Novel Works

Excerpt: The Insane Train: A Hook Runyon Mystery

2010-11-16T04:00:00.001-05:00

The Insane Train
St. Martin’s Minotaur Books
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-56671-5
$25.99 U.S. / $31.00 CAN.

Chapter 1

The railroad security agent Hook Runyon slipped on his arm prosthesis before sitting down in his caboose to read the Needles paper. “Boys Die in Barstow Asylum Fire,” the headlines read. He pushed the paper aside and poured a cup of coffee. There was nothing like starting a new day with coffee and a dose of human tragedy.

But he’d no sooner sat down when he heard Pap Gonzales, the Santa Fe section foreman, pull in with the motorcar. Pap was the section foreman here in Needles, California. His real name was Papan, though everyone called him Pap, including his wife and kids. They’d scheduled an early start to beat the desert heat. According to Pap, someone had been switch tampering at one of the crossings.

Hook dumped his cup and went out to meet him. Pap looked at his watch as Hook fished out a cigarette. Hook offered him one, but Pap declined. Soon they were clattering down the track. It was early, and far too noisy for conversation, so they rode in silence into the desert morning.

When they arrived at the crossing, Pap coasted to a stop and shut off the motor. Hook got out and walked up and down the track. He hiked his foot up on the motorcar and then lit up another cigarette.

“I can’t see that it has been tampered with,” he said, looking up at Pap through the smoke.

“Someone’s tried to lever it over,” Pap said.

“There’s nothing left of the switch point, Pap. That’s a section-gang problem, not security. I’m tired of running out every time a car jumps track. Why don’t you fix these damn switches before someone gets killed?”

“We’ve had a war on, Hook, been fighting Germans, or maybe you don’t remember. I haven’t had men enough to keep the main line open much less patch up siding switches.”

“She’s worn thin as a razor,” Hook said. “I’d suggest you boys replace it or shut it down.”

Pap pushed back his hat. “Albuquerque’s been screaming about a washout for a week, but I’ll just tell them I got orders from the Santa Fe yard dog to shut down the line so’s he doesn’t have to be bothered.”

“That ought to do it,” Hook said, climbing onto the motorcar. “Everybody knows how much pull I have around here.”

Pap cranked the engine of the motorcar and waited as she popped into life. Hook liked riding the open car, though on a hot day in the Mojave, which was damn near every day, the wind could take off a man’s hide.

The wheels chattered and growled as the car gathered up speed. When the Needles depot came into view, Pap idled back.

“Want to go to your caboose, Hook?” he asked, over the clatter of the wheels.

“Yard office,” Hook said, pointing ahead. “Need to check in. Can you wait for me?”

Pap looked at his watch and shook his head. “Don’t be long. Main line ain’t the place to be sitting when the Chief comes through.”

The Santa Fe Chief was powered by a diesel electromotive engine. The electric giants had begun to impact the railroad. They were more efficient, more reliable, and could travel a hell of a lot more miles without maintenance. But even the advancement in equipment could not offset the reduction in manpower when thousands of men went off to war. The result was a railroad struggling to maintain its system.

Hook checked in at the yard office and found a note in his box saying Eddie Preston, his boss out of Division, wanted him to call.

He dialed the number with his prosthesis and lit a cigarette. Eddie never called unless he had a problem, and the problem for the last month had been Hook himself.

While in hot pursuit of a bum outside Flagstaff one night, Hook had abandoned the company truck. He caught the bum, and everything would have been fine, except for one small detail. He’d failed to get the tail end of the truck off the crossing. A west-bound freighter tore off the bumper and dragged it a quarter mile down line. They said it looked like the Fourth of July.

Eddie had been pretty unreasonable about the whole situation and filed Hook’s third Brownie for the year. He transferred Hook from Oklahoma to Needles, pointing out that the Mojave was just the place to keep a man prone to trouble on the straight and narrow. Hook had been awaiting the results of the Disciplinary Review Board ever since.

When Eddie came on the line, Hook doused his cigarette. “Eddie, this is Hook Runyon.”

“Where you been, Runyon? Why haven’t you called?”

“Pap’s been having problems with some switches,” he said, “and it’s hard to phone from the middle of the Mojave.”

“I got a call from Topeka,” Eddie said. “There’s a situation in Barstow.”

“What kind of situation?”

“I want you to catch the Chief in the morning. Contact a Doctor Theo Baldwin at the Baldwin Insane Asylum.”

“Insane asylum? Are you nuts, Eddie?”

“That ain’t funny, Runyon.”

“What do they want?” Hook asked.

“There’s been a fire, people killed. Their facility is damaged, so they are in need of moving a lot of people and all at once. Call me when you’ve got the details.”

It must have been the same fire he’d seen in the newspaper headline. Hook adjusted the harness for his prosthesis. The damn thing hung on him like a horse collar. He could hear Eddie breathing on the other end of the line.

“Has the Disciplinary Board met?” Hook asked.

“Not yet.”

“I was chasing the bastard in the middle of the night, Eddie. How could I know the damn truck hadn’t cleared the track? Anyone could have made the mistake.”

“Except it was you, Runyon, the third mistake this year.”

“But I got a commendation for busting that Nazi case in the Alva POW camp, didn’t I? That ought to count for something.”

“It does. Without it you wouldn’t even be getting a hearing. Call me when you get Barstow lined out. Topeka’s on my ass.”

Pap had gone to sleep on the motorcar, and Hook kicked the bottom of his foot.

“Take me up to the caboose, will you, Pap? I got to catch the Chief to Barstow tomorrow.”

Pap gave the crank a couple hard turns, and the motor struggled to life.

“Barstow?” he said over the top of the engine.

“Something going on at the insane asylum,” Hook said.

Pap didn’t say anything until he brought the car to a stop at the caboose.

"You’re going to the insane asylum in Barstow?” he asked.

Hook climbed off. “Just keep it to yourself, Pap. I take enough ribbing from you bastards as it is.”

“Oh, sure, sure,” Pap said. “I won’t tell a soul.”

"Come pick me up in the morning, Pap. Maybe you could take care of Mixer while I’m gone. He loves going out with the crew.”

Mixer fell into the category of mutt, an English Shepherd and something or the other. The two things Mixer loved most in the world were fighting and eating, in that order.

“Damn it, Hook, you know it’s against the rules to take a dog out on the line.”

“That’s kind of the point, isn’t it, Pap? I enforce the rules, and I figure this to be a safety issue. One of your men might stir up a snake while he’s sleeping under a bridge, or you might get waylaid by banditos. That dog could save your life.”

Pap grinned, choked the engine a couple times, cranked her over, and rolled off down the track.

Meet Sheldon Russell Author of "The Insane Train"

2010-11-11T04:00:00.005-05:00

Sheldon Russell author of THE INSANE TRAIN

ISBN 978-0-312-56671-5

Interviewed by Marta Stephens

Q: Sheldon, please tell us a little about yourself and your writing journey.

A: I’m an unlikely author, I suppose, having grown up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma. We lived eleven miles from the nearest town, and playmates were hard to come by. But then isolation can turn one inward, and reflection is, I suspect, a large part of becoming a writer. I’ve since moved back to that ranch and once again spend my days living in my head.

I’ve had five novels published. THE INSANE TRAIN will be the sixth. I’m especially proud of the recognition my books have received. DREAMS TO DUST garnered the Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction and the Oklahoma Book Award. REQUEIM AT DAWN was a Finalist for the Spur, and THE YARD DOG a Finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award this year.

Q: Why THE INSANE TRAIN? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: While poking around in the historical society archives one day, I came across a newspaper article written in 1908 about a fire in a local insane asylum. So many of the patients died in that fire that they had to be buried in a mass grave. About that same time, the federal government had turned over an old territorial fort to the state. The decision was made to transfer the remaining patients by train to that old fort.

This is just the sort of situation that makes for a great mystery: a collection of unpredictable characters, a journey filled with danger, and a train, of course, that time-honored crucible in which I could turn up the heat.

What I hope my readers will get out of THE INSANE TRAIN is a few hours of escape, a dose of intrigue, and a few belly laughs.

Q: Tell us a bit about your protagonist, Hook Runyon, and how he came about?

A: I went to school in a railroad town. My father worked as a machinist for the Santa Fe there, so I knew the railroad culture, how the men thought, how they talked, how they dealt with the dangers and difficulties of their job. Hook Runyon, rail detective, was a natural choice for me.

After losing an arm and his girl on the same day, Hook went on the bum. A year riding the rails taught him all he needed to know about how to be a railroad yard dog. He learned how to survive where others couldn’t, how to fight, and how to drown his troubles with popskull shine. In short, he learned who he was and, more importantly, who he wasn’t any longer.

A mixture of contradictions, Hook lives in a caboose, collects rare books, and drinks bust head liquor. It’s not always clear on which side of the law he’s operating. He’s uneducated but wise, tough but sensitive, gentle but lethal. He likes his women smart and his friends loyal. He loves his old dog, Mixer, and his sidekicks with equal fervor.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: A devastating fire destroys an insane asylum in Needles, California. The decision is made to transfer the remaining inmates by train to a fort in Oklahoma. Hook is assigned security duty for the transfer. The cause of the fire is suspicious, and many of the inmates were housed in the criminally insane ward. No weapons will be permitted in their control, and there’s a manpower shortage due to the war. Hook is forced to recruit a group of wayward vets who are living under a bridge as guards for the journey. Things quickly go awry on the insane train.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: While a train provides a small, high-pressure setting and lots of opportunity for conflict, consider Murder on the Orient Express, it can also limit the introduction of new characters and new situations. Luckily for me, the insane train, being an old worn out steamer, required a number of stops along the way, providing occasions for keeping the story vigorous and fresh.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: Research was an integral part of my job as a professor, so I not only understand how to do it, I’ve come to rather enjoy it. I read widely about the criminally insane and their diagnostic standards. I also did considerable research into how insane asylum “inmates” were regarded and treated in the 1940’s. I needed a working knowledge of World War II and its effect on veterans. I relied heavily on Santa Fe systems maps, railway museums, and the stories of railroaders themselves to establish Hook’s credibility as a yard dog.

My experience has been that the research doesn’t stop until the book ends. While I don’t feel the need to be an expert in any given area, I do try to make my books factually accurate. I’ve learned to never underestimate the intelligence of my readers.

Q: What do you find the most difficult part of writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

A: Contrary to what many writers say, I find the rewrites the easiest part of the task. I like the business of polishing my work. Pushing ahead into the blank page, however, is more difficult for me, making certain the ideas are not only plausible but fun. I’ve also been known to write myself into a corner from time to time.

Two pieces of advice keep me going when this happens: The best way forward is most often to go back. When you can no longer think through a problem, stop thinking for awhile. I’ve learned to have more confidence in the power of the subconscious to solve my writing problems.

Q: How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: It’s a matter of discipline, isn’t it? And I’ve come to believe that consistency and quality are more important than quantity. I’m not a word counter and find that process both counter productive and tedious. As long as I’m moving forward in some degree, a book stays alive for me.

The best way for me to manage the material, both intellectually and emotionally, is to think of it primarily in terms of chapters. I’m far less likely to be overwhelmed by the process that way.

Q: What impact would you say completing THE INSANE TRAIN has had on you personally and on your writing?

A: THE INSANE TRAIN is the second book in the Hook Runyon series, so I encounter readers who have read THE YARD DOG and who are anticipating this book’s release. That in itself is rewarding and motivating for me. I’m no longer writing for an unknown audience.

In addition, I’ve learned a great deal about writing humor in this book. Not only did the characters lend themselves to it but so did the setting and the plot. I’ve grown more confident, less censorious, more willing to trust my instincts in this area.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A: For writers there’s always those in our personal lives who sacrifice in many silent ways and who believe in us when the world doesn’t. Without them, it wouldn’t happen.

And then there are others who inspire us in different ways. For me, it was a college professor whose literary life was as real to her as her own life. She lived it and loved it and passed it on as a great treasure.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: This has changed for me over the years. When I first started writing, I relied heavily on creative energy, doing very little planning, thinking that it would somehow weaken my work.

But I’ve learned that planning pays. Now, before I write a word, I will have put together a schemata, a map of the journey I’m about to take. I know where I’m to start, how I’m to get there, and what lurks at the end, though I don’t know the turns and twists and detours that await me along the way.

Once my overall plan is complete, I develop each chapter in advance of writing it. I do this through drawing association diagrams, making certain that something happens in each chapter and that my reader has good cause to read the next.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m well into my third Hook Runyon mystery. The setting is the Johnson Canyon Railway Tunnel in Arizona, which was kept under constant military guard during World War II. Hook stumbles upon a secret there that could change his life forever.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Writing is more of a practice skill than most people care to admit. Never confuse writing-related activities with actual writing practice

About the Author

A retired college professor, Russell lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma, with his wife, Nancy, an artist. He has previously won the Oklahoma Book Award and the Langum Prize for Historical Literature.The Yard Dog, the first Hook Runyon novel, was nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award and earned high praise as Russell’s debut mystery. Learn more about Sheldon Russell at http://www.sheldonrussell.com/

Russell Sheldon is giving away a signed copy of his book, Insane Train, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page, http://sheldon-russell.omnimystery.com, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 2664, for your chance to win. Entries from Novel Works will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow November 12, 2010. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on his book tour page next week.

Developing Fight Scenes

2010-11-08T04:00:00.003-05:00

Nothing is more gratifying than reading a fast-pace fight scene, unless of course, you're the one who wrote it. On the flip side, I can't think of anything more painful than to read a poorly written fight scene.

Having said this, I wasn’t surprised when one of my crit partners finished reading my manuscript and suggested I needed to strengthen the fight scene in chapter 47. It was a relatively new chapter written only after I decided to change the identity of the killer so I knew it needed additional work.

I’ve written fight scenes in my other novels and recall how long it took to make them not seem ridiculous so I decided to search the Net, refresh my memory and see what common advice I could find on the subject. Not surprising, all agree fight scenes are one of the hardest things to write convincingly and thus require a lot of practice to get it right.

Here are a few things I picked up on developing the next fight scene:

Decide who your viewpoint character is. Involve the reader by making sure they see the action through the eyes of the viewpoint character. Make the reader ache and bleed every time your POV character gets hurt.

Don’t tell the fight scene by just adding a collection of punches, stab wounds, gun shots, slaps, or kicks. Rather, show the scene through the viewpoint character’s internal conflict. A character may seem cool and collected on the outside, but what’s going on inside? Mentally/emotionally? Show the character’s internal language of fear, anger, suspicion, etc., to bring the reader into the POV character’s head.

For every action there is a reaction. She slaps, he blocks it. He grabs her wrist, she pulls away. John threw a punch. Dave staggered back. Just remember to show the action first before showing the reaction.

Fast reading pace is essential in fight scenes. Make your phrases and sentences short to speed the action. Long descriptive sentences will slow the pace.

Use only one phrase or sentence per move, but also try to vary the length of your sentences. Grabbing the bronze statuette she hid behind the curtain. Heart pumping. Footsteps near the door. She waited. He was only a foot away—unaware of her presence. She slammed the statuette against his head and ran.

Well, you get the picture. Happy writing!

About the author:
Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. Her books are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, Smashword, and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (2008), Bronze Medal Finalist, 2009 IPPY Awards, Top Ten, 2008 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery).

SILENCED CRY (2007) Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book Festival, Top Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)
Personal site: www.martastephens-author.com
Personal blog: http://mstephens-musings.blogspot.com
Collective blog: http://murderby4.blogspot.com
Character Blog: http://www.samharpercrimescene.blogspot.com

Interview with mystery author Jeffrey Leever

2010-05-20T04:00:00.006-04:00

Today it's my pleasure to introduce mystery author Jeffrey Leever. Leever is the author of the mystery/suspense novels THE UNIVERSITY (Capital Crime Press, 2009) and DARK FRIDAY (Capital Crime Press, 2007). He is a former PR staff member for Colorado Governor Bill Owens, as well as former senior editor for a nonprofit organization. He now lives in Blue Springs, Missouri. A Nebraska native, he wrote a college football column, the Scarlet Commentary, for several years. He holds a degree in English with a writing emphasis and is perpetually at work on his next suspense/mystery novel.

And now, sit back and enjoy this author's insight into college life at Tremont University.

A place for learning. Partying and dating. And murder.

Q: Jeffrey, let's begin with a little bit about you. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

A: I think it was probably in high school -- sometime in the late 80s.

Q: How would you describe the writing that you are doing and what motivated you to start writing in this genre?

A: Mystery novels with a suspense element. These have always been my favorite books to read. A decade or so ago, I thought “I think I could that,” and so off I went.

Q: Our favorite genre and beginnings are almost identical! Who is your target audience?

A: Adult and young adult mystery fans. People with short attention spans. People who haven’t read an actual book for entertainment in quite some time.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A. Probably either my wife or my father.

Q: How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

A: I’m sure most of us feel like we’ve lead pretty interesting lives, and many of us believe we’ve had a more checkered past than the next person. I’ve been able to take a great deal of those real experiences and fictionalize them – either to make them more dramatic or more redemptive. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest and went to college in the Midwest. Both of those experiences found their way into my novels. I think maybe I view life a little more “cinematically” than the average person and am tuned into the drama and studying the little games that occur in human interaction. There are things that scare me, questions I can’t answer, and scenarios I find unnerving that always influence the direction of my storytelling. The mystery genre caters pretty well to that, it seems.

Q: Why THE UNIVERSITY? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: College campuses can be pretty interesting places, I think, especially when viewed through the lens of potential mystery and intrigue. You have young people who are already adults in many ways, yet not quite ready to handle certain things. Many are away from home, isolated, and vulnerable. Colleges can almost become worlds or cultures of their own. At some institutions, you also have questions about who is responsible for safety between local law enforcement, campus security (if any), and university officials. Things can get interesting when you don’t have agreement between parties or a real commitment to uncovering truths that might make people uncomfortable. Then there is the question about the level of power some faculty members hold. It all just adds up to an interesting -- and potentially disturbing -- mix from my perspective as a storyteller.

I hope people who read THE UNIVERSITY get a worthy thrill-ride out of the story. I also think they’ll learn some things about college campuses, the occult, and finding redemption in unexpected places.

Q: Tell us a bit about your protagonist, Brett Duncan and how he came about.

A: Brett Duncan is a college student whose best friend disappears one evening when the two of them go visit one of the buildings on their campus. Pretty soon there is a mysterious young woman involved, and then another young lady Brett thinks he can turn to for help -- perhaps misguidedly. The local police don’t seem all that interested in assisting him, so Brett is basically forced to become an amateur sleuth to try to find out what happened to his friend.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: THE UNIVERSITY is set in a college town in Nebraska. As Brett tries to uncover his friend’s fate, what he doesn’t know is that an investigative journalist named Kevin Gibson is looking into a murder case from two years ago that could be related. Brett also gets help from a former cop who was kicked off the force for looking into previous occult activities involving faculty and students at the university. Underneath the campus lies a series of dark tunnels that are frequented by some extremely bad people who have more than just murder on their minds. To make matters worse, Brett seems to be falling in love with a coed named Ciera Kindle at one of the most inopportune times in his life. But Ciera has some surprising secrets of her own.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: Probably the biggest challenge I had was a nasty health problem I experienced that prevented me from getting the final manuscript finished in time to get an advanced version of the book out to many of the top mystery reviewers (in the time frame they usually require). I’ll spare you the details and just say this: In the end, I got better and the book got finished. The publisher and I decided to stick with the original release date and not try to control what we couldn’t control.

In some ways, I’m still working through it by continuing to get the word out about the book, doing signings and events, and keeping things in perspective. In the grand scheme of life, there are much worse things than a book not coming out at a certain time, or not getting a review from a certain reviewer. And, of course, I’d rather be where I am now health-wise more than anything.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: What I researched the most for this book were cult groups, Satanism, and various similar belief systems. No first-hand experience there(!), so it was definitely something I had to investigate because it plays such a key role in THE UNIVERSITY. I also did a fair amount of research into crimes that have happened on college campuses over the years, plus some of the common layout and architectural elements of many colleges in the Midwest.

Q: What is the most difficult part of writing in general for you and what do you do to overcome it?

A: I think it’s writing a page of content and then being able to sit back and read it (and re-read it) and not find anything I dislike about it. I overcome that with a lot of time, paper, laser printer toner, late nights, and Coca-Cola.

Q: How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: I always make sure to find time for leisure and non-writing activities. I think I’m just instinctually hard-wired to want to write at certain times when I get in the zone. When the story is there, it has to be told. And I just become the obedient servant. Maybe I’m lucky, but I haven’t really found it to be hard to make time for writing if I really need to.

Q: What impact would you say completing THE UNIVERSITY has had on you personally and on your writing?

A: I think every book I do I learn a little more about what I am capable of…and also the things that don’t come as easily. Some of my favorite scenes I’ve ever written are in THE UNIVERSITY, and I appreciate having those completed and out there. I think the thing I enjoy the most about this particular book is how many people have their own story for me about the college they attended. There is often some old building they were afraid of, a professor they weren’t quite sure about, or some experience while they were there that was unsettling. In hindsight I guess that doesn’t surprise me, but initially I might have underestimated how people would relate to the settings and scenarios I created in the story.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: I don’t outline chapters. Or at least when I try I end up never sticking to them. Most of the time, I write linearly. Before I start, I usually know the beginning and the ending. I think about the first line and the first paragraph a lot before I write a word. Then I usually write several versions before I find the one I go with. That said, for THE UNIVERSITY the first line was actually chosen by my editor (who plucked it from farther down on my original first page).

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

A: My next story is going to be another suspense thriller, this one set on the West Coast. I can’t say much more right now, but if it were a movie think THE WEDDING SINGER meets SEVEN, and you’d be pretty close to the mark.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Write despite the economy and the state of today’s book market. Realize that the publishing industry doesn’t want to discourage you; it just doesn’t usually have the time to stop and encourage you during the workweek. There are a lot of nice people in it who truly want you to keep trying to get better. Write because you genuinely enjoy it, and the rest will be icing on the cake.

About the tour:

Jeffery Leever is giving away a signed copy of his book, THE UNIVERSITY, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page, http://jeffrey-leever.omnimystery.com/, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 7078, for your chance to win. Entries from Novel Works will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on his book tour page next week.

