NFP Awareness Week

NFP is safe, healthy, morally acceptable and effective! It is the only method we have used to avoid pregnancy in 28 years! The following is a great link to more information about NFP and NFP Awareness Week:

http://ccli.org/nfp/nfp-awareness-week/index.php

“NFP couples know very well how much misunderstanding there is out there about modern Natural Family Planning — even 40+ years after its development! It’s time more people knew the TRUTH about NFP! We invite you to explore the following information and share it with others”

Pet Peeves and Proofreaders

And alliteration. Just kidding.

As a freelance writer, novelist and transcriber, the job description entails being proficient in spelling.

A good spell check can assist any poor speller, but I can pick out a spelling error or typo from a mile away. One of my biggest pet peeves is to see a spelling mistake on a huge sign or headline of a newspaper. It especially irks me to see a typo or spelling mistake in one of my novels.

Proofreading is an art in itself and requires a keen eye and I have often been employed to proofread other writers’ works. But I do not have a keen eye when reading my own writing. There are over 130,000 words in my second book, In Name Only, so I hired six individual proofreaders to find the bulk of the typos. What was especially interesting is that each one of them found different typos.

Copyright 2010 Ellen Gable Hrkach

“Adult” Conversations

In my latest column on Catholic Mom, I write about having the difficult but relevant “adult” conversations with my older children:

…we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a society of misused free will and disordered passions, a world where many people embrace their fallen human nature. However, this is also the world in which we try to prepare our children as they grow older and become young adults. While we can shelter our kids from the perversities of our secular culture while they’re young, there will come a time when it will be necessary to give some account for the sexual attitudes so prevalent in our society.


http://new.catholicmom.com/2010/07/17/%E2%80%9Cadult%E2%80%9D-conversations-by-ellen-gable-hrkach/

copyright 2010 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Past Suspicion by Therese Heckenkamp

My newest review is up at Catholic Fiction. Therese Heckenkamp’s young adult novel, Past Suspicion, was a very enjoyable read!

Past Suspicion is an intriguing young adult thriller which tells the story of orphaned 17-year-old Robin Finley. Before her mother dies, she whispers, “Don’t trust anyone.”

To read more, click on the link below:

http://www.catholicfiction.net/2010/07/14/past-suspicion-by-therese-heckenkamp/

copyright 2010 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Interview Today on the Catholic Revolver

Just a reminder that I will be interviewed today on the Catholic Revolver with Jerry Blog Talk Radio Show at 3:00 p.m. EST.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/catholicrevolver/2010/07/14/the-catholic-revolver-with-jerry–ellen-gable-hrka

I will be discussing my novels and other topics as well as giving away one hard copy each of my books, Emily’s Hope and In Name Only and five free e-copies of my award-winning novel, In Name Only.

If you’re not able to listen to the program live, it will be archived at the above link.

copyright 2010 Ellen Gable Hrkach

The Catholic Revolver

I will be interviewed by Jerry Weber on The Catholic Revolver blog talk radio show next Wednesday, July 14th at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Here’s the link for the show:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/catholicrevolver/2010/07/14/the-catholic-revolver-with-jerry–ellen-gable-hrkach

Please tune in and listen! I’m going to be talking about my books, upcoming conferences and future writing projects. You can also call in with questions: 1-646-727-2989.

Copyright 2010 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Catholic Writers to Hold Conference in Valley Forge, PA

World Wide Web–The second annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE will be held August 4-6, 2010, at the Scanticon Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, PA. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), and held in conjunction with CMN’s annual retailer trade show, the Catholic Writers Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe.

This year’s conference will feature presentations on such topics as market tips and time management for busy writers, poetry, creating evil characters, working with an editor, creating winning proposals, journaling and much more. Speakers include Catholic publishing representatives Mark Brumley – CEO of Ignatius Press, Claudia Volkman – General Manager of Circle Press, Regina Doman – acquisitions editor for Sophia Institute Press, and Tom Wehner – Managing Editor of the National Catholic Register, all of whom will also hear pitches from writers.

Among the other speakers are Mark Shea (Mother of the Son), Michelle Buckman (My Beautiful Disaster), Donna Marie Cooper-O’Boyle (Mother Theresa and Me), Susie Lloyd (Please Don’t Drink the Holy Water), and Publicist Lisa Wheeler from the Maximus Group. Ellen Gable Hrkach (Emily’s Hope and In Name Only) will be sharing her expertise on two panels: Catholic Fiction and Writing Books that Teach the Faith.

“Attending this conference has been the best thing I have done for myself professionally,” Carol Bannon, author of the children’s book Handshake from Heaven, said of the 2009 conference. Her fellow writer Melanie Cameron agreed, saying she left the last conference re-energized. “I recommend [this] conference as a resource for any author (or wannabe) at any stage. You will walk away empowered!”

The Catholic Writers Guild, a religious non-profit organization, sponsors both this live conference in August and an online conference in February to further its mission of promoting Catholic literature. “Our conferences are totally focused on encouraging faithful Catholics to share genuine Catholic culture and faith in their writing no matter what genre,” says CWG President Ann Margaret Lewis. “These events are integral to our mission of ‘creating a rebirth of Catholic arts and letters.”

Registration costs $85 for CWG members, $95 for non-members and $42 for students. There’s also a discounted combined membership. To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.

Not Just a Harmless Activity

Many years ago, pornography was delivered to a house in a brown package. Now, it often makes its way into our homes through the internet and television. Many children younger than six or seven are being exposed to hardcore pornography. Some Catholic and Christians are becoming addicted to internet porn.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2354, condemns pornography saying “it perverts the conjugal act…offends against chastity…is a grave offense…and immerses all who are involved in the illusion of fantasy world.”

To read more of my new column at Amazing Catechists, click the link below:

http://www.amazingcatechists.com/index/news-app/story.110/title.not-just-a-harmless-activity/menu./sec./home.

Copyright 2010 Ellen Gable Hrkach