A Special Scary Car Post for Halloween

I'm not kidding . . . this is scary. Don't watch it if you have a weak heart . . . or a weak bladder.

Today I'm Visiting Girls Trek Too

Cara Lopez Lee graciously invited me to be her guest at Girls Trek Too: The Life of an Adventurous Woman, so I'm there with the story (and photos) of my solo trek to Norway at the age of 56.

See? Older Gals Trek Too.

I hope you'll stop by and say hello.

Sing, O Muse, of the Wrath of the Poop Monsters… by Terry Kroenung, Guest Blogger

This week, I'm pleased to introduce Terry Kroenung, the only author I know who features a Poop Monster in his stories. I can only say that I wish I'd thought of it first.

I learned about Terry and his books through Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Charmed by the book cover (since I'm a sucker for great cover art) and the synopsis for Brimstone and Lily, I tracked Terry down and asked him to do a guest post for us.

Brimstone and Lily was a Bronze-medal winner in Fantasy/Sci-Fi at the 2010 Independent Book Publishers awards. The second book in Terry's series, Jasper’s Foul Tongue, has just been released. His ghost story prequel to A Christmas Carol, “Lonely Crutch”, is part of the anthology Broken Links, Mended Lives, which was a Colorado Book Award finalist this year.

Please welcome Terry Kroenung, here to tell us a little more about writing in the genre, and a little more about the Poop Monster.

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“Sing, O Muse, of the Wrath of the Poop Monsters…”


Happy Halloween, fellow Authors Anonymous members. My name is Terry K. and I write funny horror novels. It’s been two months since my last publication.

Truth be told, until asked to write this guest blog, I didn’t consider myself to be a horror writer at all. I mean, Brimstone and Lily and Jasper’s Foul Tongue are YA fantasies molded in the standard fashion: youth finds magic item, flees dark forces, goes on quest to rescue friend and discovers self. But when I re-examine the novels I find an awful lot of horror elements. Slobbering demons from the next dimension; shuffling decomposing zombies; evil necromancers casting vile spells; awful weapons from hell that consume victims with purple fire from the inside-out; giant murderous ravens; tentacled three-eyed cannibals with goat legs.

Oh, and poop monsters. Yes, AA, I must admit that I have a problem. I’m addicted to my poop monsters.

These guys are a running joke now, to be included in each installment of the Legacy Stone series. They are precisely as advertised, aggressive foes made of human sewage. Initially the idea was to lighten the mood of the first book and include something reluctant boy-readers might enjoy. One scene, a couple of pages, and they were dispatched. But now they’ve become a major attraction in their own right, which is why they feature so prominently on the back covers. In the newest book they’re fifteen feet tall, are on fire, and regenerate like the mythological Hydra. But they’re still ambulatory poop. Funny and fearsome at the same time. This is by design, believe it or not. Here’s why.

Writing any genre fiction is like playing tennis with a very high net that has a tiny gap built into it. The only practical way to get the ball over to the other side is to whack it through that pre-placed hole. Every game looks the same as every other, with only a pair of possible outcomes. Either you fail miserably and slam the ball into the net, or you manage to miraculously poke it through that one fist-sized spot. “Monster/peril/rescue…monster/peril/rescue…” That’s the charm and the trap of writing any focused genre, be it romance, Western, or science-fiction. You know the limitations and try to excel within that confinement. Add the YA designation and you’ve effectively narrowed that little target by half.

Humor is a tool to help you play the game better. It’s a specialty racket to add topspin and velocity. It gives you a way to still plunk the ball where it needs to go, but at the same time you thrill the crowd by striking that sucker behind your back or through your legs. The ball ends up in the same place, yet the crowd will give you an “Oooh!” for style/variety points. Then when you strike a standard ace on the next shot, they’re that much more impressed. Try and pull the same stunt on every shot, though, and your opponent -- reader boredom – will yawn and blast the ball back down your baseline.

Horror can be dreary. Part of its power depends on a steady build-up of oppressive sensation and emotion. You’ve experienced this in the stories of Poe. Great stuff. But can you imagine how difficult it would be to get through a full-length novel by the same author? Without some mood variation you’d either hurl the book aside or reach for the Prozac bottle. Shakespeare understood this. He breaks up even his tragedies with episodes of humor. It both relieves the tension and makes the horrifying scenes that much more intense by comparison. In Brimstone and Lily the poop monsters are followed by the appearance of Venoma, a truly disgusting and frightening dearth-demon who kidnaps the heroine’s friend to set the prime plot in motion. In Jasper’s Foul Tongue the manure fiends are prelude to an attack by thousands of decidedly unfunny zombie ghouls.

So experiment with a few yucks before you give your reader their shrieks. It may pay off.

I’m off to write about tentacled vampire aliens now. Where the heck is my AA sponsor?

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Thanks, Terry. You're a great guest. Thanks so much for being here today.