To learn more about the author and the book, visit his website at http://www.jeffreyleever.com/joomla/

Idea Driven Plot

2010-05-12T04:00:00.001-04:00

© Michael R. Stevens 2010 all rights reserved

“Plot-driven” and “character-driven” commonly used and commonly understood terms to describe fiction, but I can’t say that my work precisely fits into either category. I would like to propose a third: “idea-driven,” the term that I would use to describe my own work.

In an idea-driven novel, the premise and the setting are important, and the author uses these aspects of the whole, along with characters, plot, etc. to intellectually explore specific themes. There are two such themes in my new novel, FORTUNA, making it a thriller, but a little bit more. (At least, I hope so!)

The first theme in FORTUNA has to do with gangs. About fifteen years ago, when Dick Cheney was Secretary of Defense, there was a debate going on about how the United States should respond to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. At the same time, there was a lot of publicity about gang activity in East Los Angeles. So it turned out that Cheney and a couple of known gang leaders were both quoted in the same edition of the L.A. Times. And they both used the same language! My liberal Berkeley friends might respond, well, yes, we always knew Cheney and has pals were a gang of thugs. But it’s important to realize that gang leaders don’t see themselves as thugs at all, but rather leaders of what they themselves often refer to as “nations.”.

Taking this idea a little further, there are amazing parallels between the powerful families of Renaissance Italy – the Medici, Sforza, Este and so on – and the Five Families of organized crime in the last half of the twentieth century. In Renaissance Florence there was a Christian club to which the leaders belonged whose name, translated into modern English, is “Good Fellas.” The mode of assassination was the same: an invitation to a sumptuous feast, followed by murder of the guest. To be sure, there are differences. To my knowledge, the Gatti family never commissioned sculpture, and the Medici didn’t deal in drugs. But in many, many ways, the twentieth century Mafia Godfathers were the true heirs of the fifteenth century merchant princes.

FORTUNA examines how the values of Renaissance-style families translate into modern times, with the intellectual underpinning provided by my favorite political thinker, Machiavelli. The online role-playing game that gives the book its title is set in a digital simulation of Renaissance Florence. Organized crime also plays an important role, which I won’t discuss here. You have to read the book!

A second intellectual theme in FORTUNA has to do with our sense of reality, which is arguably distorted in some situations. The film THE MATRIX takes this theme to its extreme, postulating a world in which human beings live their lives in life-support pods, dreaming their reality. THE MATRIX is science fiction, but the gaming experience described in FORTUNA is a fact of life for millions. (Worlds of Warcraft, the most popular online role-playing game, has 15 million players.) And these players aren’t primarily teenage boys. About half of all online role-players are employed, over one-third are married and 22 percent have children.

What is so attractive about these games, where ultimately, a sort of Machiavellian ruthlessness wins? And are they “just games?” Is it quite alright to murder an opponent in a game? And does this sort of mental training threaten to spill over into real life?

In the novel TOM JONES the country bumpkin protagonist gets confused watching a play and jumps onto the stage to rescue the heroine. The English professor for whose class I read this novel commented that this was not only a joke, but a reflection of how caught up we can get in fiction. What happens when we are not passive witnesses, but actors in an artificial world, as is the case in role-playing games?

These questions obviously don’t have easy answers. The point here is that, at least in my opinion, philosophical questions like these can form the foundation for works of fiction – idea-driven fiction.

About the author:

Michael Stevens has worked as a writer all his life, starting as the music columnist for his hometown newspaper when he was in high school. He owned a successful high tech advertising agency in Silicon Valley for many years, and now freelances from his home office, mostly for very large companies with a global presence. He is a serious amateur musician and has produced four CDs.

Interview With Author: Michael Stevens

2010-05-10T04:00:00.005-04:00

Michael Stevens, author of FORTUNA

1. Please tell us a little about yourself.

I have worked as a writer all my life, starting as the music columnist for my hometown newspaper when I was in high school. I owned a high tech advertising agency in Silicon Valley for many years, but now I freelance from my home office, mostly for very large companies with a global presence. I’m a serious amateur musician and have produced four CDs.

2. Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

I would have to say my dad, Will Stevens. Like me, he made his living as a writer (a reporter for the old San Francisco Examiner) but still found time to write fiction, and he got published. So, he was a model of what can be achieved.

3. Writing a novel takes such a tremendous amount of time and concentration, how do you balance your life responsibilities; work, family, etc., with your time to write?

I’m fortunate in that I don’t have to fill up 40 hours every week with freelance gigs in order to pay the bills. So there are “holes” in my daily schedule. If the right energy is available, I’ll use that time to write. Plus, I always write on Saturday morning. Concerning concentration, I work mainly in cafés without a cell phone or a Blackberry in my pocket, so no one can disturb me.

4. The blurb for your novel, Fortuna, reads:

From the first, fateful mouse click, Jason tumbles into the vibrant, lush, and anonymous world of Fortuna. Swept up in this highly complex, highly addictive game of fame, fortune, and power, Jason quickly transitions from casual gamer to compulsive player.

Soon tangled up in a steamy, virtual love triangle, Jason becomes obsessed with breaking Fortuna’s code of anonymity. But Fortuna is anything but fun and games, and when a sizeable debt incurred in the game spills over into reality, Jason is forced to leverage the legacy of his father, a high-tech legend killed in a car accident years before, to pay off the debt.

What started as a great escape may only leave Jason trapped, as the game that transported Jason deep into the past exposes a shocking, present-day reality. In the world of Fortuna, it’s not how you play the game; it’s if you survive.

5. Why Fortuna? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

When I learned that the currency in online role-playing games has real-world value – it’s no different that euros or yuan – I knew there was a story to be told. It’s about a new version of reality. I chose Renaissance Florence as the setting for the game because there are so many parallels to Silicon Valley in the 1990s. I think the central question posed by Machiavelli – a Florentine, by the way – is still relevant. How can a good man guided by a code of morality succeed in an evil and corrupt world?

6. I’m fascinated by the concept of this deadly online gaming addiction. Have you always had an interest in writing thrillers or did your interest evolve from another genre?

Always thrillers. And I reject the idea that the thriller genre rules out thoughtful writing (not that you imply that). I like books grounded in ideas. In Fortuna, one of my characters quotes Plato.

7. Please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence or do you have another method or organizing your work?

Actually, the first thing I do is write the first sentence, or, more accurately, the first page. For me, writing is about energy, and, in a sense, the energy needed to produce the whole book is there for me in that first page. When I begin, I have a general idea. Kid gets hooked on online game. Runs up real-world debt. Obsesses about who the other players are in real life. Has a father who’s a Silicon Valley legend... and so on.

As I said, I only write when I feel I have the right energy, and only in cafés. From time to time I will jot down a list of scenes that have to take place – perhaps seven or eight, each described with three or four words. That’s the extent to which I outline or look ahead in any detail.

8. How long did it take you to write Fortuna?

About eighteen months.

9. Please tell us a bit about your protagonist, Jason Lind, and describe your inspiration for this character.

In essence, he’s a young man looking for “something more.” He’s brilliant, he’s on a track for academic success, but his life doesn’t nourish him. He also is a young man who needs to grow emotionally, develop empathy, and find a way to be in the world. I think there’s a little bit of that in all of us when we’re young.

10. Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

That’s a tall order. I guess the driving force for all of it is to create an expanding horizon, where more and more is revealed to the reader because the characters are driven to seek out answers. I think I show a somewhat dark side of Silicon Valley, which most certainly existed during the boom. The rules governing the game Fortuna were ones that I conceived on my own, but they are plausible.

11. What has been the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book? Why it was difficult, and how did you resolved it?

I think it’s a toss-up between the research on Renaissance Florence, which was extensive, and the last chapter. There are some scenes where it’s very difficult to balance the flow of emotion, the need to convey certain facts and the requirements of plausible dialog.

12. How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

It’s a long list. Medieval coinage. The architecture and street layout of Florence in the 1400s. The layout of specific cathedrals. Classical schools in Florence. Dress. The format of Catholic confession at that time. Business practices of the Medici. Theories of physiognomy. How many pages do I get?

13. What do you find the most difficult part of writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

Writing is not difficult for me. I know what to do and how to do it. More importantly, in the things that matter, I am guided by inspiration that comes from outside me in a way I don’t really understand. I just know I get, for lack of a better phrase, “help from above.”

14. What are you working on now? What’s next?

Berlin, 1923. The Weimar Republik is in chaos. Drugs, kinky sex and weapons of assassination are available on every street corner and in every cabaret. The hero, a Jason Lind-like figure, has been sent there to learn how to commercially manufacture the new German wonder drug known as aspirin. Instead, he discovers a secret cabal within the German chemical establishment working on what the scientists referred to as a “U-Bomb,” because its main component is uranium.

15. Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

Go to writers’ conferences, particularly ones that focus on marketing. There, you can at least get a glimpse of what you’re getting into. Don’t quit your day job.

About the author:
Michael Stevens has worked as a writer all his life, starting as the music columnist for his hometown newspaper when he was in high school. He owned a successful high tech advertising agency in Silicon Valley for many years, and now freelances from his home office, mostly for very large companies with a global presence. He is a serious amateur musician and has produced four CDs.

Interview With Author, Kate Dolan

2010-05-03T04:00:00.001-04:00

THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY by Kate Dolan

When Sophie Bayles inadvertently ruins a young man's chance for employment, she sets out to find him a new position. Even though he doesn't want her to.

With the war over, Lieutenant Heyward Elliott needs work. The job hunt is made no easier by the meddling of Sophie, who is all smiles and helpfulness one minute and snobby and argumentative the next. Complicating matters is her constant companion Helen, a strange young lady with a propensity to drop eggs on people in the name of science.

Sophie tries to do the right thing, but gets all the wrong results. Her attempts to find employment for Lieutenant Elliott produce one disaster after another, until he finally orders her never to help him again. But when he is arrested on false charges, she and Helen at last see a way to even the score, by clearing his name and reputation.

Unless they lose their own in the process…

Q: Kate, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Let's start by getting to know a bit about you.
In many ways I’m a typical suburban soccer mom except that neither of my kids play soccer. I spend much of my time running my son to baseball games and coaching my daughter’s jump rope team. My daughter and I sneak off to ride roller coasters or waterslides whenever we get the chance. But I also love history, so I drag the family to historic sites wherever we go and we also camp at some living history events such as the Ft. Frederick Market Fair.

I enjoy all types of writing, from trying to piece together historical dialogue to writing commentaries for my website. I should qualify that last statement – I spent a number of years writing legal analysis and some of that was REALLY dull. I don’t miss that at all. Since I turned to fiction, I’ve had seven novels published. Three are historical fiction set in colonial America, two are Regency romance, and two are contemporary mysteries published under the name K.D. Hays.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

Probably my mom. But I’ve been blessed because all of my family and friends have been encouraging. I would imagine I’m my own biggest enemy.

Q: Writing a novel takes such a tremendous amount of time and concentration, how do you balance your life responsibilities; work, family, etc., with your time to write?

Most of the time, I don’t think I balance anything at all. My life often seems like a really bad circus act – a juggler who drops most of the balls or someone who tries to keep a bunch of plates spinning and ends up breaking the majority of them. Sometimes, I make writing a priority and then it gets done first and everything else slides. But particularly as my kids get older, I find that their lives are really keeping me busy and writing almost never gets to come first. I try not to let it bother me because I know that in just a few short years they’ll be off to college and I’ll regret every moment I didn’t spend with them. But I miss the writing when I don’t do it. All the characters in my head are pestering me to tell their stories! There are days when I wish the real world could disappear so I can work in my imaginary world. I try to write down my ideas so I can come back to them later.

Q: Please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence or do you have another method or organizing your work?

Sometimes, especially when I’m writing mysteries, I outline everything in detail before I start. But other times, I just start writing and see what happens. This was one of those books! In fact, I wrote most of it during a NANOWRIMO challenge a few years ago. For those who aren’t familiar with that acronym, it’s a yearly online event where a group of writers pledge to write a novel in a month – or at least 50,000 words of new novel. To get this much done, it requires me to write faster than I think – and there’s no time to stop and revise or (this is what really slows me down sometimes) research an issue. I tried this first several years ago and I liked frenetic energy that went into the story, which was eventually finished, revised and published as A Certain Want of Reason. I decided that I needed that same energy in the sequel, so I tried again and came up with The Appearance of Impropriety. It took a long time to revise this one, though, and it changed a lot. I started a third book in the same manner, but haven’t finished the not-so-energetic process of finishing and revising it.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, timeline of your novel.

The story takes place in London shortly after the Napoleonic Wars. An out-of-work former naval commander (Heyward Elliott) comes to the Bayles home to apply for a job as a steward and he interrupts a science experiment Helen is conducting. Since her experiment consists of dropping eggs from the top of the staircase and he walks into one, he doesn’t quite catch the scientific significance of the event and so he has a few choice words for Helen. Sophie comes upon the scene and berates Heyward in front of her father, so that he then has no chance of getting the job. When she finds out that Helen was really at fault, she decides it’s her duty to find Heyward another job. And the results are disastrous. By the end of it though, the two of them start to acknowledge each other’s merits and Sophie decides that prestige is not as important as she thought it was. They agree to start courting, but their relationship isn’t fully resolved until the third book, which is primarily about Sophie’s sister.

Q: THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY won the 2009 annual Written Art Awards in the fiction humor/satire category. Please tell us about this award and what influence has winning this award had on you, your writing, and readership awareness?

The Written Art Awards are sponsored by Rebecca’s Reads, a site that had reviewed some of my books. I decided to try entering The Appearance of Impropriety as humorous fiction rather than a traditional romance. (I think my books stray too far from the “relationship theme” to satisfy hardcore romance fans.) Soon after I entered the contest, I got a new review from Rebecca’s Reads where the reviewer trashed my second mystery, Worth Its Weight in Old. So I figured I had no chance with the contest. But fortunately I had better luck with judges than I’d had with reviewers.

I was particularly happy that THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY won this award because while it’s one of my favorites stories, it also has a terrible cover. Really awful. So bad that I’m embarrassed by it. So it’s nice to see the book get a little respect despite the ridiculous cover.

Q: Please tell us a bit about your protagonist, Sophie Bayles, and describe your inspiration for this character.

This is the story of the “girls who were left behind” in the first book. Sophie was a minor character in A Certain Want of Reason. – the annoying older sister of the protagonist’s best friend. She’s a bit of a snob, so I decided to see if I could find a match that would bring her down to earth. Her annoying traits probably come from me, more than anyone else. I’m an older sister, and of course we ALWAYS know what’s best. In this story, Sophie forms a friendship of necessity with Helen, the sister of the protagonist from the first book. While the other members of her family are having their adventures, she is stranded in Sophie’s house. But she doesn’t let her status as a guest stop her from continuing to conduct her science experiments. In fact, it is her science experiments that start all the action in this story.

Q: What has been the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book? Why it was difficult, and how did you resolved it?

The greatest problem I had was finishing it within the word count for books in the Cotillion line. Since I wrote without any kind of outline, it probably got a little out of hand. But I was having so much fun with this dysfunctional family that I couldn’t stop. And then I needed to tie up the story. That took me a while to figure out.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

This book did not require as much research as many of my others. I always keep reading about life in London during the Regency era, but I don’t really count that because that’s an ongoing hobby. I specifically had to research period prize fighting, because there’s a scene involving a boxing match. One aspect that I enjoyed including in the story is English country dancing, because I used to do that with my husband on a regular basis. It became too difficult to fit into my schedule after awhile, but we still get to do it on occasion. It’s a lot of fun but it makes me wonder if the dances in the Regency era all looked as polished as the ones they show in the movies. It only takes one missed step to set off a chain reaction that can have the whole room laughing.

Q: What do you find the most difficult part of writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

I’ve been writing novels for over ten years now and the two things that were most difficult then are still the most difficult for me now. First, it’s hard to find the time to focus on a story and get it written. And second, it’s hard to get up the nerve to share the story with others. If it’s a rough draft, I worry that it’s too rough. If I’ve been working on it a while, then I worry that whoever’s reading it will think “oh, by now it should be in much better shape.” Both of those are the sorts of difficulties that can be easily overcome with effort. Did I say “easily?” Okay, they can be overcome with determination. I just have trouble finding it some days.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

I’m working on edits of a book I wrote with my daughter. She was about eight when we started it and now (she’s 12) it’s finally about to be published. The book is Toto’s Tale (Zumaya Publications 2010), which tells the story of the Wizard of Oz from Toto’s point of view. Since the voice is very contemporary, I’m publishing this one under the K.D. Hays name. This is a whole different experience for me - both the process of writing with a partner and writing a book for a different audience. And promoting it will be very different, too, I imagine.

After that, I’ll be finishing up my third Regency romance about the crazy family - the book after THE APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY. This third book is loosely based on Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer. I already had some of the characters in place, so it’s been a lot of fun working it all in. I just can’t seem to come up with a good title for it.

Q: Titles aren't always easy to find. Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

I don’t think I have anything original. Keep writing. Force yourself to show your writing to other people and try to take their feedback without getting too defensive. Most people offer criticism as a means to help you improve, not to rip out your heart (although sometimes it feels that way). When you get feedback, take a break before you evaluate it. You may later find you agree with something you initially didn’t want to hear.

About the Author:

After coming from Chicago to attend college at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, Kate Dolan grew attached to the mid-Atlantic region and never moved back. She holds an interdisciplinary degree in English, history and drama and a law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law, and has written professionally in a variety of fields since 1992. Currently living in a suburb of Baltimore, she is ideally positioned to drag her husband and two children to visit an endless array of historical sites. She also volunteers as a living historian in order to teach – and learn — more about everyday life in early America.

"Caught" by Harlan Coben

2010-03-21T10:53:00.000-04:00

I found this video by one of my favorite authors, Harlan Coben that I think readers will find interesting. I've read several of his books and have always enjoyed his characters and the twists he builds into his stories.

In this video he tells a bit about his lastest book, "Caught." http://harlancoben.com/

Interview with Marilyn Meredith

2010-03-09T11:14:00.002-05:00

My guest today, is author Marilyn Meredith.

Q: Marilyn, when did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

A: I’ve written since I was a little kid, but I don’t think I’d considered “being a writer”. I always knew I was a writer. I got married right out of high school and had a family, so for awhile my writing consisted of PTA newsletters and plays for my Camp Fire Girls to perform. I did write some short stories, a couple were published. When my sister did our family genealogy so many questions were left unanswered, I decided to write an historical family saga based on what we did know. Both of those books were eventually published after many rejections.

Q: How would you describe the writing that you are doing and what motivated you to start writing in this genre?

A: Now, I’m concentrating on mysteries. After the family sagas, I knew I wanted to keep on writing, but wasn’t sure which way to go. When I realized that my reading focused on mysteries, I knew it was mysteries I needed to write.

Q: Who is your target audience?

A: I hope anyone who loves mysteries. But since my mysteries are not too gory, I don’t use bad words and I always close the bedroom door. Women seem to be my biggest audience. I also have some fans in their teens.

However, since I know a lot of policemen, active and retired, thanks to my involvement with the Public Safety Writers Association, many of them also read my books. When giving talks to them, I always remind them that the Rocky Bluff P.D. is my department and I can do it anyway I want.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A: My husband has always been supportive, but the one who really encouraged me and taught me so much about writing was an author friend who was in and sometimes ran a critique group (one I’ve belonged to since 1981) named Willma Gore.

Q: How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

A: Many of my own experiences have become part of my books. For years we lived in a neighborhood full of police officers and their families. We partied together on the weekends, I had coffee with the wives, and our children played together. I learned a lot about police officers and their families. Later my son-in-law became a police officer and loved to tell me what he’d done on his shift every night. I’ve been on ride-alongs with him and other police officers.

Q: Why AN AXE TO GRIND? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: AN AXE TO GRIND is number seven in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. When I’m planning to write a new novel in this series there are two things I plan for—what crimes the Rocky Bluff P.D. will be confronted by, usually at least one murder, and what affect these crimes will have on the police officers and their families. Because it is an ongoing series with an ensemble of ongoing characters that I hope the readers want to know more about, I have to show what is going on in their lives.

In this particular story, I also wanted to show more of Rocky Bluff and some of its surroundings. The imaginary beach town is located somewhere between Santa Barbara and Ventura in Southern California.

Hopefully, my readers will be transported to this fictional town and enjoy spending some time with the people in Rocky Bluff.

Q: Tell us a bit about your protagonist and how he/she came about.

A: The two main characters in AN AXE TO GRIND are Detective Doug Milligan and Officer Stacey Wilbur. Anyone who has read the last book, NO SANCTUARY, knows that Stacey and Doug have an ongoing romance. Doug’s wife divorced him several years ago and Stacey is a widow with a young son. Doug, along with his partner, work on murder cases. Stacey is the new Vice-officer and her cases take her in a different direction. Their jobs interfere with the progression of the romance.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: Here’s the official blurb for AN AXE TO GRIND:

An imaginative stalker’s decapitation sends Detectives Doug Milligan and Frank Marshall on an investigation that includes the stalker’s family, his victim and her family—a family with ties to Sergeant Navarro. Vice-Officer Stacey Wilbur goes after a soccer coach who may be a pedophile. As usual, because of their jobs with the Rocky Bluff P.D., Stacey’s and Doug’s romance is put on a back burner. When Doug strikes out on his own to corner the murderer and no one knows where he went, it is up to Stacey to find him before its too late.

I already described the setting earlier, but in this particular book, there’s an abandoned warehouse where the homeless find shelter and both Doug and Stacey go to the University of California, Santa Barbara campus.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: My biggest challenge always seems to be finding the time to write. When I’m writing one book I’m always promoting the latest in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. I never thought I’d be writing two series, which means two books a year. The only way to do it, is just set myself down in front of the computer every day and write. I have to add, I also have a big family and life sometimes gets in the way of my writing. Since my family has to come first, sometimes my writing gets put on the back burner, then I have to work twice as hard.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: A lot of my research about police work has been ongoing and I’m privileged to know a lot of people in law enforcement to whom I can ask questions. The idea for the story came from a story told at a Sisters in Crime meeting by a coroner who showed us gory crime scene photos.

Q: What is the most difficult part of writing in general for you and what do you do to overcome it?

A: One thing I learned early on was to always stop in the middle of a scene so I’d know where I was going the next time I sat down at the computer. This prevents writer’s block. I think I have the hardest time when I’m planning a new book. I don’t outline exactly, but I do gather together all the crimes and obstacles I want my characters to solve and overcome.

