new material for articles.

7. Advertise yourself. Visit Vistaprint’s website (www.vistaprint.com) and create some inexpensive, professional marketing tools for yourself and your ministry or business. Create flyers, postcards, brochures, and other materials and mail them out.

8. Find a collaborator. Join with other creative people (writers, designers, editors, videographers) to create material. Barter your services for theirs.

9. Ask for help. Network and connect with people you’ve met through interviews, conferences, writing groups, and more. Share your desire to ramp up your writing/speaking and see if they have a need. Discover how you can help them by offering your services to them.  

*For more info, see Art Spikol’s excellent article “The Freelance Dance” in Writer’s Digest, May/June 2009, 14-15.  

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Advice from Bestselling Author John Updike

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Writing Inspiration
Posted on April 19, 2009 @ 4:23 pm by admin 

The late great John Updike offered this crucial advice to writers: “Try to develop steady work habits, maybe a more modest quota, but keep to it. Don’t be thin-skinned or easily discouraged because it’s an odds-long proposition; all of the arts are. Many are called, few are chosen, but it might be you.”

-John Updike

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Provide Hope and Help by Joining our Mentoring Network

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Intercultural Marriage, Resources, Success
Posted on April 17, 2009 @ 4:13 pm by admin 

Are you involved in an intercultural marriage? Are you a pastor, counselor, writer, teacher or someone else who is interested in mentoring intercultural couples? Catalin and I are expanding our mentoring network and are looking for men and women who are interested in joining. If you’d like more info, please e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com. Thank you!

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