To learn more about Brimstone and Lily and Jasper's Foul Tongue, please visit the Legacy Stone site. Information about the publisher/writers' cooperative is available at Rare Moon Press. Enjoy Brimstone and Lily on Facebook as well.

Wednesday Bits and Pieces

Tomorrow's Guest Blogger

Don't miss Terry Kroenung's post for tomorrow. It has a little to do with his books Brimstone and Lily and Jasper's Foul Tongue, and a lot to do with the Poop Monster. If you need a book for a kid this holiday season, you need to take a look at Terry's books. And here's the book trailer. Honestly, even though it lasts almost three minutes, you must watch it all the way through:




What I'm Reading

I just finished Betty Webb's second mystery in her new Gunn Zoo series, The Koala of Death. I loved it, but then I love all of Betty's books. Her Lena Jones series deals with more serious topics (besides murder, I mean). The Gunn Zoo series is more light-hearted with a cast of quirky characters (including that koala).

Yesterday I started reading Headwind by KK Brees, the first book I downloaded to the Kindle App now on my desktop. If I decide I like reading in the e-book format, I may ask for one for Christmas.


Introduction to Genealogy

I signed up for a three-hour class on Saturday the 30th. See, I have this idea for a novel...

Ideas take us down interesting paths and lead us to interesting people. It was only by chance I saw the notice about the class, so I'm guessing serendipity is at work again. We'll see where this takes me.


Sex at The Blood-Red Pencil

Did you know The Blood-Red Pencil has been featuring a whole series of articles on sex? Well, I mean, writing about sex, writing sex scenes, pros and cons of writing all the details versus closing the door and leaving the whole thing to the reader's imagination, etc. If you're interested, start with the October 18th post on Talking Sexual Overtones with Author Rachelle Chase and work your way forward to the two-part feature on Erotica.

No, I don't have a post in this particular series. I write about murder. My characters have no time for sex scenes because they're busy running away from or tracking down killers...

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.


Blogging Tips at Blog Book Tours

Dani Greer has been featuring a blogging tip each day at the Blog Book Tours blog.


The Exercise Ball

I bought one of those exercise balls and am using it as my computer chair at least one hour a day. I'm hoping less slumping and better posture will lead to fewer aches and pains.

My husband is convinced I will eventually forget I'm balanced on the ball and will fall off. Yes, I can be forgetful, but that would be ridiculous.

Right?

Hard Cache by Charles B. Neff: A Book Review

Title: Hard Cache
Author: Charles B. Neff
Publisher: Bennett & Hastings Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-934733-57-8
202 pages
Price: $14.95 trade paperback

As I wrote last week about Marvin D. Wilson's Beware the Devil's Hug, book reviews are hard. I don't do many, simply because it takes away from my love of reading for the story's sake. A reviewer needs to think while he reads, analyze plot and character, and worst of all, take notes.

Even so, when I was contacted by Bennett & Hastings Publishing to see if I would read and review Hard Cache, I read the synopsis and then said, "Sure."

How could I turn down the chance to read a thriller that includes a retired Swedish police officer visiting the Cascade Mountains of Washington State and his fiancee who's thinking a lot about getting married as long as her intended doesn't plan to return to sleuthing in any form? Add a local cop whose father's corpse is discovered when the retired Swedish officer goes fishing, and a couple of mysterious Russians with a secret going back to the Russian/Afghan war, and you have the makings of a great story.

Without the cast of characters in the front of Hard Cache, I might have had a problem keeping them straight at the beginning, especially those with difficult names. The Swede who now lives in Costa Rica, Magnus Torval, is the main protagonist, but other characters such as the local cop, Greg Takarchuk, and FBI agent John Vasilich also carry part of the story.

I followed the complicated relationship between Magnus and his hopeful fiancee, Mariela Fuentes, wondering all the while if the engagement was doomed. I guess it's pretty hard for a retired cop to find a body and then back away from the investigation. I'll let you read the book to see what happens when Magnus is drawn into the case after Greg is pulled off because his father is the murder victim.

What I liked best about Hard Cache was Neff's tight writing and his ability to lead me through a plot maze without losing me in the process. I admire writing that doesn't resort to frills and flowers to fill space. Just build the characters and tell the story. The author does that very well. Hard Cache is a good read.

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Note: a copy of Hard Cache was supplied at no charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. No payment was involved for reviewing this novel.

All About Marketing Our Books

This weekend I had the pleasure of serving on a panel for a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers program held at the Arvada Public Library in Arvada, Colorado. The two-hour program was well-attended and the discussion was lively and informative.


We were talking about marketing our books, from hard covers to ebooks, in this fast-changing publishing environment. Some members of the audience were unpublished, some published traditionally, and some self-published. There was so much information exchanged in that two hours, it was amazing.

