tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31053205929807526532024-03-19T06:53:36.759-04:00Author ExpressionsJoyce Elson Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08761334760088495024noreply@blogger.comBlogger495125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-33136191381175602722018-07-31T14:24:00.000-04:002018-07-31T14:24:26.652-04:00This Is Just To Say…<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">Over the years, a wonderful group of talented writers contributed to making Author Expressions a
special blog where authors shared information about books and writing. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">It is now time for us to end this blog and go our separate ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">However, each of us does maintain our own separate blog, and so we
hope that those of you who follow us will continue to do so individually.
Wishing our readers and fellow authors the very best always.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-82577053801811979662018-07-27T05:00:00.000-04:002018-07-27T05:00:01.303-04:00Book ClubsI belong to a book club, and I think I may be one of the oldest members. There are about eight of us that come regularly and range in age from late 20's to early 60's. The mix of ages makes book chooses varied and exciting. They also push me out of my comfort zone from time-to-time. Sometimes I let them, sometimes I just skip that book and enjoy their discussion.<br />
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A couple of months ago we read the memoir "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, we all loved it and were inspired by it. This month is a totally different genre, although it is based on a true story it falls into the thriller/horror arena for me. So, I am reading it in the daytime. "The Serial Killer Whisperer" by Pete Earley is based on a young man who suffered catastrophic brain damage and finds himself relating to murders. He reaches out to them, and they begin telling him their secrets. He also shares his life with them, which totally creeped me out. I'm not very far into it, so I am sure it will get worse before it gets better.<br />
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My point is, however, that book clubs are great for broadening your reading experiences. I would never have picked either of these books, I tend toward historical fiction, romantic suspense, mysteries, chick lit, YA and love a good family story. You know, the kind with quirky characters, comfortable settings, family drama, freaky friends, and who knows what else will peak my interest.<br />
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I was noticing the other day that our local independent bookstore has fourteen book clubs now. Each focuses on a different genre. That's where I get some of the ideas for books I want to read is from their chosen lists.<br />
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My favorite thing about book clubs is the lively discussions. Our club is pretty loose, in that we are not opposed to calling it a "dinner club" if no one has read the book. However, when the majority does read the book, we shared what we liked and didn't like. No censoring, whatsoever. If someone hates the book, we all talk about why. If someone loves the book, we discuss that also. Everyone brings a different perspective to the table, the story has touched them in unique ways.<br />
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I had the privilege of attending a book club as the guest author and heard from the readers what they liked and didn't like about my book. Boy, that was eye-opening. Not everything resonated with everyone and some things they noticed and commented on were not conscious efforts on my part when writing the story.<br />
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I highly recommend you participate in a book club. You make new friends, broaden your reading scope, and learn about yourself and how others are impacted by "story."<br />
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Enjoy the ride, my author/writer friends. Keep the reader in the back of your mind when you write.<br />
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<a href="http://bdtharp.com/">Website: http://bdtharp.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp">Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard">Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Tharp/e/B00UV4IC2I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon: Bonnie Tharp Author Page</a>Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-24956194030991191742018-07-13T08:51:00.000-04:002018-07-13T08:51:02.284-04:00Why Read (or Write) YA? By Jacqueline Seewald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">When
I attended Rutgers University for my M.L.S. degree, I took the additional
courses needed to specialize in becoming an educational media specialist—a
fancy description for a school librarian. I took a course in children’s
literature and another in young adult lit. Both courses required reading a huge
number of books and reviewing them. However, I very much enjoyed doing this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
to young adult literature, I often felt the novels were better written than many
of those for adults, something our professor said as well. So it’s no surprise
that I decided to write some of my own. As an English teacher at the high
school level I taught novels like J.D. Salinger’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE,
Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and Golding’s LORD OF THE FLIES. These are
just a few of the classics of YA literature worthy of note. I believe every
author should try writing at least one meaningful coming-of-age book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My
novel THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER has proved popular with readers. It was
written for teenage girls, as was STACY’S SONG. But the truth is that adult
readers can and do connect with these books as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XcXJH6UfabSo3EYxmD8un65D548xhjF7s0r7qdozqzKEajHik-DnSWF4-tNfDOnw0SY6G3ofp5hjlhwt0ydqQrVyoRMjqfg6LV4XLx89K2au7-WBgRjxAoSdZslMgej0g1Esr5MK5LeB/s1600/TheDevilAndDannaWebster_500x750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XcXJH6UfabSo3EYxmD8un65D548xhjF7s0r7qdozqzKEajHik-DnSWF4-tNfDOnw0SY6G3ofp5hjlhwt0ydqQrVyoRMjqfg6LV4XLx89K2au7-WBgRjxAoSdZslMgej0g1Esr5MK5LeB/s320/TheDevilAndDannaWebster_500x750.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPD3M-ds29JvnxAMSQywRoSIQfesqRiZwmq1lYr7ybHzTiLHnser6nIcS0PEwYb9-7BoElH_KnvakocXgKhfAzyHRaRHkc4oN3Mw7zUiDJsNGUatEwq91LlgffnwM96i4FQJjBeMQ_ccs/s1600/StacysSong_500x750+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPD3M-ds29JvnxAMSQywRoSIQfesqRiZwmq1lYr7ybHzTiLHnser6nIcS0PEwYb9-7BoElH_KnvakocXgKhfAzyHRaRHkc4oN3Mw7zUiDJsNGUatEwq91LlgffnwM96i4FQJjBeMQ_ccs/s320/StacysSong_500x750+%25283%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Black
Opal Books has now brought out WITCH WISH, my current YA novel. I think it will
be a good read for adult readers as well as teens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s
something about the book:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Val
Williams believes she will never be as pretty or as popular as her older sister
Ailene. When Ailene dumps her on an unfamiliar road after an argument, Val
decides to ask directions of the only person she sees, an old woman engaged in
a garage sale. Val purchases a music box which the old woman claims has magical
qualities and will grant Val one wish. Val wishes that that her sister would
stop being so perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
Ailene starts acting weird, breaks up with her boyfriend, stops talking to her
friends, starts dating a “bad” boy, and cuts classes, Val is troubled. Val
begins to fear she caused all this to happen by making her wish. She suffers a
guilty conscience. How she goes about setting matters right makes for some
unusual complications and surprises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Excerpt (prior to editing):<o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></pre>
<div align="center" class="MsoPlainText" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">PROLOGUE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%;">
<st1:place><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Central
New Jersey</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, 1985<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">My sister Ailene pulled the car
to the side of the road, reached over and opened the door on the passenger
side.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Get
out right now!” Ailene spoke through gritted teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“No
way!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yes,
way. You’re an obnoxious brat. I don’t have to put up with you, and I won’t for
another minute.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Maybe I
had gone a tad overboard in the rude department today, but she’d deserved it. I
had to stand and wait while she giggled and gossiped with her airhead friends
by the lockers for what seemed like forever. I stood there being ignored and
feeling like a leper. Then finally when she finally turned to me all she said
was: “Come on. Hurry up.” Like she’d done me this great honor giving me a ride
home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Now she
was all indignation. Well, I wasn’t going to stand for it. “I’m not getting out
of the car,” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Unfortunately
Ailene’s taller and weighs more than I do. She shoved me out, hurled my backpack
after me and drove off, burning rubber. She didn’t even look back. So there I
stood at the side of a rural road with no idea exactly where I was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ailene
had veered off the main highway when traffic stopped. There’d been an accident
on the highway. No way of getting through any time soon. That pissed her off
too. She’s not the most adaptable individual. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">It was
a warm afternoon. I didn’t mind walking, but the road was totally unfamiliar.
I’d have to travel back in the direction of the highway. From there, I could
find my way. Maybe my sister had done me a favor. Anything was better than
being around her. She found me annoying but I felt the same way about her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> As I walked, I fantasized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Cheerleader shot dead at football
game--mystery as to who pulled trigger</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">. As a student of journalism I
considered this possible headline. Were I to murder my sister, I wouldn't want
to be caught.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Don’t
judge me in haste. If you had a sister like Ailene, you'd probably hate her
too. I’d like to say Ailene was nasty, selfish and spoiled, but it wouldn't be true.
I have my share of faults. Lying isn't one of them. The truth? Ailene was polite,
intelligent, beautiful, and even charming—when it suited her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">So why
did I hate her? Maybe because she was everything I wished I could be but didn’t
think I ever would be. Someone like Ailene, who was so much better than most
people, you envied, idolized or hated her. It wasn’t easy living in the same
home with perfection day after day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A house
came into my line of vision. It was an old Colonial with white clapboard
shingles and black shutters that had paint peeling. There was an old woman
sitting in a chair with all kinds of items set out on folding tables in
cardboard boxes. I guess she was having a garage sale. I figured I’d stop and ask
for directions back to the highway. She was kind of creepy looking dressed all
in black. But she was the only person around. So I walked over to her. She
stood up, smiling through crooked yellowed teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I’m
kind of lost,” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">She
nodded. “I can see that.” She had dark, penetrating eyes. She studied me in an
eerie way that made my blood freeze.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Can
you direct me back to Route 516?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Certainly.
But first why don’t you look at these things I have for sale. They are unique.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Sure,”
I said, figuring to humor the old gal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I began
looking around. She had a lot of weird stuff, old crap that I had no interest
in. But I figured if I offered to buy something I maybe could get the
directions quicker. So I glanced at the stuff on one of the tables. A polished
wooden box caught my eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I see
you like my music box. Actually, I have a bit of a collection.” She picked up
the box and wound it up. “It plays <i>Fur
Elise</i> by Beethoven.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
listened and liked what I heard. “How much does it cost?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Whatever
you can afford.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I was
surprised. I checked the pocket of my jeans. I had some allowance money with me
but there wasn’t much. “I’ve only got four dollars.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Just
the right amount,” she assured me. “There is just one thing about the box
itself.” She hesitated. “You see, how should I put this, the box has a certain
unusual quality. If I bestow ownership upon you, the music box will grant you a
wish.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
blinked and stared at her open-mouthed. Clearly the old lady was a few slices
short of a loaf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Sure,”
I said, trying to appear agreeable and humor her. “Great.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You
don’t believe me, do you?” She gave me a knowing smile. Then she laughed,
except I swear it sounded more like a cackle. The wind lifted her long, steel
gray hair giving her an otherworldly look. “It’s all right. I don’t mind. But I
think I should warn you. Once you open the box and make a wish out loud, you
won’t be able to take it back. You get only one wish, you understand. So think
carefully about it. Make certain you wish for something you truly want.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<pre style="background: white; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">You can also read more about the novel here:<o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://black-opal-books.myshopify.com/products/witch-wish">https://black-opal-books.myshopify.com/products/witch-wish</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRB3VVH">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRB3VVH</a><o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/witch-wish/id1401568260?mt=11">https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/witch-wish/id1401568260?mt=11</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witch-wish-jacqueline-seewald/1128937209?ean=2940162153894">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witch-wish-jacqueline-seewald/1128937209?ean=2940162153894</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Comments welcome!<o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></pre>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-18548995657377829252018-07-06T09:07:00.002-04:002018-07-06T09:07:56.591-04:00How many characters are enough? by Susan Oleksiw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few weeks ago I began work on what I thought would be a novella. The idea had been floating around in my head, drifting into view when I was looking for something to read in the library, balancing my checkbook, or opening the mail. That's how I knew it was a good idea, and decided to work on it as soon as I finished the edits of my next book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story went along well, probably because I'd had a lot of time to think about it and let it germinate. As the story progressed I jotted down notes as I went along, keeping track of new characters and events in each chapter. This week, when I scanned the list of them prior to writing the next scene, I wondered, did I have too many? How many is too many?<o:p></o:p></div>
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During revisions of some of my books I've combined characters, dropped others along with an entire scene or chapter, and generally streamlined everything. I wondered if I'd do that this time. But now that I'd raised the question, it kept coming back to me. How many was too many? <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the Mellingham series featuring Chief of Police Joe Silva, I included a list of characters, which I continued for five additional books and then omitted from the seventh one. I don't recall my thinking and may have to revisit that decision. There are no lists in the Anita Ray books. Curious about the number, I counted characters in the Mellingham books.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the first, <i>Murder in Mellingham</i>, I list seventeen characters, including Chief Silva and hint at more in the catch-all "and other residents of and visitors to the town of Mellingham." Yes, I was at the time heavily influenced by British mysteries, which up to the 1970s and sometimes beyond presented the reader with lists of characters, maps of villages, and even warnings about the accuracy of the chosen method of murder or its circumstances. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the novella that got me thinking about this, I have fourteen characters so far, and since I'm about halfway through, that will probably be the total. I avoid introducing people late in the narrative, unless this is a minor figure who barely deserves a name. Bringing someone onstage past the middle seems unfair to the reader in my view. So, I have fourteen. <i>Murder in Mellingham </i>had seventeen, and I'm sure the first Anita Ray, <i>Under the Eye of Kali</i>, had at least that. In the first book in a new series, <i>Below the Tree Line </i>(coming in September), I have twenty-three individuals plus a number of animals. So, too many? Not enough? Just right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DkQM5nwXk8v0yDi5pbxGtt04ZVkFmB8iRljMmOWmCqKQLEsvQ0F3RVx0EGOdXWPFdNTPWPMXKuYGgmzhY6I_KhroMzLdLrDnlnmmErGYkTppc6Og8mby5qZq8rT8zWfDrXCwdqff8nQ/s1600/KaliCover-eBook_500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DkQM5nwXk8v0yDi5pbxGtt04ZVkFmB8iRljMmOWmCqKQLEsvQ0F3RVx0EGOdXWPFdNTPWPMXKuYGgmzhY6I_KhroMzLdLrDnlnmmErGYkTppc6Og8mby5qZq8rT8zWfDrXCwdqff8nQ/s200/KaliCover-eBook_500px.jpg" width="128" /></a>I keep the list readily at hand, and will soon transfer each character to a notecard. Some will fade and become less and less important as the story nears its end, and I may fold one or two into a single person, or drop one or both altogether. So far I haven't made the mistake of giving everyone a name beginning with the same letter. (I made that mistake and didn't notice until an editor pointed it out.)</div>
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The easiest way to determine the worthiness of a person on stage is to identify exactly what he or she is contributing. What information is this one delivering? Unless each one is dropping a clue about another character, the murder weapon or method or motive, or some other crucial aspect of the crime, that person has no purpose. I can already see one who could lose his name and perhaps his usefulness. And I see another who has done nothing since the opening chapters. Already I'm reducing the number possibly by two.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is no one answer to how many characters are enough. But asking the question is important for the development of the story, keeping it clean and well paced while also creating a richly imagined narrative that draws in the reader. How many characters do you have in your stories?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Coming in September, <i>Below the Tree Line </i>(Midnight Ink) follows a farmer and healer in the Pioneer Valley, in central Massachusetts. Felicity O'Brien enjoys the quiet life of her family farm until strangers take a sudden interest in her land.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan Oleksiwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-51925601103672274482018-06-22T07:42:00.000-04:002018-06-22T07:42:59.258-04:00Mystery/Crime Fiction: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by Jacqueline Seewald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">During
the holiday season this past year, a good friend who also reads and writes
mystery fiction gifted me a copy of THE GOLDEN AGE OF MURDER by Martin
Edwards which I appreciated.The book got me thinking about what I want to
discuss in regard to mystery and crime fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
traditional mystery features a detective or several detectives who investigate
a crime or series of crimes. The amateur sleuths can work in any number of
unique and unusual professions which provide interesting background and setting
for the story. They can live in any place in the world. They can be nosy
spinsters who live in small English villages or gifted professors who
investigate bizarre historical crimes. From cozy to thriller, the amateur
sleuth fascinates readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">The private detective novel is a mystery genre unto
itself. <span style="background: white;">In 1887,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Sir Arthur Conan Doyle<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>created<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Sherlock Holmes, the most famous of
all fictional detectives. Sherlock Holmes was not the first fictional
detective. However, his name is one we think of immediately. Conan Doyle stated
that the character of Holmes was inspired by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>Dr.