Q: How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: I like to write in the morning, however I am able to put a load of clothes in the washer, write for awhile, move the clothes to the dryer, and come back to writing. Interruptions are a part of my life.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: I use a legal pad to start jotting down my ideas. I come up with the names and descriptions of all the new characters. I put the character descriptions on 3 X 5 cards so I can refer back to them easily when I’m writing. I have a pretty good idea where I’m going when I start writing, but new ideas come to me once I’ve started. Another thing I always do is keep a timeline. I want to make sure what happens in a day is possible. That was one thing that really bothered me about the DaVinci Code—too much happened in too short a period of time. I don’t want to make that mistake.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

A: I’m writing a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery right now. Both series have distinct voices, so I have to switch back and forth when I’m writing about one and promoting the other. The next Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel is done and I’m in the editing process with that one now.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Learn as much as you can about the rules of writing. Read the genre you want to write, see how other authors do it. Go to writing conferences, read books on writing. Write, write, write. Have someone edit your work when you’re done. Once you submit a book, start work on the next one. Never give up.

About the author:

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over twenty-five published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. No Sanctuary is the newest from Oak Tree Press. She is a member of EPIC, four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, WOK, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville CA, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. Visit her at http://www.fictionforyou.com/ and at her blog - http://www.marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

Interview With Author Paul Harris

2010-03-04T04:00:00.004-05:00

Paul Harris, Author of THE SECRET KEEPER

It's with great pleasure that I introduce author Paul Harris to readers here at Novel Works. I'm currently reading THE SCRETE KEEPER and am totally captivated with the strength of Paul Harris’s writing. Without question, Harris is one of those rare authors who has captivated this reader from the first page. I was immediately drawn to his character of Danny Kellerman and the murder mystery that leads him back to Sierra Leone.

Blurb:

One man's search for the truth in war-torn Sierra Leone, where the rules of civilized society don't apply...

Journalist Danny Kellerman receives an urgent letter from an ex-lover in Sierra Leone, where he once was a war correspondent. But it's already too late; she's been murdered in a roadside robbery. Danny returns to Freetown, where his investigation uncovers secrets that shed a shocking light on the woman he though he knew-and reveals a hidden truth that could destroy those in power. Trapped in the heart of a dangerous nation where he can trust no one, Danny is soon forced to choose between his integrity and the devastating consequences of speaking the truth.

Q: Paul, you're a journalist, but when did you decide you wanted to be a fiction writer?

A: I always wanted to write, even when I was a little kid. I used to love fiction writing projects when I was about eight or nine in school and it just started from there.

Q: How would you describe the writing that you are doing and what motivated you to start writing in this genre?

A: I guess I wanted to write in a genre that is more literary than an out-and-out thriller/mystery but more thrilling than an out-and-out literary novel. I hope my writing says something about the human condition but I also hope that it keeps a reader turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Q: Who is your target audience?

A: My target audience would be anyone who enjoy a good story that makes them think a little.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A: My agent, Elizabeth Sheinkman at Curtis Brown. The book had a troubled birth. I originally had a different agent working with it informally. When I finished the book that agent told me she did not think it would work. That was devastating but, after I'd picked myself up off the floor, I decided to send it on spec to a few other agents. Elizabeth restored my confidence, loved the book and sold it.

Q: How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?

A: Very much so. THE SECRET KEEPER is inspired closely by my own experiences covering conflict and, especially, reporting on the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone. The plot is obviously fiction but much of the backdrop and the characters are directly from my own life.

Q: Why THE SECRET KEEPER? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: I was following the old maxim: write what you know. I had always written some fiction but never really settled down to give it a serious try. When I finally decided to do so I thought I would use my own experiences as a starting point and the war in Sierra Leone had meant a lot to me. So it seemed natural to try and explore my experiences and emotions about it.

Q: Please tell us a bit about your protagonist, Danny Kellerman and how he/she came about.

A: A friend once pointed out to me that there is very little physical description of Danny in the novel. That is true. I guess that has come about because Danny is clearly based on myself and so, when writing the novel, I felt like the story was seen from his eyes. It is probably a little embarrassing that I based the central character of my novel on myself without entirely realising it. Oops.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: The novel explores two separate trips that Danny Kellerman, a British journalist, makes to Sierra Leone. The main narrative follows Danny has he returns to the country to investigate the death of Maria, an old flame and an American aid worker. But in a series of flashbacks we also follow Danny's first trip to the country when he covered the war there and had his passionate affair with Maria. The two plots are woven together. So at the same as we follow Danny's investigation into Maria's murder against the backdrop of a country now coming to terms with peace, we also follow their love affair, conducted while the war was still raging.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: It is the terror that you are writing in a vacuum. Writing a novel is an immense task that can take years and yet you have to do it with the knowledge that the odds are stacked against it ever seeing the light of day. It is a hell of a journey to embark on and you have to keep your nerve. I started this book way back in 2002. I finished it in 2007. There were gaps of several years when it just seemed so pointless to continue. But, in the end, a writer has to write and so I kept forcing myself back to it. But it was not easy.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: I was basically mining my own experiences and memories. On the one hand that was pretty easy research. On the other it was quite an emotional exploration of myself and my chosen profession. The novel is pretty critical of journalists and journalism and I had to work through that and be honest about my opinions on what I do for a living.

Q: What is the most difficult part of writing in general for you and what do you do to overcome it?

A: I still have that fear of the vacuum. Even having had one book published, there is no guarantee that a next one will be. This is especially true with all the revolutionary changes that are going on in publishing that have reduced many publishers' bottom lines. So anytime I open my laptop I still wrestle with the fear that there might be no point to what I am doing.

Q: How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: It's difficult. I have a full time and demanding job as US Correspondent for the British weekly newspaper The Observer. My slice of luck is that – because my newspaper comes out Sundays – my working week is Tuesday to Saturday. That means I nearly always get a Monday off when everyone else is at work. I always try and write all day every Monday.

Q: What impact would you say completing THE SECRET KEEPER has had on you personally and on your writing?

A: It has fulfilled an ambition that I have had since I was a small child, which is great. On the other hand, it has fired up ambitions to keep on writing. It has also meant that I have done interviews, Q&As and guest posts (like on this blog) which has put me on the other end of the journalistic equation: as a subject. I have to confess I find that slightly unnerving.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: I am a big fan of the outline. My work begins with a very basic idea of a plot and the characters. Then I write fairly detailed character sketches. Then I divide a simple plot line into chapters. Then I write a few pars as to what happens in each chapter. Then I expand those pars into a fully-fledged plot outline. Only then – and an outline can be 20,000 words long by then – do I begin to write. It is like a mad scientist building a body from scratch. I start with the bones, add the organs, then the muscles. The final layer – the skin – is the actual writing. I try to remain very flexible though. If, as I write, I want to veer away from the plan I allow myself to do so. But everyone writes differently. This is just what works for me.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

A: I am sticking to the “write what you know” maxim. In my years in America I have covered two presidential campaigns (2004 and 2008). I have discovered a deep love of the drama and excitement of US politics. So I am basing a thriller around a US presidential election campaign.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Don't give up. It's hard to write and keep writing. But it’s worth it.

Paul Harris is giving away a signed copy of his book, The Secret Keeper, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page, http://paul-harris.omnimystery.com/, enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 2863, for your chance to win. Entries from Novel Works will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on his book tour page next week.
About the author:

Paul Harris is currently the US Correspondent of the British weekly newspaper The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper. He has held the post since 2003. Prior to that he reported from Africa for the Daily Telegraph, the Associated Press and Reuters. He has covered conflicts and trouble spots all around the world, including Iraq, Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. In 2003 he was embedded with British forces during the invasion of Iraq.

The Secret Keeper was inspired by his reporting on events in 2000 in Sierra Leone as that country’s long civil war came to an end. Paul now lives in New York and is happy to have swapped the dangers of the front line for the less obvious perils of writing about American politics and culture.

To learn more about the author and the book, visit his website at http://www.thesecretkeeper.us/

Author Janie Franz Interviews Jan-nell, from the Bowdancer Saga Series

2010-03-01T04:00:00.002-05:00

Today I have Jan-nell, the main character in my fantasy romance series, the Bowdancer Saga, in my office, and we are going to be talking about her life and adventures.

JF: Welcome to my office, Jan-nell. I’m glad that you popped in to talk with me today.

Jan-nell: (She looks around with some wonder in her eyes—and some suspicion.) I do not know yet if we are well-met. (Her eyes finally come to rest on me.) But I think that I know you. Are we kin?

JF: (chuckles) No, we aren’t kin, but I do feel that you and I have a connection, and perhaps that is a kinship. I have been writing about your life for some time and just recently your story was published by Breathless Press so that many people can read about you and learn about your life.

Jan-nell: Why would people want to know about me?

JF: I think that your life, though it is very different from ours in this world and with our technology, has meaning for a lot of people. You deal with life issues that all women face, including heartbreak and loss.

Jan-nell: My life certainly has been hard, but there have been moments of joy and service.

JF: What do you think have been your goals in life?

Jan-nell: Goals?

JF: Your purpose.

Jan-nell: Hmm. I have had no purpose other than to be of service to the One and to be a good mother, though that has been difficult at times.

JF: For all mothers, I’m sure.

Jan-nell: I teach where I can. I offer healing cures when there is need. And I sing and dance the story-songs of my people.

JF: Have you crafted new story-songs, other than those of your people?

Jan-nell: When there has been need, yes.

JF: Tell me about your relationships, those who have filled your heart.

Jan-nell: (blushing) I do not think that is something for others to know of.

JF: But my readers care about you, and relationships are part of what shape who and what we are.

Jan-nell: Well…Let us say that all my life I have been searching for my place, for belonging. And that has taken me on journeys to places I had no idea were even there when I was living in my village on the horse plains.

JF: That is where your story begins in THE BOWDANCER, the first book of this series. Can you describe your life there?

Jan-nell: I was content for awhile, especially when I was a girl learning. I wanted to know everything. When I had learned all there was to be taught to me, I took my place as the bowdancer, the keeper of the village histories, the overseer of rites and celebrations, the village healer and midwife. I had all of this knowledge within me but I there was no one to teach it to, no young girlish face to carry on my work and become the next bowdancer. I was also set apart, some by my position as the bowdancer, some by my own choice. I was not like my kin and neighbors. Having a quick wit may help a village, but it marks you.

JF: And what of love?

Jan-nell: (Smiling shyly) I had no hope. If no young girl with a burning curiosity to learn came forth, I could not marry. And even then, I had ten summers of teaching before I could turn my role over to the new bowdancer. I had waited that long since I had done my first rite as the bowdancer. Even if I had found a likely child that summer, I would have been nearly middle age before I could go down to the village and find a man who had lost his wife—if there were one. I would be raising another woman’s children and possibly her children’s children, with little hope of having one of my own. And though the men of my village are strong and brave, there would be little to talk of late into the night except about the hunt or the horse or his children.

JF: But something happens? Love comes riding in to your village.

Jan-nell: (Her green eyes twinkle.) Yes. But like any good story-song, we cannot tell the end or it will spoil it.

JF: Ah. Can we just say that this first story offers you hope?

Jan-nell: That is true. Sometimes, the One offers a choice that really is not ours.

JF: Can you speak a bit about the rest of your life?

Jan-nell: Again, I do not wish to spoil the ending. But let us just say that I discover belonging in unusual places and learn about different kinds of love.

JF: Well, it looks like Jan-nell will offer us no more. THE BOWDANCER begins Jan-nell’s story. Read it first and then continue her journey in THE WAYFARER’S ROAD, WARRIOR WOMEN, and THE LOST SONG.

About the author:

Janie Franz still calls herself a Southerner (she was born in Tennessee) though she has spent more than half her life living in North Dakota. She holds a degree in anthropology and has an unquenchable curiosity, which may explain the broadness of her journalism credits that include regional, national, and international publications. She has co-written two books with Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox (The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book), and has published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She is also a prolific book and music reviewer, and runs her own online music publication, Refrain Magazine.

She has been a radio announcer, a booking agent for a groove/funk band, and a yoga/relaxation instructor. She has been happily married to a singer/songwriter for almost four decades. They have a daughter who is a fiber artist and is married to an animator, and a son who is the executive chef of The Toasted Frog, a high-end martini bistro, and who plays drums and blues harmonica with local bands.

“The Bowdancer” is her first published work of fiction.

Midwest Book Review: "The Bowdancer"

2010-02-26T04:00:00.006-05:00

THE BOWDANCER

Athor: Janie Franz
Publisher: Breathless Press http://www.breathlesspress.com/
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
ISBN 978-1-926771-20-5
$3.95
31 Pages

Janie Franz's website: http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com/

Reviewed by Suzie Housley for Midwest Book Review http://www.midwestbookreview.com/

At an early age, Jan-nell was selected to be the future bowdancer. It was an honor among her people to be selected, for she would be the bow that sings the song of the One. As she grew up, she learned the chants, dances, and healing arts needed to fulfill the position.

As a bowdancer, Jan-nell was always looking to find her replacement among the children. It was important to begin training at an early age in order to be able to learn all that was needed to be a proper bowdancer. When Jan-nell found a man to love and the next bowdancer was properly trained, she would then step down and pass her bow to the next worthy bowdancer.

Jan-nell had yet to find her replacement, nor the love of her life. She feared that she would die as the bowdancer. She had come to accept her future and was determined to be the best bowdancer possible.

At a wedding, her life is disrupted by a group of outlaws who come to her village. One of them had been seriously injured by a mountain cat and needs to be treated for his injuries. Being the village healer, Jan-nell takes the group in and begins to practice her healing art.

Bastin is the leader of the group. He is intrigued by Jan-nell for her beauty takes his breath away. He sees her as someone who he could want to spend his life with.

Fate has a way of bringing two people together. Could an incident of tragedy be a means to bring two lost souls together?

Janie Franz’s debut book The Bowdancer is magnificent! Her smooth writing brings the reader into the story. You can feel the love radiate from her characters. I predict this author’s name will become a legend in the romance world.

About the author:

Janie Franz still calls herself a Southerner (she was born in Tennessee) though she has spent more than half her life living in North Dakota. She holds a degree in anthropology and has an unquenchable curiosity, which may explain the broadness of her journalism credits that include regional, national, and international publications. She has co-written two books with Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox (The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book), and has published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She is also a prolific book and music reviewer, and runs her own online music publication, Refrain Magazine.

She has been a radio announcer, a booking agent for a groove/funk band, and a yoga/relaxation instructor. She has been happily married to a singer/songwriter for almost four decades. They have a daughter who is a fiber artist and is married to an animator, and a son who is the executive chef of The Toasted Frog, a high-end martini bistro, and who plays drums and blues harmonica with local bands.

“The Bowdancer” is her first published work of fiction.

The Critique

2010-02-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

© Marta Stephens 2010 all rights reserved

A solid critique provides the author an honest review with constructive feedback, offers valid suggestions to improve the work, provides examples, and offers a good dose of encouragement.

So when asked if I allow others to read my work in progress I respond with an emphatic, “Yes.” I rely on the experienced fresh pair of eyes to tell me if I have adequately developed my characters and the plot. Are the scenes and dialogue believable? Does the opening paragraph pull the reader in, or does it read like a bad diary entry? Does my narrative drag? Are the chapter endings page-turners or turn offs?

On occasion, I may disagree with a suggested change, but I consider each comment to understand what really bothered the reader. Someone else’s observation often reveals an amazing new perspective. An example of this was when a fellow author read the first few chapters of on of my manuscripts several years ago. I had intended for my female character to be a strong-willed individual. She was driven, spunky, and the perfect counter balance to my male protagonist. Yet my critique partner interpreted the character’s actions as that of someone who is somewhat of a scatterbrain. To make matters worse, she couldn’t understand the character’s motivation.

My first reaction was to balk, but after reading through her comments several times, I decided to walk away from that scene for a few days and study it later from a reader’s point of view. Of course, she was right on target. The problem wasn’t the character though; it was me. I knew the character well. She was key to the plot and couldn’t be anything less than strong and assertive. I assumed the reader would pick up on her traits. But I had been so wrapped up in recording my thoughts that my mind raced ahead of the typing without taking time to develop the character for the reader as I should. Once I understood the problem, it was an easy fix, but I doubt I would have seen the omission without someone pointing it out. Whether it’s a matter of changing a few words or several paragraphs, the tweaking always strengthens the prose and occasionally spins the scene in an unexpected direction.

A word of caution though. Watch out for the reader who tends to rewrite your story or tries to change your writing style. That’s not the intent of a critique. No one knows the characters or the plot better than the author, therefore, the secret to accepting someone’s suggestions is to selectively “listen” and use only the valid information.

One thing to remember is that rules can be broken only after you’ve learned them. A bit about self-editing and what I keep in mind when I edit my work:

1. Don’t describe every detail about a character in the first paragraph. Allow the reader to engage his or her imagination and get to know them a little bit at a time. When we meet someone, we don’t learn everything about them in the first hour. Similarly, the character should come to life gradually through dialogue, actions, reactions, and through the eyes and words of the other characters.

2. For a tense scene that needs to show urgency use short, abrupt sentences. Don’t kill the suspense with flowery prose, exposition, or excessive internal dialogue.

3. Pace it. Dialogue speeds the prose. After a fast-paced section, slow things down and give the reader a breather through some carefully written narrative. Narration can be used as a transitional tool to get the reader from one scene to the next or when the prose needs to slow down. However, if not done correctly, the writer will risk turning the narration into information dump sites in which the he or she tells the reader all he or she needs to know. If the narration describes an important turn of events, convert it into a scene between characters. Remember that dialogue is far more interesting and engages the reader’s emotions rather than the intellect.

4. Show don’t tell. Two of my favorite quotes to drive this home are:

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." Chekhov

"Don't tell me about the tragedies of war; show me the child's shoe discarded by the side of the road." author unknown

Need I say more?

5. Don’t let the characters’ dialogue turn into exposition; when a character speaks for the sake of informing the reader.

6. Separate one character’s words and actions from another character through paragraph breaks. No exceptions.

7. Dialogue attribution—stick to “said” written after the proper noun or pronoun. If the character is excited, show it through his or her words and actions, not the attribution.

8. Replace tags with beats as an alternate way to vary the dialogue and show action. “Tom where’s Hank?” She lowered her gaze to the dark red stain sprayed across the front of his shirt. “How could you?”

9. Look for repetition of words or information to avoid redundancy. If you’ve communicated the information well, once should be enough. When the reader needs to be reminded of an event that happened several chapters before, find a fresh way to relay the information.

10. Some adverbs are necessary, but a try to get rid of attribute adverbs, “ly” words as much as possible. They tell the reader how the character said something rather than show. Replace them with action verb. Instead of: “He angrily punched the pillow.” Try: “He slammed a fist into the pillow.”

11. Avoid “ing” words. Make it active. Instead of: “He was walking to the store.” Try: “He walked to the store.”

12. Know when to end your chapter. You’ve written a great chapter, you’ve come up with a fantastic twist for a page-turning ending. You’re certain it will shove the reader to the edge of the chair while he or she turns the page. Don’t ruin the suspense by writing two or three more paragraphs explaining how the character feels. The reader doesn’t need, or care at this point, what the character does next. If you have to explain it, rewrite it.

Writing is an on-going learning process and the critique is an excellent way for an author to know if he or she is on track. Don’t accept rude or cruel comments, but to expect anything less than an honest, straightforward, and constructive critique, is a waste of everyone’s time.

Author Janie Franz: My Writing Journey

2010-02-24T04:00:00.004-05:00

Though I had begun writing short fiction as a child, I never aspired to have anything in print until I took a creative writing course in high school and my teacher wanted us all to get something published before the school year ended. Ironically, the poet in the class had a first sale of a short story. I was the short story writer and I sold an essay and later a couple of poems. Perhaps it was a glimpse into the far distant future.

I continued to write, off and on, as I became an adult, married, and had children. It was always a chore to find markets, especially in the years before the Internet. Infrequently, I would send out a story, sometimes getting a handwritten rejection and once a second read for REDBOOK. But no one published my work.

Vicariously, I read and reviewed others’ books first for Myshelf.com and then for Muse Book Reviews and Midwest Book Review, turning in 50 to 90 reviews a year for over five years. I learned a lot about the craft of writing, even if it was subliminally.

In the meantime, I had built a stable full-time freelance writing business, writing features and cover articles on a broad range of topics. I wrote about ocean ecology in a beautiful photo spread for CITY SMART MAGAZINE in Florida. I wrote about beauty and health for a glossy beauty magazine out of the United Arab Emirates. I wrote medical entries for Gale/Cengage encyclopedias. I contributed several chapters for a new organic gardening book. I wrote about travel and music for AAA LIVING. I wrote about art for an Australian publication, a Caribbean-American glossy, and a copper industry trade publication. And I wrote about asphalt, landscaping, food, wine and spirits, parenting, business, health and relaxation, bellydancing, and women’s issues for all manner of magazines, newspapers, and websites. I also co-wrote two books on weddings with Texas DJ Bill Cox, and I wrote a freelance writing manual.

Being married to a singer/songwriter, of course, I wrote about music for several US music magazines, a South Asian publication, and a Czech bluegrass website. Then last June, I launched my own music website, Refrain Magazine (www.refrainmagazine.com).

Still I kept saying that I would find time to write when I could make a steady income. That actually happened about when the Muse Online Writers Conference began about four years ago. I learned a lot as a participant, but I still wasn’t writing like I wanted or getting the short fiction I had published.

When I had convinced the University of North Dakota to bring in essayist Sam Pickering, a fellow Tennessean, two years ago for the UND Writers Conference, I was his driver. I had interviewed Sam a couple of times for different things over the years so it was a special treat for him to be here and to be able to have long discussions with him. I chuckled every time, I delivered him to a dinner (to which I was not invited—even though I was responsible for bringing him to campus), Sam always told the faculty he was eating with just how many words I had written that day or the night before (I had been on a tight deadline doing medical articles) and that I was a hardworking freelance writer. There was an unasked question there: And how many words did you write today and got paid for, hmm? That endeared him to me!

So, it was natural I asked Sam for advice about writing. I thought at the time I might do a series of quasi-autobiographical essays that I could do piecemeal so that I would be able to keep the journalism up while writing something of my own. I knew that if I returned to novel writing or even short stories that I would be so consumed I wouldn’t want to do the writing that actually put food on the table. I sent Sam a couple of sample essays, and he encouraged me to find my writing bliss.