I took a resource handout of articles, blog posts, and books on the subject. I'm going to publish that list right here. But first, let me link to my two panel-mates and our moderator:

Mystery author Beth Groundwater, who also has a blog.

Ron Heimbecher (who might be called a jack of all trades) at Chalice Media and his techie ChaliceMedia Weblog.

Our host and moderator was mystery author Mark Stevens.

One book that is not on my own list was highly recommended by Beth:
Intent to Sell by Jeffrey Marks

And now, here are some of the resources on book marketing I found, including examples of specific author marketing efforts:


Eight Reasons to Love a Virtual Book Launch
By Carolyn Poling Schriber at Roundheads and Ramblings

The book launch party site for Beyond All Price by Carolyn Poling Schriber

Talli Roland’s December 1st Blogsplash for The Hating Game

What kind of book promotion works?
by Sandra Parshall at Poe’s Deadly Daughters (about Bowker/SinC Survey)

Worst Booksigning Ever
By Susan Wiggs at Fresh Fiction

How Publishers are Using Book Trailers to Sell Books by Michael Hyatt

A great list of resources about book trailers can be found at Fiction Notes

And more (with lots of examples) at Book Trailers for Readers

Book Promotion for Creative Writers
By Ginny Wiehardt at About.com: Fiction Writing

The Quickest Blog Book Tour Guide Ever at The Ever Project

The Social Media Marketing Book by Dan Zarrella

Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day by Dave Evans

I hope you authors, published and unpublished, find something useful in the list. Promotion is a fact of life for authors, and you shouldn't wait until you're published to begin.

I'm Visiting Stephen Tremp's Place Today...

I'm guest blogging about the Northern Colorado Writers Retreat today at Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough Blogs. Bring your coffee and come on over.

Beware the Devil's Hug by Marvin D. Wilson: Book Review

This is a pit stop on Marvin’s Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour 2010.

It’s not easy to review a friend’s book, even an online blogger friend I’ve never met in person. What would I say if I hated the plot, despised the characters, and thought the writing was really bad?

It’s also difficult for me to review books because I write novels and tend to read with my internal editor on high alert. Not only do I want to insert commas and reword sentences, but I also want to “fix” things that don’t need fixing, simply because the author’s style and voice are different from mine.

For those reasons, and because I would never write anything but my honest reaction, I think Marvin was very brave to let me read Beware the Devil’s Hug and review it on my blog. However, I don’t think he’ll be too upset at the result.

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Beware the Devil’s Hug by Marvin D. Wilson: A Book Review
244 pages
ISBN: 978-0984615490
All Things That Matter Press (September 1, 2010)
Paperback: $16.99 Kindle edition: $3.19

“What if a homeless, smelly, ugly, unkempt old man had a hug so powerful it could cure cancer? Cause a prostitute to stop hooking and seek true love? Shake the demons of addiction free from a junkie? Make a Christian want to embrace and love a Muslim and vice versa? But rare is the beneficiary of his divine embrace – nobody wants to come near him out of fear.”

Iam is The Old Man incarnated to Terra with the power to change Destiny and to persuade a Muslim soldier and a Christian to join forces in a movement to recognize that all humans worship the same One. What does it matter if the cultural traditions vary and the prayers are whispered in different languages and different words? To Ali and Christian, after their first experience with The Old Man, it seems obvious. There is only One.

The prostitute, Destiny, is one of those who see beyond Iam’s outward appearance and accepts his embrace. She gives up her former lifestyle, falls deeply in love with The Old Man, and mends her relationship with her family. While Iam shares his healing hugs with all who are willing, he is saddened by those who would choose to destroy him. He never gives up, however, even when attacked and left for dead.

In an attempt to sabotage Ali’s and Christian’s movement and organization, a terrorist group infiltrates their ranks and plans a horrible attack that will kill a large number of people. Can Iam do anything to help? I’ll let you find out for yourself. Two separate times I thought I had the ending of this novel figured out, and I was wrong. I liked that.

If I had to pick one thing about Beware the Devil’s Hug to criticize, I guess it would be one of the relationships in the book that seemed unnecessary, even a bit distracting. It’s a small complaint, and it did not lessen my enjoyment of Iam’s story in the least.

Everything else about Beware the Devil’s Hug is interesting and intriguing. The character names made me think and the plot twists kept me turning the pages. It’s a complex tale that held my interest from beginning to end.

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Author Marvin D. Wilson has a widely varied and rich life experience background - from Hippie Rock and Roll musician, to nightclub entertainer, to Zen Buddhist minister, to carpenter, to small business owner, to network marketer, to sales and sales training, to skilled trades instructor and adult education teacher, to public speaker and motivational coach, to now in his chosen “golden years” career, a writer and multi-published author with the self-proclaimed, “audacity to write novels”.