Joseph Bell<span style="background: white;">, for whom Doyle had worked as a
clerk at the<span class="apple-converted-space"> Edinburgh Royal Infirmary</span>.
Like Holmes, </span></span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bell</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> was noted for
drawing large conclusions from small observations.<sup> </sup> The quirky Holmes was renowned for his<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>insights<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>based on skillful use of observation,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">deduction<span style="background: white;"> and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>forensics<span style="background: white;"> to solve puzzling cases. Conan Doyle wrote four<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>novels<span style="background: white;"> and fifty-six short stories<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>featuring
Holmes, and all but four stories are narrated by Holmes's friend, assistant,
and biographer,<span class="apple-converted-space"> Dr. John Watson</span>. The
Sherlock Holmes mystique is still celebrated today in books, short stories,
films and television programs. Holmes, the “consulting detective,” still
fascinates a modern audience of devotees. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Golden Age of Detective Fiction, the
1920’s and 30’s, brought many writers of detective stories to the forefront.
British female authors like Agatha Christie are particularly memorable. Of the
four "Queens of Crime" of that era: Christie,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Dorothy Sayers<span style="background: white;">, Ngaio Marsh<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and Margery Allingham<span class="apple-converted-space">, all were British except for</span> Marsh who was
a New Zealander.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">In the 1930’s, the hard-boiled private
eye novels began to evolve with American writers. Over the years, many interesting
writers have emerged in this genre. Dashiell Hammett, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane,
Ross Macdonald, and Robert Parker are just a few of the writers who still
resonate with readers. P.I. detectives are tough guys dealing with seedy
characters on the mean city streets, the so-called underbelly of society. They
are professional detectives who live by a code of honor but rarely earn much
for their efforts. They generally have antagonistic relationships with the
police and, like the amateur detective, tend to be more intelligent than
professional law enforcement counterparts. <span style="background: white;">The P.I.
novel was male-dominated until<span class="apple-converted-space"> the late
1970’s and early 80’s when writers such as Sara Paretsky, Marcia Miller and Sue
Grafton began creating women investigators who were as tough as men. These
novels offered more in-depth characterization and, in the case of Paretsky, a
social agenda. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">The police
procedural provides the reader with a different type of detective story. In
reality, most crimes are investigated by police. This type of mystery stresses
step-by-step procedures followed by professional detectives such as processing
crime scenes to collect physical evidence, canvassing the area for witnesses or
suspects, postmortem examination of bodies in the case of murders, identifying
a victim if that is not known, and interviewing known friends, co-workers,
relatives and associates. The list is often long and tedious. Not generally so
in a novel. Although it is agreed that the police procedural should be accurate
in portraying what law enforcement officers actually do, it is not necessary to
bore readers to death. Like the P.I. novel, this is action-oriented genre
fiction. While the plot may be the backbone of a police procedural as O’Neil De
Noux, a longtime police officer and homicide detective, observed in an article
written for <i>The Writer</i> (“How to Write
the Police Procedural Novel,” October, 1992 issue), the novel won’t interest
readers unless there are well-developed central characters-- witness the great
success of </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">Ed McBain's 87th precinct series in books, film
and as a television series. Much of the
appeal of the novels rest with main character Steve Carella and his
relationship with Teddy, his deaf-mute wife, as well as his interaction with
fellow police detectives such as Meyer Meyer.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Distinctive
places also add interest to the modern police procedural. For example, moody
Scandinavian settings have provided bleak backgrounds for the investigations of
Inspector Martin Beck (</span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sjöwall and Wahlöö in the 1960’s) or Wallander (Henning Mankell) and more recently Inspector
Tell (Camilla Cedar).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">It goes without saying that all books
should be researched for accuracy of detail. However, Eric Wright observes (The
Writer, October 1990 issue, p. 9) that writers should do their research last.
His reasoning: once a story is written the writer will know what information is
actually needed and necessary. Collecting unnecessary facts proves to be a
waste of valuable time. I am of the opinion that it also leads to information
dumping as many writers then cannot resist the temptation to include material
that should be cut and which has no purpose in the book or story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, the more traditional view is
that authors who write police procedurals must insist on total accuracy.
Margaret Maron, for instance, has explained how she used interviews with police
detectives and civil service clerks, attended “criminalistics” classes and took
notes on the trivia associated with everyday police activities in a station
house to depict realism in her police novel series (The Writer, June, 1993
issue).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Patricia D. Cornwell’s novels have long
graced the bestseller lists. Her Dr. Kay
Scarpetta forensic pathologist crime novels are strongly associated with her
own career. Cornwell describes herself as having been a crime reporter. The character
of Dr. Scarpetta appears to have been initially inspired by an interview she
had with a female medical examiner. She went to work for the medical examiners
and eventually became their computer analyst. Her opinion: stories that lack
credibility and authenticity will be unread (The Writer, December 1991, p.
18-20). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">P. D. James is another author of police
procedurals we can describe as the real deal. James </span><span style="background: #F5F6F8; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">held a position
as a senior employee in the Criminal Policy Department<span class="apple-converted-space"> in </span></span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #F5F6F8; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">England</span></span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #F5F6F8; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Joseph Wambaugh
has given us some memorable characters who happen to be police officers based
on his personal experience and knowledge.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #F5F6F8; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cross genre
fiction combining elements of romance, the paranormal, and suspense with
mystery have become more common in today’s crime fiction. I believe this less
traditional approach is becoming a trend in modern mystery fiction. The
traditional lines are blurring and authors are experimenting with a greater
variety of style and technique in a genre that is now more dynamic, fluid and
exciting. What remains the same is the need for a well-developed plot,
well-rounded and well-defined characters, and a distinctive setting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #F5F6F8; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">My latest novel
DEATH PROMISE from Encircle combines elements of mystery thriller with romantic
suspense. Set in Las Vegas, New York and London, the pace is fast-moving and
exciting which is more typical of the modern crime novel and appealing to
today’s readers who do have a shorter attention span.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">For more about the novel, check it out here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://encirclepub.com/product/death-promise/">http://encirclepub.com/product/death-promise/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">DEATH
PROMISE is now available in print and
e-book from:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-promise-jacqueline-seewald/1127590013?ean=9781893035942">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-promise-jacqueline-seewald/1127590013?ean=9781893035942</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">and many
other booksellers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">Positive reviews
are starting to be posted:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">Library Journal</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">: </span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;"><br />
<br />
"Romantic suspense with an interesting plot...the plot kept this reviewer
turning the pages."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #F5F6F8; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Your thoughts, input and
comments welcome and appreciated!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-61178391948866257362018-06-15T05:00:00.000-04:002018-06-15T05:00:04.596-04:00Writing Thoughts, Dreams and ReflectionsI just finished reading Alice Duncan's blog below, and boy did her words resonate with me. Alice edited my first novel, "Feisty Family Values" and she was a guest on my blog a few weeks back (http://bdtharp.com). She's a delightful lady, and when we discussed her guest blog, she actually remembered my book. That was eight years ago, and I think she is lovely to say so. I love reading her stories and understand her feeling the loss of joy with writing from time to time. She was wise to edit and do other things to prevent her totally giving up the craft. She is inspiring. 64 books, WOW!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYflDHwQdQVkETZcElpU8GKxaCI7VC1fTX0iUdIygVAEsLDmAMcuD6TsazIiWfg43fLEeXDaiqQ82yo_L6zIp1POhIEa5jTkbJCLaPDevI6vVBEj3QDvUEUX_OmuJlz38TxRA9cWJ97gV/s1600/typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYflDHwQdQVkETZcElpU8GKxaCI7VC1fTX0iUdIygVAEsLDmAMcuD6TsazIiWfg43fLEeXDaiqQ82yo_L6zIp1POhIEa5jTkbJCLaPDevI6vVBEj3QDvUEUX_OmuJlz38TxRA9cWJ97gV/s1600/typewriter.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
As you may recall, I wrote about retirement a month ago, and today was my first day of being emancipated from my day job. It was a good day, to be sure. I woke up early as was able to beat the heat and water flowers, mow and weed a little. A very productive morning. After cleaning up and making lunch, I lay down to read and fell asleep. Napping in the afternoon is very lovely, I could get used to that - especially in this heat.<br />
<br />
My list of "things to do" is very long, but at the top is to write! Blog. Read. And write some more. It is part of the plan, my new daily routine. I'm sure you've noticed that we humans are creatures of habit. Writing is my returning habit. It's not fattening. It won't make me sweat (I don't think). It can be loads of fun. And when it's not, then it's time to go out and weed the garden, pick up a book to read, call a friend, take a walk, or sit on the patio enjoying the birds.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx9HziJFiOTGUbr-A6WgCtgebwnV8FpX036ArzUSVWJLqaL7b5Q48t-X6ahfR4AoQjwDHzPXYwfX27HPeajiGE_gx9b9XK9XK9BKdXScCeQXeIbiNlVyVBKnv5f_Azsjza0_egXhM_j4c/s1600/writing+desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx9HziJFiOTGUbr-A6WgCtgebwnV8FpX036ArzUSVWJLqaL7b5Q48t-X6ahfR4AoQjwDHzPXYwfX27HPeajiGE_gx9b9XK9XK9BKdXScCeQXeIbiNlVyVBKnv5f_Azsjza0_egXhM_j4c/s1600/writing+desk.jpg" /></a>Like Alice, I was not able to make a living with my writing. There are only a dozen or so extremely wealthy writers, many who just get by, and most of us make a little bit to support our book buying addiction. Since the paychecks will not be coming anymore, I am going to finish reading what is on my shelves, supplement it with the e-books on my Kindle, and go to the library. Working all the time left little time for shopping at bookstores or perusing the shelves at the library. Amazon made it WAY too easy to just download a book on the Kindle in minutes.<br />
<br />
I remember spending hours in the library and the bookstores looking at everything on the shelves. Reading dust covers and admiring book cover art. Do you remember the smell of all those books in one place? The smell of paper, glue, and dust. I loved walking through the old books with their musty leather aroma. Time to go back and enjoy those sensations and perhaps revisit some classic novels. It's been years since I've read a book multiple times, with some notable exceptions - "To Kill a Mockingbird" is still my all-time favorite. It's time to reread it, I'm sure.<br />
<br />
There are so many excellent new novels, too. Millions are printed every year. I don't think I'll get them all read, but I will make a path through the tomes. And I will add to the numbers of good books out there with my own. It feels like we authors are very alone, but really we are part of a vast crowd. Thanks for being there, fellow writers. It's nice to know you are out there, too.<br />
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<a href="http://bdtharp.com/">Website: http://bdtharp.com</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie-Tharp-Books-110621165649187/">Facebook: Bonnie D Tharp Books</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp">Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard">Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Tharp/e/B00UV4IC2I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon: Bonnie Tharp Author Page</a>Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-54285889982271128532018-06-08T08:43:00.000-04:002018-06-08T08:43:22.192-04:00Have You Ever Wondered… by Alice Duncan<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have the privilege of welcoming
Alice Duncan to Author Expressions again. </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Alice</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is both a mystery writer and
romance author as well as an editor. In fact, she edited seven of my novels for
Five Star/Cengage and remains my favorite editor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Have you
ever wondered how nice it would be to make a living by writing books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Me, too.
All the time. I’ve been in the book-writing and being-published business since
1994, and I still can’t make a living at it. It makes me sad sometimes. Often,
in fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">On the
other hand, I kind of am making a living thanks to my many published books (I
think there have been 64 of them so far). That’s because, since so many books
of mine have been published, people think I know what I’m doing. Therefore,
I’ve been hired by Cengage/Five Star as a freelance editor. So, in effect, my
writing has paid off; just not in the way I’d hoped it would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Since I’m
too stubborn (or too stupid) to give up, I keep writing books anyway. The last
few years, writing hasn’t been fun for me. When I first began writing books, I
had high hopes that I’d become, if not rich and famous, at least
self-supporting via writing. That hasn’t happened, although there have been a
few high points along the way. My very first book, <i>One Bright Morning</i>, won the HOLT Medallion for the best first book
published in 1994. That made me happy. I stopped entering contests shortly
after that, however, because it was too expensive. Also, although many people
are likely to dispute this, I honestly don’t think you can judge one book as
being better than another book, unless you’re talking about English usage, etc.
