by Peter Leavell, @PeterLeavell

All my writing awards were sitting on a single shelf satisfying selfish salutations to schmoozers shooting the breeze at our shack (that was way too fun to write to edit out). 

The shelf broke.

My awards shattered. That’s okay. I’m more than the sum of the tokens reflecting the industry approval. 

Was the shelf heavy from awards? Nah. Here’s what really happened—while some people feel like a hammer is an extension of their arm, when I pick one up, I have no idea what to do with the monstrosity. Wait a moment, my wife is telling me it’s a screwdriver. Okay. I’ll stop hitting things with it and I’m stepping away from tool.

Anyway, the shelf broke. 

Six years of living as an award-winning author has allowed me to observe practices that might be beneficial to know as you navigate your way around the construction yard that is publishing. I’ll offer six thoughts.  

—Imagine rushing to MSNBC and reading a Fox News article. It’s like a whiff of smelling salts. Consistency is a powerful tool. Publishers and agents call it branding. What material followers enjoy brings them back for more of the same. Once you find something that works, keep the same formula to entertain your clientele. Change only as needed. 

—No one asks me to build anything for them. Instead, people ask me if American Transcendentalism has elements of Gothic in it (it does). Play to your strengths. If you like Facebook and hate Twitter, then be the best Facebooker out there. If you hate action novels, don’t write action. Play to what you love, which is your strength. 

—I exercise. I eat. I sleep. I do everything in my power to keep my mind as sharp as possible, so I can be the best I can be. I think you should to. You owe your best to your customers.

—I blog (you’re reading one now). I play on social media. I write grants and proposals. I write school lessons. I write books for yourself. I write books for others. I write, and am in, podcasts. I write speeches. I write academic works. I create content. When I changed my mindset from author to content creator, people followed my work. Change your mindset. You’re a content creator, not a novelist. Novelist is just one of the things you do that’s on the list.

—People always need content, so don’t let trends worry you or get you down. Embrace them. 

—I wrote a dank, witty speech for an older generation who were expecting a talk on the evils of a certain political party and how the world was ending. Know your audience. It just goes over better. 

Dino Hunters: Discovery in the Desert

Siblings Josh and Abby Hunter don’t believe their parents’ death was an accident. After taking pictures of the most incredible find of the 1920’s—proof humans and dinosaurs lived together in the same time and place—desperate outlaws armed with tommy guns are on their tail! Only Josh and Abby know where the proof is hidden—in the canyons of Arizona’s desert. When an intruder searches Josh and Abby’s bags inside their new home, the two convince their uncle Dr. David Hunter to return to the canyon and find the pictures they’d hidden. But the outlaws are just as eager to find the proof before Josh and Abby. Can Josh use his super-smart brain to outfox the villains in time? Will Abby’s incredible physical abilities stop full-grown men? And will their uncle believe them?
Dino Hunters is an apologetics-adventure series aimed at the middle reader to help them trust the Bible from the very first verse.