Last October, Lea Schizas, who runs the Muse Online Writers Conference, asked for attendees to send in book pitches. I had a couple of novels that I was just beginning to do some substantive editing for, but none of it was at the point where I could pitch it. After the deadline for pitches passed, Lea asked us to see if we could help fill in the few openings she had. I wanted to help her out so that she would be able to offer pitches again at the next conference. I looked at the publishers’ guidelines again and some took shorter works so I sent in two and got a slot for each of my pitches.

The first pitch asked for a rewrite from first person to third and to resubmit. I did that, and it is pending at the moment.

The second, Breathless Press, asked me to send my work to them. That was THE BOWDANCER, which was a novelette at the time. They liked it, sent me a contract, and the work grew into a novella through the editing process. I like to think that an act of kindness got me published.

THE BOWDANCER launched a new subgenre for the publisher, and it spurred me to continue the main character’s story in a series, The Bowdancer Saga. I have written two more, longer books for the series, though they are still considered novellas, just under 50,000 words. The fourth, THE LOST SONG, which I am working on at the moment is turning into a full-length novel.

Currently, THE BOWDANCER is the third top selling book at Breathless Press! Find out more about THE BOWDANCER at: http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com/

About the author:

Janie Franz still calls herself a Southerner (she was born in Tennessee) though she has spent more than half her life living in North Dakota. She holds a degree in anthropology and has an unquenchable curiosity, which may explain the broadness of her journalism credits that include regional, national, and international publications. She has co-written two books with Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox (The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book), and has published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She is also a prolific book and music reviewer, and runs her own online music publication, Refrain Magazine.
She has been a radio announcer, a booking agent for a groove/funk band, and a yoga/relaxation instructor. She has been happily married to a singer/songwriter for almost four decades. They have a daughter who is a fiber artist and is married to an animator, and a son who is the executive chef of The Toasted Frog, a high-end martini bistro, and who plays drums and blues harmonica with local bands.

"The Bowdancer" is her first published work of fiction.

http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com/

The Next Stop on Janie Franz's Virtual Book Tour

2010-02-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

Go to Book Madness today http://bookmadness.wordpress.com/ to read Franz's article on "The Changing Market of E-books"

Interview with author, Janie Franz

2010-02-22T04:00:00.004-05:00

Today, it's my pleasure to introduce Janie Franz, author of THE BOWDANCER on her first stop of a two-week virtual book tour. THE BOWDANCE is a tale about Jan-nell, a young healer and keeper of village lore, despairs of ever finding the child who will be the next bowdancer or a man worthy enough to love.

Let's begin by allowing Franz to give us some insight into the life journey that influanced her to write her debut book.

***

I’ve been a full-time freelance journalist for ten years. Prior to that, I did a lot of tutoring colleges students with learning disabilities and editing for professors, preparing journal articles for publication, and drafting proposals for them to speak a national conferences. Currently, I’ve built my journalism business to the point where I don’t have to look for work every day since I have a stable of clients I write for regularly.

But something was missing. There was a creative part of me that wasn’t fulfilled. I had been writing short fiction since I was a child, but never seemed to find the right fit between publication and manuscript.

This year, my novella, THE BOWDANCER, was picked up by Breathless Press, as the first installment in a new series, The Bowdancer Saga, that is launching a new subgenre for the publisher.

1. Why BOWDANCER? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

While I was trying to find my notes for the second book in the Bowdancer Saga, The Wayfarer’s Road, I found my original notes on THE BOWDANCER. I remembered that I first discovered Jan-nell, the bowdancer, in a meditation. I saw her take that first bowshot shooting a flaming arrow across the night sky. The story just unfolded about who the bowdancer was and what her conflict was. There was such sadness in her that she had not found the next bowdancer to teach.

When I came out of my meditation, I scribbled down the notes I found and put them away. Her story wasn’t written for awhile. I used the name for a brief jewelry making business, Bowdancer Jewelry, and sometimes thought of myself as The Bowdancer when I meditated, but I never had another encounter with her again.

When I finally wrote Jan-nell’s story, it took me in a direction I didn’t expect with the entrance of Bastin and his band of bandits. I presented the story at a graduate level writing seminar I was taking as an undergraduate (as a much older than average student pursing a degree in anthropology) and offered it for critique. Needless to say, genre fiction drew disdain and a few noses went up in the air because it was a romance. I had feminists on one side complaining about my ending because it involved a man, and I had closet romance readers saying the ending was not what they had come to expect in the genre.

I do think the whole Bowdancer Saga empowers women, even though we are sometimes caught by circumstances. Women have a resilience that allows us to flow with those circumstances perhaps a bit better than men. THE BOWDANCER begins the saga, which will present a series of books that explore gender, roles, cultures, the arts, spirituality, and different concepts of family---and hopefully will offer some romance and adventure along the way

2. Tell us a bit about your protagonist, Jan-nell, and how he/she came about.

Jan-nell is the bowdancer, a healer and spiritual leader who also preserves the lore and history of her village through story-songs and dances. The giant bow she carries calls the children to lessons, which are often tales and stories about the important people of the village. The bow also is the instrument with which she dances and sings the story-songs. She creates story-songs for special events such as weddings and births. And the great bow calls everyone to celebrations (weddings, harvests, etc.).

The bowdancer, however, is frustrated because she hasn’t seen a child yet who is bright enough to become the next bowdancer. Only when she has trained that young one will she be permitted to find a man and marry and perhaps have a child of her own—if she hasn’t become too old to bear a child.

Jan-nell is a virgin and she is highly intelligent. She also lives on the outskirts of her village, apart from her people, partly by choice and partly by their semi-reverance of her. So, in lots of ways she is very lonely.

3. Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting of your novel.

My book blurb describes the book this way: Jan-nell, a young healer and keeper of village lore, despairs of ever finding the child who will be the next bowdancer or a man worthy enough to love.

When Bastin and his bandit crew interrupt a wedding, Jan-nell is called upon to treat one of the men who has been injured. Bastin is a highly intelligent man who has his own story to tell and he shares that and more with Jan-nell. They are intellectual equals but perhaps not spiritual ones. A quirk of fate shatters all that Jan-nell knows.

The village is located on the plains of this world I’ve created that is much like our own in a much simpler time. Many of the spiritual and medicinal practices that Jan-nell engages in are common among indigenous peoples in our own world and might even have some of us remembering what our grandmothers and greatgrandmothers did when the pharmacy wasn’t in a local strip mall but in their backyards and the woods and fields around them.

I do want to stress that no particular culture has been used to model my characters in THE BOWDANCER Saga. I have not co-opted anyone’s particular beliefs or lifeways. If anything, I have drawn upon some of my own spiritual experiences and my own familiarity with herbs.

By the way, Bastin is a play on the word bastion, which is a protected part of a castle wall.

4. Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

Writing THE BOWDANCER was easy. In fact, writing the next two books in THE BOWDANCER Saga were easy. I just needed to keep writing, even though sometimes I didn’t have a clue in both books where the story was going.

The hardest thing, however, was not the writing at all, but believing that I had actually been published and that my publisher wanted more stories. I had a tendency to minimize my work in the beginning during the editing process with my publisher and before the next two books were written. I tended to say to my family---well, it’s only a novella; well, it’s only an ebook; well, it’s only my first book; well--- You understand.

I let one of these “well, it’s” statements slip into an email announcing my book to novelist Stuart Clark whom I admire. And he gave me a very writerly kick in the pants, telling me that I should own my good fortune and own my work. That was enough for me. I am extremely proud of THE BOWDANCER. Yes, it is a novella. Yes, it is an ebook. But it is now part of a wider bulk of work that hopefully readers will enjoy as much as I do.

5. How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

The first book took no research at all. But, I have had to do some herb research for the next two books, and I started looking at clothing and housing during the middle ages to give me ideas. I make no claims on period dress or historical accuracy because these books take place somewhere else other than earth, but it could possibly have occurred somewhere in our distant past. I do have a degree in anthropology so I have a concept of how cultures and viable communities work. That, I think, adds a realism to my writing.

6. What is the most difficult part of writing in general for you and what do you do to overcome it?

The most difficult part of writing fiction is finding time for it. It is writing of a totally different stripe than journalism, which I sometimes call: data in and data out (but rearranged in the middle somewhere to grab the hook from which the article hangs). I have a talent for it, and I can do it quickly with just a final proof. No rewrites. No editing. Just research, interview, transcribe, write, proof, and send.

Writing fiction, on the other hand, transports the writer as much as it transports the reader. Writers are brought into their worlds. They hang out with their characters. And, they watch them do things that perhaps the writers never intended--even if an outline is used!

For me, it is finding the right time to do that and knowing when to stop and start again.

I found over the past couple of months that writing in the evening is best for fiction, even if it takes me into the wee hours. With longer books like The Wayfarer’s Road (Book II) and Warrior Women (Book III), I try to write at least one chapter in the evening.

7. How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

That is a good question. First of all, my children are grown and my husband has a creative life as well—he’s a singer/songwriter. So, there are not a lot of family and social demands on my time.

However, I’m a full-time journalist. I have to make time for that as well as writing fiction because journalism puts food on the table. Since I immerse myself in fiction, I really can’t write it during my work day. That is exclusively used for journalism: answering the phone, handling emails, doing interviews, transcribing interviews, writing articles, doing research, maintaining blogs, listening to CDs and watching music DVDs for review, and posting calendar items to my online music magazine.

I also do marketing for my books in the late afternoon before dinner. Then I can move completely into fiction writing in the evening and on weekends. That allows me to dive into the world I have created and not have to worry about being interrupted. I can keep focused and just write.

8. What impact would you say completing BOWDANCER has had on you personally and on your writing?

When THE BOWDANCER was accepted for publication by Breathless Press, I felt complete. I had finally taken the step to becoming a published fiction author. And I was not going to let this opportunity lie like a seed stored in a jar and not put into the ground. I pulled out everything that I had wanted to work on and then some—and this time I knew the work would be completed and polished. But THE BOWDANCER Saga has consumed me. I had quite forgotten that fiction writing, like visual art or sculpture (or songwriting sometimes), is really a spiritual experience.

9. Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

My first support came from the late John D. Engle, Jr., my high school creative writing teacher, who published seven books of poetry in his lifetime and had been an editorial associate for Writer’s Digest. He was the first to put the idea into my head that I could really become a published author. That was well over four decades ago!

My husband, also, has been supportive, especially since he’s a creative person, too. However, like a lot of wives, I still felt I had to prove to my husband that writing was profitable. That came with the journalism when I sort of “jumped off the cliff” and started doing it full-time. After ten years, even with fluctuations in clients, I have built that business into something relatively stable. Fiction was still something I couldn’t put much time into because it would take away from journalism. My husband respected my work because he saw tangible results.

When THE BOWDANCER was accepted for publication, I saw genuine admiration in my husband’s eyes. And when he saw just how happy I’d become with the writing of the new books, we began a collegial relationship that has been interesting. Since the next two books have lots of songs referenced in them, my husband and I are working on a companion musical CD or several mp3s we can offer with the series.

Yet for real writerly support, that has come from the writers of the Muse Online Writers Conference who have been there for me through my most recent dreams of writing fiction. Through workshops, forums, and personal emails, they have supported me and many other writers. And I am truly grateful for them.

The biggest surprise regarding support, however, came with THE BOWDANCER’s acceptance. That came from authors whose books I had reviewed previously. I chose three authors to ask for book blubs, and I was humbled by their responses. You can read those on my page at Breathless Press and on my website (http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com). What is also surprising to me is the response I am still getting from authors I reviewed who are sending in their congratulations. It has been more enthusiastic than that of friends and family!

10. With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

With the first book, THE BOWDANCER, I just wrote the first scene, the one I saw in my meditation, the one about the flaming arrow.

For the next two books, and the one I’m currently working on, I use a very loose outline, telling me what I will be writing in each chapter. The beginning of each book is unique, and I try to create a memorable starting place.

11. What are you working on now? What's next?

I’m currently working on The Lost Song, the fourth book in THE BOWDANCER Saga. I’m hoping I can write one of my favorite types of books—the map quest. I love stories that deal with maps, clues, codes, and adventures to find things. Yes, I’m a great fan of movies such as National Treasure, Sahara, the Mummy series, the Librarian TV movies, and the Indiana Jones films. Books and movies that offer that kind of puzzle and adventure are my ultimate pleasure.

I just finished the edits for the third book, Warrior Women. I fell in love with these characters, and I cried when the book ended. Then my daughter suggested that I write another book about them. So, some of them will appear in The Lost Song.

12. Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

First of all, read as much as you can. Enjoy the work of others and find out why you like it. Look at your favorite authors and see how they handle your writing problems. And not only read within the genre you write but also read other genres that you enjoy. You can always bring elements of those into your favorite writing genre.

Next, write as much as you can. Don’t worry about it being good enough. Just write. Finish stories you have in your heads. Take time to go in and read your work first as a reader and enjoy the story you are telling. Then you can smooth over the rough spots or flesh out other areas.

Save what you write. You may think that what you wrote is crap, but later on you may want to revisit your story and punch it up. (And, yes, I have crap in a drawer, too. Some of it may see the light of day in a new dress with an updated do.)

Finally, believe in your work. If you think you have a story to tell and you think your work is good, don’t let someone else talk you out of that. One day, you will find the right publisher or editor.

About the author:

Janie Franz still calls herself a Southerner (she was born in Tennessee) though she has spent more than half her life living in North Dakota. She holds a degree in anthropology and has an unquenchable curiosity, which may explain the broadness of her journalism credits that include regional, national, and international publications. She has co-written two books with Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox (The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book), and has published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She is also a prolific book and music reviewer, and runs her own online music publication, Refrain Magazine.

She has been a radio announcer, a booking agent for a groove/funk band, and a yoga/relaxation instructor. She has been happily married to a singer/songwriter for almost four decades. They have a daughter who is a fiber artist and is married to an animator, and a son who is the executive chef of The Toasted Frog, a high-end martini bistro, and who plays drums and blues harmonica with local bands.

THE BOWDANCER is her first published work of fiction.

Fantasy Author, Janie Franz on Tour

2010-02-19T08:38:00.001-05:00

Join Janie Franz, author of “The Bowdancer” (2009) as she begins her two-week virtual book tour through Novel Works next week, February 22 to March 6, 2010.

Author’s website: http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com/

THE BOWDANCER
ISBN: 978-1-926771-20-5
Publisher: Breathless Press http://www.breathlesspress.com/erotic/romance/fantasy/the-bowdancer.html
Cover Artist: Justyn Perry
Ebook: Special price through publisher: $3.56

Book blurb:

Jan-nell, a young healer and keeper of village lore, despairs of ever finding the child who will be the next bowdancer or a man worthy enough to love.

About the author:

Janie Franz still calls herself a Southerner (she was born in Tennessee) though she has spent more than half her life living in North Dakota. She holds a degree in anthropology and has an unquenchable curiosity, which may explain the broadness of her journalism credits that include regional, national, and international publications. She has co-written two books with Texas wedding DJ, Bill Cox (The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book and The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book), and has published a writing manual, Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid! She is also a prolific book and music reviewer, and runs her own online music publication, Refrain Magazine.

She has been a radio announcer, a booking agent for a groove/funk band, and a yoga/relaxation instructor. She has been happily married to a singer/songwriter for almost four decades. They have a daughter who is a fiber artist and is married to an animator, and a son who is the executive chef of The Toasted Frog, a high-end martini bistro, and who plays drums and blues harmonica with local bands.

“The Bowdancer” is her first published work of fiction.

Franz's Tour Stops:
2/22/10 Interview with author Janie Franz on Novel Works - http://novelworks2.blogspot.com/

2/23/10 The Changing Market of E-books on Book Madness - http://bookmadness.wordpress.com/

2/24/10 My Writing Journey on Novel Works - http://novelworks2.blogspot.com/

2/25/10 Interview with author Janie Franz on A. F. Stewart's Blog http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com/

2/26/10 "The Bowdancer" Midwest Book Review on Novel Works http://novelworks2.blogspot.com/

2/27 Falling In Love With Your Characters on Janie Franz’s blog http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com/

2/28/10 NO POSTS

3/1/10 Interview with Jan-nel from the Bowdancer Saga series on Novel Works http://novelworks2.blogspot.com/

3/2/10 Janie Franz's Live interview with Kim Smith on Introducing Writers - Blogtalk Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kims

3/3/10 The Virtual Tour Experience on Janie Franz’s blog http://thebowdancersaga.wordpress.com/

3/4/10 A. F. Stewart book review of "The Bowdancer" http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com

3/5/10 Book Review and Interview with author Janie Franz: Penny Ehrenkranz's One Writer's Journey: http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/

3/6/10 Jan-nell the Bowdancer’s Conflicts Color Her Goals and Motivations on Susan Whitfield’s Blog http://susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/

The E-book Wars

2010-02-04T08:03:00.000-05:00

The following article was written by S. W. Vaughn, posted on Murder By 4 on 2/2/10 and reprinted here with her permission. Please go to MB4 to read additional comments.

***

So this weekend, two huge businesses in the publishing world launched the first offensive in the war that's been simmering over e-book rights, pricing and other e-issues ever since big publishers realized there might be something to this e-book thing. The combatants? Macmillan, one of the Big 6 in New York, and retail giant Amazon, unarguably the largest online bookseller. The issue? Pricing.

One major concern publishers have latched onto regarding e-books is the belief that a low price point will devalue hardcovers, and by extension, their authors' work. Amazon, being a retailer permitted to set their own prices, has consistently refused to set e-book prices higher than $9.99.

On Thursday, the Macmillan president met with Amazon executives to discuss their new policy, effective in March, concurrent with the deal they've already signed with Apple for their new iPad device. Macmillan proposed to set e-book prices for new releases at $12.99 to $14.99, with the caveat that they'll lower the prices over time, and have e-books available at mass market paperback prices when the MMP versions are released. Amazon disagreed.

On Friday, Amazon removed the Buy buttons from all Macmillan titles on their site - including hardcover and paperback versions. There are reports that Amazon also deleted sales information and sample chapters of all Macmillan titles that were downloaded by customers onto Kindle devices.

What does this mean for the future of e-rights? The only thing that's clear at this point: no one really knows.

Here's agent Nathan Bransford's take on the issue.

Pro e-book author J. A. Konrath weighs in here.

And from a reader's perspective: Jane at Dear Author.

My take? I'm confused. Mightily. There's no question that things are going to change, but at this point there are too many possibilities to call the direction. Will the iPad, a device that has most tech-savvy e-book consumers feeling "underwhelmed" (as Sarah at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books spells out here), prove to be true competition for the Kindle? Will the rest of the Big 6 publishers follow Macmillan's lead, and either force Amazon to raise prices or pull their titles from the world's biggest online bookseller?

The only opinion I've truly formed so far is this: I don't believe a lower price point for e-books is going to destroy hardcover sales. I have several reasons for believing this. One: A good portion of hardcover sales are to libraries - and libraries are not going to replace hardcovers with e-versions. Two: Readers who make hardcover purchases do so because they like hardcovers. They want the durability, and even the prestige, of owning a "better" version of a book by their favorite authors.

And three: Those who read a lot of e-books, or almost exclusively e-books, do not buy and have rarely bought hardcovers in the past, and will not start purchasing hardcovers if e-book versions are not available. If you own an e-reader, chances are good that you read a LOT of books. That means you don't habitually spend $15 to $25 per title. Before e-books, you purchased mass market paperbacks. You were never part of the hardcover equation.

So, listen here, New York publishing and Amazon: STOP PANICKING. There's enough ice cream - er, slices of the e-book pie - for everyone here. It's time to embrace the future. Can't we all just get along?

Let's Talk Plot

2010-02-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

What is it? The short answer is, it's the main elements of a story or what a story is about. But if that was all there was to plotting a story, our novels would only require a quick narrative that highlights the main points of the story -- something more akin to a synopsis.

Plot however, is the succession of things that happen to the characters, the choices they make, the results of those choices, and their reaction to the obstacles they encounter. When developing the plot, each action and/or event causes conflict that should steadily intensifies as the story develops. Conflict needs to continue to build until the action climaxes, then the character resolves the issue(s), leading to an ending that neatly ties all the plot points.

Five Plot Elements:

Exposition: Introduction of the main characters and setting.
Rising Action: One or more characters in crisis.
Climax: Point of highest emotion - turning point.
Falling Action: Solution of character's crisis.
Conclusion: Resolution

What Can We Expect From the Publishing Industry in 2010?

2010-01-31T13:35:00.000-05:00

I came across an article in Publishers Weekley that beats anything that I could possibly come up to post here today.

The article is titled "Better Luck Next Year" and looks at the top 10 publishing stories of 2009—and ahead to 2010.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6713316.html

The People Have Spoken

2010-01-25T04:00:00.003-05:00

© Dr. Rocco Martino 2010 all rights reserved

In Cancel Christmas a lobbyist makes the statement that ‘people don’t count.’ In his view, the opinions, votes, and preferences of people could be manipulated. That feeling seems to have pervaded many of the current members of Congress. The polls loudly proclaim that the people of this country do not like what they are doing, don’t want more deficit spending without purpose, and are tired of the giveaway programs to favored persons, companies, and states.

Cancel Christmas was written as a wakeup call to America of what is going on. They have heard. Virginia, New Jersey, and now Massachusetts have spoken. They said with their votes: “We voted for change! You gave us the wrong kind – you didn’t do what you promised. Now we will vote again for change – we will vote for new representation!”

In Cancel Charismas a buffoon under the name of Senator Christian offers his vote in the Senate for re-election, for his pet projects, and to pay off favors to the majority leader. He never thinks of his constituents except to figure how to hoodwink them in to voting for him again. Is he a fictitious character or the real thing? You decide.

In any event, Cancel Christmas is for real. Whether it is Christmas, Thanksgiving, your pocketbook, your job, or your retirement cushion, this Congress is determined to do its will no matter how it affects you or what you think.

Cancel Christmas is a blast of cold air for the spin masters and a breath of fresh air for ordinary citizens. I hope you read the book. Write to me with your ideas. Tell me if you agree with me or not. Tell me how I can keep your attention. Tell me what you would like to see me write. What do you want to read? I am working on a sequel.

Will Sam marry Cindy? Will Sam go to work for Timber? Will the campaign to Cancel Christmas stop or go on? Who or what is the hobo? And finally, will Senator Christian get re-elected?