To see the schedule for Marvin’s blog book tour and learn about the contests, prizes, and giveaways, visit the Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour page at The Old Silly’s Free Spirit blog. The blog also features more reviews and information about Marvin’s other books.

Be sure to visit Sylvia Dickey Smith’s blog today and tomorrow for more about Marvin and his book.

You can order your copy of Beware the Devil’s Hug in paperback or Kindle e-book at amazon.com.

Wednesday Bits and Pieces

Tomorrow's Special Feature

I'll have a short review of Marvin D. Wilson's new release, Beware the Devil's Hug. Marvin is doing the Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour for the novel. Meanwhile, here's the book trailer to whet your appetite (but beware, there's a bit of adult material in here).






Where I'll Be on Friday

I've written a guest post about the Northern Colorado Writers' Retreat for Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough blog.


Where I'll Be on Saturday

Along with Beth Groundwater and Ron Heimbecher (and panel moderator Mark Stevens), I'll be talking about marketing books and e-books at the Arvada Public Library from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in Arvada, Colorado. The title of the presentation is From Real-World Bookstores To E-Book Promotion In The Virtual Universe: Strategic Marketing In 2010. For more information, visit the Events page at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers website.


A Foodie Blog for Vegans

This blogger is a writer friend who also belongs to my critique group. She posted a great article and photos about the Northern Colorado Writers Retreat at her Epicurean Vegan blog. She's called the post My (Vegan) Retreat: Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. A couple of photos from our Friday night Bananagrams game are included in the post. I'm the one in the aqua shirt.


Small Batch Baking

Another blogger friend is Michelle Mach, jewelry designer and author. She posted a review of a new cookbook that really appeals to me, especially since I'm dieting again (yes, I'm a yo-yo). The book is Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. To see what recipes Michelle tested so far, visit her post at Beads and Books.


Young Adult Novel Discover Contest

I spotted this one at C. Hope Clark's blog. The Young Adult Novel Discover Contest is worth checking out if you have a completed manuscript, a partial manuscript, or just a great idea for a YA novel. All you need to enter is a great title and the first 250 words.


What I'm Reading

I'm still reading Betty Webb's The Koala of Death because I'm spending most of my time clearing up my To Do List and getting organized. I'm moving into submission mode on one book and writing mode on a new manuscript. That first draft of the suspense novel, Dead Wrong, is sitting somewhere in this mess on my office floor, waiting for me to figure out what's wrong with the plot. I've put my subconscious to work on that while I do other things.

Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaStar -- The Book Trailer

Today is the official release date for Alex's debut sci fi novel, CassaStar, and I'm one of the bloggers featuring the CassaStar book trailer today. It's a good one!





For more information about Alex and CassaStar, visit his blog. He's currently doing a blog book tour, and here's the schedule.

That Quick Trip to San Francisco

A quick weekend in San Francisco to visit our 18-month-old granddaughter included a little zoo time, and a lot of playground time. The highlights:

This giraffe at the San Francisco Zoo

And this goat in the petting zoo, just hanging out and taking it easy

One of the beautiful carousels in San Francisco is The 1914 Herschell-Spillman Carousel at Golden Gate Park

Note the artwork at the top inside of the carousel and follow the link (above) for more spectacular photos

I guess it's pretty obvious this was a kid-centered trip. But the weather was beautiful that weekend with very little fog and lots of sunshine, so parks and playgrounds and zoos were a great way to spend our days.

And I did get a crazy horror story idea about carousels . . .

Kickstarter -- A Source of Funds for the Creative Arts

Many of you already know about C. Hope Clark's Funds for Writers website and newsletter. This is the go to place to learn about grants, contests, and other opportunities for writers to fund their writing projects.

When writer friend Tim Northburg was searching Funds for Writers for ways to finance hiring a professional editor for his YA novel, Bacon Finnegan and the Relics of Merlin, he found Kickstarter, a platform funding mechanism for setting up a project with a time limit for raising the amount needed to get the job done.

I've looked at much of the info on this site, and am impressed at the line-up of projects. Looks like a great way for artists and writers to get backing for their projects, and a great way for those who support the arts to help out. I tested making a pledge to Tim's project and discovered the payment charge went through amazon.com, which increased my sense of security in sharing my credit card number. Kickstarter also has a blog which may be of interest.

I suspect that getting the word out for any one project is difficult, but for writers or artists who have a large network of friends, it's an interesting way to fund a retreat, important conference, art classes, a gallery showing, or hiring a professional editor to help a beginning writer polish a manuscript.

To view Tim's project page and the trailer for his manuscript, go to the Kickstarter: Bacon Finnegan and the Relics of Merlin.

Alex J. Cavanaugh and The CassaStar Tour

I'm pleased to present Alex J. Cavanaugh as my guest blogger today. He's three days into his blog book tour for his debut sci fi novel, CassaStar. If you want to follow Alex's tour, here's the link to his full schedule. His next stop is on the 17th at Edi's Book Lighthouse.