Not everyone likes the same things. If you loathe historical romances, chances
are pretty good you won’t like <i>One Bright
Morning</i>. If you prefer a tearjerker to a funny book, you definitely won’t
like my books. Speaking of that, I was very nearly dismayed to discover I’m
funny whether I mean to be or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In fact,
when my first book (the above-mentioned <i>One
Bright Morning</i>) was published, a former teacher of mine was so thrilled,
she asked me to read some of it in front of an audience at the South Pasadena
Public Library. I gladly agreed, feeling pleased with myself and my book. So I
read the very first sentence in OBM, and everyone laughed. I was shocked! It
wasn’t supposed to be funny! That book was a heart-wrenching emotional saga of
a lonely widow-woman with a little daughter who inadvertently got mixed up in a
range war and ultimately found true love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Funny?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Not on
your life! However, since that time, I’ve come to accept my writer’s “voice,”
as it’s called, as my own. Can’t do much else, since evidently I write the way
I talk. Many people have told me that, so I guess it’s true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">After my
initial exuberance had dwindled (which took 15 or 20 years) I began to find
writing books more of a chore than a joy. For me, editing somebody else’s book
is <i>much</i> easier than thinking up a
bunch of characters, developing a plot, and painstakingly putting it all down
on paper for 80,000-100,000 words. That’s a lot of words. It takes a long time
to write that many words if you want them to be placed in coherent English
sentences and in a logical order. Yet people can read all those words in a day
or even in a few hours. Hardly seems worth the effort. Even if you can then get
those words published as a novel, you won’t make much money for it unless
you’re Stephen King, Nora Roberts, James Patterson or someone who twinkles in
the same galaxy as they. Mind you, I don’t begrudge Stephen King or Nora Roberts
their fame and wealth. Not so sure about James Patterson, but that’s only my
opinion. Clearly not many other people agree with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">However,
my writing life has taken an upturn of late. Not that I’m making any more
money, mind you. But a man whose books I edit for Five Star’s Frontier Fiction
Line has lent me one of his characters! Peter Brandvold, who writes <i>excellent</i> westerns full of adventure, sex
and violence, gave me Lou Prophet, an old-west bounty hunter to play with in my
next book. The book in question is <i>Shaken
Spirits</i>, an historical cozy mystery, and it’s set in the solidly
respectable city of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Pasadena</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">California</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, in 1925. Poor old Lou
is past his prime, being in his seventies, and has managed to lose a leg, so he
walks on one leg and a stump. He lost his leg when the motorcar in which he
rode (along with two women of the night and a crate of bootleg liquor) took a
dive off a cliff in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Santa Monica</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. Lou was the sole
survivor, although he did lose a leg, and he’s now confined to the Odd Fellows
House of Christian Charity in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Pasadena</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Things get
interesting from then on. My main character, Daisy Gumm Majesty, finds the
crusty old Lou Prophet quite an interesting fellow. Her fiancé, Detective Sam
Rotondo of the Pasadena Police Department finds him interesting too, but he’s
not as enchanted with the old reprobate as is Daisy. Anyway, thanks to Peter
Brandvold and Lou Prophet, I’m actually having <i>fun</i> writing again! I didn’t think that would ever happen, but I’m
so glad it has. Mean Pete (he calls himself that; I’m not casting aspersions)
has gifted me not merely with Lou Prophet, but also a ton of fun old-west
sayings Lou uses, thereby confounding poor Daisy, who eventually decides to
create a dictionary of old-west terms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I don’t
expect to begin making tons of money through my books any time soon, but at
least the joy of putting words on paper (virtually speaking, since I write
books on my trusty computer) has returned, and it’s all thanks to Peter
Brandvold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In case
you’re interested in the book in which Lou Prophet appears, you can pre-order
it on Amazon. Just click on link underneath the book cover:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Monte/My%20Documents/Downloads/:%20https:/www.amazon.com/Shaken-Spirits-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07B6GRK4Y/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PDYX2DSEEM4TCVSE3KJD">Pre-order SHAKEN SPIRITS</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you
want to read Daisy’s latest adventure, in which her dachshund, Spike, finds a
shoe with a foot in it at the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mountain View</span></st1:placename><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cemetery</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Altadena</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-size: 14pt;">California</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, you may do that, too:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Monte/My%20Documents/Downloads/:%20https:/www.amazon.com/Spirits-Unearthed-Daisy-Majesty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B079CC4BTG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1527800436&sr=1-1&keywords=spirits+unearthed+alice+duncan">Buy SPIRITS UNEARTHED</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you’re
interested in visiting my web site, here’s the link: </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.aliceduncan.net/">https://www.aliceduncan.net/</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you’re
interested in visiting Mean Pete’s Amazon page, here’s the link for that:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Brandvold/e/B001ITXEDW/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1527802177&sr=1-2-ent">Mean Pete (aka Peter Brandvold)</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-79107975942551728872018-06-01T09:16:00.000-04:002018-06-01T09:16:55.769-04:00What I read . . . <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "New York", serif;">Like anyone else with a computer and an Internet connection, I have email. My Inbox welcomes me every morning with missives that are mostly spam, but I receive a few that I look forward to and enjoy. These sites are varied, and mostly but not all about writing and publishing.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "New York", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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Literary Hub has a weekly newsletter that lists about a dozen curated articles of interest to writers and readers, along with interesting historical information about figures in the literary world. A recent issue included a link to a piece in the Guardian that discussed a letter by John le Carre in which he described Tony Blair as "one bad Scottish piglet." https://lithub.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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This site also produces CrimeReads, which offers a variety of articles, for example, on book covers, prisoners performing Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men at Sing Sing Prison, and Spanish noir. https://crimereads.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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A favorite blog is The Graveyard Shift, by Lee Lofland (https://www.leelofland.com), which covers topics related to crime and law enforcement, with the interest of writers in mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not everything I read is directly related to crime fiction or writing. One of my favorite newsletters comes from Nautilus, an online journal about science. The editors choose a theme and explore it from different perspectives over one or more issues, culling articles from many sources. Current articles explored the problems besetting scientists in finding new antibiotics, whether or not suicide bombings are driven by ideology, and whether or not you can overdose on happiness. These are light-hearted titles for serious, thoughtful analyses. http://nautil.us<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a writer I receive numerous newsletters about writing and publishing, most of which I ignore. The few that I scan for interesting insights or information are The Creative Penn (https://www.thecreativepenn.com), on writing, self-publishing, and marketing, among other topics; The Passive Voice (http://www.thepassivevoice.com), by a lawyer who culls articles from various sources on aspects of writing and publishing of interest from a legal perspective; and the Boston Review (https://bostonreview.net), which describes itself as a political and literary forum.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of my favorites is wordsmith.org, which provides a new word every day (except weekends), with pronunciation, meaning, etymology, and usage. There is also a quote, for the thought for the day. The word for today, as I write, is metanoia (go look it up).<o:p></o:p></div>
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To help with general issues in my Anita Ray stories I read The Hindu Blog (https://www.hindu-blog.com), which covers topics related to the Hindu calendar, practices, principles, and the like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another newsletter gets me into the appropriate frame of mind for writing the new Pioneer Valley series featuring Felicity O'Brien, the newsletter for the National Farmers Union (https://nfu.org). This one covers topics related to farming, such as crop insurance, changes in federal policies, environmental concerns, fact sheets, new policy initiatives, rail regulation, food waste, and coping with climate change.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You probably have your own list of reliable sources for reading entertainment and information, and I'm ready to admit I probably wouldn't read these if I had to trek to the library to find the hard copy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Coming in the early fall, with more farming information, is <i>Below the Tree Line</i>, from Midnight Ink. Until then you can find me and my work here:<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.facebook.com/susan.oleksiw.author/<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.susanoleksiw.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.susansblogbits.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/susanoleksiw/<o:p></o:p></div>
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@susanoleksiw<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SusanOleksiw<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/susan+oleksiw?_requestid=1017995<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan Oleksiwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-38385436550973225762018-05-25T07:37:00.000-04:002018-05-25T07:37:55.328-04:00Why Shakespeare? by Carole Price<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Our guest blogger is mystery
author Carole Price. She is going to discuss what inspired her series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Why
Shakespeare? I asked myself when looking for a theme for my first book. When my
daughter moved to </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ashland</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Oregon</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, home of the famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival, I
attended several plays, including <i>Tongue
of a Bird</i>. It was held in the smaller Black Swan Theater, and involved a
search for an abducted girl. This play takes one to metaphysical, spiritual,
and psychological worlds. The characters live in varying aspects of each. In a
complex way, everything is going on inside the main character’s head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I found
the play to be very poetic in its use of language. It managed to just tell the
story and then let it be without theatricality getting in the way. The smaller
theater was good for hearing the language and getting inside the heads of the
characters. The play was an internal journey where you enter the play through
your head and leave through your heart, and this is why I decided <i>Tongue of a Bird</i> would be one of my
first plays in my first book <i>Twisted Vines.</i>
Thus, it became one of the first to be performed at the smaller Blackfriars theater,
one of two Shakespearean theaters my main character, Caitlyn Pepper, inherited
from an unknown aunt. I signed up for behind the scene tours of the </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ashland</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> theaters and later met with a stage operations
supervisor who sees that all components of a play come together. Talking with
him and his willingness to share opened up more avenues that I would include in
my book and those that followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I always
thought of myself as a casual observer of repertory theater, but once inside
the Festival it was obvious how music enhanced and nurtured the story. I was
full of ideas for my own theaters by bringing Shakespeare to </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Livermore</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">California</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, where I live. Years earlier I had taken a class in
Shakespeare at </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Livermore</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">’s Las Positas College. Little did I know then how
important that class would become when I retired from my job and started
writing mysteries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I fell
in love with the Bard and attended many more plays. <i>Twisted Vines </i>became the first book in my Shakespeare in the
Vineyard mystery series, followed by <i>Sour
Grapes</i> and <i>Vineyard Prey</i>. Each
book includes a play at both of the theaters simultaneously. One never knows what
will spark an idea for the next book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Carole Price is a Buckeye.
Born and raised in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Columbus</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ohio</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, she attended The Ohio State University. She worked
for a national laboratory in northern </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">California</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> before turning to writing mysteries. Carole fell in
love with the Bard after attending plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ashland</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">. She graduated from the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Citizens</span></st1:placename><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Police</span></st1:placename><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Academy</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> and is an active police volunteer for the Livermore
Police Department, a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime,
and International Thriller Writers. She actively promotes her books at
conferences, literary groups, and many other venues. Carole and her husband
reside in the San Francisco Bay Area in the middle of wine country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Website: <a href="http://carolepricemysteries.com/">http://carolepricemysteries.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/carolepricemysteries">http://www.facebook.com/carolepricemysteries</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/caroleprice">http://twitter.com/caroleprice</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Blog: <a href="http://www.theladykillers.typepad.com/">http://www.theladykillers.typepad.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">*Your thoughts and comments
welcome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-87125250168822584732018-05-18T04:00:00.000-04:002018-05-18T04:00:12.134-04:00A New ChapterLife is always changing and yet, our days are often repetitive and much the same. We get up, have our beverage of choice, shower, and dress for work. After the day job is over, we change into our comfy clothes and make dinner, clean up the dishes and veg until bedtime. Relaxing with a book or watching a movie are my favorite veg activities. If I have energy left after dinner, I like to putter in the garden or write. Lately, I've decided to dust off my art supplies and start sketching and painting again, too.<br />
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Where do I find the time? Where do I find the energy? Most days, I run out of gas after the job is done. But in thirty days that will change, and I will start a new chapter in my life. I will be laid off from my job and able to consider myself retired.<br />
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When we write our stories, we try to leave the reader anxious for what happens next. Life is the same. While I have plans, life does tend to "happen" organically on its own. Stories develop naturally as well. Isn't a novel or story just living on the pages? Isn't each chapter something new to challenge the main character?<br />
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Perhaps that is why we love reading and writing so much. With each new book or chapter, we get the chance to see what happens next. From our imagination and life experience, we can create anything on the page. We can dream of new worlds and imaginary scenarios and make them come to life in a story, or song, or painting.<br />
<br />
I anticipate that being retired will allow me to dream and create even more. Time will once again be less occupied by the day job and open to more creative endeavors. I've been writing for almost twenty years of the forty-five years I've been working, and it's been a challenge. I look forward to mastering the discipline to sit my bottom on the chair and write more.<br />
<br />
And I'm hoping that by reawakening my artist side I'll find new ideas for the stories I like to write. Getting out of the home office more often will also give me exposure to more people, places, and things. Thus, more writing fodder.<br />
<br />
I'm very anxious to start the next chapter of my manuscript and my life. Let's all enjoy the journey, shall we?<br />
<br />
Your comments are truly welcome.<br />
<br />
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Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-78975738923056176042018-05-11T07:00:00.000-04:002018-05-11T07:05:17.182-04:00Birth of a Book by Jacqueline Seewald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGp8YC5bnWnciHhjKS1NdK2hiGtGfxwYSfW-MptDgZXCUKzBoTf5YzmPRsDlPI9xK-eUxoVv5TCTf1hd0OnoHiziDzG8vXegqnMaw0iX6FvWrcfANcxjb_xI53cSqLcI-v_4JjBdJ-XqA/s1600/Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGp8YC5bnWnciHhjKS1NdK2hiGtGfxwYSfW-MptDgZXCUKzBoTf5YzmPRsDlPI9xK-eUxoVv5TCTf1hd0OnoHiziDzG8vXegqnMaw0iX6FvWrcfANcxjb_xI53cSqLcI-v_4JjBdJ-XqA/s320/Spring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Spring has finally arrived and with it new life abounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 3.75pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Robins are singing. Daffodils, azaleas, tulips, and trees </span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 3.75pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">of all kinds are blooming. So it seems particularly fitting that DEATH PROMISE,
my new romantic suspense mystery thriller, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">was published on May 2<sup>nd</sup>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This has also made me reflect on the following: What
causes a writer to consider investing the time, energy and effort into the
creation of a book or any written work for that matter? With DEATH PROMISE, the
idea actually took some years to develop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I had encouragement in the sense that Encircle, my
publisher, found me rather than vice versa. I’ll explain since this is rather
unusual. DEATH PROMISE is a sequel to DEATH LEGACY, a novel originally
published by Five Star/Cengage in hardcover and large print hardcover. The
novel received excellent reviews from the major review publications such as
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and BOOKLIST among others. Harlequin Worldwide Mystery
brought out a paperback edition while a different publisher opted for e-book
rights. The novel proved popular with many readers. This encouraged me to write
another book featuring the two main characters. Originally, I conceived of
DEATH LEGACY as a stand alone romantic mystery. However, my subconscious
insisted that Michelle and Daniel really needed at least one more good story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwxHrdOZrdMWvghsWcJyZaUUwwIfzWomFP9hCc16dccuJlULXewiwpRL6MEZlfaxyitOz-fGaV_4mAV8hP2Nxx7DCu_uLNuGJs2CxaqPTx23dY6meQb6ssjwBnGOpSGQaPyFzRvn-grgp/s1600/DeathLegacyFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwxHrdOZrdMWvghsWcJyZaUUwwIfzWomFP9hCc16dccuJlULXewiwpRL6MEZlfaxyitOz-fGaV_4mAV8hP2Nxx7DCu_uLNuGJs2CxaqPTx23dY6meQb6ssjwBnGOpSGQaPyFzRvn-grgp/s320/DeathLegacyFront.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 3.75pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">When Five Star/Cengage dropped their mystery line, many of
us who wrote mysteries for that publisher were hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 3.75pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Although a small publisher, Encircle took on a number of orphaned Five Star authors. Encircle has
turned out to be professional to work with. They provided good editing and we
worked on cover art together with satisfactory results. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp22Qq4kBmH4S7vKSpDMpOzHCPuVf-Hqco9b9pP82UNGkrm0jHa7bVfL_z2uzrjDZjxZOF5_nyE3jfU9HtBvkSp0G6cvev6whyhaf78XRC1iUfPXpunWWwMTGS5eLGAX2A82fyuLb-DDK/s1600/DeathPromiseFront+copy+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp22Qq4kBmH4S7vKSpDMpOzHCPuVf-Hqco9b9pP82UNGkrm0jHa7bVfL_z2uzrjDZjxZOF5_nyE3jfU9HtBvkSp0G6cvev6whyhaf78XRC1iUfPXpunWWwMTGS5eLGAX2A82fyuLb-DDK/s320/DeathPromiseFront+copy+%25283%2529.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> You can check out
the description of this new novel at:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://encirclepub.com/product/death-promise/"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://encirclepub.com/product/death-promise/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">DEATH
PROMISE is now available from:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF"><span style="color: windowtext;">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-promise-jacqueline-seewald/1127590013?ean=9781893035942"><span style="color: windowtext;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-promise-jacqueline-seewald/1127590013?ean=9781893035942</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">and many
other booksellers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">Positive reviews
are starting to be posted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">From Mel Jacob at
<i>Gumshoe Mystery Review</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt;">“The
romance between Daniel and Michelle is incendiary with plenty of heat.