About the author:

Dr. Rocco Martino is an international authority on finance, planning, space flight and computer systems. Trained in astrophysics, this rocket scientist was one of the creators of the computer age. He has traveled the world and served many of the largest organizations and governments on the globe. He is a keen observer of the world about us all. He has written newspaper columns, novels, plays, and technical works. He has authored twenty works of non-fiction and one other novel. He uses his knowledge of the inner workings of government and business, together with a lot of humor, to punctuate his message.

Interview With Author, John J. Le Beau

2010-01-21T04:00:00.003-05:00

© John J. Le Beau 2010 all rights reserved

It's my pleasure to introduce John J. Le Beau today on Novel Works. LeBeau was born and raised in Northampton, Massachusetts. Following a tour as a U.S. Army officer, Dr. Le Beau served as a clandestine operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency for over 25 years. COLLISION OF EVIL is his first novel.

Book Blurb:

As evening falls against the majestic backdrop of the Bavarian Alps, Charles Hirter, an American tourist, is savagely murdered. In the peace, quiet and pastoral splendor of this magnificent setting, Charles Hirter draws his last breath. Was Charles simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Kommissar Franz Waldbaer, the German detective in charge of the case, faces an investigation that yields neither clues nor suspects nor motives. A gruff, go-it alone detective, Waldbaer is dismayed by the arrival of Robert Hirter, the victim's brother, who insists on joining the investigation. But there is more to Robert than meets the eye. As Robert and the Kommissar uncover a nefarious nexus of evil past and evil present, they find themselves probing dark, long-forgotten episodes from the Third Reich in order to identify the present threat. Thrust into a violent world of fanatic passions, malevolent intentions and excruciating urgency, Robert Hirter and Kommissar Waldbaer must race against the clock to stop a sophisticated, covert, and deadly plot.

1. Please share a little about you, your writing journey, and how you tapped into your background in the writing of this book.

It was a long journey, I expect. I served as an intelligence operations officer in the Clandestine Service of the Central Intelligence Agency for over a quarter of a century. Those were interesting decades and, although not intentional, provided the soil out of which COLLISION OF EVIL eventually grew. In my university days, I had enjoyed working on a dissertation which dealt with the Second World War, although that was a rigorous academic task as well. Later, inside the intelligence community, I did for a period work on written, classified intelligence pieces, but never a piece of fiction, let alone a novel. During my last year or so of CIA service, I started to think about writing a ‘realistic’ fictive piece dealing with intelligence methods and operations, and the phenomenon of terrorism. My wife encouraged me in this direction and I began to sketch out the outlines – not the details – of Collision. I wanted to portray, in an interesting way for the reader, a world where intelligence work is not antiseptic, is never perfect, where there is not a technical solution to every challenge. I employed some of my own experiences as a sort of canvas on which to paint the story developed in the novel. I concluded the writing while at the George C. Marshall Center, and my work and contacts here on terrorism contributed considerably to the texture of the novel.

2. Please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did allow the plot to simmer for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

As I recall, the very first thing that I did was open a bottle of Bavarian beer one evening, watch the sun descend behind the alps, and consider in general terms what sort of plot might sustain the length of a novel. I started with a very general idea of the book, which, initially, was more or less this: something about a jihadi terrorist cell located in Germany, planning a major attack, and the authorities trying to unravel the conspiracy before it could transpire. I had a sense of the protagonist and the nemesis. That was the starting point, and I refined the notion over time to its final form. The idea of tying this in to historical episodes from Germany’s past came a bit later. Some of the plot developed as I was writing, really as an organic product of the creative process. I did at one point write down as bullets on a piece of paper how I saw the plot progress. That more or less translated into one chapter per bullet. I wanted generally (but not always) to work with short chapters, to sustain a sense of impelling motion and urgency. Urgency, by the way, is a real element in much intelligence and law enforcement work, because its practitioners are trying to stop some violent act form occurring. With an outline of how the plot should develop, I was ready to sit down and put words to paper.

3. Why COLLISION OF EVIL? What prompted you to write this book at this particular time and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

Having dealt to a considerable degree with intelligence work, terrorism and these matters, the plot of COLLISION OF EVIL is what entered my head as something providing the basis for a solid international thriller entertainment with a contemporary theme. In part, I was curious to see whether I could write with sufficient discipline and purpose to sustain an entire novel. Its one thing to say ‘I could write a book about that’. It’s quite another thing to actually bring a book to closure. So, part of it was challenge. I also wanted to portray the remorseless nature of jihadi terrorism and the perverse prism through which its practitioners view the world. I hope readers will take the work as an entertainment in the thriller genre, but also as a book that is not entirely removed from the gritty reality of covert operations and the terrorist menace.

4. At what point did you decide to write this book and how long did it take you to finish it?

Once I had decided to write COLLISION OF EVIL , I guess the entire process to get a first draft punched into shape took about a year and a half. Working with the publisher on refining the first draft was fairly quick, some months, once I had the manuscript cleared for publication by CIA.

5. Tell us a bit about your protagonist, Kommissar Franz Waldbaer and what, in your opinion, makes him believable.

Waldbaer is at least believable to me, and is a composite of some real people I have dealt with in intelligence and law enforcement. I hope that he appears believable to an American reader because I have based his personality and habits and way of viewing the world on Germans I have known, and on my experiences in living in this neck of the woods over many years. Waldbaer is intended to be in some ways a ‘typical’ Bavarian. He is direct in his style, a bit taciturn, and perhaps a bit sensitive. He appreciates good beer and the conviviality of public houses. Waldbaer is also a sort of go-it-alone professional with flaws and no superhero. Although character development is arguably always secondary to plot and pace in a thriller, I wanted to make the Waldbaer character one with human dimension.

6. Who or what was your inspiration for this character?

As I say, no single individual. Kommissar Franz Waldbaer’s DNA was acquired from several sources.

7. Please share with our readers a little about the plot/subplots, the characters, and the setting of your novel.

As an international thriller, Collision of Evil has several locations in play. And two distinct historical epochs. But the main setting is Bavaria, the southernmost state of Germany, adjacent to Austria. This is the area where I reside and a region where I feel quite at home, so I thought it would provide a texture of reality for the book. I also thought that setting the book importantly in Bavaria would be interesting for the American reader, providing something of an exotic or unfamiliar locale. And one which people can fairly easily visit if so inclined. The alps are rather central to the plot of Collision and I would almost argue that the alps are a character in the book.

8. Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

The challenge at first was simple: do I as a first-time author of fiction have the focus, or ability or talent to write an interesting piece of fiction? I had no available answer, of course, but figured that the only way to determine that is to try. I also found dialogue a bit of a challenge and believe there can be some tension between trying to convey the way people really converse, and moving the dialogue along at the pace required for a thriller. I decided to write dialogue that I was comfortable with as being realistic, and then subsequently edit it for added brevity.

9. How much and/or what kind of research went into writing COLLISION OF EVIL?

Some, certainly. I researched German chemical weapons capabilities during the Second World War. I talked to German war veterans to get a sense of the fabric of their everyday experiences, to provide atmosphere to the novel. On terrorism, I pestered some of my fine colleagues at the Marshall Center for their views on this or that. I tried to employ my own experiences during my CIA days as a foundation for the parts of the book involving intelligence activity. Basically all of the locations described in Collision are places that I have either visited or lived in for a period of time. That too, I suppose, qualifies as a type of research.

10. What do you find the most difficult part of fiction writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

That’s a hard one for me to answer. I suppose trying to imagine a fictional world and painting it in words in a way that makes it plausible to the reader. That is not always an easy task, but persistence is the key, as it is with so many things in life.

11. How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

I have always held a full time job, which necessarily limits available writing time! I actually find weekends the most productive for major blocks of writing, with some evenings also of use. Writing is, to be sure, a commitment of one’s resources, and you have to want to do it. I enjoy it and find it fulfilling, rather than a task.

12. Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

My wife was a great influence throughout. And my daughter, who is at university, also encouraged in her own way. A good friend of mine in Pittsburgh, who would probably prefer not to be named, was decidedly influential in moving the book along from a manuscript to publication.

13. What are you working on now? What's next for John J. LeBeau?

I’m about half-way finished with the manuscript of a second novel involving Kommissar Waldbaer and Robert Hirter. I hope to finish it up in the next few months, with luck. It is another international thriller but one that involves something other than international terrorism. As with the first venture, there are several settings, but the action includes a number of key scenes in Austria and Bavaria. There are some new characters introduced, good and evil, and I am enjoying the project immensely.

14. Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

As with all worthy endeavors, writing requires work and a certain rigor and discipline. If you are serious about writing, take it seriously and professionally. Don't talk the plot of a book to death with your friends; sit down and write. Sometimes even if you don’t feel like it. Do you always feel like going to work? Perhaps not, but you go because you’ve accepted a certain job and its commensurate obligations. Approach writing that way. Put the book together as best you can. Worry about a publisher separately. Even if publication is a problem, you will at least know that you have concluded writing a novel. If its one that you are proud of, that is its own justification. And pursue publication with the same discipline employed in writing your tale in the first place. Thank you for this opportunity to reach out to your readers.

* * *

John J. Le Beau is giving away a signed copy of his book, COLLISION OF EVIL, to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page, http://john-j-le-beau.omnimystery.com/ enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 1211, for your chance to win. Entries from Novel Works will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) tomorrow. No purchase is required to enter or to win. The winner (first name only) will be announced on his book tour page next week.”

More About the Author:

John J. Le Beau was awarded a doctorate in political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Most of Le Beau’s intelligence career took place overseas, including in countries experiencing active terrorism and insurgency.

Le Beau has held such positions as Program Manager of a human and technical collection project involving the Middle East and Europe, and Chief of a CIA operational facility in Europe engaged in counterterrorist and counter-proliferation operations. Le Beau has also served as an overseas Case Officer active in a variety of countries and continents.

Since January 2006, Dr. Le Beau has worked as a Professor of National Security Studies in the College of International Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany. He teaches and lectures regularly in the Program on Terrorism and Security Studies and the Program on Advanced Security Studies.

Le Beau has also lectured extensively on terrorism, intelligence, and security topics internationally, and has recently lectured in venues in locations including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Georgia, Turkey, the United States, Germany and several other countries.

Funny Where We Get Our Ideas

2010-01-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

I was making such great strides with the edits of SHROUD OF LIES yesterday until till I came to a hurdle in one of the scenes. When that happens, I stop and walk away. Give my brain a rest and often the answer comes to me when I least expect it. This time, the idea came to me while I was watching one of those criminal investigation shows late last night. Not the exact answer but it made me realize what I was missing.

Earlier in the day, I had been reworking the scene between the homicide detective Joe Palermo and Rhonie Lude. They're discussing the evidence in a recent murder when Lude studies the photographs taken at the scene and those of the autopsy:

The photographs didn’t reveal anything new, nothing we didn’t already know. One bullet entered the body at a 24 degree angle from beneath the right jaw toward the back of his head. I grabbed the photos taken at the scene and thumbed through several of them. Every detail was just as I remembered it. I was certain Palermo looked at these shots several times so I couldn’t get past his frown. “What is it?”

So, the question for me was, what is in or missing from those photographs that has detective Palermo in a quandry? One possible answer came to me last night a one in the morning. I just never know what will spark the next thought.

What's In Store for BeWrite Books in 2010?

2010-01-15T19:49:00.001-05:00

I love Google Alerts, don't you? I have them set to my name, the name of each of my novels, the name of my series, and to each of my blogs. I never know what's going to pop up or where links to my work will land.

Today's Google Alert came and led me to my publisher's blog. There I found out that BeWrite Books (UK) entered negotiations with Chengdu Righthol Media Co Ltd in Sichuan, China this week for translation rights to several BB titles for the massive Chinese reading market. To keep an eye on this development, visit their blog at http://bewritebooks.blogspot.com/

This may be the year of change after all, at least for this small UK press. Right before Christmas, BeWrite announced they had converted over 50 of its authors' published books (including my Sam Harper novels) into the appropriate e-books format and are now available on Smashbook.

Write Books Technical Director, Tony Szmuk in Canada, said: “We always considered ourselves ahead of the game, having made those PDF files available for computer screen reading since our launch ten years ago – but the sudden explosion in the popularity of ebook reading on the new portable reading devices, mobile phones, iPods and what have you over the past few weeks woke us up to the fact that we were in danger of becoming dinosaurs in the new age."

These are both big steps for this small independent press and frankly, it may just be the publisher to watch in 2010. To read the full article about BeWrite and Smashbook go to: http://bewritebooks.blogspot.com/2010/01/bewrite-authors-are-revolting.html

A Plot Change

2010-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, I read a book that truly captured my interest. It was well written, had interesting characters, and a really wonderful plot. The descriptions were so clear and precise that to this day I can still see many of the scenes and the movement of the book’s characters. It was great, until I got to the last couple of chapters when I was totally caught off guard by a convenient ending. You know what I'm talking about. The kind of ending that just says, "Here, yes, I did it and here’s how I did it and why. End of story."

That ending was so disappointing that it has remained in the back of my mind ever since. Now, as I near the final chapters of my WIP, I thought about it again and decided it was time to evaluate how I was going to end this book.

The idea for a change in direction stemmed from a minor character I introduced in an early chapter. I really enjoyed writing that scene because he was so vile and disgusting. However, I know that everything that is in a book, must have a purpose and up until today, this guy didn’t have one except to be obnoxious.

I decided it was time I bring him back into the plot, the question was, what role was he going to play and what was going to be his motivation? When I put myself in this situation the first thing I do is write a back story that answers the following: What makes this character tick? What’s happened in his past that brought him to this place and time? Who does he know? Who influenced him and why? What drives his actions?

After writing several pages, I developed an alternative plot twist. Granted it’ll require changing at least three or four of the chapters plus the motivation of one of the other characters. Still, I think the results will be worth the trouble. All I have to do is to take a day or so to let it roll around in my head.

Creating An Internet Presence: Spread the Word

2010-01-06T08:36:00.000-05:00

© Marta Stephens 2010 all rights reserved

Authors have an amazing power at their fingertips and it’s not a magical wand. It’s called the Internet, but what he or she does with it is the make or break difference in their success to reach a global audience. Let’s say the author has a website, a blog, and a book on Amazon -- that’s not enough. They must network to gain global exposure. Think of it as multi-level marketing. She tells ten people about her book, they tell ten people, and so on and so forth. The obvious difference between the standard concept of word of mouth, face to face communication, and the internet is that one person has the potential to reach millions of people with a few key strokes.

One of the easiest, cost effective, and most immediate forms of communication, of course, is e-mail. Build a mailing list of friends, family, and readers, professional contacts and referrals. When you have a book signing, ask those who buy your book to sign a guest book and provide you with an e-mail address for updates about your writing. Send out periodic announcements to your fans about signings, contests, appearances, and other milestones in your writing career. Make it personal by maintaining a land mailing address list and mail out signed postcards announcing the launch and pertinent information about your new book. You’ll be out of the cost of printing and postage, but the returns can be magical.

Author/reader groups and forums. Word of mouth is still the number one best way to sell your book even if “word of mouth” takes on a different form of communication. The Internet is overflowing with groups that bring authors and readers together. Don’t limit yourself to one or two groups. Social networks, forums, critique groups, and professional writers’ groups are key to today’s Internet marking. Many sites will allow members to create a profile page that offers the capability to post book covers, the author’s photographs, bios, book trailers, and blogs. Some groups also include forums for the exchange of information and ideas. They’re a great way to meet others who have similar interests and will often lead to many positive connections.

The interactions we have with one another are the cornerstones of relationships. Therefore, the key to success in these groups is to give as much as you receive. Make it a point to respond not only to the messages posted on your page, but get in the habit of interacting with the other members via their posts. Get involved in group discussions whether they are related to writing/publishing or not. Few authors have the luxury of writing full-time which means they work outside the home and often are highly skilled in other areas of expertise. Share your know-how, when applicable, with others. Members will support fellow members they have come to know. I belong to a number of author/reader groups and have found each through links that members from other sites have shared or invited me into. In return, I invite them into my groups and thus pay it forward. Eventually your base of contacts will grow into a wonderfully diverse set of cyber friends. After a while, you’ll start seeing familiar faces at the different sites who by now have met new contacts for you to contact.

One argument against social networks is the amount of time required to keep active; some can be quite demanding of your time and expect you to post on a regular basis. Blogs and forums can become addictive if you let them. Let’s face it, if you’re blogging, you’re not writing. Fortunately, you’re in control of your time, right? Allow yourself say, 20-30 minutes a day to visit a select group of sites. If you don’t make it into all of the groups, visit the next set of groups the following days, but don’t exceed your allotted time on the blogs. Review the posts, respond to those you are interested in, certainly support the member who have been supportive of you, and then get out. Set your e-mail preferences to daily or weekly digest which will only send out one e-mail listing that day’s or week’s activity for you to select from and read. This will also cut down on the number of e-mails in your mailbox.

Join a professional writers' organization. Organizations are as varied as there are genres; Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America are just a few.

Some membership fees are hefty and carry a minimum criterion for acceptance into the group. Do your homework and see which one best fits your needs. The advantages of a membership in a professional writers’ organization are that:

1) Active participation in a professional group reflects the level of time and financial commitment an author is willing to make to his or her writing career.

2) These organizations provides support for authors by promoting the author’s work to the membership and others in the publishing business, provide a networking system, announce upcoming events, contests, and other opportunities, and pass on valuable information about current publishing trends to the members.

Conferences are another great way to connect with others in the publishing business as well as readers. If you are fortunate enough to be invited to speak on a panel and/or have a book signing, make sure you have ample bookmarks to pass out that include your website and e-mail information along with a picture of your book cover and blurb. The costs of some events can be prohibiting. Plan ahead and select one or two key conferences per year to make those critical connections.

Send media releases to the major newspapers and radio stations in your state and ask for an interview – not a review. Most newspapers no longer write book reviews. Follow up with a phone call to the appropriate editor to make sure he or she received it and to check if additional information is needed. Continue to focus your marketing to posting articles in high traffic blogs and remember to always give something back to the reader

Getting On a Writing Schedule

2010-01-05T08:03:00.000-05:00

I think I might have found the answer to my writing madness. During my recent 14-day holiday vacation, I continued to get up around six in the morning to write. It felt wonderful—really wonderful to work in absolute silence.

Evidently, I’d inadvertently gotten myself into a good routine. This morning, on my first day back to work, one of our dogs, Candy (4 year-old mini Doxie) woke me up with her barking around four. Fully intending to go back to sleep for another two hours, I tossed and turned until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I threw on my robe and slippers, walked down the hall, turned on my laptop and edited three more chapters before my six o'clock shower. OMG!!

I was able to work on a chapter 36 during my lunch hour, but about half way through the read, I decided it needed some minor changes. It’s not a bad chapter, in fact, there’s some good tension going on in there between two characters, it just needs to take place somewhere else other than in Rhonie Lude’s living room. It made me wonder how many other chapters I began with my character arriving home and answering a phone call. Boring, but that’s what happens during the writing of the early drafts and why we edit ruthlessly.

It really won’t take too much to change it, but I’ll probably spend the next day or so tossing ideas around until I find a better location. Whatever the change, it’ll be worth the effort.

Today’s word count: 65,116, six more chapters to edit and I've yet to write the ending.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

Since THE DEVIL CAN WAIT was released in November of 2008, 2009 was a year of book promotion, blogging, and getting to work on the next book. I was thrilled to learn that "The Devil" won the bronze medal in the 2009 Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) in May. However, I was deeply disappointed to learn that my publisher was about to leave the company (BeWrite Books).

Sometimes it's these setbacks in life that make us pick ourselves up from the seat of the pants, get moving in a new direction, and out of our comfort zone. On the upside of things, I started to write a book I'd had in my head for several years which felt wonderful. Cait and I have remained close friends and we had the wonderful opportunity to meet this past October.

If you want to know what I really think about 2009, you can read all about it in my post on Murder by 4 (one of my other blogs): http://murderby4.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-year-features-day-1.html

I'm truly looking forward to 2010. Already it's getting off to a great start. E-books of both of my Sam Harper novels are now available through Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MartaStephens, the edits in my current novel, SHROUD OF LIES, are going great, and last night, drum roll paleez-z-z-z-z-e! We found out that Murder By 4 was selected AGAIN by Writer's Digest to be among the 2010 Best Websites for Writers!

Day one and so far, so good! Best wishes to all and on to having a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

Interview with Rocco Martino, author of "Cancel Christmas!"

2009-12-18T04:00:00.002-05:00

CANCEL CHRISTMAS! is a modern-day retelling of A CHRISTMAS CAROL that examines how unscrupulous plans can be hatched against the will of the people using taxpayer money to hoodwink and thwart opposition.

Ultimately, the book - a sharp satire interspersed with humor and a little romance - proves that Christmas is an attitude of mind shared by many people, that it does a lot of good, and shouldn't be altered. The greed of a single person must never be allowed to subvert the function of government so that one person's profit can be achieved at the expense of many.

Book blurb for CANCEL CHRISTMAS:

“Cancel Christmas! will make you laugh and make you angry. It could happen. Greed, ambition, and the misuse of taxpayer money are nothing new. This book depicts the classic struggle between might and right; and between raw power and thoughtful evaluation. For some, the will of the people doesn’t matter since ‘people don’t count’ as one major character says in the book.”

Q: Rocco, without question, you have a fascinating and diverse background. In addition to authoring twenty other books (non-fiction?), you are trained in astrophysics as well as an international authority on finance, planning, space flight, computer systems, and a former educator. Please share a little about you, your writing journey, and how you tapped into your extensive background in the writing of this book.

A: Thank you for your fine description of my career. It is only in looking backwards that it was fascinating and diverse. While I was going through it, it was a lot of hard work. I must admit, however, that these diverse experiences in many parts of the world, often with senior officials in government, business, and industry, provided a wealth of background that I used in my non-fiction books in the past. These experiences were also very important in providing me background for some of these scenes I describe in Cancel Christmas!

Q: In a previous interview, you gave a wonderful comparison between your character of Oliphant Timber Bleakheart and Ebenezer Scrooges. Would you please share your thoughts on this?

