Travel Inspirations by Sarah Wisseman

Our European trip this fall was a National Geographic “Human Origins” tour of Paleolithic caves in southwestern France and northern Spain. It was spectacular. We visited two or more caves per day, with breaks in medieval villages, an outdoor museum for flint-knapping and a “paleo” lunch (leaf-wrapped salmon cooked in a pit oven), and gorgeous archaeological museums.

I’ve written before about how painting and writing, my two favorite activities, feed each other. When I have writer’s block, I take a painting break; when the painting is stalled, I return to writing.

This trip provided plenty of inspiration for future stories and imitation rock paintings. My jaw dropped at least once a day, viewing cave paintings that were clearly planned out over stretches of thirty feet or more. The artists used multiple techniques: engraving, sketching with chunks of charcoal, depositing ground pigment (iron oxide, manganese) with blowpipes or daubers, painting with homemade brushes. 

Twenty thousand years ago, the painters studied walls to take advantage of natural curves in the rock to design the backs and bellies of bison and reindeer. They used shading to imply depth, and suggested movement of animals by deliberately leaving gaps between the top of some legs and the bodies of their beasts.

The results are stunning, no less than the natural cave formations around the paintings. Stalactites and stalagmites (my husband reminded me of the jingle “the tights go down, the mites climb up” to help remember which is which), columns, and organ pipes greet you around every twisty, slippery corner. Yes, organ pipes that can be played, and music has been written for cave formations.

The smaller French caves were never lived in (too dangerous to light fires with poor air circulation) but were clearly used as places of ritual and worship: think churches, not dwellings. However, one huge cave shelter was once a Paleolithic clothing factory and trading center; archaeologists found tools, bone and shell beads, and other evidence of industry.

The Dordogne region of southwest France is a beautiful country, packed with cave sites and wineries. If you want a virtual visit without suffering an overnight flight, try Martin Walker’s Chief of Police Bruno series set in that very region. Bruno is a war veteran, gourmet cook, and animal owner as well as a country policeman. The author alternates action scenes with descriptions of incredible meals, grape-stomping, truffle-hunting, and fierce games of rugby.

The reason Walker's books are so good is that he lives in the area he writes about at least half of every year. Vive La France!

The fork in the road.

What do you do when you come to a fork in the road and don't know which way to turn? What are your options?

• Consult a map. But what if there is no map? 
• Pick one and go a short distance to see if you can tell where it leads. 
• If you don't like where the road you took is going, turn around and take the other path. 
• Make camp and think about it some more.
• Go back home and do more research on where these roads go. 

Writing is a lot like this.

• Do you want to write? Okay, what do you want to write about? 
• Where do you find your inspiration? 
• Do you need to take classes or a get a degree in creative writing? 
• Who can show you how to get started? 

All good questions that each writer will need to answer. Writing what you like to read is a good place to start. Start small, it is less daunting than a full blown novel. Recreate a scene that happened in your life. Day to day living is a good place for inspiration and story fodder.

Read. Read a lot. And if you like school and want to go back, that 's a good way to go. But it's not the only way. Local writing groups often have workshops and opportunities for learning about writing. Contests are a great way to get feeback and test your writing chops.

Write. Write some more. You will improve with practice.

Edit. Not everything we write is golden. First drafts are not polished work. Read it aloud and you'll hear repetitive words and things that don't flow. Be objective and if you can't be objective then put it away for a few days and look at it with fresh eyes.

A good critique group is priceless.

The main thing is to get started and keep at it. Writing takes time, lots of it. Good writing takes even more time than you can imagine. If writing is a goal for you, make time for it. Make writing a priority in your life. If you do, you will find  it can be fulfilling and you will find some degree of success. By success I mean accomplishment. And if you are very lucky, more.

Writers write. Writers read. Enjoy the journey, there are a lot of terrific stories out there just waiting for you to write them.

http://bdtharp.com
Author of the "feisty family series" and a novel of romantic suspense: "Your Every Move." 

Life After Death or What to Do When Your Publisher Dumps You by Jacqueline Seewald

Last week, Susan Oleksiw discussed what Five Star/Gale/Cengage authors are doing now that all the fiction lines except Westerns have been killed by that publisher. We discussed how we mourned the loss but as a group have continued our writing in many directions. I want to consider this topic further.