Nonetheless, they work well together to catch a killer. She struggles with
wanting love and not wanting to give up her dangerous work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14pt;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">“This is a nice blend of suspense and romance with </span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">lots of action to keep the pages turning.”<o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></pre>
<pre style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">Lelia Taylor, <i>Buried Under Books</i>, May 2018 <o:p></o:p></span></pre>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Here’s a
shortened excerpt from near the beginning of DEATH PROMISE:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Dr.
Daniel Reiner was finishing a turkey sandwich at his desk during his lunch
break. The morning had proved hectic. The </span><st1:place style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Park Avenue</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">
practice was a busy one. Things had really picked up in the past year. A lot of
that was due to Morris Lerner, his partner and fellow psychiatrist. Morris had
a thriving practice before Daniel joined him. Morris had too many clients and
was looking for a younger doctor who could take some of the burden. Morris also
had a demanding wife and two young children. He needed and wanted to spend more
time with his family. Daniel, unattached and just starting out, was a good fit.
The association was working out well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Cheryl, their receptionist, buzzed him. Daniel picked up the
phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Are you taking calls now?” He appreciated Cheryl’s pleasant
Midwestern accent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yes, all done with lunch. When’s my next appointment?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’ve still got a half hour. I think this call might be
personal rather than a patient.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Okay, put the caller through.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He heard the click. “Hello, how can I help you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Maybe you can, maybe not. Are you Daniel Reiner? Son of
David Reiner?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He confirmed that he was indeed Daniel Reiner as he wiped
away some stinging mustard from the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You don’t know me but I was married to your father.” The
woman’s voice was deep as if she were a chain smoker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Then I guess you know my father and I haven’t been in
contact for many years.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah, I know. He told me about your mother. Tough break.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel felt a visceral pain. He was
raised by his grandparents after his mother died. Mom was a beautiful woman,
loving and vital. She developed ovarian cancer and died too young. He was only
a young child at the time but knew he wanted to be a doctor and save as many
lives as possible. He found out years later that surgery wasn’t for me. So he
set out to heal people’s minds instead of their bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The woman cleared her throat. “The
thing is I don’t know if you were aware but your father died a year ago.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He felt nothing. He should have felt
something but found he could not. Not for the father who had abandoned an
orphaned child. Daniel realized his father had been out of his life too long
for it to matter. It was as if when his mother died and his father left him
with his maternal grandparents, the man had also ceased to exist. Sad but true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said,
his voice lacking emotion, sounding formal and wooden to his own ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Thanks, but your father and I were
divorced for close to ten years. The thing is I looked you up because I thought
maybe you’d like to know you have a sister.” The woman cleared her throat
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel’s posture straightened. “Your
daughter?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yes, mine and your father’s.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“How old is she?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Seventeen. She’ll be eighteen in six
months.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel tapped a pen against an open
notebook on his desk. This was surprising news. He wondered if his grandparents
had known and just not told him. He shook his head. That wasn’t their style.
They were very open people. Decent, hard-working, honest. No, they would have
told him. He conjectured this woman wanted something from him. If she just
intended to connect, she’d have called him a long time ago. His years of
training in the field of psychiatry taught him to think analytically without a
lot of emotional baggage. He said nothing, waiting for her to continue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I guess you’d like to know more
about your dad.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Not really. I gave up on him a long
time ago.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The woman let out a small, mirthless
laugh. “Yeah, me too. We got that in common. I’m Tiffany, by the way, Tiffany
Tyler. I’m a cocktail waitress in Vegas. The thing is I’m planning to remarry
soon. I’m kind of at loose ends with my daughter Beth—your sister. When your
dad and I split up, it was hard for me to manage. I worked late hours. It was
tough having a kid around. So I sent her to a boarding school. Well, that’s
finished now and I’m planning to remarry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“So you said.” Daniel was becoming
impatient. He tapped his pen again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I left Beth with my cousin, Robert
Tyler. He lives in Vegas too. I’m going to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">San Francisco</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> in the morning. Meeting my fiancé
there. In his business he travels a lot. We’ll be off to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Thailand</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> and other places in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Asia</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. The thing is my cousin, Rob, well,
he’s a professional gambler. Kind of a restless guy. He isn’t someone Beth
should have to live with for any length of time. I can only see leaving her with
him as a temporary kind of thing. You know?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">No, he didn’t know. Daniel wondered
what the woman was getting at in her rambling. “Can’t you take your daughter
with you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“There are reasons I can’t do that.”
The woman sounded defensive as well as nervous. “I’ve been doing some checking.
I hear you’re a doctor there in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. Beth is real adaptable. Maybe she
could live with you for a little while?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">At first, Daniel was too stunned to
respond, although he knew he had to say something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I hate to ask but could you come and
get her? She’s a good kid and wouldn’t be any trouble. When she’s eighteen, she
can be on her own.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Tiffany, no offense, but you’re a
total stranger. How do I know anything you’re telling me is true?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I can prove it. Your father signed
her birth certificate. I have our marriage license. I’ll send you all that
information. Just come for Beth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Ms. Tyler, who told you where to
find me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She emitted a small, embarrassed
laugh. “Your father kept in touch with some cousins in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. He was proud when he learned how
you became a doctor in the city. Boasted how he had such a smart son.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">That wasn’t what Daniel expected to
hear. How sad that he knew so little about David Reiner. And now his father was
dead and he would never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">#<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The following day was
sunny but chilly, a true autumn in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> afternoon. Daniel finished with his
patients earlier than expected because his final appointment of the day called
to cancel and reschedule. He decided to walk from his office on </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Park Avenue</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> over to the Citicorp building on </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Lexington Avenue</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> where International Consultants had
offices. It was only a ten-block walk down to the area between 53rd and </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">54th Street</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. A perfect day for a walk. His last
patient left at four; that gave him just enough time to get over before the
offices would likely close at five. He was determined to talk to Michelle
Hallam if she was there. He reached her skyscraper office building feeling
exhilarated by the brisk exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> #<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel told
Michelle about Tiffany Tyler and his supposed half-sister, Beth. Michelle
listened politely without interrupting him, her face expressionless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When he finished
his brief narrative, she finally spoke. “This cousin with whom the young girl
is staying, you were given his name and address, were you not? It should be a
simple matter to phone him and arrange for the girl to come to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">. You could
e-mail her a plane ticket.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel shook his
head. “I’m not that dense. I checked out the cousin yesterday. No one answers
his cell phone. He lives in an apartment complex. I was able to get hold of the
manager. He told me something troubling. Apparently the cousin owed back rent.
No one’s seen him for several days. He hasn’t returned. I called several more
times. I really was persistent.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I believe that,”
she said with a small smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I got the
manager to use his key to open the apartment. He claimed there was no one
present and the place was devoid of belongings. There’s no forwarding address.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Michelle raised
her chin and worried her lower lip. “That is troubling.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Now you
understand why I want your help.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She faced him.
“You know that most of what I deal with involves international matters. I could
situate you with someone in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Las Vegas</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> who could look
into the matter and find out what happened to your sister. That would be best.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel shook his
head. “No one else would be as thorough as you are. Incidentally, I tried to
call Tiffany Tyler and it went to voice mail. I left several messages for her.
This whole thing is weird. I need to get out to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Las Vegas</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> and look into
it. I want you to come with me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Michelle let out
a deep sigh. “I’ll be in D.C. for several days. We’re handling a rather
delicate diplomatic matter there. However, it shouldn’t take long. I will call
you when I return and we’ll set up a trip.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re going to
D.C.? District of Crime?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Not amusing,”
she said with a frown. “In the meantime, phone the manager of the complex again
and see if he has any news. And don’t give up on this Tiffany Tyler person
either.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Daniel told her
he wouldn’t. If he did in fact have a half-sister and the girl needed help, he
was willing to do what he could for her. He sensed something amiss here. Every
instinct told him that this was not going to be a simple matter. He hadn’t lied
when he told Michelle that he needed her help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She was no
ordinary private investigator. Michelle Hallam ran a highly specialized
consulting firm. She came from a diplomatic British family. Her uncle had been
an MI6 operative. Michelle was trained by him. When he passed away, she inherited
the business. Daniel didn’t ask too many questions in the time they were
together. He knew the work she did could be dangerous. It had in fact almost
gotten them both killed the previous year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">My hope is that readers like you will
read this novel and enjoy it.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">If you do, your
review would be appreciated!</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #eeeeee; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Comments Welcome!</span></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-47446319396576198582018-05-04T09:51:00.000-04:002018-05-04T09:51:30.773-04:00Acknowledgments, by Susan Oleksiw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over the weekend I read <i>The Ponder Heart</i>by Eudora Welty (1953), a short book barely one hundred and fifty pages about Uncle Daniel, who loves to tell stories to anyone who will listen and is known for giving things away, anything from fresh eggs to a garden. When I finished I paged through to read the front and back matter. Other than the copyright page, list of publications, and a dedication, there was no extra material--no short bio or acknowledgments or notes or explanations. As soon as I absorbed the absences, as it were, I recalled that this was always the norm--until recently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjzC0f0lw5t-1VhoPLcWFyt-_TZ7zQH1UyTzYx8Pdo2bjJKni3t-5fR7x7u8jcpvolSdtGhHezCABQaD1cWDF7W6Zz_5NkAEcrxpM1f0YQL9_pJ_v120gxjGRiqKqhkCcLbgDLgZcgnY/s1600/Book1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjzC0f0lw5t-1VhoPLcWFyt-_TZ7zQH1UyTzYx8Pdo2bjJKni3t-5fR7x7u8jcpvolSdtGhHezCABQaD1cWDF7W6Zz_5NkAEcrxpM1f0YQL9_pJ_v120gxjGRiqKqhkCcLbgDLgZcgnY/s200/Book1.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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When I pick up any book today, including a mystery novel, I'm not surprised to read one or two pages of acknowledgments, and I happily do so. Today we writers thank everyone in print. We thank our agent if we have one, the editor, the copy editor, the proofreader, our friends and Beta readers, the librarians who helped answer a particular research question, the neighbor who admitted to having an esoteric skill and was willing to share it, the expert who took the time to listen through an hour-long telephone conversation and then replied with precise answers, the online friend who explained the lay of the land for a particular location, the distant cousin who passed on local lore, and the friend who suggested a particularly enlightening book to read. Okay, perhaps I am exaggerating, but only a little.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYhm18i2GUbXITwO_yzxNTJTRSPQyMnOXHvLotD3A-bUq0SjtAHpBmjQD6yapphi8AdsNzkoA-ZoNdFpJGbSLcwzMacfbMcgASPRXnSMBFHayiAKNi1lOH01mNo_1bT_3nIJSjJBJ_IA/s1600/Book4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYhm18i2GUbXITwO_yzxNTJTRSPQyMnOXHvLotD3A-bUq0SjtAHpBmjQD6yapphi8AdsNzkoA-ZoNdFpJGbSLcwzMacfbMcgASPRXnSMBFHayiAKNi1lOH01mNo_1bT_3nIJSjJBJ_IA/s200/Book4.jpg" width="128" /></a>I didn't include an acknowledgments page in my first two mystery novels, but I did in my third. I didn't include acknowledgments in my next three books in the Mellingham series, and offered only two lines in my seventh in the series. But all four Anita Ray books include an acknowledgments page. My only regret here is in not including one for <i>Friends and Enemies</i>, the fourth Mellingham, because I learned an enormous amount about the paper industry in Massachusetts, thanks to some generous members of the business. The paper industry is run like a medieval guild--if you're not born to it or connected to one of the established families, you'll probably never get inside.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "new york" , serif;">Writers, editors, and readers have differing opinions on thanking people in a publication. No one ever thinks, as far as I can tell, that any book arrives in the local bookstore without a lot of help along the way. Nonfiction books are assumed to be the result of more professional assistance than a novel, but that seems to be less and less the case.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcx2eygDen80I58W0OtbYCRxLnCxE92nWUVlHwZusZvdEuddLQsyJswqCdcNznGSu2BAqXA3aJaW4CwHc7GAV3rP5BlpSo5zZ_gwEcWRQ-K_85GTfwbC2gvLZwyoAlZtwq-qmaHsOHdA/s1600/Book3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcx2eygDen80I58W0OtbYCRxLnCxE92nWUVlHwZusZvdEuddLQsyJswqCdcNznGSu2BAqXA3aJaW4CwHc7GAV3rP5BlpSo5zZ_gwEcWRQ-K_85GTfwbC2gvLZwyoAlZtwq-qmaHsOHdA/s200/Book3.jpg" width="128" /></a>During an interview when <i>Murder in Mellingham </i>was published, the first in the series, I mentioned the number of people who had helped along the way. I had mentioned the members in my writers' group, a few other friends, a book reviewer who took the time to read closely and provide a detailed commentary, among others. The interviewer seemed surprised, and commented that it sounded like a group project. I hadn't been considering an acknowledgments page, but if I had, I probably would have dropped it. When the third book appeared, <i>Family Album</i>, I wanted to thank a woman who had taken the time to show me her family's collection of Portuguese embroidery, which appeared prominently in an early scene. Over the years I've developed the habit of thanking readers or experts who have rendered an important review or comment, but otherwise I keep it short.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the twenty-five years I've been publishing fiction, I only remember one comment on this issue. When <i>Family Album </i>was published, a book reviewer and friend called the seven lines "excessive." I wonder what she thinks now about the ever-growing acknowledgments page.<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.facebook.com/susan.oleksiw.author/<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.susanoleksiw.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.susansblogbits.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/susanoleksiw/<o:p></o:p></div>
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@susanoleksiw<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Oleksiw/e/B001JS3P7C<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SusanOleksiw<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/susan+oleksiw?_requestid=1017995<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan Oleksiwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-55952440689184015002018-04-27T06:53:00.001-04:002018-04-27T06:53:16.311-04:00Setting Inspires Treachery by Phyllis Gobbell<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;">
<span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Phyllis Gobbell’s
latest novel, <i>Treachery in Tuscany</i>, is third in the Jordan Mayfair
Mystery Series that began with <i>Pursuit in Provence </i>(2015) and continued
with <i>Secrets and Shamrocks </i>(2016). She also co-authored two true-crime
books based on high-profile murders in </span></span><st1:city><st1:place><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Nashville</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">: <i>An
Unfinished Canvas </i>with Mike Glasgow (</span></span><st1:city><st1:place><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Berkley</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">,
2007) and <i>A Season of Darkness </i>with Doug Jones (</span></span><st1:city><st1:place><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Berkley</span></span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">,
2010). She was interviewed on Discovery ID’s “Deadly Sins,” discussing the
murder case in <i>An Unfinished Canvas</i>. Her narrative, “Lost Innocence,”
was published in the anthology, <i>Masters
of True Crime</i> (Prometheus, 2012) and is now available as an audiobook. She
has received awards in both fiction and nonfiction, including </span></span><st1:state><st1:place><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tennessee</span></span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">’s
Individual Artist Literary Award. An associate professor of English at </span></span><st1:place><st1:placename><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Nashville</span></span></st1:placename><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><st1:placetype><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">State</span></span></st1:placetype><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><st1:placetype><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Community
College</span></span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">, she teaches
writing and literature. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(Phyllis and I
have the same publication date, </span></span><st1:date day="2" month="5" year="2018"><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">May 2, 2018</span></span></st1:date><span class="A0"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> for our new novels
with publisher Encircle who chose to invite writers from former mystery
publisher Five Star/Cengage to submit.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="A0"><b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Treachery in </span></i></b></span><st1:state><st1:place><span class="A0"><b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tuscany</span></i></b></span></st1:place></st1:state><span class="A0"><b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“There are plot twists and intrigue, family secrets and rivalries, a
debonair lover, a delicious locale and all the usual accouterments of the
satisfying travel cozy, but Phyllis Gobbell gives the proceedings her own
particular spin.” ―Kate Falvey. Editor in Chief, <i>2 Bridges Review</i><br />
<span class="A0"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Setting
Inspires: <i>Treachery in </i></span></b><st1:state><st1:place><b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tuscany</span></i></b></st1:place></st1:state><b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<st1:state><st1:place><b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></i></b></st1:place></st1:state></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Some writers enjoy research. Some say they like it so much, they could
stay in the research mode and never get to actually writing their book. That’s
not me, not if you’re talking about tucking yourself away in a library for long
periods of time or traveling the Internet highway. But we all know research is
essential. Not only do readers expect accuracy, but they want to <i>experience</i> the world the writer has
created. I have found that having the authentic experience myself is the most
effective way I can provide the sensory images, the atmosphere, the color, the
texture, and the depth that transports the reader emotionally into the setting--the
little world--of my mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">True, setting alone cannot carry a mystery. Mystery has its own needs.