A: In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a Dickensonian character in all respects, the caricature of the miser of his age. Scrooge was interested more in saving money than he was in generating a world class fortune. His efforts at parsimony affected only the manner in which he spent his money and treated his work with Crotchet and requests for charity. Oliphant Timber Bleakheart, on the other hand, was a world class miser who cared of nothing or the effect of his actions on anyone. His goal was to amass wealth for the sake of wealth, and to increase his standing globally until he became the richest man in the world. People meant nothing to him and he was not only miserly, but indifferent to the needs or desires of anyone around him. He even wished his own father out of the company. Bleakheart is a modern miser who used all of the technical, financial, and communication capabilities that exist, that he can harness to his will and whim. While Scrooge is certainly not a sympathetic character, Bleakheart is a dangerous person. While his motivation is greed, were he to make power his motivation, this is the kind of person that could become a dictator to the likes of Stalin and Mao Zedong.

Q: Why CANCEL CHRISTMAS!? What prompted you to write this book at this particular time and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: As I wrote in a blog on my website, www.cancelchristmas.us, I became perturbed - to say the least - in reading that the stimulus bill of 2009 included some 9,000 earmarks. While some of these undoubtedly were of great value to the country, I was convinced that the bulk of them were “pure pork”. I decided not to get angry but to expose some of this through satire. The result is Cancel Christmas! I was also convinced that there was a great danger that something like this could happen, as I spell out on my website. Attempts were actually made a few short years ago to have the FCC eliminate all Christmas carols from the airwaves as being an intrusion of religion in the public square. This was rejected at the time, but there is no guarantee something like this won’t be attempted in the future.

Q: The subject matter/theme of your book is so timely, but it’s not entirely surprising given your extensive background in finance. How long did it take you to finish it?

A: It took about three months to complete the first draft and another three months before I was satisfied with my editing of the text. It took another month or so to complete the mechanical aspects to get it ready for publication. I wanted the book published this year and to bypass the normal channels of publication and selected Infinity as my publisher.

Q: So tell us a bit about your protagonist, Oliphant Timber Bleakheart. How he came about.

A: I have met people like Bleakheart. Some of them are wealthy and some are not. I am largely referring to the kind of people who take the Bleakheart approach of smashing problems with a sledgehammer rather than solve them. As some of them claim that this is a very solid way to solve a problem, similar to the way in which Alexander got the Gordian Knot. However most people are not amenable to solution with a sledgehammer, at least one would hope so. Feeling strongly about that approach, since I had seen a sledgehammer applied to many problems in international finance and national security, I invented the Bleakheart character to illustrate the danger of such an approach applied to national life. Bleakheart is certainly not my model for individuals of great wealth. I have personally met many ultra wealthy people and by and large have found them to be courteous, conscious of the feelings and welfare of those around them, and certainly the antithesis of Bleakheart as portrayed in this book. Bleakheart happened to be wealthy; he is not what he is because he is wealthy. I had to make him a powerful and wealthy individual so he would be in a position to finance his endeavor to cancel Christmas.

Q: Who or what was your inspiration for this character?

A: No living person was my inspiration for this character. If anything, he comes from literature, the combination of Silas Marner, Richard III, and Attila the Hun.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot/subplots, the characters, and the setting of your novel.

A: The major plot in Cancel Christmas! involves the attempts of a wealthy investor to eliminate Christmas vacation pay in order to increase his personal prophet. The antihero of this plot is Oliphant Timber Bleakheart. He is dissuaded from an outright attempt to cancel the Christmas cycle by his general counsel, Sam Flint, by moving the observance of Christmas to a Saturday, hence eliminating paid vacation time. The plot includes Bleakheart’s plan to apply his power over Senator Christian to secure government money to finance his efforts. These efforts would be directed towards a public relations program that would generate support for his efforts under the guise of improving national security. Towards that end, Bleakheart directs his general counsel, Sam Flint, to avoid obvious and public relations people to achieve the goal of creating a groundswell of support for moving the celebration of Christmas to the last Saturday of December. The rationale for this is national security.

A subplot develops as Sam Flint finds it increasingly difficult to balance his professional activity as general counsel against his personal attribution of this plot. His antipathy is shared by Cindy Powers, the stunning secretary of Timber Bleakheart. Torn by his internal struggle, Sam’s character comes to the fore as he resigns rather than continue doing something he abhors because it was his job. Cindy is attracted even more to Sam in his show of great character; and a budding relationship between Cindy and Sam blossoms.

A move to cancel Christmas is well underway until Bleakheart is stricken with an incurable illness and has a sudden change of heart after an encounter with a mysterious hobo. The book comes to an end with Bleakheart offering Sam a job with no strings as chief operating officer of his company. Left unanswered is the final outcome of the move to cancel Christmas even without blackhearts support, the romance between Cindy and Sam, and whether Sam will accept Bleakheart’s offer. Overriding all of these is the question of “who is the hobo”?

Q: Now I’m totally intrigued with this book. Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing it, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: The biggest problem was the more I described the character Senator Christian, the more I laughed and the more I wanted to write. I could have devoted the entire book to the idiosyncrasies of Senator Christian and perhaps may do so in a future book. In this book, however, I wanted to portray the manner in which power and wealth can be used to influence the official actions of government.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: A significant amount of research went into the history of Christmas. It became important in detailing this to make sure that it did not become a major part of the book and thus intrude on the main theme, which was to portray the use of power and wealth to influence the actions of government, even against the will and benefit of the public. This research of the history of Christmas was summarized and inserted into the book to provide information without a distraction.

Q: What do you find the most difficult part of fiction writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

A: I find writing fiction easier than writing non-fiction. In both cases it is necessary to describe actions and the impact of readings and understandings. In nonfiction these must be fully detailed, documented, and correct. In fiction, they can be left to the imagination of the author. Hence writing fiction, for me, was much easier than writing non-fiction. I have never written a book of non-fiction as rapidly as I wrote this first novel.

Q: How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: A long time ago I picked a certain part of every day to write and to schedule that time well in advance. This attempt at making these rigidly specific hours every day failed because of my extensive travel and speaking events. On the other hand, I found it easy to determine that I would spend exactly enough time to write the portions scheduled for each day. This is my way of saying I actually scheduled the writing time and content for at least a month in advance, often two months. In that fashion I will be able to complete what I had scheduled to get done within the time allocated.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A: My wife and family were the greatest influence in my writing. They encouraged me throughout my life knowing how I wanted to write from the time I was twelve years old when I wrote my first short story. As a matter of fact, I always wanted to write and might have preferred studying English and history at the university instead of mathematics and finance. Strangely enough I won scholarships in English and history and used these funds to finance my education in mathematics and finance. My career in aerospace, computer systems, and finance have spearheaded my writing endeavors up to the present time. I will continue to write non-fiction, but now that this first novel is completed, I will undoubtedly write more novels. As a matter of fact, I already have one underway and am almost finished.

Q: Please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did allow the plot to simmer for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: My writing process is somewhat methodical and quite similar to the manner in which I proceeded with my technical innovations, discoveries and creations. First of all, you find the problem, and think about it for some time, so I clearly established the manner in which I was going to go about solving it. Then I would proceed to the solution, verify the solution against data, and then publish it. First of all, think about the subject and various ramifications. When it was clearly defined in my mind, I would layout the entire book in “outline form”, chapters and sections. Then I would proceed to create a schedule as to which part and how much of it I would write in any given session. I would assume the sessions were self-contained and the length could be anywhere from 1,000 words to 5,000 words; the chapter or at least the self contained portion of the chapter. Then I would proceed to write it, keeping constant track of where I was in regard to character development in the novel and thought development in non-fiction. In the case of Cancel Christmas!, as I am finding in the current novel I am writing, characters themselves have found influence in the flow of the book. While I may have outlined in my mind and on paper these characters, it is only the actions displayed in text that leave to amplification of the character. Quite often I find changes and tweaks to my original outline. For example, I always meant Sam to be a person of strong will characteristics; I initially made him almost a comical character. That the developing change in him could amplify the budding romance with Cindy is a tweak that I built into the character after my initial outline.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next for Dr. Martino?

A: I am currently completing a second novel as well as a non-fiction history of the computer. While neither is one of high drama, because of the nature of the accomplishment and the forces against its completion; the wild story to deny the inventors their true rewards. Now that I have completed my first novel, Cancel Christmas!, I am tempted to write a novel on that subject sometime in the future. But at least the people of The History and People of ENIAC, will soon be finished. It has taken four years, is very detailed analysis with hundreds of citations and scores of books and papers to complete the book.

The novel rides a plot to deploy weapons of mass destruction against the United States. More will be said about this at a future date.

I’ve also asked a number of reviewers of Cancel Christmas! if we were able to write the sequel of the book, especially the budding romance of Sam. I will have to take a walk around the neighborhood and see what my friend, the hobo, has to say about this. In case you wonder about “the hobo”, read the book.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Sit down and do it, or stand up and do it, or lie down and do it. Important thing is to write. Try to write something every day, if even only a paragraph, I was told by an author friend of my father’s. I started doing it when I was twelve years old. I wrote for the high school newspaper, college newspaper, wrote a play in graduate school, technical papers ever since and now the novel, Cancel Christmas! My word of advice is this: "just write!"

About the author:

Dr. Rocco Martino is an international authority on finance, planning, space flight and computer systems. Trained in astrophysics, this rocket scientist was one of the creators of the computer age. He has traveled the world and served many of the largest organizations and governments on the globe. He is a keen observer of the world about us all. He has written newspaper columns, novels, plays, and technical works. He has authored twenty works of non-fiction and one other novel. He uses his knowledge of the inner workings of government and business, together with a lot of humor, to punctuate his message.

Interview with author, Meg Westley

2009-12-16T04:00:00.002-05:00

Born in Montreal, author and dungeon master Meg Westley has been immersed in fantasy and writing for many years. Her speculative fiction story Do Unto Others will soon be published in the anthology ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE by Mythica Publishing.

1. Meg, I'm so pleased that you've agreed to this interview. Please tell us a little about yourself.

I live in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, where we're in deep winter, snow swirling outside and drifting over the streets. I make my living teaching communications at a couple of post-secondary institution; I'm also an elected public school board trustee.

I've been writing seriously for about ten years. Prior to starting my first novel, I wrote a series of plays, updated fairy tales, for students at my sons' school to perform. I ran a Drama Club at the school for about 5 years and wrote a play each year. The kids got to say things like "shut up" which made them giggle; I found it easy to take a familiar tale and transplant the story into a contemporary setting - much easier than having to create a new plots.

For years, I wrote a monthly column on education for the local newspaper. I'm a passionate advocate for public education and once I'd been elected as a trustee, I wanted to inform people about the issues and express my (rather strong) opinions.

My first novel was a quirky little fantasy in which the goddess Persephone came up with a bizarre strategy for getting revenge on Hades. It was a learning-to-write kind of book which languishes on my shelf to this day. I began writing Goddess Fire about eight years ago.

I split my time between writing, teaching and school board business. My partner is very supportive. We have two terrific sons, the youngest on the verge of leaving home, the oldest finishing university. I love living in Stratford AND I love the snow.

2. What inspired you to write fantasy?

I've always loved fantasy, the idea of worlds like and yet not like our own, of people endowed with unusual abilities and of actual magic. I've read fantasy throughout my life, and my interest in the genre made me an instant convert when I was introduced to the game Dungeons and Dragons. I spent about five years immersed in D&D. As a dungeon master, I created worlds with their own gods and rituals, races and magic. I also dreamed up complicated, exciting plots and bizarre characters. In some ways, it was a logical next step to transform one of my D&D adventures into a novel. I'd done all the conceptualizing; I just had to figure out how to actually write a novel!

3. The blurb for your novel, Goddess Fire reads:

The god of dreams has fallen silent; the goddess of nightmares ravages Egira. Her spawn, the towering, indigo-skinned Vleth, conquer the land and pervert its culture. Women wield exclusive power and men are slaves. Those who worship the god of dreams await death, entombed in underground catacombs.

Joran, the leader of a small resistance group, discovers the Vleth plan to murder hundreds of prisoners in a fiery ritual. He races against time to prevent the massacre. But the Vleth hunt down and kill his followers, until he has only a desperate young woman, a naïve ambassador and the beautiful but unreliable seer Taeja to help him. The Vleth command a ruthless army and are backed by the goddess herself…

It sounds like a great and complex story line! How do you go about organizing your plot? Did you do an outline before writing the book?

Absolutely. I created several outlines. I started with a general outline of the storyline, so I knew where it would begin and end and what the turning points would be. Then I started writing. Before long, I had to revise the outline, because I'd get an idea and add a new scene or character which would alter the shape of the book. So the outline was a work in progress for quite a while.

4. Why Goddess Fire? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

I wanted to explore the human impact of totalitarian regimes: how absolute power warps those who wield it and galvanizes those who are oppressed to acts of unusual daring and courage. I'm also interested in the violent fanaticism that religious conflict can produce. In Goddess Fire, the oppressors (the Vleth) worship the Goddess of Nightmares; the Sylvani worship the God of Dreams. The two gods battle for control of the realm of mortal unconsciousness. The goddess is determined to annihilate the god, so she sends her armies to destroy his followers. He is a benign god, devoted to peace, and hence vulnerable.

I initially conceived the scenario as a D&D adventure. My goal was to place the player characters in a high-stakes situation that would feel real and frightening. The conflict in Goddess Fire is not unfamiliar; we've seen it in different countries at different times in history. One group attains power and attempts to eliminate another group for senseless reasons. Most people are so cowed by the brutality of the ruling regime that they turn their backs on the victims; a few resist and form underground organizations committed to overthrowing the tyrants.

I want the reader to be engrossed and intrigued, but I hope they also reflect on these issues. It's a fast-paced, suspenseful story, a page-turner into which the reader can escape.

5. Tell us a bit about your protagonists, Joran and Taeja, and how they came about.

Joran is the leader of the dissenters. He's devoted his life to saving the Sylvani from annihilation and trying to restore the culture of his youth, where both men and women had rights. He's learned to live under the radar, adopting the subservient attitude demanded of men when he's in public. In private, he is a hard-headed leader who brings people together, inspires them and finds creative, sometimes ruthless ways to ensure their survival.

Taeja is a seer, who sees omens and spirits and trusts her "vision" completely. She's extremely intuitive and intelligent, but also aloof and distant, more interested in what she calls "the other world" than in Egira. She wields a lot of power. In the Vleth hierarchy, seers rank next beneath the Vleth, but they also serve the Vleth. Taeja can read minds, and is often ordered to do so by the Vleth. Initially she has little sympathy for the Sylvani or the dissenters, and just wants to be left alone. But at the very moment when Joran is trying to persuade her to help him, she feels the presence of the Sylvani god, also prodding her. She makes a snap decision to work with the dissenters.

I created Joran because I needed a strong individual to lead the dissenters who also had first-hand experience of oppression. In order for Joran to have a hope of succeeding, he needed an insider to help him infiltrate the Vleth stronghold and disrupt the annihilation ritual. I wanted the two protagonists to be dramatically different. Taeja is illusive and vague but insightful, whereas Joran is entirely practical and strategic. They're both used to being in charge, so some interesting dynamics develop when they try to collaborate.

6. Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

The novel is set in Egira. It's a fictitious land but has similarities to ancient Greece. The society is primitive but civilized; the people worship various gods. The Sylvani came to Egira centuries ago, bringing with them a refined culture. They lived amicably with the native Egirans, sharing their skills and knowledge. Then the Vleth arrived. The Vleth are unearthly: tall, blue-skinned women with talons who worship the Goddess of Nightmares. They conquer Egira and transform the culture, empowering women, enslaving the men and imprisoning the Sylvani in underground catacombs.

The novel begins with Joran learning the Vleth plan to annihilate the Sylvani in a fiery ritual. He has ten days in which to mobilize his ever-diminishing group of dissenters to prevent the ritual. He takes a huge risk and entreats the assistance of Taeja, a high-level seer. Although she has doubts, her seer instincts persuade her to help him. Together they race against time to discover the details of the planned ritual, infiltrate the Vleth stronghold and outwit their opponents.

The plot is full of twists and turns: Taeja's Vleth overseer lusts for her and grows increasingly suspicious of her activities. One of Joran's dissenters turns out to be a double agent and leads others into a trap. The goddess sends a terrifying emissary to conduct the ritual. The dissenters obtain a potent item of Vleth magic. It has immense potential, but it also warps the mind of its wielder.

7. Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

There were so many challenges! I came at it backwards because I had the plot clear in my mind before I'd fully fleshed out the characters. I'd developed the plot for the D&D game, but the characters were new (since players create their own characters in D&D.) As the characters developed, the plot had to change, because the characters had their own ideas and simply refused to follow the plot I'd envisioned. So I had to rewrite scene after scene to ensure they made sense given the goals and motivations of these particular characters. Of course, this made it a much stronger, more compelling story in the end. It's a much better idea to start with the characters and let their actions create plot.

It was also a challenge to stretch my imagination! Part of the appeal of fantasy is precisely that things are not as they are in the real world; readers want to escape from reality, they want fantastical events and characters. So I spent a lot of time trying to think of outlandish - and frightening - obstacles to throw in the way of my protagonists. For example, Chardyl, the Vleth who is Taeja's immediate superior, wants to "possess" Taeja and steal her power. I wracked my brains for ways in which she might do this. In the end, I created a Vleth soulmate, a fiery creature who mates with the cold-blooded Vleth. There's a weird erotic scene between the two and then Chardyl takes a little tentacle of her soulmate and inserts it into Taeja's ear while she's unconscious. Taeja doesn't know what has happened, except that her powers are dead, but the reader knows there's this tiny sentient worm crawling through Taeja's mind, ferreting out her secrets.

It was also challenging to create a complex social hierarchy and get inside the heads of characters with peculiar abilities, but all the imaginative exploration was also terrific fun.

8. How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

Since it's fantasy, I didn't do an enormous amount of research, but I believe fantasy has to be strongly grounded. The world and the magic have to be scrupulously consistent and logical if the reader is to willingly suspend disbelief. Since I'd decided to set the story in a land not unlike ancient Greece, I researched that period. How did people make their livings then? What weapons did they use? How did they tell time? I'd never heard of water clocks before I did the research, but that's what people in that era used, so I introduced them. It's tricky writing a book in which time is crucial (they have ten days before the ritual) when the society has little understanding of time in the modern sense. Mostly they refer to times of day, like high sun, but sometimes they say things like "at the eleventh hour of the water clock."

I also had to research writing materials. In D&D we throw around terms like parchment freely, but parchment is very expensive to make and would not have been regularly used in ancient times. In fact, they used papyrus, an early form of paper. There are lots of documents and "books" in the novel; a critical scene takes place in a library. But books were not bound until centuries later, so I used scrolls and tablets. I did most of the research after I'd written the first draft and people asked me questions about these things that I realized I could not answer.

9. Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

Without question, members of the various writers' groups to which I've belonged. I submitted Goddess Fire to three different writers' groups, a small face-to-face one, and two online groups, one of which had close to a hundred members. All three groups were enthusiastic about the premise and the characters, and individuals in each group gave me tremendously helpful feedback and a lot of support. In each group, I made good friends (many of whom I've never met) and received a huge amount of encouragement. I'd never have been able to get Goddess Fire published without the advice, input and support of these people.

10. What are you working on now? What's next?

I have several projects on the go. I have a partially written sequel to Goddess Fire that I'd like to finish, because the characters are hanging around waiting for their stories to be complete - and the novel leaves room for a sequel.

I'm also working on a speculative fiction story in which climate change and genetic engineering virtually destroy the world. The survivors split into two camps: scientists who want to preserve knowledge and a right-wing religious group who blame scientists for what has happened and seek to wreak God's vengeance on them.

On another note altogether, I'm trying my hand at non-fiction. Stratford, the town of 30,000 where I live, is famous for its Shakespearean theatre festival, but it is also home to an incredible number of excellent restaurants and a renowned Chefs School. I know a lot of the chefs and restaurateurs, and I'm working on a book how they started their restaurants, what they hoped to achieve and how the restaurant industry has encouraged others in the area, including organic farmers and cheese-makers.

11. Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! Revise until you think it's perfect, then join a writers' group, leave your ego at the door, listen, learn and re-think what you've written. But above all, have fun. If you really have the writing bug, you'll have a fabulous time. And don't worry too much about publishing until you really feel you've mastered your craft. Getting a book published is no fun at all, just hard work. It helps to read too.

Thank you so much for giving me this chance to share my thoughts and experiences, Marta. It's been a pleasure conversing with you.

More about the author:

An avid Dungeons & Dragons player, Meg first developed the idea for her fantasy thriller GODDESS FIRE (November 2009, Comfort Publishing) as a D&D campaign. In her "real" life, she teaches communications at the University of Waterloo and the Stratford Chefs School. She has also worked as public school board trustee, stage manager, director and dramaturge. She lives in Stratford, Ontario with her husband. They have two sons, one of whom is also a D&D enthusiast.

Website: http://www.megwestley.com/
Blog: http://megwestley.blogspot.com/
Goddess Fire Book Trailer: http://www.vimeo.com/6540424

Relax and Be Yourself

2009-12-13T20:12:00.001-05:00

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

This past year, I’ve focused more attention at doing local talks and book signings. When it comes to public speaking, I’m no different than most. Although my heart doesn’t pound and my palms stay dry these days, it’s still not my favorite thing to do. I remember how nervous I was when I prepared for my first library talk. I was determined to get through it one way or another. I took several days to outline my thoughts, type my notes, highlighted sections in my books I wanted to read. Then I tried to memorize my lines. All this in an attempt to come across as “perfectly natural.”

On the day of the gathering, all eyes were on me and I quickly discovered that no amount of planning or rehearsing was going to work. Worried that I’d forget to say a key word or phrase stressed me to the point that at times, I drew a blank in mid sentence. There I was, capable of crafting complex plots, but I couldn’t remember a simple outline.

A few minutes into the talk I tossed out my notes and started to tell my story from the heart. Smiles eased across the faces before me, heads began to nod and questions started to pop up. Clearly, those people weren’t there for a speech, they just wanted to talk. They wanted to know who I was, why I had chosen to write, and how this middle-aged woman from their home town had managed to “do it.”

Recently, an elementary school teacher friend of mine invited me to speak with her sorority group. When I called to confirm things, she said she was very excited and was looking forward to my speech. She gasped when I told her I didn’t have anything planned.

“But, but—” she said.