First, let me say that I have been published by countless small presses and several larger ones as well. It’s never easy when a publisher goes out of business, drops the line you write for, or simply won’t publish your future work. There are many reasons for all of these sad situations. Mostly, they are business-related. The publisher didn’t sell enough books and didn’t make enough money to justify continuing publication. It’s hard not to take it personally, but it is a business decision and really doesn’t reflect on the quality of writing. So many great writers were unknown or unsuccessful during their lifetimes. But of course that doesn’t help the writer in this lifetime.

So what is the answer? What should you do when your publisher dumps you? There are several possibilities. One is to look for an agent who will represent your work to major publishers. If you already have an agent who doesn’t seem to be working for you, it could be time to part company and start querying others. Publishers Lunch is a good source to follow in this regard. Agents are listed as to recent sales.

Another possibility is to send your work out to smaller publishers on your own. Do some googling to see which ones are publishing work similar to yours. Then send out query letters.

Can’t find another publisher for your book? Perhaps you need to revise it, especially if an editor or an agent has given you useful suggestions.

Finally, if none of this works, you can always try self-publishing. Hire your own editor, cover artist, etc.

For me, it’s been best to find new publishers for my writing. So I will have a new mystery published by Encircle in April followed by a YA novel with Black Opal. I’ve also sold several new short stories and articles to various publications.

On November 8^th , THE BURNING, a novella I wrote, was published by Annorlunda Books. To celebrate, I’m giving away at least one print or digital copy of this new release. Drop a comment on my current personal blog if you want to be entered:

                    http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com

We writers simply need to carry on with work that matters to us and never give up.

What suggestions do you have for writers in this situation? Five Star authors, what are you doing at this time? What new possibilities do you see for yourself?

Your comments most welcome here!!

Life after Five Star, by Susan Oleksiw

 On January 19, 2016, I posted a piece entitled The End of the Five Star Mystery Line. Over fifteen hundred people read it, and even now I get comments about it. Well, it's almost two years later, and I was wondering how my fellow Stars have fared over the previous months. So I asked. And they responded. I hope reading their replies will be inspiring (and edifying) for everyone.

Two things struck me. First, the writers have been busy and productive, finding ways to continue a beloved series or begin a new one.  Second, several mentioned how much they enjoyed being part of the Five Star family, and staying in touch with other Five Star authors. I hope that will continue also. The publishing world is indeed chaotic, but we seem to have survived the upheaval. I have trimmed the responses for the sake of space.

From Marilyn Clay

Since my final Five Star novel was published in 2012, I sold two
novels to Mayfair Mysteries (a now defunct publisher) titled: BETSY
ROSS: ACCIDENTAL SPY and STALKING A KILLER. Then, The Regency Plume
Press imprint published a new Regency Romance novel of mine titled:
THE WRONG MISS FAIRFAX. In addition, I started the Juliette Abbott Regency-set Mystery Series: MURDER AT MORLAND MANOR, MURDER IN MAYFAIR, and MURDER AT MARGATE. All titles are available everywhere online in both trade
paperback and E-book formats. I am currently writing Book 4 in my Juliette Abbott Regency-set
Mystery series, MURDER AT MEDLEY PARK, scheduled for release in
mid-2018.

From Nancy Cohen

I am indie publishing my Bad Hair Day mysteries under my Orange Grove Press imprint. So far I’ve done HAUNTED HAIR NIGHTS, a novella, and HAIR BRAINED, #14 in the series. HAIR BRAINED was published in Sept. 2017 and is available in ebook formats at Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and Google Play. The trade paperback edition is available via CreateSpace and IngramSpark. I’ve already finished TRIMMED TO DEATH, the next book in this series. I’m also reissuing all my backlist titles in romance and mystery, and hope to expand my WRITING THE COZY MYSTERY instructional guide. Three of my Bad Hair Day mysteries are in audiobook, and I’m scheduled to start the fourth one with my narrator in January.