But when I made the decision to set my mysteries in places like </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Provence</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (<i>Pursuit in Provence</i>) and </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ireland</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (<i>Secrets and Shamrocks</i>), I knew I’d be a
fool not to make the most of these exotic locations. Some call my Jordan
Mayfair Mystery Series travel cozies, and they are. I usually refer to my books
as traditional mysteries. As I grew up reading Agatha Christie, I loved losing
myself in the small English village. Setting as character, setting that informs
plot--that’s what I try to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In one of the first blogs I wrote about <i>Pursuit in Provence, </i>I said that I didn’t choose </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Provence</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">; </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Provence</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> chose me. I
could have said the same about <i>Secrets in
Shamrocks. </i>I had been to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Provence</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> twice when I
wrote the first book in the series, and I had spent time teaching in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ireland</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> when I wrote the
second. It was logical to write about places I had experienced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTn8cQRY7oiyMfMpoSlCLkUhyphenhyphenWP6g9bnZd5DAv8ZNe8BvZJVX6a3Tu0SyfGgD5Jwz6l8umQvTLAmJ70o3aTBHJtQ4A5KgM3m-Tpx-gfNcV7j6myrvAhj3cav4rrhWnlzCL70vt2QiZOc2Y/s1600/TreacheryInTuscanyFront+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1030" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTn8cQRY7oiyMfMpoSlCLkUhyphenhyphenWP6g9bnZd5DAv8ZNe8BvZJVX6a3Tu0SyfGgD5Jwz6l8umQvTLAmJ70o3aTBHJtQ4A5KgM3m-Tpx-gfNcV7j6myrvAhj3cav4rrhWnlzCL70vt2QiZOc2Y/s320/TreacheryInTuscanyFront+%25282%2529.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">With <i>Treachery in Tuscany, </i>it
was different. I decided that I wanted </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tuscany</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> to be the
setting for my third book, and I made travel plans. My friend Cheri was up for
the adventure. My writer-friend, Alana, has a historical mystery set in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Florence</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">, and she advised
me to stay in a convent. What great advice that was! I kept a journal, of
course, and recorded notes about the nuns, the staff, the guests, and the
structure itself--yes, because my protagonist, Jordan Mayfair, is an architect.
She would have to use her architectural skills, and the 15<sup>th</sup> century
convent, with its elaborate mazes, provided a wonderful challenge. I sat in the
<i>piazzas </i>and watched the street life
around me. I kept notes of what I ordered, what everything cost, where the
Hop-on-hop-off bus took us. We were shocked by the motorbikes that zipped by
us, traveling at a dangerous speed, and I knew I would use that in my book. I
paid close attention to how the Italians spoke English, their particular
syntax, the nuances. We took a day trip to a vineyard in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Tuscany</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">--more grist for
the mill. Our cooking class at the villa would find its way into the book, and
not just to tell readers how to make ravioli from scratch. We took a train trip
to Orvieto and stayed in a hotel on the <i>piazza</i>.
How lucky we were that a huge festival was taking place. I did fall back on the
Internet to come up with an authentic festival in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Florence</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> when the time
came to write, but you can imagine that I put all of my photos of the Orvieto
festival to good use.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7euuE69-1ku0bdApeZbrrAStWROruQ3q_p-Sq9e9SOGNqVS6NgiO5-dygACqU0AyQghICzKEC6ddFPVXA23TKxkBhX233x-3uqgp-qOZIotgmUMYXoyqrspuae8HcV0QpZq7j0BTUSoZ/s1600/gardens+at+convent+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7euuE69-1ku0bdApeZbrrAStWROruQ3q_p-Sq9e9SOGNqVS6NgiO5-dygACqU0AyQghICzKEC6ddFPVXA23TKxkBhX233x-3uqgp-qOZIotgmUMYXoyqrspuae8HcV0QpZq7j0BTUSoZ/s320/gardens+at+convent+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I came home not knowing what the story would be for my third book in
the series, but I had done plenty of research--the kind of research that suits
me. I unpacked, watered my plants, and just let my thoughts swirl. I went
through my journal and my photographs and remembered how everything <i>felt. </i>Eventually, the story began to
take shape . . . a death in the convent . . . suicide, the authorities say . .
. but amateur sleuth Jordan Mayfair will not let it go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In many the mysteries I read, it’s clear the writer is inspired by
setting, as I am. What are some of your favorite settings in mysteries?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-58883552099727878472018-04-20T04:00:00.000-04:002018-04-20T04:00:19.129-04:00The Book is Better than the Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPerTiM1AdlPZ_DuF5kKKDgHjT4e-HFMxK5q7GB6R5PTyCroPrUFpxGdBxW5xFcwMpXJaF1_llAflzpTaKuhYWibrMQAIz4c26UpLHbxAVY9kzEmgB9ue20CQQqvhO7aCqqoe_waoC487R/s1600/reading-100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPerTiM1AdlPZ_DuF5kKKDgHjT4e-HFMxK5q7GB6R5PTyCroPrUFpxGdBxW5xFcwMpXJaF1_llAflzpTaKuhYWibrMQAIz4c26UpLHbxAVY9kzEmgB9ue20CQQqvhO7aCqqoe_waoC487R/s1600/reading-100.jpg" /></a></div>
I can't begin to guess how many films have been made based on novels or short stories, so I Googled it and believe there are too many to count. Twenty-six books are being made into films in 2018.<br />
Twenty-four were made in 2017, twenty in 2016 so we could do the math, but that is not my forte. <br /><br />
Most of the time I find that the book is much better and I'm disappointed in the movie, so instead of rushing out to see a film after I've read the book, I wait a little while. If the movie captures the characters and story, then the details don't matter quite as much.<br />
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For example. Our book club has been reading a lot of heavy WWII stories. They were brilliant, but we needed something light to ease the tension. We slipped in Joanna Fluke's <i>Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery</i> and found it delightfully fun. (We even tried one of the recipes in the book and agreed her other recipes and books are worth trying.)<br />
<br />
We only meet once a month so one evening I noticed that Fluke's cookie story was a Hallmark movie and flipped channels to watch. Big mistake. The characters were different in not only appearance (the redhead was made a blonde), but their personalities were more superficial. They changed quite a bit of the story, too, but the essence was there. The trouble is, I had just finished reading the book and felt disappointed. I will return to my theory that there needs to be some time between reading the book and watching the film to not feel cheated.<br />
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<br />
Here are a few exceptions to the "book is always better" rule. <br />
<ul>
<li><i>In Her Shoes </i>by Jennifer Weiner was an amazing book, and Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz did a great job portraying the characters. I noticed some missing scenes in the movie, but I didn't miss them. <i> </i></li>
<li><i>The Help </i>by Kathryn Stockett was another successful book translation to the silver screen. The casting was stellar, and the story well told in both paper and film. </li>
<li>I've never read <i>Gone With the Wind </i>(sorry Margaret), but I loved the film and have been told that the movie is very much like the book. </li>
<li>Harper Lee's <i>To Kill a Mockingbird </i>is a classic read that I don't mind repeating periodically. Same goes for the movie, Gregory Peck and those kids made the story come alive for me, and I watch the movie every year. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YKPdURj8ruGah10QGBTro2VlEjvdKKAUN4xQNZFPnuu5iBcU5Ijn46pZy9En2Fs2EEwOcHR8MeBNzQfzMnrWr6nSSZ_77Ki92UyqEHOEFEv_afaiu38vAtmehN2ue3661t6j8bYacrnR/s1600/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-006-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YKPdURj8ruGah10QGBTro2VlEjvdKKAUN4xQNZFPnuu5iBcU5Ijn46pZy9En2Fs2EEwOcHR8MeBNzQfzMnrWr6nSSZ_77Ki92UyqEHOEFEv_afaiu38vAtmehN2ue3661t6j8bYacrnR/s200/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-006-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
I don't know how much the author is allowed to contribute to the making of a film based on their work. It appears that most production companies have their own stable of writers, but many times I read that authors are asked to consult on the script and during filming. Sounds like fun, but also nerve-wracking to watch your creation take form in someone else's hands. Here's hoping some of us experience it sometime. I wish you all tons of luck on your writing journey. <br />
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<a href="http://bdtharp.com/">Website: http://bdtharp.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp">Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard">Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Tharp/e/B00UV4IC2I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon: Bonnie Tharp Author Page</a>Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-61295582568904791192018-04-13T07:39:00.002-04:002018-04-13T07:39:56.728-04:00Blog Are We Reading More--or Less? By Jacqueline Seewald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiWh6jTkZ3_0geqAzrfWcE-B78Xvc2LW_f-36zEFXF_S2VayR7VGfKwj0duUoktpo_3pNH6_Qu7qpme71UFhftxU-2KxpS3k_eEVvt59I61_D_R4XIBoZNPTbfbM-dA_ny7j5pF2EaxQO/s1600/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiWh6jTkZ3_0geqAzrfWcE-B78Xvc2LW_f-36zEFXF_S2VayR7VGfKwj0duUoktpo_3pNH6_Qu7qpme71UFhftxU-2KxpS3k_eEVvt59I61_D_R4XIBoZNPTbfbM-dA_ny7j5pF2EaxQO/s200/bookcase.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">BookBaby
looked at the habits of Americans and came to some interesting conclusions from
current data. First, </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">younger people appear to be
reading more than anyone else. This is certainly good news if true! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Print books are more popular than
e-books, defying the predictions of those who predicted print would be dead by
now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Six of the nine top-grossing
authors of 2017 were American. Of course, BookBaby has its own axe to grind,
but this info is encouraging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Other
articles on this topic are more pessimistic, however. A <i>Huffington Post</i> article referred to the steady decline of reading
for pleasure among both adults and children (“The Death of a Booksalesman: Are
We Reading Less?”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">According
to Pew Research Study published </span><st1:date day="23" month="3" year="2018"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">March 23, 2018</span></st1:date><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">“about a quarter of American adults (24%) say they haven’t read a
book in whole or in part in the past year, whether in print, electronic or
audio form.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/23/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/">http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/23/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">Poorly educated people tend to be
non-readers. They also tend to earn less.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Now for the good news: The
Statistics Portal observes that the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">average number of books read by </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"> consumers per
year as of April 2017 was 15. This was the total provided by the highest number
of respondents, 41%.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The most<span class="apple-converted-space"> avid book readers</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">were those aged 60 and older, as 43 percent of
respondents in this age category stated they read more than 15 books per year. During
a worldwide survey among internet users in 17 countries, 30 percent of respondents
stated they "</span><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/696916/book-reading-frequency-worldwide/" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">read every day or most days</span></a><span style="background: white;">." In contrast, just six percent stated that they never
read books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As an avid book reader, lover of magazines as well as
newspapers, and also as a writer, I found this encouraging. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14pt;">I will observe, however, that most of what I’ve written
remains largely unread.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EZeg64qO6NqGRoZeSCSVBffv7AyHNRttpbidAkawGElqkEq4lDuXryQD5hAZYOIIxSXiW-r5SLeak31DtPYzY4rfuzlEJ4qdjs4B6C1_UTSZpbAlNDj7HKvgkptC6AUC1OYyLufFVhsH/s1600/The_Burning_300+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EZeg64qO6NqGRoZeSCSVBffv7AyHNRttpbidAkawGElqkEq4lDuXryQD5hAZYOIIxSXiW-r5SLeak31DtPYzY4rfuzlEJ4qdjs4B6C1_UTSZpbAlNDj7HKvgkptC6AUC1OYyLufFVhsH/s320/The_Burning_300+%25282%2529.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14pt;">All I can say is let’s keep reading and writing! Literacy is
a privilege not a chore. It makes us better informed as citizens and more
empathetic as human beings.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Your thoughts and comments welcome!</span></div>
Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-27221922543685328122018-04-06T07:36:00.000-04:002018-04-06T07:36:12.072-04:00Five Ways to Write by Scenes, by Susan Oleksiw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over the last several months I've had various scenes from a projected novel pop into my head. Some I forget, but a few I've noted on a sheet for later consideration--if I ever write this thing. Right now I have other projects to work on. But my practice of keeping notes reminded me that if I do write this mystery, I'll go at it in a specific way, but my way is only one of several options. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is not a post about writing as a plotter or a pantser. This is about writing by scenes. When I begin writing a novel, I work out the first scene. I may come back later to change this, revise or alter or discard, but I want the first scene in place before I feel I can continue. I wrote the first scene for my first Joe Silva/Mellingham mystery three times, and discarded all of them. When I'm satisfied with the opening, I write the next scene, and so I proceed, scene by scene, until I reach the end. Along the way I check off the notes I've made, incorporating ideas as I come to the best spot for them. But this isn't the only way to get an entire novel down on paper. Remember the famous line about driving from the East Coast to California when the headlights can see only a few feet ahead? This is the Lawrence Block school of writing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I've heard another writer advise writing scenes as they come to you. If you want a fight scene or a love scene, a hiking or climbing scene, write it and file it until you need it. If you've recorded a conversation overheard in a restaurant or on the subway, write that scene and save it. Write the scenes as they appear, and eventually you'll have an entire book. This was the advice once given by John Updike.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some writers advise writing the last scene first, so you know what you're aiming for. Focus on every detail that will matter in the unmasking of the villain, the sorting out of various lesser crimes, and the realignment of the remaining characters. When you have all this on paper, you can see clearly what has to be accomplished in the preceding pages. Now you can go back to the beginning and following the vague lines to the end. They'll get sharper as you progress. This was the choice of Margaret Mitchell, and a number of others, including Agatha Christie. http://flavorwire.com/401384/authors-on-the-importance-of-writing-the-final-chapter-first/2<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTewYB1hl2FFjWyVzE4njabiE5GZQZgaFBwFNqo7_Ztmwm26t3H8sscSr_AMzRdqCIQ8SP7UT-RHuyvEfND3rua4hQklPJfkX9DUJDOmMT9Fbm8lpPDxXJWmRtOK_k4i7ie9MwUCHzz0/s1600/KaliCover-eBook_500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTewYB1hl2FFjWyVzE4njabiE5GZQZgaFBwFNqo7_Ztmwm26t3H8sscSr_AMzRdqCIQ8SP7UT-RHuyvEfND3rua4hQklPJfkX9DUJDOmMT9Fbm8lpPDxXJWmRtOK_k4i7ie9MwUCHzz0/s200/KaliCover-eBook_500px.jpg" width="128" /></a>There is still another option. If you're concerned about certain subplots, write the series of scenes concerned with only the character in the subplot, from beginning to end, to ensure that the arc of that person's story is clear and relevant. Or, do the reverse and write the main actions of the protagonist, to create an arc you can follow as the spine of the story. For advice on how to do this, go to https://www.livewritethrive.com/2016/08/01/how-to-weave-a-subplot-into-the-structure-of-your-novel/<o:p></o:p></div>