I assured her that everything would be fine, that I would say a few things about myself and my writing and then see what the group was most interested in. As it turned out, it was a great group of women and the evening was a huge success. Since then I’ve been invited to several more book clubs and libraries and I've yet to plan another talk.
I love meeting people and doing what is most natural to me; talking about my books and the Sam Harper character. But more important, in the eyes of those present at those events, I was as real as the person sitting next to them. I was approachable; just another woman in the group who happened to be a published author.

What I hope writers will take from this is that no one knows your journey or your writing better than you. Whether you’re doing a local talk or chatting online, the most important thing you can do is to be yourself, connect with your readers and have fun, because there’s nothing more contagious than the passion you show for your books. Once you start the buzz, you never know where your books will pop up!

(Above photo courtesy of my dear co-workers. Nothing is sacred!)

About the author:
Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. Her books are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million,and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (2008), Bronze Medal Finalist, 2009 IPPY Awards, Top Ten, 2008 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery).

SILENCED CRY (2007) Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book Festival, Top Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery).

Find her Wednesday posts on Murder By 4.

Inside The Mind of A Mystery Writer: Challenges

2009-12-09T04:00:00.001-05:00

Murder mystery writers must fashion not only likeable protagonists and minor characters, but also villains—killers of every kind. I’m no different, although I sometimes feel abnormal when other people read my writing and look at me as though my last name is King! People sometimes give me a guarded look even though I am, I hope, a quite normal person who likes the mystery genre. I have fun with my characters, but I also want to challenge them and have them challenge me back.

My first attempt at writing a murder was GENESIS BEACH. Logan Hunter, a young woman who is interning for a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) position, pursues a prime suspect right up until she finds his decomposing body. She soon realizes the killer is still around, and what she learns in the end is that she can’t trust anybody regardless of his station in life. Even so, the book is mild as mysteries go, showing more deceit, greed, and jealousy than getting into the mind of a killer. Challenges with this book began with what SBI stands for. I took for granted that everyone knew, and that all states called their state investigation agency by the same term. I was wrong. I now make certain that I explain this term and similar ones that might not be clear.

Even before I started to write JUST NORTH OF LUCK, I had already determined that I wanted to challenge myself as well as my characters. A serial killer was born. After editing and rewriting many times, I finally decided to go with my gut and start the novel from the villain’s point-of-view. I struggled for weeks, trying to make him believable and somewhat sympathetic. Otherwise, I figured the reader wouldn’t care what happens or why he is a monster. I gradually began to carry him around with me both day and night. I stepped into his mind and tried to figure out what made him tick, and more importantly, what ticked him off. This horrible character didn’t drop by to visit me; he moved in! Once the story’s rampage started, he and I both knew it would continue until someone stronger came along and put a stop to it. Enter Logan Hunter, one tough lady, who had proven herself at Genesis Beach, had toughened up and grown up, leaving no cartridge unspent during an investigation. Sure, she made mistakes, but she figured it out quickly and got herself back on track. Getting into the killer’s mind was crucial to make this book work. I had many sleepless nights, but I captured enormous satisfaction in the process.

HELL SWAMP offered another challenge: going home. Returning to my roots to write about a house and river I grew up around offered its own set of circumstances. How would my friends and family take this piece of fiction? Would they be offended by words, dialogue, redneck characters with little education? Deer hunters as prime suspects? Children as suspects? What about the gruesome manner used to kill the victim? I, once again, struggled with my plot, wanting to tell the story within me, and at the same time, stay true to my roots. Having set HELL SWAMP at The Black River Plantation on the river about four miles from my childhood home, I conjured up so many memories from the past, entangled them with my imagination, and set the story in motion. I have had the great pleasure of meeting the owner of the plantation who gave me a key to go inside the mansion and write whenever I wish. What a great gift that is!

Even with three books under my wrist, I continue to have new challenges present themselves. The novel I’m currently writing—title not yet determined—takes me to an uncomfortable topic, to places I’d rather not write about, and into emotions I’d rather not stir. But, this particular book is pulling me along, about like a noose around the neck. I can’t not write it. Do the challenges ever end? I hope not. I think my writing improves with each book because I refuse to be complacent. I continue to seek knowledge about writing—the processes and its rewards. Getting the book out is certainly a challenge. However, the prevailing challenge is promoting what you have written. Getting the word out is paramount to success. I challenge you to give it your all!

About the Athor:
Susan Whitfield has lived in North Carolina her entire life. She grew up in the small town of Atkinson, married at age 19, and now lives in Dudley with her husband, Doyle. She has three degrees from East Carolina University: B.S. degree in English, M.A. Ed. In Educational Administration, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. Whitfield taught high school English for thirteen years and moved into high school administration for seventeen years. She was principal of East Duplin High School from 2000-2004.

Whitfield is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Mystery Writers of America, North Carolina Writers’ Network, The Author’s Society, and Sisters In Crime. She has written and published mystery novels, GENESIS BEACH, and JUST NORTH OF LUCK. HELL SWAMP, the third novel, will be released by publisher L&L Dreamspell on February 21st. Whitfield is currently writing GATOR CREEK, set along the Cape Fear River in Wilmington.

Cool Promotional Opportunities for Writers

2009-12-08T04:00:00.002-05:00

We writers are such a creative bunch! I was thrilled to receive news from two writing friends who offered these great opportunities. Now, I wanted to share them with you!

Cookbook planned featuring favorite of mystery writers.

Friend and fellow writer, Susan Whitfield, author of HELL SWAMP, JUST NORTH OF LUCK and GENESIS BEACH, is planning to compile a cookbook during 2010 called KILLER RECIPES.

Susan wants the book to feature favorites of mystery writers, hence, the title. Below each recipe, she will feature the author’s name, published titles, and his/her website. If there are duplicate recipes, she’ll publish all contributors with that recipe. The planned divisions within the cookbook are:

Appetizers and snacks
Beverages
Casseroles
Desserts (cakes, candy, cobblers, cookies, pies)
Dips
Meats (Beef, pork, seafood, poultry, game)
Salads (fruit, pasta, veggie)
Vegetables
Miscellaneous

For more information, please contact Susan at ssn.whitfield@gmail.com. She hopes to organize and get KILLER RECIPES published no later than October 2010.

Another great opportunity for short stories writers comes from Susie Hawes.

ONCE AGAIN WITH FEELING e-zine is looking to publish previously published short stories.

Susie would like to reprint your story or a nonfiction article/book review/interview for her new ezine, ONCE AGAIN WITH FEELING. She will publish it quarterly with the launch in mid January. It will specialize in reprints. No pay, but the e-zine will publicize your work. The idea is to bring work back that hasn't been seen for a while and is worth a second (third, etc.) viewing.

The ideal story is one you have posted in public, like on your web site, or one you don't intend to send out for a while. Please send a bio: 300 to 500 words, and any photos, banners, book cover art or links to sites you want to show off. Stories intended for a pay publication are not eligible. For more information e-mail Susie at: susie76306@yahoo.com.

Book Signing, Sales, & Expectations

2009-12-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

Since my first novel, "Silenced Cry" was published in 2007, I’ve done several book signings at bookstores, libraries, book clubs, writers conferences, and various other local and regional events. Sales at these venues have ranged from zero to several hundred dollars in sales. I never know what to expect and for me, not having high expectations works because I’m rarely disappointed and usually walk away with a few surprise encounters.

The not so big news is that book signings are not all about making a sales. This week, I participated in a local holiday event that included an author showcase. I sold a handful of books, talked with countless number of people, and passed out tons of bookmarks. One of the people I spoke with was a school librarian who is now interested in placing my novels in several school libraries within her system. I also did an on-the-spot interview with a reporter from our university’s newspaper.

I walked away from this event with a few dollars in my pocket and I look forward to hearing from the librarian. And that article? It will be published this week in a newspaper that is available to 3,500 university employees and approximately 20,000 students. Okay, so these two encounters didn’t provide me with immediate sales, but I know they will have an impact in future sales. So my advice is to not stress over book signings or feel defeated if you don’t sell many books. You never know who you’ll meet or where that connection will lead and that's what's important.

Characterization

2009-12-04T07:59:00.004-05:00

Characterization is one aspect of writing that most authors struggle with at one time or another. So where do you start? Let’s say you’ve determined who your character is and what he or she looks like. Now take it a step further -- find a way to make the character as real for the reader as the person standing next to them.

Use description, action and dialogue as the base methods to build characterization. Through description, the tell something about your character such as height, eye/hair color, and disposition.

Example 1:

Mary, the slender brunette sitting on the third seat of the bus, looked distraught.

Hmmm. Okay. A better way to describe a character, however, is through their actions and through dialogue. Both of these methods will give the reader a more vivid image of the character than description alone. Add description to action and dialogue and the character has the potential to jump off the page.

Example 2:

Mary raised a slender, shaky finger to her eyes. Tears moistened the strand of dark hair that fell onto her face. She leaned her head against the bus window and stared at nothing. Life was passing her as quickly as the ramshackle buildings that blurred by — no one knew her pain, no one cared.

“You okay back there?” The driver asked.

She didn’t look up--she didn't answer. What was the point? She thought. In less than an hour’s time, it would all be over.

Now we can see a minute into Mary’s state of mind. We see her crying, something is weighing heavily on her mind, she feels alone, and whatever is going through her thoughts will be resolved one way or another in less than an hour. Is this enough to make the reader care and turn the page? A story may have a killer plot, but the manner in which a character is portrayed will have a greater impact on readers’ reaction than anything else. If a character is weak, will anyone care if he drives his car off the cliff?

How often have we read reviews that indicated the reader couldn’t “fall in love” with the character? Is it necessary to fall in love with Mary’s character to sympathize with her? For me, the word “love” is a bit strong when used to describe a character. However, I do want to care what happens to her, why it happened, and hopefully see her resolve her problems in a positive, uplifting manner. Maybe a better word is “connect.” The goal of any writer should be to draw the reader in and get him/her to connect emotionally with the character(s) and the story. And so the choice between describing a character and allowing the reader to see, hear, and feel the character’s emotions is the same difference that separates "show" from "tell." When we "tell" we involve the reader intellectually (they have to think about what is being communicated). When we "show" we involve the reader emotionally – that’s the key.

In other words, the character has to hit a nerve with the reader on a very basic level --touch the reader emotionally so the reader can connect with them and that usually includes letting the reader see the character's flaws. What's more important though is that the reader has to be able to see the character grow and overcome those problems.

Maybe what that reviewer, editor or agent means by needing to "fall in love with the character" is the desire to see a small part of him- or herself in a particular character. First they have to know the character thoroughly and next be able to identify with him/her. When the reader is able to identify with a character's plight, problem, weaknesses, strengths, etc., he/she will find themselves sympathizing with them and cheering them on to a successful finish. It will also give the reader a reason to follow a character through the rest of the book.

Description, action and dialogue are the tools of the trade, but how a writer uses and combines them is a matter of style.

Interview with Joylene Nowell Butler, author of "Dead Witness"

2009-12-02T04:00:00.003-05:00

Joylene Nowell Butler

Interview by Marta Stephens

It's such a pleasure for me to introduce my good friend and mystery author Joylene Nowell Butler to you here on Novel Works. Joylene and I met several years ago in an online critique group and have followed each other's writing careers ever since. After reading this interview, you'll understand why I have the utmost respect for her and treasurer her friendship.

Q: Joylene, please tell us a little about yourself and your writing journey.

A: When I was 8, my mother gave me a diary for my birthday. I didn’t have anything very interesting to write about, but I remember the joy I felt while filling it. As I grew older I looked for journals with more space because I wanted to prolong the experience. By the time I reached high school, I realized that writing made me feel alive. I entered the University at Simon Fraser with the goal of obtaining a teacher’s degree and passing along that joy to my students. It never occurred to me that I should write. It wasn’t until my dad died that I finally did. And that was only because I thought by writing a fictional story of his life I could make him live forever.

That first book ALWAYS FATHER'S CHILD, immediately shelved, took 7 years to write, and turned out to be a learning tool and catalyst. As soon as I typed “the end” I started work on DEAD WITNESS.

Q: Why this book? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: One day, my brother (he’s a PI) was on the phone talking to one of his employees, when this question popped into my mind: If I disappeared and was presumed dead, would he investigate? DEAD WITNESS grew from there. Honestly, I was such a new writer that I didn’t give much thought to my readers. It was only through years of rewrites that I finally hoped whoever they might be, they’d connect with Valerie and relate to how much love and pain is involved in loving a child.

Q: Tell us a bit about your protagonists, Valerie McCormick and Mike Canaday, and how they came about.

A: Valerie showed up in my mind as a young Cheryl Ladd, completely in love with her children to the point that she had lost sight of who she was as a person. Not until she’s taken from her family in Canada and made to live as a single woman in the States is she forced to stand up and be accountable for her own life.

Mike Canaday is a VN vet, FBI, divorced and someone who grew up in the system. He’s alone because he doesn’t trust anyone. Because he has few friends and no family, taking Valerie from hers and faking her death is easy for him. All that matters is finding the killer. But it’s through Valerie that he learns what really matters in life.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: Valerie lives in central BC, Canada with her husband and three girls. She wins a free trip to Seattle through a writing contest. While there, she witnesses the execution of two FBI agents by a Canadian-born drug lord from Colombia. When the FBI uncovers the Mafia’s plot to kill her, they work with the Canadians to fake her death. Canaday flies her to the States, then later is in charge of her WPP; all this while hunting for the killer.

Meanwhile, Valerie’s brother doesn’t believe she’s dead and he starts his own investigation. This alerts the Colombian Mafia and they set up surveillance on him and Valerie’s family. Slowly, Valerie rebels, until finally she takes back control of her life and goes after the killer herself. Besides Seattle, the story takes place in Nevada, Baja, Berkeley and Pr. George, BC.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: Three months into writing DEAD WITNESS, we experienced a great loss. I couldn’t write for six months. I remember wondering if I ever could again. In the end, I returned to the manuscript and it became a therapeutic tool. I used Valerie’s situation as an outlet for my own range of emotions.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: I was lucky because I didn’t know what I could or could not do when I first started writing DEAD WITNESS. When I returned to the manuscript, I approached anyone who would listen. I talked to lawyers, police, and investigators, and asked question after question. I did a lot of research on line. I even called the FBI in Seattle; they were a big help. I also bugged the heck out of my brother. In total I probably did three months of research.

Q: What do you find the most difficult part of writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

A: Good question. I wish I could say there is nothing difficult about writing any more. I mean, remember those early days? The fear in the pit of your stomach that you knew there was something you were missing, but you just weren’t sure what it was? Who would want to go back there? I see it in the faces of new writers, and I’m so relieved that I have confidence now. I can say without hesitation: I am a writer. But writing is still work. I struggle to get the sentences just right. When that’s harder than normal, I walk away from my computer and sit somewhere quiet. Then I run the story through my mind like a video. I close my eyes and get as close to the scene as I can … until I’m there. Then I return to the computer and start writing.

Q: I know how important family is to you. How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: I treat it like a job. I’m up at 6 AM and on the computer by 6:25. I work until breakfast. Yes, My DH makes breakfast every morning. I’m back at it by 7:30, then I work all day until lunch. I stop periodically, see to grandma, throw in a load of wash, or vacuum. Moving around like that helps my back. There’s no rhyme or reason to what I do, other than to share my time between editing, revising, blogging, reading, commenting, critiquing and taking care of my family. I turn the computer off by 6:30 PM, then spend the rest of the evening with my DH and grandma.

Q: What impact would you say completing DEAD WITNESS has had on you personally and on your writing?

A: It changed my life. I finally understood why I was here and what I was supposed to do. In the early years before I was published, I thought being published would answer all my prayers and make sense of my life. Now that I am published, I realize that nothing but me can do that. Being published or not being published isn’t what it’s about. The secret is in the writing. The simple joy of it.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A: Besides, my family, my best friend Judith Geib and my dear online buddy Keith Pyeatt have been encouraging and believing in me for many years. I can’t imagine pushing myself as hard as I had to without them cheering me on. Writing is a lonely solitary experience and I’m very fortunate to have such forces of nature.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: My protagonists come to me. I know they have a problem, but it’s sometimes weeks before it’s made clear what that is. It can begin with just the protagonist wandering about, doing every day things, but quickly her or his goal is made clear. The only reoccurring characteristic right up front is they’re all sad.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

A: My current work in progress is called DEAD WRONG. It’s the story of Jason Sinclair and his estranged daughter Ava. Before Jason can have any peace, he believes he must find out why his wife, Bridget was deliberately run over. Ava blames her dad for not saving her mother. Together they’re on a journey of self-discovery, one in the past and one of them in the present.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Although the Internet is an addictive and habit-forming place, concentrate on your writing. Leave the networking for after you find your publisher. Write, write, write. And when you’re not writing read. Learn everything you can possibly learn about the art of writing effectively. Think of it like driving a vehicle: if you’re not absolutely capable, if you don’t practice every minute you can before you head out on the road, you’re in for a possibly serious altercation.

About the author:
Joylene Nowell Butler has been writing for 25 years. A retired emergency responder, she was born in Manitoba, moved to Maple Ridge, B.C. as a child, attended Douglas College and Simon Fraser University. She and her husband Ralph moved to Prince George in 1979 where they raised their five sons. In 1992 they built a cottage on Cluculz Lake, near Vanderhoof. The jury is out whether they'll retire there or not. Canada is a beautiful place and they could end up anywhere. Which is good because life should be an adventure. Joylene's second novel Broken But Not Dead will be released by Theytus Books in 2011.

The Nose Knows

2009-11-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

What better thing to write about today than how easily our memories can trigger our senses? Think about a wonderful holiday at home and all of a sudden, you’re there, hearing the joyous laughter filling the house and smelling whatever is cooking on the stove.

When I sat down to write chapter 18 of my second novel in the Sam Harper series, it was months away from my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, but I wanted the reader to get that “going home” feeling. I wanted them to smell the turkey roasting in the oven and the scent of nutmeg and cinnamon rising from the baked goods on the sideboard. Cooking and family get together is one thing I know—after thirty years of it, I should.

I thought about that chapter for a while and then immediately drew from my experiences--the excitement in knowing that the family is coming home and wanting everything from the food to the table decoration to be … perfect.

Okay, so back to my book …

For those who haven’t read THE DEVIL CAN WAIT, Walt Harper is Detective Sam Harper’s widowed father. Walt is also a retired homicide cop who not only likes to poke around into Sam’s cases, but is also handy in the kitchen. Readers will see much more of Sam’s relationship with his father in the first book, SILENCED CRY than in the second book, but for some reason, this scene struck a chord with many.

The scene begins early on Thanksgiving morning. Harper has four victims in the city morgue and his first stop is the lab where he reviews the forensic evidence that Carter Graves has uncovered in the case before going home.

***

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT
Excerpt from Chapter 18
© Marta Stephens 2008 all rights reserved

… Harper headed north toward his father’s farmhouse, located in the small community of Litchfield thirty miles from Chandler. Only a few weeks ago, the foliage along this road had been a vibrant display of color. Now it was reduced to browns, grays and barren tree barks. An amber tint filtered through the overcast sky; a color he recognized as a sign of more snow. It was two in the afternoon and his only thought was to have no thoughts in the few hours left of this Thanksgiving Day. He was going to kick back, eat too much, have a few beers, and watch too many football games before he returned to work in the morning. His father’s two-story home was visible from between the pine trees that lined the narrow road leading to the driveway. As he nosed his black Jeep Commander into park, a familiar figure stepped out onto the porch to greet him.

“Hey Dad. Were you waiting behind the door?”

“Heard you pull up.” Walt waited for his son to walk up the front steps before giving him his usual pat on the back. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Right. You look like crap and you’ve lost more weight.”

“I’m all right.”

“Come on, I left something simmering on the stove.”
Harper placed his duffle bag on one of the living room chairs and followed Walt into the kitchen. Since his mother’s death a few years before, Harper’s father insisted on maintaining the Thanksgiving tradition.

The aroma filling the kitchen assured Harper that he was home. Cinnamon and nutmeg lingered in the air as steam rolled off the freshly baked pumpkin pies on the counter. Next to the pies sat a container filled with Snicker Doodles, his favorite kind of sugar cookies. As far back as he could remember it had been his job to scoop the dough into inch-size balls and roll them in a mixture of sugar and powdered cinnamon. Sometimes he’d placed them too close together on the cookie sheet and they’d baked into one. Whether a solid mass or perfectly formed three-inch circles of sweetened dough, they always baked into a flat chewy cinnamon encrusted cookie he couldn’t resist.

Walt’s fifteen-pound turkey had a couple more hours of roasting to go. Harper glanced at the finely chopped celery and onions on the cutting board; the key ingredients that would go into his favorite oyster dressing. Harper’s father always complained that he couldn’t figure out his late wife’s secret ingredient for her sweet potato pie. Harper suspected it was his father’s way to finagle a compliment which Harper was glad to give. Creamed spinach, on the other hand, would need a lot of doctoring before he would try it. Still, it was a Thanksgiving staple. Everything was out on the counter, including the cranberry sauce, waiting their turn in the process of Walt Harper’s well-timed annual ritual.

“How many are you planning to feed?”

“Elaine and Bernie.”

Aunt Elaine, his father’s older sister, was a retired phone operator who had settled nicely into the official post of family meddler. Every year, she asked Harper the same question: “When are you going to find a nice girl and settle down?” Every year his reply was the same: “When I find her, you’ll be the first to know.” That seemed to satisfy her for a few weeks until her next visit. She and his Uncle Bernie were as different as any two people could be, yet they were forty years into what seemed to be a happy marriage. One of these days, he’d ask for their secret.

The chapter goes on for several more pages and ends the following morning like this:

Dawn had barely gleamed above the horizon. The smell of fresh coffee and his dad’s tinkering around in the kitchen lured Harper downstairs.

“Morning,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

“Morning – you’re up early. Sleep okay?”
“Yeah.” Harper brushed one of the kitchen curtains aside and glanced across the side yard then up at the clouds. “Temperature is supposed to drop again today.” The sight of the blue-purple hues painted over the snow-covered ground gave him a shiver. He poured himself a cup of coffee and pulled out a kitchen chair across from his father. He was seconds away from taking his first sip of the day when his cell phone rang.

“Forensics,” he told his dad when he saw the number flash across the screen. He listened, drew in a breath, and assured the technician he appreciated the call.

“Trouble?”

“Just more of the same.” He took that first drink of coffee while the words formed in his thoughts. “That fine thread holding my case together just snapped.

