Diana Flegal currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pa where she works as Editorial Assistant to Joyce Hart, owner and founder of Hartline Literary Agency. A Bible College major in Missions and Anthropology, Diana has been a medical missionary to Haiti, a womans speaker and bible study leader, creating her own women's study material. One of her life's highlights has been teaching apologetics to high school students as preparatory for college. Avid reader and gifted editor, Diana's focus is Non Fiction. She has a passion for getting great writers published.

To introduce Christian Fiction Online Magazine’s readers to Hartline Literary Agency’s new blog – we are sharing one that received a fair amount of comments contains a relevant message to us all. http://hartlineliteraryagency.blogspot.com/

GOD IS GOOD -GOD IS GREAT- GOD IS SLOW BUT NEVER LATE! (quote courtesy of Eddie Jones)

It’s not about you! We hear it all the time yet fail the test over and over again. You might email your agent many times to see what is happening, chew your nails down to the quick and lose sleep wondering if anyone out there is going to consider you a real writer or buy your second book. Waiting is often the most difficult thing a writer has to do.

God is all about the process. In our personal lives as well as our professional writing and agenting lives. God’s timing is often in question yet He is sovereign. When we think He is late- we are wrong. When we think He is early - we are wrong.

As literary agents, dealing with an industry that most often moves at a snail’s pace- we often hear the frustration of our authors as they wonder what is taking so long. Haven’t you heard back from the editor yet? – they were going to committee two weeks ago, or they publish books like mine all the time, why can’t I get mine sold? We often feel the same frustrations.

Eccles. 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

God’s timing is impeccable. Joshua 10 tells us he caused the sun and moon to stand still. So many things had to happen

astronomically for this to occur- so many things inter-related. In publishing we have the writer, the agent, the editor and their families. God is working in each life, orchestrating His plan through every one.

Here are a few suggestions of what one can do while you are waiting on God: 1) Further hone your skills by attending writer’s conferences, taking workshops, becoming a member of a critique group and availing yourself of the many ‘How To’ titles out there that can help you with plot and character development.

2) Build a platform through speaking engagements, developing a website and blogging.

3) Research the internet for comparative titles.

4) Read the genre you write in.

5) Join a critique group and surround yourself with ‘excuse me but you have Broccoli in your teeth’ folks 

6) Edit, edit and re edit your material and your work will be the better for it. Even in this present economy with fewer slots open for each genre- great writing will find its way to a publisher.

7) Submit reviews to online bookstores like amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and christianbook.com.

8) Write articles for publication.

I leave you with a wonderful thought to meditate upon. ‘God has the ability to orchestrate those who do not even know they are in the orchestra,’  Pastor Lance Lecocq.