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A fifth way to write by scenes in a crime novel is a variation on the one above. If the story is clear in your imagination, write the major scenes, such as the discovery of the body, identifying or interviewing the chief suspect, a confrontation scene, and the ending. This comes close to writing major scenes as a way of writing out an outline. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I prefer writing scene by scene in order as they occur in the story because of the freedom this process gives me to explore and discover the story. I dislike being tied to a preconceived plot and story line. Though I always have an idea of where I'm going, I want the freedom to change directions and uncover something better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.facebook.com/susan.oleksiw.author/<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.susanoleksiw.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.susansblogbits.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.pinterest.com/susanoleksiw/<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan Oleksiw @susanoleksiw<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Oleksiw/e/B001JS3P7C<o:p></o:p></div>
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https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SusanOleksiw<o:p></o:p></div>
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/susan+oleksiw?_requestid=1017995<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan Oleksiwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-24007812605200519962018-03-23T08:21:00.000-04:002018-03-23T08:21:02.882-04:00How Important Is Luck in Gaining Publication? by Jacqueline Seewald<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Ides of March, the 15<sup>th</sup>
and 16<sup>th</sup> of this month, traditionally bode ill luck. For instance, in
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the emperor is warned to “Beware the Ides of
March” by the Soothsayer. Julius, not being a superstitious sort of fellow and
believing the nonsense about his personal immortality, sneers, ignores the
warning, and refers to the Soothsayer as “a dreamer.” Not Caesar’s wisest
decision. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> We recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day which
supposedly brings good luck and fortune. People do at times have lucky things
happen to them and at other times suffer misfortunes like ill health, accidents
or assaults. However, writers prefer to believe that for the most part we make
our own luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">According to Napoleon: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">“Luck occurs
when preparation meets opportunity.” I apply that statement to authors. We get
lucky with our work when we’ve done adequate preparation—that is being
well-read, writing, rewriting, and editing until we’ve created something of
value and quality. If we’re too lazy or too full of ourselves to make this kind
of effort and commitment then alas we’ll never “get lucky.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Luck
is often a theme in literature. For example, Thomas Hardy created characters
that were unlucky like Tess or Jude. Yet it could be argued that their bad luck
came as a direct result of fatal flaws in their own characters. Tragedy derives
from this. Things don’t just happen. There is a cause and effect relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I
write about and admire main characters with positive values who make their own
good luck and overcome obstacles through personal effort, not bemoaning their
fate or bad luck. To quote Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar again, as Cassius
observes: “Our fate, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">In
tribute to Irish literature which often deals with themes related to luck, I
want to mention a few of the outstanding Irish writers I’ve appreciated over
the years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">As
an undergraduate English major, I read and enjoyed John Millington Synge’s <i>The
Playboy of the Western World</i>. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Synge celebrated the lyrical
speech of the Irish in a boisterous play.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">In
graduate school, I took a semester seminar on the works of <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">William
Butler Yeats, a great Irish poet. I learned a great deal about Irish mythology
from his work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">George
Bernard Shaw was also of Irish origins and a great playwright, another favorite
of mine. His plays still hold up because of thought-provoking themes and clever
dialogue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">I’ve
read James Joyce’s stories and novels but most appreciated his earlier work. I
thought <i>Portrait of the Artist</i> was
brilliant as was <i>Dubliners</i>, his short
story collection. His style was original and unique.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Mere
luck does not account for his success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Satirist
Jonathan Swift is often thought of as a children’s writer, but this is, of
course, completely false.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana;">Notable
Works:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Gulliver’s Travels,
Tale of a Tub, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier’s Letters, An
Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana;">Oscar Wilde was a talented Irish writer and
playwright. Sentenced to two years in prison for gross indecency
(homosexuality), he eventually lost his creative spark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana;">Notable
Works:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Picture of Dorian
Grey, The Importance of Being Earnest (play), Poems, The Happy Prince and Other
Tales (children’s book), A Woman of No Importance (play)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana;">Abraham
Stoker<span class="apple-converted-space"> (Bram Stoker) gave us <i>Dracula</i> (enough said!)</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Lawrence Sterne, Oliver Goldsmith, C.S.
Lewis all had Irish origins as well, although they left </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Ireland</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"> for </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">England</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">. The list of
outstanding Irish men and women who have provided great literature is very long
and therefore beyond the scope of this blog. However, n</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">either luck nor connections account for
the success of these famous authors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">My latest novel DEATH PROMISE is set in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">London</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">New York</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";"> City, and also </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Las Vegas</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">—where people
tend to place their hopes on luck. But not everyone in the novel is fortunate.
The unique skills of Dr. Daniel Reiner and woman of mystery, “consultant”
Michelle Hallam are required to solve the murders in this romantic suspense
mystery thriller. You can check it out here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP-pn2l_qzhXae1l64C_OpSV71bSe25cBEhxH8kk4ZMuRsG9cayDRbGRGJWTQwbvTxxHEG2zd_I_T4uaSCqVi3Jn5HLgQqePzivliME3eZ7iiP8I8GfNhuZ6y1_q-rZ_gd9timexIvKpN/s1600/DeathPromiseFront+copy+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP-pn2l_qzhXae1l64C_OpSV71bSe25cBEhxH8kk4ZMuRsG9cayDRbGRGJWTQwbvTxxHEG2zd_I_T4uaSCqVi3Jn5HLgQqePzivliME3eZ7iiP8I8GfNhuZ6y1_q-rZ_gd9timexIvKpN/s320/DeathPromiseFront+copy+%25283%2529.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VWPTVF</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New";">Your thoughts and comments welcome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-27451558908050601332018-03-16T05:30:00.000-04:002018-03-16T05:30:17.220-04:00Get the Facts and Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've all heard "write what you know," but the fact is we don't know everything. That's why we do research!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many of us love to read and write mysteries and crime thrillers. In them, there may be military, law enforcement personnel, or shooting sportsmen. Our history was built by people who had to defend their land and defend our country by force. If you chose to write about someone who uses a firearm, be sure you get it right. Otherwise, avoid it. Not only are firearms controversial, but they are complicated.<br />
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I recently read a novel about an investigator who carried a gun. I'm no expert, but something sounded off. Out of curiosity I did a bit of research and found a plethora of information, thanks to the internet. <br />
<i>(If I make a mistake here, my apologies, what I want to do is share some good resources I found for firearm safety, ammunition, recoil, sounds, smells, handling, weight, type, etc.)</i><br />
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The people that participate in the forums will usually answer questions if you let them know you are an author and what situation the character will be dealing with. It's important that we describe the weapon accurately, handling, as well as the accouterments used. Just do a Google search on gun and shooting forums, and you'll find quite a few. For general gun information, there is a forum called "<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjDusSvzu7ZAhUMHGMKHSyZAdcQFgh2MAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehighroad.org%2Findex.php&usg=AOvVaw1jcyedeYKaEGyzzkRn-fwn">The High Road</a>."<br />
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If you know what type of weapon, you may find a dedicated forum, for example, Colt 1911, Smith & Wesson, Glock Talk, etc. If you need to understand and describe what happens when the weapon is used there are shooting ranges in most communities with staff who will help answer questions or even allow you to rent and shoot.<br />
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I was astounded to realize all ammunition is not the same. They were all bullets to me, but the bullet is actually the projectile at the end of the cartridge. There are shotgun shells with pellets inside and even lead balls used in the old cap and ball revolvers. "Round" is a generic term that we could consider using instead.<br />
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Pistols can be automatic or revolvers. Oh, and in the automatics, they use "magazines," clips were used during WWII and expelled when they were empty with a distinctive "ping." There are single action and double action, pumps, shotguns, and rifles and if we are going to use them in our stories, we have to know which is appropriate for the time and place. See what I mean about complex?<br />
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Enjoy the journey, my writing friends and avoid shooting yourself or your story in the foot by not doing the research. Have fun!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bdtharp.com/">Website: http://bdtharp.com</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie-Tharp-Books-110621165649187/">Facebook: Bonnie D Tharp Books</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp">Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard">Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Tharp/e/B00UV4IC2I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon: Bonnie Tharp Author Page</a>Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-61865436187029266502018-03-09T07:32:00.000-05:002018-03-09T07:32:32.672-05:00Interview with Author Leslie Wheeler by Jacqueline Seewald<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk503434155"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m
interviewing award-winning author of American history books and biographies
Leslie Wheeler who has written three living history mysteries: <i>Murder at Plimoth Plantation</i>, <i>Murder at Gettysburg</i>, and <i>Murder at Spouters</i> <i>Point</i>. Her new book, <i>Rattlesnake
Hill</i> is the first in a new series of Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries. Leslie’s
short stories have appeared in such anthologies as <i>Day of the</i> <i>Dark, Stories of
Eclipse</i>, and Level Best Books’ New England Crime Stories series, where she
was formerly an editor. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in
Crime, she is Speakers Bureau Coordinator for the New England Chapter. Leslie
divides her time between </span></a><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Cambridge</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Massachusetts</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">, and the
Berkshires, where she writes in a house overlooking a pond.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What is the title and
genre of your novel? Why did you select
them?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> The title of my novel is <i>Rattlesnake Hill</i>; the genre is mystery/suspense. I chose the title <i>Rattlesnake Hill</i>, because much of the
important action takes place on a hill with that name in the fictional town of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">New Nottingham</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">, in the Berkshires. I chose the
genre of mystery/suspense, because the book contains a mix of both. While there
are mysteries to solved in the novel, it does not have the structure of a
traditional mystery in that a crime occurs in the beginning and is solved by
the end. In <i>Rattlesnake Hill</i><b>,</b> the crimes are in the distant and
more recent past: one murder occurred over a hundred years ago, and the other
five years previously. When my main character begins her quest, it relates to
another mystery connected to a missing piece of family history; she has no idea
that in the process she’ll discover these two murders, or that the more
questions she asks, the more she’ll risk becoming a victim herself. So, the story
is more that of a woman in danger (“fem jep”) that about solving a crime.<i><u><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What
inspired this novel? How did it come about?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <i>Rattlesnake
Hill</i> was inspired by my deep love for the Berkshire Hills of Western
Massachusetts, where I’ve lived for many years, first full-time, now part-time.
I call the book my “dark valentine” to the area. Like the novelist, Edith
Wharton, I’m enchanted by the beauty of the landscape, but am also aware of the
region’s dark side in the grim lives of some of the locals. One story, in
particular, about a love triangle turned deadly haunted me, until I knew I had
to write about it, especially because I knew some of the people involved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: Could you tell us a little bit about the heroine
and/or hero of your novel?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> My heroine,
Kathryn Stinson, is a curator of prints and photographs at a small private
library in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Boston</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">. Although not a New Englander by
birth or upbringing—she was born and raised in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Southern California</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">—her ancestors lived in the small </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">New England</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> hamlet of New Nottingham--and
that’s where she goes to solve an old family mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">A woman
in her early thirties, she’s described by her boyfriend as “pretty without
trying to be”: she doesn’t wear make-up and keeps her long, light brown hair
pulled back from her face in a pony tail. Although not aggressive by nature,
once she sets her mind to something, she doesn’t give up easily. An unhappy
childhood with a seriously depressed mother, and a grandmother with a gloomy
outlook on life have made her wary of other people, especially men, and she has
yet to experience real passion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Ruggedly
handsome, athletic, and charming (when he wants to be), the hero, Earl Barker
is the “golden boy” offshoot of an otherwise disreputable local family, known
for their hot tempers, said to stem from the rattlesnake blood in their veins.