Welcome, Alex. I'm so glad you're here.

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Thanks for hosting me today, Patricia! This is the first week of my blog tour for CassaStar, which comes out on Tuesday, October 19.

Hopefully your readers didn’t hit the back button when they realized I’m a science fiction author. The genre scares people sometimes. They see the word ‘science fiction’ and assume it’s chock full of geek tech, three-headed aliens, and other assorted elements that appeal to the average boy. (“Boy” implying any guy between ten and fifty, of course.) However, there’s as great a variety in science fiction as in any genre. And there are plenty of women who read (and write) science fiction as well.

Science fiction is nothing more than a setting and backdrop. The story within the pages can reflect any genre – mystery, romance, horror, western, etc. For example, Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers is military in nature. Timothy Zahn’s work focuses on adventure. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams contains a wicked sense of humor. Want to read a sweeping, grand-scale drama? Try Frank Herbert’s Dune. Each of these books contains elements of other genres, and the combinations are endless. When you think about it in those terms, a science fiction story can be about anything!

What drives a good story are the characters. It doesn’t matter if the setting is alien, or if the people are alien as well. The Star Trek and Star Wars universes aren’t insanely popular just because of the setting – people love the characters, and won’t hesitate to tell you their favorite. (Jean Luc Picard and Han Solo – in case you’re interested!) If we relate to the characters, we’ll enjoy the story.

Yes, my book is science fiction. It features a race not unlike our own faced with the threat of war. Space battles ensue as the military attempts to fend off the invaders. But at the heart of CassaStar are the main characters – two men with tragic pasts who form an unlikely friendship. Despite the backdrop of war, the struggles and triumphs of my characters remains the focus.

And that is the story I want readers of all genres to discover and enjoy!

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Alex J. Cavanaugh is a sci-fi writer on a journey of discovery. Books, movies, music, games, writing... he covers many pop culture topics on his blog. Alex has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. CassaStar, his first novel, will be released October 19 2010.


As a bonus, here's the synopsis for CassaStar:

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin, the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

And a review quote from Library Journal:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.”

CassaStar may be purchased at amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Powell's. The book is also available as an ebook for Kindle, IBookstore, Nook and others.

Wednesday Bits and Pieces

The Blood-Red Pencil

My post on where story ideas come from is up today at The Blood-Red Pencil. I hope you'll stop by and see the oddball ideas that came out of a recent meeting with my local critique group.


Tomorrow's Guest

I'm excited to have Alex J. Cavanaugh here tomorrow as he makes the rounds on his virtual blog book tour. His sci fi novel, CassaStar, is scheduled to release on October 19th. Many of you already know Alex as a blog follower who visits often and regularly leaves comments.


Last Weekend in San Francisco

Just got back from a quick weekend in San Francisco to visit the grandbaby (and her mom and dad, too). Short trips are hard, but being around an energetic and happy 18-month year old made it totally worth the effort.


Writers' Retreat

This weekend I'll be at the annual retreat for members of Northern Colorado Writers. We're taking over the Wagon Wheel Bunkhouse at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. Each writer has a private bedroom and many have private baths as well. There's a kitchen and huge community room for group events. And best of all, we get to eat our breakfasts and dinners in the ranch dining room. It's a great getaway with large chunks of enforced quiet time to focus on writing projects. I'm looking forward to getting a lot done.


What I'm Reading

I'm finishing up those two books I need to review. Next up is a mystery for fun: The Koala of Death, the second book in Betty Webb's new Gunn Zoo series.


And the Most Annoying Thing Ever

I built my website with Yahoo's SiteBuilder. All of a sudden, SiteBuilder will not let me save changes to the pages or publish changes to the site. The next step will be to go into the site's file manager and see if it will let me make changes there. Unfortunately, I first have to remember how to do that since I've been relying on the (formerly) user friendly SiteBuilder so long.

This is not a good week for the computer devils to strike.

Writing Books for Children and Young Adults that Sell by Jacqueline Seewald, Guest Blogger

My guest today is Jacqueline Seewald, who writes women's romance and historical romance as well as books for children and young adults. Since most of us who write toy with the idea of writing for a younger audience from time to time, I'm especially pleased that Jacqueline chose this topic for her post.

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Writing Books for Children and Young Adults that Sell by Jacqueline Seewald


Even before J. K. Rowling's tremendous success with her Harry Potter series, publishers were frantically searching for fantasy and horror fiction for children and teenagers that they hope will top the bestseller list. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it does not insure success as a writer.

Books set in the "real" world still have appeal for teens and children. Young readers are not necessarily trying to read books that provide a total escape from reality. Even fantasy books need to be believable, provide an element of reality through character development to which readers can relate.

One of the most important things in writing a successful young adult novel or children’s book is to develop a unique voice. That does not mean that you must write from a first person point of view. However, teenage readers often respond well to a first person narrative.