From Jen J. Danna

I'm still publishing with Kensington and the second book of the FBI K-9s series (BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE) has just come out, with the third, STORM RISING, due out next fall. I'm self publishing the next book in what was Five Star's Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries series, LAMENT THE COMMON BONES, on November 21 in trade paperback and ebook. I'm also reformatting all the previous Five Star hardcovers of Abbott and Lowell to release in trade paperback through CreateSpace. Then, as the ebook rights revert to me, I'll be releasing those too, starting next year. I've also got some new projects on the horizon, but that will become clearer next year.

From Alice Duncan

I’ve been publishing my most popular series (which means it isn’t awfully popular) with ePublishingWorks. They make you pay, but they’re the first publisher I’ve ever had who has actually made money for me. So it works for me. I’ve self-pubbed the rest of my backlist for Kindle and Nook via Smashwords.

From Lisa Lieberman

I had finished the second book in my series when Five Star pulled the plug on their mystery line. I LOVE this series and was not willing to let it go. I approached several agents, but none of them were optimistic. I decided to publish it myself, using the same cover designer and formatting team that Five Star used (Encircle). This enabled me to keep my brand. I set myself up as a publisher (DBA as Passport Press), sent out proper ARCS to various review outlets, and succeeded in getting reviewed by LIBRARY JOURNAL. I've been experimenting with various promotional activities but I'm launched and well into writing book three.  

From Carole Price

VINEYARD PREY, third in my Shakespeare in the Vineyard series, was released October 21 by Black Opal Books. Currently, I'm working on a new cozy series not yet named.

From Jacqueline Seewald

From 2007 to 2016, Five Star published seven of my novels in hardcover editions, some of which were also published in large print. Perfect Crime published the 4th novel in my Kim Reynolds mystery series, the first three having been published by Five Star. I recently wrote a sequel to another novel that was originally published by Five Star to excellent reviews--DEATH LEGACY. The sequel, DEATH PROMISE, will be published in April 2018 by Encircle, a publisher that is eager to work with former Five Star/Gale/Cengage authors. THE BURNING by J. P. Seewald is available for pre-order, publication date: November 8, 2017. I hope to interest new readers and keep the fans of my prior Five Star novels.

From Sheri Cobb South

I’m continuing with the John Pickett mystery series under the Sonatina Press imprint. (Which is actually, well, me.) Because the books are no longer with Five Star, they’re in a more affordable trade paperback edition instead of hardcover, and they’re available in all electronic formats, rather than Kindle only. The first of these, FOR DEADER OR WORSE (aka John Pickett Mystery #6) was released last spring, and Book 7, MYSTERY LOVES COMPANY, will be out in January.  Print rights to Book 3, FAMILY PLOT, just reverted back to me, so it will soon be available in paperback, too. I’m also releasing the John Pickett series in audio. Finally, I’m having new covers—featuring custom artwork!--designed for my Regency romance THE WEAVER TAKES A WIFE and its sequels. And they’re gorgeous!

From Patricia Stoltey

I just happened to have an old manuscript that fit Five Star's Frontier Fiction line so I polished it up and sent it in. WISHING CASWELL DEAD will be released December 20, 2017. It's set in 1830s Illinois in the fictitious Village of Sangamon. My current WIP is a suspense standalone. One of these days I'll be submitting it to agents and editors to see if I can find a new home for contemporary crime. I'm too lazy to indie publish.

From Maggie Toussaint

Right away I scrambled and found a new publisher, Camel Press. They picked up my ongoing Dreamwalker Mystery Series, with a two-book contract with an option for the next book. DADGUMMIT, book 4 in the series came out in August, and CONFOUND IT is due out June 2018. I’m very grateful to them for their belief in my storytelling and look forward to a continuing association with them. As a way to expand my readership, I’ve embarked on writing anthology novellas to fill in the space between yearly book releases. This effort has put me in contact with like-minded authors and I’m reaping benefits in backlist sales.

From Leslie Wheeler

Encircle will publish my new mystery RATTLESNAKE HILL, the first in a new series set in a Berkshire hilltown.

And what about me? I wrote and rewrote and rewrote again the first in a new series, and today I sign and return the contract. Midnight Ink will publish three books in a series set in the Pioneer Valley, featuring Felicity O'Brien.  The first, BELOW THE TREE LINE, is scheduled for fall 2018.