In his early forties, he’s divorced from his wife, who was his high-school
sweetheart, and with whom he had three sons. An excavator by trade, he cleared
the land and built a pond for a couple from </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> City, and he and the wife had an
affair. She was murdered five years ago, under mysterious circumstances, and
Earl still mourns her. When Kathryn Stinson rents the very house his dead lover
once occupied, Earl resents her presence and wants her gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: Can you tell us about some of your other
published novels or work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Three
books in my Miranda Lewis Living History Mystery series have been published: <i>Murder at Plimoth Plantation, Murder at </i></span><st1:city><st1:place><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gettysburg</span></i></st1:place></st1:city><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">, and Murder at Spouters
Point. </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">I call
these books “living history” mysteries, because they’re set in the present-day
at historical sites, which enables me to weave in a lot of history. <i>Murder at Plimoth Plantation</i> takes place
at the re-created Pilgrim village in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Plymouth</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Massachusetts</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">, where first-person interpreters
portray the seventeenth-century residents. <i>Murder
at Gettysburg</i> is set at an annual reenactment of the famous battle, while <i>Murder at Spouters Point</i> takes place at
a fictionalized Mystic Seaport and a fictionalized Foxwoods, the Native-owned
casino that’s nearby. An important theme in <i>Murder
at Plimoth Plantation</i> and <i>Murder at
Spouters Point</i> is the often troubled relationship between white people and
Native Americans, past and present. With its focus on Confederate reenactors, <i>Murder at Gettysburg</i> explores the ways
in which some people in this country are still fighting the Civil War.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What are you working on now?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m
currently working on the sequel to <i>Rattlesnake
Hill</i>, tentatively titled </span><st1:street><st1:address><i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Shuntoll Road</span></i></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">. It picks up the story where <i>Rattlesnake</i> leaves off, with my main
character and her romantic partner trying to rebuild their relationship that
was almost destroyed in the first book. It’s June, a beautiful month in the
Berkshires, and Kathryn and Earl Barker look forward to spending some relaxed,
quality time together. But the sale of the house on Rattlesnake Hill that
Kathryn has been renting to an unsavory real estate developer from </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">New York</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> not only puts the kibosh on those
plans but creates conflict between the couple. For excavator Earl, the proposed
development means much-needed work, while for Kathryn it means the destruction
of land she’s come to love and wants to protect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What made you start writing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Ever since
I was a young child, I enjoyed making up stories that I’d either tell or sing.
The next logical step was to write them down, and I’ve been doing that since
grade school, though none were published until much later in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What advice would you offer to those who are
currently writing novels?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">The best
advice I can offer is summed up in three words: Don’t give up! But before I launch
into my pep talk, give yourself a big pat on the back for starting to write a
novel. Many people never get beyond a wistful, “I wish I could write novels
like you. How do you do it?” But when you tell them that it’s not always fun or
sexy, and can involve many hours sitting at the computer, sometimes writing, sometimes
simply staring at a blank screen, they lose interest. That’s why you deserve
kudos for getting beyond that point and committing yourself to writing a novel.
But having made that commitment, you’ve got to work hard to maintain it through
times of discouragement and even despair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Think of novel
writing as a journey, where you must reach your destination no matter what.
Don’t give up despite critics who’ll pick at your writing until there’s nothing
left but a skeleton. Don’t give up when you reach a crossroads and aren’t sure
which road to take. Take a chance, try one, and if it doesn’t work out, try
another. Don’t give up when a seemingly enormous roadblock brings you to screeching
halt. Leave your vehicle and do something else: go for a walk, take a shower,
cook a meal, and you’ll be surprised at how soon the road clears and you can
continue your journey. Don’t give up despite characters who insinuate
themselves into your story at the last minute. Hear them out and if they make a
good case for being in your book, let them stay, even though it means a lot of
backfilling. Ignore the doomsayers who tell you agents and editors aren’t
interested in your kind of novel. Ignore the people who want you to follow
their own maps for your journey. It’s your book after all, and you should stay
true to your vision. The only time you should consider changes is if two
people, whose opinions you trust, give you the same advice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">And if
your first novel isn’t picked up, write another, and yet another. In other
words, don’t put all your apples in one basket. I’ve known writers whose second
and fifth books have been picked up for publication. Cheer yourself up with
stories of famous writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald who papered the walls of
entire rooms with rejection letters before getting an acceptance. Try not to
envy those lucky few who do get to “yes” right away. And know that you’re not
alone if it takes you a lot of “no’s” to get to “yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: Where and when will readers be able to obtain
your novel?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Answer:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rattlesnake Hill</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> is available right now.
Bookstores in the </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Boston</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> area that carry it are Porter
Square Books (where I’m having my launch party on March 15) and the New England
Mobile Book Store. Or you can order it at your local bookstore. As a last
resort, because I think it’s important to support the indies, you can find it
on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Leslie,
thanks so much for being our guest today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: yellow; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">Note:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Leslie is available to answer questions and offer
responses to comments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-69301535611795853902018-03-02T11:39:00.000-05:002018-03-02T11:39:16.113-05:00When is the murder? by Susan Oleksiw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Back in the dark ages, I struggled with my first mystery
novel. Just about every reader I knew talked about how important the opening
pages were. Hence I labored over them, writing and rewriting the opening
chapter. If what I had didn’t seem to work, I wrote another opening chapter.
After weeks of agony, I had three opening chapters, one right after the other.
It took a tactful inquiry from a former Knopf editor to set me straight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuP6_vEYB7SolEHMKZjTc2YbdWenXB40Uda4oHz-L92KW-sIpnIJjq7_HReeBK7GmXL_H4pwNRgS4wF0cQwVcgv8pkNssr56yPhuhMcUyjREyniZsynplMgPlIIUVu9399i0cP1GuqnkM/s1600/Book1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuP6_vEYB7SolEHMKZjTc2YbdWenXB40Uda4oHz-L92KW-sIpnIJjq7_HReeBK7GmXL_H4pwNRgS4wF0cQwVcgv8pkNssr56yPhuhMcUyjREyniZsynplMgPlIIUVu9399i0cP1GuqnkM/s200/Book1.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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“Couldn’t we get to the dirty deed a little sooner?” Natalie
asked. When I realized what I’d done, piling one opening onto
another, I got the point. The murder came much, much earlier in my first mystery, <i>Murder in Mellingham</i>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been wishing there were more Natalies in the world
these days. Over the last year or so I seem to have zeroed in on mysteries by
writers who prefer to delay the inevitable, so long delayed in fact that I
begin to wonder if the murder will ever happen. Which raises the question, when
should the murder occur?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In one book set in New York City, the author takes eighty
pages to set up the crime, introducing the two sleuths and the core characters,
which are eight. We see these individuals repeatedly but the writer doesn’t go
deeply enough into any one of the suspects to leave me feeling I know him or
her well. It’s all a lot of bantering and bickering. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Another author whose two books I’ve enjoyed immensely doesn’t
even admit that a death perhaps long ago was even a murder. She meanders for
two hundred pages exploring the possibilities and just as the book ends manages
to have a character make a decisive statement that indicates that yes, indeed,
a crime was committed. But just as the book is about to end, the reader grasps
that enough detail has been uncovered to ensure that the now curious detective
will solve the crime. The first book was annoying, the second one confusing but
riveting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When does a murder have to occur, or be recognized as the
central crime of the story?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I took Natalie’s advice and excised almost seventy pages of
fabulous, deathless prose—hundreds of darlings were cast aside—and introduced
the murder at the end of the first chapter, within the first fifty pages. I
consider that a good guide—first chapter, first fifty pages. If it takes me
longer, perhaps I’m not sure what the story is about.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By pushing myself to bring in the murder sooner rather than
later, I am forced to think through the characters and their motivations, set
up the major points of tension, and make choices about subplots. I can
establish the setting rather than indulging my pleasure in talking about a
place I find interesting, which is not the point of the novel. I draw in the
reader to the story and characters, and get started. All of this can be changed
as I write and make discoveries. But I’m not wandering in the first chapter. I’m
establishing the basic thrust and outline of the story, and setting a path for
me to follow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My rules or guidelines may not be for everyone. After years
of reviewing for mystery and general review publications, I have come to be
accepting of the many ways writers get into their stories. But there is the
key. Get into the story, and don’t make the reader wait, flipping to the end of
the book to see how many more pages, or wondering when something really
interesting is going to happen. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The murder holds the reader’s attention and tells her what
to focus on in the coming chapters. But it’s not the only way to tantalize the
reader. Find what works and use whatever holds the reader’s interest and
satisfies that ideal reader sitting out there waiting for our next books. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.facebook.com/susan.oleksiw.author/<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
http://www.susanoleksiw.com<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.susansblogbits.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.pinterest.com/susanoleksiw/<o:p></o:p></div>
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Susan Oleksiwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-4852909282331175242018-02-16T05:00:00.000-05:002018-02-16T05:01:08.433-05:00What makes a book resonate?<h4>
Most good writers are avid readers. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</h4>
<h4>
Do you ever wonder what it is about a book that speaks to you as a reader? Do you ever dissect a story to see what hits all the important notes? Namely, the: </h4>
<ul>
<li><i>Head</i></li>
<li><i>Heart</i></li>
<li><i>Gut</i></li>
<li><i>Spirit</i></li>
</ul>
If a novel resonates in all of these areas it's a five star read for me. If it makes me think, then my head is satisfied. If I feel emotions (laugh, cry...) then it has reached my heart. If something in the story gets me in the gut, you know that intense episode that makes your breath catch or gets you really angry, that's a gut buster. And last, but never least, does the novel or characters within it touch my spirit or give me the feeling of peace or move me to the depths of my being?<br />
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<h4>
A novel that does all that is a totally winner!</h4>
<br />
Many of the books I've read satisfy three of the four. I can't really say why, except that not all of these components are completely addressed. Some quiet or fun books are great for spending a few hours of entertainment and relaxation and that's quite all right. When I read a book that addresses all four I sometimes need a break and the quiet/fun read fits the bill nicely.<br />
<br />
What is your go to genre for entertainment only? A little romance is always nice. Or maybe a fantasy romp fits the bill. Many of us prefer to read a couple of genres most of the time, but spice it up occasionally with something different. I love mysteries, historical and contemporary women's fiction. That's a broad arena that also generally gives me a bit of romance, too. Consequently, I write in these genres.<br />
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<br />Do my books hit all of the magic four, probably not? I can only think of a few books that impacted all four for me and I've given them all five stars on <a href="http://goodreads.com/">Goodreads.com</a>. "To Kill a Mockingbird" was the first novels that nailed all four items for me. Recently, "The Nix" and "The Kite Runner." Most novels fall in the four star range, "I really liked it", which is satisfying but not life changing. Fast reads that I enjoy fall in the "I like it" category, but not "love."<br />
<br />
I have a note on my desk blotter with <i>Head, Heart, Gut and Spirit </i>written on it and always visible. When I'm writing and I pause to clear my mind or allow my train to get back on track my eyes often fall on those words. It's a good goal to reach for all of these in your writing. <br />
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Much good luck and keep up the good work, fellow writers. I hope you enjoy the journey.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bdtharp.com/">Website: http://bdtharp.com</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie-Tharp-Books-110621165649187/">Facebook: Bonnie D Tharp Books</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp">Twitter: https://twitter.com/BonnieDTharp </a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard">Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Tharp/e/B00UV4IC2I/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1">Amazon: Bonnie Tharp Author Page</a><br />
Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-72716704918218565642018-02-09T07:49:00.002-05:002018-02-09T07:49:52.378-05:00The Name Game by Jacqueline Seewald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">In <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, Shakespeare has Juliet
ask: “what’s in a name?” Well, apparently a whole lot! For instance, choosing
the right name for a character is a key element in reader conceptualization of
a character. </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Hollywood</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"> understood this a long time ago,
and that’s why so many actors and actresses were told they had to change their
names to conform to their motion picture images. It’s the same way people
choose their pets’ names. If you have a toy poodle, for example, you might name
it something like Fluffy, while if you own a pit bull you might select a more
aggressive moniker like Killer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">What
about author names? Should authors use their real names on their writing or
should they use pseudonyms? Is branding a help or hindrance to writers? There’s
been a lot of discussion among writers as to whether it benefits authors to be
branded--by that I mean that writers want to market themselves by promoting
their name, associating their name with a particular type, genre or style of
writing.The premise? This is the best way to build a readership. For instance,
when we see the name <i>Nora Roberts</i> we
immediately think of romantic suspense. “Nora Roberts,” real name </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Eleanor Marie Robertson</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">, also writes under “J.D. Robb” for her mystery series. The
name <i>Stephen King</i> is immediately
associated with horror, but he has chosen to write under other pseudonyms as
well. Jayne Ann Krentz writes her contemporary romances under that name, her
sci-fi/fantasy under Jayne Castle, and her historical romances under Amanda
Quick. The advantage is that fans know what to expect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Many
writers choose to use pen names. They write in a variety of genres and assume a
different <i>nom de plume</i> for each. The
theory is that it will confuse readers if writers use the same name for
different types of work. There is also a tendency for publishers to try to
place writers in neat categories. It’s more convenient to connect a name to a
particular format. Harlequin was famous for insisting that writers have
romantic sounding <i>nom de plumes</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">But what
if you resist branding? Are you destroying your chance to be taken seriously as
a writer or build a readership? I don’t have the answer to this question. I can
only admit that I don’t limit myself to one particular format in my writing. My
books are not “in the box.” </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14pt;">I have
written romantic mysteries, historical romances, YA mysteries and romances, as
well as children’s books and stories. All of these appear under my own name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, there
is an exception. When I write short stories from a masculine viewpoint, I use
my initials. So, for example, my novella for SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY MAGAZINE
(Issue #19) entitled “Letter of the Law” is credited to “J.P. Seewald” rather
than Jacqueline Seewald. A lot of female writers do this because men seem to
prefer reading stories and novels ostensibly written by other men, especially
when presented from a masculine viewpoint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">Personally,
I am very comfortable writing from a male viewpoint and I also enjoy reading
books written by members of the opposite sex as well as other women. My husband
and I had two sons to raise which made me accustomed to the male perspective.