It is important to create a central character that young readers can both sympathize and identify with. Whether writing realistic or fantasy fiction, if the reader can't care about the main character, than he or she won't believe or accept what follows.

Teens as well as younger children enjoy an element of mystery. Every good work of fiction should have a plot that keeps the reader turning the pages, wanting to discover what is going to happen next. It's important to set up some sort of a question that can't be easily or immediately answered, a secret of the human heart that must be delved into.

A word of warning: If you are going to write about teens, you must know about them; do some research. Besides raising two teenagers, I taught English and later Library Science. I taught at all levels: the university, high school, middle school and elementary. But most of my years were in the high school. I am accustomed to the way teenagers think, talk and behave. If you are not a teen yourself, talk to teenagers, read their magazines, watch their favorite TV programs, observe how they behave at malls, amusement parks, movie theaters etc.

Get input from your own children. Have them read your writing and critique it. Consider collaborating with your children on the writing of your fiction. I wrote Where is Robert?, a middle grades/YA novel which was published by Royal Fireworks Press in 1997 and is still in print, with help from both of my sons who were teenagers at the time. Both boys contributed to the scenes of high school wrestling, since they both engaged in the sport. I couldn't have written the book without them. I understand the novel has become something of a cult book for teenage boys who wrestle.

If you want to write for teenagers, you need to understand them. Dig into your own experiences as a teenager. How did you feel? Were you insecure? Did you feel that your parents didn't understand or love you? In my YA novel, Claire's Curse, the main character is part of a dysfunctional family. She feels unloved and rejected.

Make it dramatic. Dramatize your story. Don't show, tell. I'm certain you've heard that advice before! How to do this? Create meaningful, realistic dialog for your characters. Each character should be an individual, talking a certain way to reflect a personal point of view, a unique way of thinking. Good dialog leads to action and conflict between people with different viewpoints and goals.

Settings need to be vividly described so that they seem real. In fact, there's nothing wrong with using real places for background setting. My three previously published YA’s were set in Central New Jersey, an area very much like the one in which I lived. Verisimilitude is crucial in a teen novel. My latest YA novel, Stacy’s Song, published by L&L Dreamspell, is also set in New Jersey.

For my children’s picture book A Devil in the Pines, I created a faction story. I used the real setting of the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the legend of the Jersey Devil combined with the fictional story of a little boy who learns how to deal with fear. Afton Publishing has kept this book in print from its publication in 1999.

My advice, don't write for the market; write the story you need to write. We are all writers. We all have within us a unique, important, wonderful story to share. Get in touch with your inner self. Start putting your ideas on paper. Begin with an outline, then a rough draft with key characters and scenes. When you develop your book, look for depth. Although books for teens can be shorter than those for adults, it doesn't mean they require less creative thought. Respect your readers; give them quality.

The success of J. K. Rowling’s books has given new hope and inspiration to those of us who write juvenile fiction. No longer can we gripe that children and young adults do not read. If nothing else, the reception the Potter books received has proven that there is still an audience for fiction among young people.

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Many thanks to Jacqueline for joining us today. I may have to spend a little more time on that idea I have for a middle grade mystery series.

Jacqueline is a monthly contributor to the Author Expressions blog. You can find interviews at Book-Club-Queen and Sling Words. Her latest adult novel is a paranormal Regency romance, Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards.

Author KK Brees

When I took Dani Greer's online Blog Book Tour class in 2009, I connected with quite a few wonderful bloggers who've stayed in touch. Karen Brees is one of those friends.

At the time we took the class, Karen's current release was The Complete Idiot's Guide to Preserving Food. Now she's taken another writing path. Her novel, Headwind: The Intrepid Adventures of OSS Agent Katrin Nissen, is now available at amazon.com under her new writing name, KK Brees.

I've posted the book trailer here today. You can visit Karen's website for more information. She also blogs at KK Brees on Writing.






I remember when book trailers first appeared on the promotion scene, I couldn't imagine them being terribly useful. I've changed my mind on that.

I suspect the biggest problem for an author is getting a trailer noticed among the hundreds and thousands of new posts each day. Since I don't have time to lurk at You Tube and search for authors or book titles, and since I don't always see your blog on the day you make announcements, I'll trust you to let me know when you have a new book (and book trailer). Whenever possible, I'll post your information here.

Cricket McRae's Book Giveaway

Here's a bonus link for you.

Colorado writer and blogger friend Cricket McRae is giving away a box of gently read books, mostly mysteries, at her Hearth Cricket blog. You have a couple of days to enter, so hop on over to her October 6th Book Giveaway post and follow the easy instructions.