***

For me, writing what I know involves all my collective experiences, but more important is showing the things that I see, feel, smell, taste, and hear that will place the reader there in the kitchen with Walt Haprer, drinking his coffee and eating one of Sam’s (and mine) favorite Snicker Doodle cookies.

Great food and good times are the magic ingredient that go into making great family memories. Best wishes to all for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

MAZURKA: A Gus LeGarde Mystery Reveiw

2009-11-24T08:08:00.000-05:00

Mazurka

By Aaron Paul Lazar
Book Review by Shelly McRae
A Gus LeGarde Mystery
Pub. Date: September 28, 2009
ISBN-13: 9781606191606
230 pages

Twilight Times Books; 2009

Who is Gus LeGarde and why should you read a story about him? Gus is not your typical superhero type guy who saves the day by punching out the bad guy. Gus is just a guy who knows that luck and love are his greatest allies.

Gus is a widower with a grown daughter and grandchildren, but he’s no doddering old man. He’s also a professor with a new bride whom he wants to take to Europe for a honeymoon.

The trip turns out to be the honeymoon from hell.

The story starts with Gus and his bride Camille experiencing a turbulent flight into Paris. The reader is surprised, once the danger has passed, to discover that Gus also brought along his good friend Siegfried. Siegfried, due to an accident in his childhood, has a few mental bends that make him socially inept and somewhat childlike. The reader instantly adores him.

The plan is to see a bit of Paris, deliver Siegfried to his relatives in Germany, and then Gus and Camille honeymoon in Vienna. But before the trio disembarks from the plane, Gus has a brief encounter with a neo-nazi. It’s an omen of things to come.

In Paris, the neo-nazis are demonstrating and Siegfried gets caught up in the worst way possible. A man is killed, Siegfried is hospitalized and Gus and Camille are hunted.

Author Aaron Paul Lazar weaves the past and the present into this story, tying together nazis and neo-nazis, Chopin and a family secret into a tale that has the reader crossing her fingers for this strange collective of characters.

Gus LeGarde narrates the story and the reader is treated to a man that is at once chivalrous and new age, gentle yet forceful. The events of the story, such as being hunted in the catacombs and locked away for weeks in dungeons, show Gus to be a man who is aware of his limitations and uses brains more often than brawn. The story he tells is not about his own heroism, but that of those whom he loves.

The story is fast paced and the characters believable. The neo-nazis are scary and the family secret surprising. “Mazurka” has all the elements of a good read and though it is part of a series, the reader has no problem understanding Gus LeGarde’s past and the impact it has on his character.

About the author:

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. The author of LeGarde Mysteries and Moore Mysteries enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his websites at http://www.legardemysteries.com/ and http://www.mooremysteries.com/ and watch for his upcoming release, HEALEY’S CAVE, coming in 2010.

My Top Ten List of Things To Remember

2009-11-23T04:00:00.004-05:00

Novels don’t materialize overnight. It takes time—often years of dedication, research, and a massive amount of hard work to turn that “great idea” into a polished page-turning story. Here’s a top ten list from me to you!

1. Nothing worth doing is without sacrifice. Are you willing and ready?

2. Never stop learning. It’s the key to keeping ideas fresh.

3. Know the mechanics of writing. Practice them until they become second nature to you.

4. Find your voice. It’s what will make you stand out in the crowd.

5. From beginning to end, the quality of the story depends on you. There are no magic wands, no shortcuts, or easy answers only hard work. Love what you do though and it won’t feel like drudgery.

6. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a few selfless souls who will guide you along the way. Network, give back, and pay forward as much or more than you have received because you never know where the road will lead or who you’ll meet along the way.

7. Listen to the advice given by those whose works you admire, but be sure to give your inner voice equal time.

8. Falling in love with your words can stifle improvement.

9. Find a critique group that will offer constructive feedback. A fresh pair of eyes is key to a polished read.

10. The limelight is brief so remember your “please” and “thank you” (see number 6).

In the end, the fine line between success and failure is totally up to you -- just as it should be.

The Value of A Critique

2009-11-21T07:22:00.000-05:00

The first time I submitted one of my manuscripts for critique, I did so knowing I had taken the story as far as I could. I also felt that it was in good shape and close to completion. But when I read the comments, I realized I was mistaken. My fellow authors found scads of errors and inconsistencies that resulted in cutting and adding chapters and several months of rewrites.

A solid critique provides the author an honest review with constructive feedback, offers valid suggestions to improve the work, provides examples, and offers a good dose of encouragement.

So when asked if I allow others to read my work in progress I respond with an emphatic, “Yes.” I rely on the experienced fresh pair of eyes to tell me if I have adequately developed my characters and the plot. Are the scenes and dialogue believable? Does the opening paragraph pull the reader in, or does it read like a bad diary entry? Does my narrative drag? Are the chapter endings page-turners or turn offs?

On occasion, I may disagree with a suggested change, but I consider each comment to understand what really bothered the reader. Someone else’s observation often reveals an amazing new perspective. Be cautious, however, of the reader who tends to rewrite your story or tries to change your writing style or voice. That’s not the intent of a critique. No one knows the characters or the plot better than the author, therefore, the secret to accepting someone’s suggestions is to selectively “listen” and use only the valid information.

A bit about self-editing and what I keep in mind when I edit my work:

1. Don’t describe every detail about a character in the first paragraph. Allow the reader to engage his or her imagination and get to know them a little bit at a time. When we meet someone, we don’t learn everything about them in the first hour. Similarly, the character should come to life gradually through dialogue, actions, reactions, and through the eyes and words of the other characters.

2. For a tense scene that needs to show urgency use short, abrupt sentences. Don’t kill the suspense with flowery prose, exposition, or excessive internal dialogue.

3. Pace it. Dialogue speeds the prose. After a fast-paced section, slow things down and give the reader a breather through some carefully written narrative. Narration can be used as a transitional tool to get the reader from one scene to the next or when the prose needs to slow down. However, if not done correctly, the writer will risk turning the narration into information dump sites in which the he or she tells the reader all he or she needs to know. If the narration describes an important turn of events, convert it into a scene between characters. Remember that dialogue is far more interesting and engages the reader’s emotions rather than the intellect.

4. Show don’t tell. Two of my favorite quotes to drive this home are:

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." Chekhov

"Don't tell me about the tragedies of war; show me the child's shoe discarded by the side of the road." author unknown.

Need I say more?

5. Don’t let the characters’ dialogue turn into exposition. In other words, don’t let a character speak for the sake of informing the reader. Every word needs to push the plot forward.

6. Separate one character’s words and actions from another character through paragraph breaks. No exceptions.

7. Dialogue attribution—stick to “said” written after the proper noun or pronoun. If the character is excited, show it through his or her words and actions, not the attribution.

8. Replace tags with beats as an alternate way to vary the dialogue and show action. “Tom where’s Hank?” She lowered her gaze to the dark red stain sprayed across the front of his shirt. “How could you?”

9. Look for repetition of words or information to avoid redundancy. If you’ve communicated the information well, once should be enough. When the reader needs to be reminded of an event that happened several chapters before, find a fresh way to relay the information.

10. Get rid of attribute adverbs, “ly” words, that tell the reader how the character said something and replace them with action verb. Instead of: “He angrily punched the pillow.” Try: “He slammed a fist into the pillow.”

11. Avoid “ing” words. Make it active. Instead of: “He was walking to the store.” Try: “He walked to the store.”

12. Know when to end your chapter. You’ve written a great chapter, you’ve come up with a fantastic twist for a page-turning ending. You’re certain it will shove the reader to the edge of the chair while he or she turns the page. Don’t ruin the suspense by writing two or three more paragraphs explaining how the character feels. The reader doesn’t need, or care at this point, what the character does next. If you have to explain the action or intent, rewrite it.

Writing is an on-going learning process and the critique is an excellent way for an author to know if he or she is on track. Don’t accept rude or cruel comments, but to expect anything less than an honest, straightforward, and constructive critique, is a waste of everyone’s time.

Experience has changed my attitude toward and expectations of a critique. Initially, I looked to others for encouragement. Now I question the light critique that doesn’t catch an inconsistencies, point out technical problems, or question a character’s motives. I’m no less sensitive or thicker-skinned than I was before. A harsh critique can still be as painful as a swift kick in the shins, but my focus is on pushing my writing to the next level. Although the occasional pat on the back feels great, an honest critique is the only way to advance the skill.

Review: Avenging Angel, A Shannon Wallace Mystery

2009-11-20T04:00:00.000-05:00

Reviews for Kim Smith's "Love Waltzes In" are still pending. If you would like to be among the first to review this novel, it's available directly from Red Rose Publishing

I'm ending the week with a collection of review quotes given to Smith's "Avenging Angel" ASIN: B002HEIH7M available on Kindle $4.79 and "A Will To Love."

"Avenging Angel" ranked 13 in the mystery category of the 2008 Preditors & Editors Reader's Poll.

"Avenging Angel"
Book Reviews

"This cozy is a delightful read, full of suspense... Kim Smith’s writing voice pulls you into the book, allows you to connect with each character..." ~ Lea Shizas, The Muse Book Reviews

"Smith's simple, straightforward, and quite endearing style is what drives Avenging Angel forward, with hints of colorful Southern dialect and engaging dialogue. ~ Aaron Lazar, author of the LeGarde Mysteries

"The characters are quirky and the plot is full of twists and turns with a bit of humor thrown in." ~ Maura, Coffee Time Romance

"...humor, compassion, suspense and a tinge of romance... leaves the reader wanting more... truly did not want to stop..." ~ Cafe of Dreams

"A Will to Love"

Book Reviews

"...will simply leave the reader's heart yearning and longing with the beauty of love." ~ Cafe of Dreams Reviews

"I enjoyed the characters... The description of the imagery was magnificent... a slightly sensual read but very sweet..." ~ Val, You Gotta Read Reviews

"...I hated it to end... I yearned for more..." ~ Aaron Paul Lazar, Midwest Book Reviews

Interview with author, Kim Smith

2009-11-19T04:00:00.003-05:00

Kim Smith, author of LOVE WALTZES IN

Available in E-book format
Red Rose™ Publishing
Copyright © 2009 Kim Smith
Release date November 12, 2009
ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-60435-469-0
$1.00
Purchase directly from Red Rose Publishing

I've known Kim Smith for several years. She is one of the most prolific writers I know so I was thrilled that she agreed to share her writing journey here on Novel Works.

Q: Kim, let's start with letting you tell us a little about yourself.

A: I am a photographer/videographer and have owned my own company since 1992. I love to take nature photographs best of all, but seem to miss out on the time to do any of it. People used to say that writers should be movie-makers because they are so visually attuned. I say they should all be photographers so they can capture all those images forever.

Q: Why this book? What prompted you to write it and what do you hope your readers will get out of it?

A: I was involved originally in a plan for an anthology about finding love after forty. It seemed like an easy thing to do since I believe that true love will find you no matter what your age. I set out to tell a fun uplifting tale and I think I succeeded. It is more on the sweet side of romances, rather than the sensual and I think I like writing those. I hope the readers will too.

Q: Tell us a bit about your protagonist, Magella Crane, and how she came about.

A: Magella, call her Maggie, was at first a sketch of myself after I dyed my hair a very happy red. My daughter was my first critiquer of the event and she was at a loss at first on what to say. After re-living that experience with Maggie, the rest just followed.

Q: Please share with our readers a little about the plot, the characters, the setting, of your novel.

A: Love Waltzes In takes place in a small southern town that has just gotten its first dance business. Maggie is always in the little shop a few doors down, owned by her friend, and began wondering about the dance place. She decides she wants to do something a little different for a widower, so she takes up dancing. She doesn’t figure the able-bodied instructor into her plan however, and once she is in Tyler’s arm as his student, she is determined to be his partner forever.

Q: Please describe the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book, why it was difficult, and how you resolved it.

A: Originally it was supposed to be a short story of about 5,000 words. Then the anthology became a series of stories and in order for it to be eligible to go to print, it had to be longer. This meant I had to add another five thousand words to the story to get it to an acceptable length. This was after I had already finished the first draft. Usually I don’t feel challenged about lengthening a story, but this one gave me a few moments of pause.

Q: How much and/or what kind of research went into writing this book?

A: I didn’t really do a lot of research for this one. I love dancing and romance and it just all came together in the end.

Q: What do you find the most difficult part of writing in general and what do you do to overcome it?

A: I find description and setting to be my main difficulty in writing and that is for any genre. For some reason, I can see it, hear it, taste it, smell it, and touch it, but cannot get that sensation on the page.

Q: Like many authors, you work full time, have a family--a life. How do you balance your time to make time for writing?

A: I just do the best I can. Some days I just cannot get into the writing chair, for whatever reason, and if that happens I allow myself to just go on and miss the day. I try not to do that two days in a row however. I count writing as anything I do that furthers my career, including writing pieces like this.

Q: What impact would you say completing Love Waltzes In has had on you personally and on your writing?

A: It was a pretty satisfying experience to be able to take a short story and lengthen it to a size doubled from what I originally had planned. It proved to me that if I set my mind to the task at hand, I can accomplish it.

Q: Who has been the greatest influence on you with respect to encouraging you to write and become a published author?

A: My mother was always my greatest encourager, but since she has passed on, my husband and kids do a great job of keeping me going.

Q: With respect to your writing, please give us some insight into your writing process. In other words, did you outline the chapters? Did you think about the plot for a while before writing it? What steps did you take before you wrote the first sentence?

A: I just began with a scene that happened with my own daughter and embellished it into a scene, then I took it out a bit more and a bit more until things began happening. It became a lot of fun. I usually do not outline.

Q: What are you working on now? What's next?

A: Right now I am finishing up the third Shannon Wallace book (my mystery series) and working on a couple of fantasy romances and YA stuff. I have also begun the process for a new book that will be neither mystery nor romance, but maybe something more along the lines of suspense/thriller. We will see.

Q: Any words of wisdom and advice to aspiring writers?

A: Yes. Do not let anyone steal your dreams or take your joy away. There is a story inside of us all, but if we let the naysayers have their way, it will never live and breathe on the page.

About the author:

Kim Smith is the author of the zany Shannon Wallace Mystery Series, and several contemporary romances, all available from Red Rose Publishing. Kim is also the hostess of the wildly popular Introducing WRITERS! radio show on Blog Talk Radio.

Other books by Kim Smith:

Avenging Angel ASIN: B002HEIH7M available on Kindle $4.79
A Will To Love ASIN: B002HJV4XY available on Kindle $2.39

The Opening & Ending Paragraphs

2009-11-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

©Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

One of the challenges I continue to face is coming up with that great opening line. So often, it’s waiting for me three or four paragraphs or pages into the chapter. That’s the type of thing I look for when I edit my first draft. Equally important though are chapter endings. In one of my many “how-to” books, THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK OF NOVEL WRITING, by Meg Leder, Jack Heffron and the editors of Writer’s Digest, author James Patrick Kelly describes opening lines and chapter ends like this:

“If you’re the first at the party, there’s usually nothing to do until the other guests arrive except to stand around and admire the furniture. Writers who start their stories too early … waste time describing the china on the breakfast table or the daisies nodding in the garden. Similarly, when the story is over, stop writing.”

So the question is, where should the action begin? When the character is walking down the sidewalk, opening the door to a shop, or once he’s in? Is it better to write the scenes chronologically or start in the middle of the action? Here’s an opening line to consider.

In CITY OF GLASS (1985) Paul Auster wrote: “It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not.”

What intrigues me about this opening line is that we’re brought into the book in the middle of the action. The telephone had already rung three times and the caller continued to insist on speaking with someone other than the person who answered the phone.

I rewrote the opening paragraph in each of my books, including my current work in progress, at least twice before finding the right beginning. In fact, it wasn’t until I wrote the third to the last chapter in my WIP that I realized I needed to change the opening paragraph all together. Sometimes I know from the very beginning—sometimes, the story takes me there.

The same is true for chapter endings. The page turner happens when the reader is left with a surprise development, an intriguing statement, or an reveals an unresolved issue. Sometimes writers have the tendency pass up a strong ending by adding dialogue, beats or narrative that is nothing more than exposition.

While in the editing process of THE DEVIL CAN WAIT, I hadn’t realized how many times I used Sam Harper’s ringing cell phone to signal the end of a chapter or chapter scene. I used the “Find” feature to search the manuscript for those instances and replaced nearly all but a few that moved the plot forward. One example is in a scene after Sam Harper has interrogated a street-smart teenage boy in the presence of the boy’s parents. The teen has been in and out of trouble with the law before and it’s clear to Harper that the mother is intimidated by both the boy and her husband. Here, Harper takes her aside and speaks to her privately. The original chapter ending read as follows:

“Can you swear that Vinny was home in bed in the early hours of November 15?” Harper asked.
“I can’t swear to anything any more.”
Harper’s cell rang at that moment. It was Detective Rogers calling him from the Wood’s driveway.
“Harper, I found something.”

I deleted the last two sentences and changed it to read:

“Can you swear that Vinny was home in bed in the early hours of November 15?” Harper asked.

“I can’t swear to anything any more.”

I felt that ending this section with her words had a greater impact than listing to Harper’s conversation on the phone. Changing the ending also made the opening paragraph of the following chapter section stronger too.

I like starting in the middle of a crisis and ending with something to think about, but writing is a process and every writer needs to determine what works best for him or her.

Amazon Ranking Secrets

2009-11-16T09:36:00.001-05:00

I used to drive myself nuts watching my novels' Amazon rankings go up and down. Except for the occasional peek after which I get disgusted and leave, I've stopped. After all, Amazon isn't the only place that sells books. Personally, my best venues are book clubs, but that's a story for another day.

A while back I read the following in a newsletter, found it interesting and thought I'd share it here today. Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com/

* * *

So, have you ever wondered how much your book is *really* selling on Amazon? Here are some sales comparisons you might want to check out:

Rank / Copies per Day
1.......................3,000
10........................650
100......................100
1000......................13
10,000.....................2.2 (1 copy every 5 days)
100,000...................0.2 (1 copy every 5 days)
1,000,000.................0.006 (3 copies every 500 days)
2,000,000.................0.0001 (1 copy every 1000 days)

Love Waltzes In

2009-11-15T14:36:00.003-05:00

Love Waltzes In

Book Blurb:

When Magella Crane decides to break out of her shell after her husband's death, she has no idea that love will be waltzing in.

Love Waltzes In

Cover Artist: Nancy Donahue

Release date November 12, 2009

ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-60435-469-0

$1.00

Purchase directly from Red Rose Publishing

Other books by Kim Smith:
Avenging Angel ASIN: B002HEIH7M available on Kindle $4.79
A Will To Love ASIN: B002HJV4XY available on Kindle $2.39

A Midlife Dream

2009-11-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

What I would say to someone interested in pursuing their dreams later in life? Go for it! No matter how small, large, or unattainable the dream may seem, it’s always within reach if you want it badly enough. People can find a million and one excuses for why they haven’t accomplished a goal—age shouldn’t be one of them.

Crawl out of that comfort zone, feel the edge of an uncharted path beneath your feet, and push forward. Life is a series of stepping stones, each leading to a new challenge and the next level of development. The jagged edge that trips some people is the fear of the unknown. “Should I stop while I’m ahead, or move on?” Regardless of the decision, in twelve months you’ll be a year older. The question is, will you be a year older and adding to your list of excuses or on your way to living a dream?

I began to write fiction in 2003 at the age of 49, and although my degree in journalism/public relations gave me the foundation and discipline I would need to succeed as a writer, fiction is an entirely different process. However, it has been invaluable as I plan my marketing/promotional strategies.

The first three books in the Sam Harper Crime Mystery Series began life as a set of three novellas. I joined online author groups, followed discussions on plot, pace, characterization, etc., and participated in writing workshops. I also read every how-to book I could get my hands on and applied all I had learned to my writing. The turning point came in 2006 when I joined an online critique group and decided to expand each of the novellas into novels. Participation in this group was not for the thin-skinned individual. Comments were often harsh, but the honest, constructive critiques forced me to push my writing to the next level.

The challenge for me was to learn the intricacies of the craft, find my voice, develop a complex plot, create believable characters, polish the prose, and turn SILENCED CRY into a marketable piece. Seven months after joining the group, BeWrite Books (UK), who I had queried a year before about my series of novellas, requested the expanded manuscript. SILENCED CRY was released in April 2007, and went on to receive honorable mention at the 2008 New York Book Festival. The second book in the series, “The Devil Can Wait” was released on November 3, 2008.

But how does one get from the solitude act of writing to getting published? Networking and dedication to the craft. In this day and age of global marketing, Internet sales, online reviews, interviews, and e-zines, blogging is a writer’s lifeline. I've been blogging for several years through my website, a personal blog, and my authors’ group blog, Murder by 4. At last count, I belong to about 26 online writers’ forums/groups.

Keeping up with some of the blogs is time consuming and I’m often asked how I manage to find time to continue to work outside the home, care for my family, home, write novels and network as much as I do. Unlike a hobby, writing isn’t something I do when I have time—I make time. Call it prioritizing or time management, what it means is that I haven’t cut out all my television viewing, I simply don’t watch it every night. I may not be able to work out in the yard all weekend long like I used to do either, but that’s okay, because when it comes right down to it, I’ve always made time for the things I wanted to do and right now, my focus is on writing. I can’t say that I’ve cut anything out of my life. I simply take things one day at a time and focus on what needs immediate attention.

All the work aside, the best part of this business is meeting people. Being published has opened doors and has given me a chance to get to know people from all walks of life and nationalities that I would have never met otherwise. My publisher is based in the UK and has an international reach, a global author pool, and full-time professional editorial and technical staff in Germany, France, Canada, USA, and Australia. This has given my books world-wide exposure and readership. The proof is that in the year and a half since I launched my website, over 30,000 unique visitors from 119 countries have visited the site. That's not only amazing; it’s what makes the experience fun.

So what’s the most exciting part about getting published in my 50’s? What I leave my children; proof that learning is a life-long process and the understanding that dreams can come true, regardless of age, if you put your mind to it.

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Marta Stephens is the author of the Sam Harper Crime Mystery series published by BeWrite Books (UK)
THE DEVIL CAN WAIT – (2008), 2009 IPPY Bronze Medal Finalist

SILENCED CRY (2007), Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book Festival, Top Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

http://www.martastephens-author.com/
http://samharpercrimescene.blogspot.com/
http://mstephens-musings.blogspot.com/
http://murderby4.blogspot.com/