However, male readers may not find a female author writing from a male
perspective acceptable or credible. For this reason I chose to write THE
BURNING, written entirely from a male point of view, under the author name J.
P. Seewald. This was not to fool readers but merely to make clear that the
novella was appropriate reading for both men and women. It is not a romance or a
mystery but a serious literary work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: '"verdana"'; font-size: 14pt;"> <a href="https://webmail.nj.rr.com/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Fannorlundaenterprises.com%252Fbooks%252Fthe-burning%252F&hmac=e77652bd3a8bde1ecc6fdb4a513fc79e">http://annorlundaenterprises.com/books/the-burning/</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are
also a number of male authors who write women’s romances as well as
mysteries under female pseudonyms. I know of several, and their novels are very
popular.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">What is your opinion? Does branding by name
recognition benefit writers or is it not really important? Your thoughts and
comments are welcome.</span>Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-70010240095899688132018-02-02T07:49:00.000-05:002018-02-02T07:49:38.136-05:00Titles, by Susan Oleksiw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When I begin a story, I want to have something to put at the
top of the page so that when I save it, I have some sort of identifier. I know
by now that whatever I use may well not last until the work is finished. I
consider these titles place holders, convenient tags so that I can locate the ms
later on my laptop or in a file. There’s nothing special about any of this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I did this with my first mystery novel, expecting to later develop
the “perfect” title that would capture the attention of readers. Such dreams. Apparently
I forgot about this after my ms was accepted by the publisher. Only when I got
my proof copies (ARCs) with my place holder title on the cover did I realize I
meant to come up with a better one, a real one. I didn’t expect my first
mystery novel to be called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Murder in
Mellingham</i>, but it was. I don’t know what I planned to replace it with, but
I learned a lesson from that experience. The book isn’t finished until the
title is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some people are gifted when it comes to titles. Ernest
Hemingway thought F. Scott Fitzgerald had the gift and most writers agree.
Raymond Chandler had the gift sometimes, and when it worked, it glowed on the
page. Others may disagree with me but I love the titles <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Big Sleep</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Long
Goodbye</i>. More recently, Louise Penny has come up with some especially
attractive ones, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How the Light
Gets In</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Trick of the Light</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I envy a lot of cozy mystery authors because they’ve created
a package with a setting and lead character that gives them a head start on
inventing a title. Agatha Christie was no slouch in this category, but her
nursery rhyme books featuring Hercule Poirot stand out, the first being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One, Two, Buckle My Shoe</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Body in the . . .</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>series by Katherine Hall Page is well known. I
especially like Edith Maxwell’s titles for her nineteenth-century Quaker
midwife, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Delivering the Truth</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Called to Justice</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When I began the Anita Ray series I thought about how I
wanted to construct the titles long before I finished writing the first draft.
The name of a Hindu deity would give a sense of the story to follow, and an
image of the god would show up somewhere in the plot. The title of the first
book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under the Eye of Kali</i>, came
easily as did those for the subsequent three books. (Of course, I failed to
appreciate how little Americans know about India.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The hardest titles for me are those for short stories. Some
time ago I finished a short story I was happy with but the title sat like a
dead tree on the front lawn. I put the story aside until the perfect title came
to me, which it did a few weeks later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not every writer wants to spend so much time mulling over
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ending, a minor character—and leave it, then the work is unfinished. I take the
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www.susanoleksiw.com</div>
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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/susan+oleksiw?_requestid=1017995<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Susan Oleksiwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02693057997469296068noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-77926333956201838422018-01-19T05:30:00.000-05:002018-01-19T05:30:03.645-05:00On Writing a Series<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPerTiM1AdlPZ_DuF5kKKDgHjT4e-HFMxK5q7GB6R5PTyCroPrUFpxGdBxW5xFcwMpXJaF1_llAflzpTaKuhYWibrMQAIz4c26UpLHbxAVY9kzEmgB9ue20CQQqvhO7aCqqoe_waoC487R/s1600/reading-100.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="84" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPerTiM1AdlPZ_DuF5kKKDgHjT4e-HFMxK5q7GB6R5PTyCroPrUFpxGdBxW5xFcwMpXJaF1_llAflzpTaKuhYWibrMQAIz4c26UpLHbxAVY9kzEmgB9ue20CQQqvhO7aCqqoe_waoC487R/s1600/reading-100.jpg" /></a>Hello!<br />
<br />
As a reader I often find myself reading a series and can't wait to find out where the character's journey will move to next. How will the author end the story, because stories really never "end"?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzti035_AkasKu1fXcbTAikwBXHc2k9vcSoZ_1EmOfpoQKoY-EOMXR4_PAFkdBAb_oFydYZ3rxqp7JbFP8elPcPTfRgVdPLly2SNN-fibNVO3mAUYPlyl0nnwZDE7gicbiF3JA7F-ZGZV/s1600/FeistyFamilyValuesFront_small.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzti035_AkasKu1fXcbTAikwBXHc2k9vcSoZ_1EmOfpoQKoY-EOMXR4_PAFkdBAb_oFydYZ3rxqp7JbFP8elPcPTfRgVdPLly2SNN-fibNVO3mAUYPlyl0nnwZDE7gicbiF3JA7F-ZGZV/s200/FeistyFamilyValuesFront_small.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
I didn't realize that "Feisty Family Values" was the beginning of a series when I first wrote it. But the characters wouldn't stop coming to me in dreams and even during waking hours scenes would pop into my head. I wonder, is this what Nora Roberts experiences when she writes a book? To me, she is the quintesential series writer. The characters come in threes, they are different enough that you want to follow their stories, and continuing to follow a story line - it grows on you. Look at J.D. Robb and the "Death" series - I haven't a clue how many there are, but I've read them all.<br />
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I've written two novels is the feisty family series, "Patchwork Family" was the second. While I planned and started a third, I wasn't sure where it was going and if I could find an interesting path for the characters to follow. It's been percolating for awhile now, and several reader buddies have asked me - "When will the next book be out?" Nice to hear there is a demand, but feeling the pressure to find a new and interesting twist to the story is challenging.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfSOtVTHrrgxU_3xgaIqfWBh5XT2BIXHGjIMUeLqgR9WV-dVQeE7HGSF2GWmvauiL_X24mtfHlfF9stwgMEXcsmL84T5O7XYrJfZuAqqpvFeCWl8Y4njbOOLap3IWpHtsw3OMSr5RyUYq/s1600/Patchwork+Family+-+600x900x300.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfSOtVTHrrgxU_3xgaIqfWBh5XT2BIXHGjIMUeLqgR9WV-dVQeE7HGSF2GWmvauiL_X24mtfHlfF9stwgMEXcsmL84T5O7XYrJfZuAqqpvFeCWl8Y4njbOOLap3IWpHtsw3OMSr5RyUYq/s200/Patchwork+Family+-+600x900x300.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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Where I thought the story would go (the younger characters are reaching adulthood now) doesn't appear to be the path feisty #3 wants to progress. Life isn't always "happily ever after" but I really prefer my stories to at least have a satisfying ending with possibilities and opportunities to look forward to. Incorporating them into a story is fun, but challenging, especially when a character may be ill and die. Families and life are messy, am I right? And life goes on, regardless of the turmoil. Story goes on as well. (good reminders)<br />
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I found myself having to re-read my first two feisty family novels because some of the "details" were muddy in my memory. Did Peg have gray eyes like her mother or brown like her father? Was the kitten a girl or a boy? Was coach bald or did he have a shock of white hair? And don't forget that Tom had a chipped front tooth! This is the stuff you don't want to trip you up when writing a series because the reader will remember and if you get it wrong you've thrown them out of the story.<br />
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The main characters in the series are alive and burned in your memory, but the secondary characters may not be there yet - especially if your memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. (Mine is not.) <br />
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When a reader picks up a book it may or may not be the first book in the series, so don't forget to give them some hints as to what has gone before. Just a few highlights will do. I notoriously pick up second books and can't wait to go back and read book one, so I know more. That makes the third book even more exciting becuase the characters have come so far! (hopefully)<br />
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Another one of my favorite series is "Outlander" by Diana Gabladon. The stories literally never ends. I think there are eight or nine books now and the last one is just as fascinating as the first. The key - compelling characters in intriguing situations and everylasting love. History plays a huge part in her stories, too, and that makes it interesting and real.<br />
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Okay. So let's recap, when writing a series:<br />
1. Don't forget to give readers a tiny bit of backstory when writing the next book - but not too much.<br />
2. Don't forget the details of the first book, refresh yourself - keep a log or character sketch handy.<br />
3. Keep the story compelling and the characters interesting and show progression with each novel.<br />
4. When you end a series, make it satisfying with open issues resolved. Don't leave your readers wondering what happened to... (makes them mad) Unless, of course, your series goes on forever.<br />
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Have fun, fellow authors and enjoy the ride.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-Q_8lmmSjz7rRiemq7vjMbcupzTRCh18Odvk1zSR7F43IOZB-fL2g6Whyphenhyphen10qOl_fngAtJl28tFs1mBxlF4DEmQ7Pr-V4siSKrvyK60tQ68tzTqHuAIRNwMx7pe0qqFhAWZaJgQxgxESz/s1600/peopleoncoaster.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-Q_8lmmSjz7rRiemq7vjMbcupzTRCh18Odvk1zSR7F43IOZB-fL2g6Whyphenhyphen10qOl_fngAtJl28tFs1mBxlF4DEmQ7Pr-V4siSKrvyK60tQ68tzTqHuAIRNwMx7pe0qqFhAWZaJgQxgxESz/s200/peopleoncoaster.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<br />Bonnie Tharphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05678320929828600637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3105320592980752653.post-72802427131786511972018-01-12T06:35:00.000-05:002018-01-12T06:35:50.272-05:00About the Joy of Writing by Pat Stoltey<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Our
special guest blogger today is author Patricia Stoltey:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Indulging in the writing life is like riding a roller coaster. A
writer is like a yo-yo, up one second and down the next. Joyful, then depressed,
the writer still keeps going back for more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What is this writing thing that causes so much pain? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s a crazy existence I alternately love and hate, focus on
enthusiastically for weeks, then delete pages of text and clean the bathrooms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My experience has been like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When in my 30s and working fulltime, with home demands of husband and
children, I took time off from those home demands to attend a weekend writing
workshop at a local college. My short
story had gotten me into the workshop, but the critiques were brutal. The joy
I’d felt writing short stories and poetry turned into humiliation. I didn’t
show my work to anyone again for years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In my 40s, my brother and I collaborated on my first novel, an
action-adventure tale based on his years in the transportation industry. I was
writing in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">France</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and he was
sending me anecdotes and ideas from the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The joy of
writing returned, wrapped in a dreamy and romantic environment. Who wouldn’t
feel joy when writing in the south of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">France</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">? When the book
was finished, I assigned the task of queries to my brother while I started another
novel. At Christmas, back in the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, my brother’s
gaily wrapped gift to me was a large coffee can filled with the rejection
letters to all his queries. My joy in writing crashed. I quit again. That
second novel I started (before the crash) still sits on my bookcase shelf in
case I ever decide I can look at it again without feeling that horrid
disappointment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In my early 60s, I took a novel writing class to see if I could write
a mystery. The great instructor and the enthusiastic students got me excited
again. I completed the mystery and pitched it to an agent at a writers’
conference. The agent was snarky and suffering from allergies and sent me away,
red-faced and close to tears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I licked my wounds, wrote a couple of short stories because I couldn’t
seem to stay away from my computer, and then received one of those “it’s really
good and we almost wanted it” rejections. A tiny bit encouraged, I turned the
short story into the first draft of a novel. Then I took that first mystery
back to a critique workshop at a conference…and found a publisher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The joy of writing was back, at least for a while. Since then, there
have been the ups with book releases and downs associated with poor sales, my
publisher dropping its mystery line, delays in publication, and other
ego-destroying events. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Often writing seems like a stupid way to spend my time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But then I received the hardcover copies of my fourth published novel.
It’s the one based on that “it’s really good and we almost wanted it” short
story. The joy of writing is back, this time wrapped in a cozy afghan and
purple hand warmers to ward off the </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Colorado</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> cold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How long will the joy last this time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That’s a very good question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGVwYqYr2J7utAHNKlLwX9aXFa7CmeSO9X9Z2ch-_Av6AaQD2qJntqNB8o_fnAyrcVWMADqRmM6SQ7Iyr0RQRZ3jx6wSf6IBJdP9t3eRYbnpozILPTTMEiPP5Q2c6jNuoLxGBH_lGzqw3/s1600/WishingCaswellDeadFront_300+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGVwYqYr2J7utAHNKlLwX9aXFa7CmeSO9X9Z2ch-_Av6AaQD2qJntqNB8o_fnAyrcVWMADqRmM6SQ7Iyr0RQRZ3jx6wSf6IBJdP9t3eRYbnpozILPTTMEiPP5Q2c6jNuoLxGBH_lGzqw3/s1600/WishingCaswellDeadFront_300+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pat (Patricia) Stoltey</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is the
author of four novels published by <i>Five Star/Cengage</i>: two amateur
sleuth, one thriller that was a finalist for a Colorado Book Award in 2015, and
the historical mystery </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Caswell-Dead-Patricia-Stoltey/dp/1432834401/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: blue; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wishing Caswell Dead</span></i></b></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
(</span><st1:date day="20" month="12" year="2017"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">December 20,
2017</span></st1:date><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">).<br />
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Pat lives in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Northern Colorado</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
with her husband Bill, Scottish Terrier Sassy (aka Doggity), and brown tabby
Katie (aka Kitty Cat).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can learn more about Pat at her </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://patriciastolteybooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">website/blog</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,
on </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PatStoltey/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Facebook</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">,
and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/PStoltey" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Twitter</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. She was
recently interviewed for a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers podcast that you can
find at the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://rmfw.org/category/podcasts/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">RMFW website</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Links:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Wishing Caswell Dead on amazon.com: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Caswell-Dead-Patricia-Stoltey/dp/1432834401/">https://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Caswell-Dead-Patricia-Stoltey/dp/1432834401/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Website/blog: <a href="http://patriciastolteybooks.com/">http://patriciastolteybooks.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PatStoltey/">https://www.facebook.com/PatStoltey/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/PStoltey">https://twitter.com/PStoltey</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Podcast at RMFW website: <a href="http://rmfw.org/rocky-mountain-writer-108/">http://rmfw.org/rocky-mountain-writer-108/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Your questions and comments most welcome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Jacqueline Seewaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09177500620940251009noreply@blogger.com15