Margot Kinberg's Book Trailer for B-Very Flat

Another intriguing book trailer:

October Book Giveaway by Mystery Writers of America

It's that time again. The Mystery Writers of America have listed the October books to be given away through the MWA website at their Contests for Readers page. Here are the titles:

The Extinction Event by David Black
For Richer, For Danger by Lisa Bork
Sudden Death by Allison Brennan
Midnight Angels by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Evil in Carnations by Kate Collins
Rescuing Olivia by Julie Compton
The Viognier Vendetta by Ellen Crosby
The Immortals by J.T. Ellison
The Killing Edge by Heather Graham
Caper by Parnell Hall
Beauty's Curse by Traci E. Hall
Ghost a la Mode by Sue Ann Jaffarian
The Book of Spies by Gayle Lynds
Supreme Justice by Phillip Margolin
Slow Fire by Ken Mercer
The Ark by Boyd Morrison
On Location by Elizabeth Sims
Audio Set of MWA Presents: Death Do Us Party: New Stories about Love, Lust and Murder, edited by Harlan Coben
Audio Set of MWA Presents: The Blue Religion: New Stories about Cops, Criminals, and the Chase, edited by Michael Connelly
Trade Paperback copy of The Prosecution Rests: New Stories About Courtrooms, Criminals and the Law, edited by Linda Fairstein

So head on over the that Contest page and sign up. I hope to see one of you as this month's winner.

My Writing Life by Ginger Simpson, Guest Blogger

Today I'm pleased to introduce Ginger Simpson, a versatile and prolific author who has written novels in a number of genres from contemporary and historical romance to stories of life challenges, including a bit of unexpected time travel. Ginger even gave erotica a shot, as you'll read below. And to demonstrate her versatility, she has now moved into YA novels. I love that Ginger follows her heart in her writing.

You may want to visit Ginger's book pages to see the outstanding cover art and trailers for her novels. Check out My Books, More Books, and More Newbies. Seeing all those covers and reading the mini-synopses made me wonder how many hours a day she writes.

And now, Ginger's story . . .

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My Writing Life by Ginger Simpson


Oh the Joy!

Being an author can mean joy one minute and agony the next. It's not an easy job most of the time. Oh, there's nothing like the feeling of successfully publishing a book and holding that first copy in your hands . . . looking down at your name and feeling such a sense of accomplishment . . . nothing quite compares, unless you’re holding a newborn baby.

On the other hand, when you write your heart out, complete a manuscript you think is going to be "it"--the one that makes your mark in the literary world, and you get rejected, it's a horrible, defeating feeling. You write in the same style you've always written, but the house to whom you've submitted doesn't like gerunds or adverbs. There isn't enough sexual tension, your characters aren't deep enough, but, oh you've done a great job of avoiding head hopping and your sentence structure is clean. One person can make or break your chance, and that's pretty disheartening.

What happened to panels? Shouldn't more than one person get to choose what's accepted and what's not? We all have such vast opinions. Who is that one person to tell me that my ending wasn't what she expected. Actually, that's what I was shooting for . . . an ending that no one saw coming. Oh well, it doesn't matter; now I have to decide what to do next.

First I have to dust off my feelings and remind myself that everyone gets rejections. Even the big dogs have binders of them. I don't. I've had the good fortune to have very few of my manuscripts turned down, so my second was a bitter pill. The only other rejection I’d received was on my debut/swan song Erotica. The reason given: my heroine had an affair and some readers might find that offensive. This from a publisher who offers sex with werewolves, aliens, shifters and mummies, and most likely in any bodily orifice available, but something that happens every day in real life is offensive. Really? I'm pretty turned off by intimacy with a hairy beast with drippings fangs. Give me a choice of cheating or boffing an alien, and I’ll have an affair any day. *smile*

Luckily, my second query resulted in a contract, but as I said, Searchers was my one and only Erotica. They're just too hard to write. How many ways can you describe intercourse?

So, as I searched through submission guidelines for a new place to submit my manuscript, I tried to remain positive, knowing my story would please someone, somewhere. It's just tedious weeding through the jungle to find that one person who'll be in the right frame of mind when he/she reads my synopsis. Sometimes, being an author is like having a mosquito bite you can’t quite reach. It's annoying until you find the right way to contort yourself just enough to quell the itch.

I sometimes have a hard time justifying why I continue to try to establish myself as an author, and answers aren't always forthcoming, especially if I'm stressed and tired. I usually fall back on the real reason I keep typing away . . . because I love what I do, and I can't wait to see where I'll travel with the characters in my next novel or story.

If you’d like to see where I’ve been with my heroes and heroines please feel free to check my new website and peruse my videos and blurbs. I’ve traveled to places I’ve never been before and dipped my toes into genres I never expected to write. Take Shortcomings, my soon-to-be-released young adult. Writing from the perspective of a defeated teenager wasn’t as easy as I expected, but my heroine and I connected, and she drew from experiences of my own that I’d pushed into the recesses of my mind. Muse It Up Publishing accepted my story and will present it in both download and print.

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Thank you so much for being my guest today, Ginger. I'm working my way through your entertaining book trailers and want to offer a bit of applause to those who put yours together. They're very well done.

Ginger's blog is at Ginger Simpson's "Dishin' It Out." You can also find her on Twitter.

Wednesday Bits and Pieces

Tomorrow's Guest Blogger

I hope you drop by tomorrow to read about Ginger Simpson's writing life. Well-published in romance and historical romance, Ginger is now set on conquering the YA genre. Here's the trailer for Shortcomings, scheduled for release in 2011 from Muse It Up Publishing.




NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

I'm thinking seriously about signing up for NaNoWriMo for the first time. Last year I was invited to help the local library's chapter hand out awards and offer words of encouragement. I was so impressed with the number of people who participated and completed their 50,000 words, especially the middle school and high school students, that I want to be a part of that team and get to know them better.

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? If so, did you accomplish your goals? Do you think it's worth the effort?


What I'm Reading

I just finished Lisa Brackman's Rock, Paper, Tiger, an excellent novel about a young woman who was injured while serving in Iraq. Now she's living in China, suffering physically and emotionally from her experiences, while her marriage crumbles. Her friends and her fears are responsible for pulling her into a dangerous real-life game played partially online. The novel is sometimes harsh and gritty, but always poignant. The writing is top-notch. Although I'm not usually a fan of present-tense novels, Lisa did an awesome job of moving between the present and the past by alternating present and past tense.

Next up are two novels I've agreed to review here on my blog. I'll keep them a secret for now. Reviews coming soon.


Feeling the Urge to Redecorate My Office

The wall colors in this room are bland, a kind of creamy non-color. The furniture is practical and brown. The lamp shades are white. The carpet is light brown. The room is so BLAH! I could fall asleep from boredom here.

Who has a great writing space or office? What color are your walls and carpet or tile? What colors would energize and excite you when you sit down to write?

Don't Go Away, No Matter What the Award Says

Here's some good stuff I found this week from a couple of my favorite blogs:

Cricket McRae talks about To Do Lists and priority tasks in Insane Time Management at her blog, Hearth Cricket.

In A Lesson on Focus at Two Old Horses and Me, Jean McBride gives us an example from the workday of her two Scotties and wonders how much she could accomplish if she had that kind of single-minded determination to stick with a project for an extended period of time.

And now look at this delightful award I received from Yvonne at Welcome to My World of Poetry.



No, I don't really want anyone to go away, but I do need to learn how to manage my time better and resist new projects until I'm caught up on the old ones. I'm a victim of my own eagerness to take on anything that sounds like fun, but even fun needs to be rationed.

So now you see why the two blog posts I mentioned above were especially interesting and helpful at this busy time. Good time management requires focus. And the simpler the plan, the better. Good advice.

A Little More About That Road Trip to Illinois

On our road trip through eastern Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois, we saw a lot of country that looked like this:

And some that looked like this:

And I attended that 50th high school class reunion where we had a chance to revisit and tour our school and reminisce about the torture inflicted on us in this very classroom where Max Beberman devised the new math, using us as guinea pigs.

I'm not going to post a bunch of reunion photos since I don't have permission to publish my classmates' faces all over the Internet, but this lucky shot I took during the tour works fine. Those two teenagers by the blackboard were our student guides, who also did interviews and took photos during the tour.

A Blog for Writers Who Are Introverts (Aren't We All?)

I found the most delightful blog for writers this week, and I want to pass these links on to you, especially those of you who consider yourselves introverts. As a matter of fact, these posts will be as interesting to bloggers and other readers as they will be to writers.

The blog is Shrinking Violet Promotions: Marketing for Introverts. The bloggers are Mary Hershey and R. L. LaFevers

First of all, I want to point you toward The Introvert's Bill of Rights.

I'm especially fond of #23: "Introverts are allowed to (and actually like to) eat dinner at restaurants or go to movies alone." I always thought I was weird, but apparently I'm just a good introvert.

You might also want to read this blog post: I Will Be Your Friend, But I Will Not Be Your Fan: A Rant About How Authors Use Social Media For Self-Promotion

There's so much I agree with in that post, and I'd love to know what other authors and readers think about blatant self-promotion. There's so much hype about marketing and how we must do lots of this and lots of that to sell our books. Is it all a waste of time?

The rest of the story: I'm especially interested in this topic because I've accepted an invitation to appear on a panel for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' October program. The title --From Real-World Bookstores to E-Book Promotion In the Virtual Universe: Strategic Marketing in 2010. My panel mates will be mystery author Beth Groundwater and former president of Pikes Peak Writers, author and media guy Ron Heimbecher.

If you leave a pithy comment today about any aspect of self-promotion or online book marketing, I might just quote you and add your blog's url to my handout.