tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29991251189270011122024-03-13T21:29:33.231-07:00Heroines with HeartsDebra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.comBlogger1750125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-65768241328283606742018-09-12T04:00:00.000-07:002018-09-12T04:00:10.681-07:00New Book Announcement!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer has a new book coming...</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m excited to announce the next book in my Serendipity Series, Learning to Love, will be released by The Wild Rose Press on November 28. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s the blurb:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dina Jacobs is a single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the-charts intelligence, frizzy hair and rounder-than-socially-acceptable figure. She left her past behind until she receives an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion, and all her insecurities return.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adam Mandel is a single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father's law firm, the law firm where he is up for junior partner. With his reputation on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he deserves the promotion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When Dina and Adam run into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can't possibly be interested in someone like her. Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help him improve his reputation. Lies and insecurities force them to take a look at themselves. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The book was a lot of fun to write. Adam comes across as a real player, but he’s got a soul, and bringing it out was challenging and rewarding. Dina is a strong female who spouts random facts when she’s nervous—and Adam makes her nervous! I had a lot of fun researching!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It will be up for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble soon, but in the meantime, you can check it out on TWRP website and add it to your wishlist! <a href="https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6236-learning-to-love.html?search_query=jennifer+wilck&results=7" style="color: purple;">https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6236-learning-to-love.html?search_query=jennifer+wilck&results=7</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-65254318882255665742018-08-30T19:59:00.002-07:002018-08-30T19:59:36.409-07:00Ana's Getting 'Tis the Season <i>Ana is thrilled to share the cover for 'Tis the Season, a joint project between five authors.</i><div>
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“Tis the Season of the heart. Baking cookies, trimming the tree and falling in love with sprinkles of Christmas magic in a collection of sweet romance novelettes.</div>
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Sometimes, all you want for Christmas is right before your eyes.”</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Releases October 20, 2018</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Poinsettias, by Ana Morgan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Chapter 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Neely Martin rushed up the Boughboro Hospital stairwell and yanked open the heavy third-floor door. The scent of disinfectant, beeps of monitoring machines, and confident stride of nurses with identification badges reassured her that her father was receiving excellent care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She found his room and opened the door without knocking. “I’m so sorry, Dad. The plane from D.C. was late and—” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Her father sat in a wheelchair wearing his old leather bomber jacket. A rigid plaster cast encased his leg from the top of his thigh to the ball of his foot. His face looked ashen, the lines on his forehead pronounced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She gave him a careful hug, and then leveled a scowl at the petite nurse holding the handles of the wheeled chair. “My father had surgery less than twenty-four hours ago. Why isn’t he in bed?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Mr. Martin talked with his doctor, and Dr. Franklin agreed to discharge him,” the nurse explained. “His first check-up is in two weeks. We just finished going over his medications.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Going over? With whom?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“With me.” Justin Harrington stepped clear of a partition curtain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Neely’s heart stuttered. Justin looked tan and fit, as if he’d stuck to their after-we-graduate promise to balance work and personal time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She searched his handsome face for a sign he’d finally forgiven her for accepting the job in D.C., but his steel-blue eyes held no warmth. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. “I wish you would have waited for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“We weren’t sure when you’d be able to tear yourself away from Congressman McHenry.” Justin’s voice was cold and condemning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">An awkward silence filled the small room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Dad patted her arm. “Justin offered to stay until you arrived, honey.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Remembering how things used to be, she shook off Justin’s jab. When her mother left without saying goodbye he’d sat with her on the edge of the playground while their first-grade classmates played. Fifteen months later, he’d stood beside her in the cemetery as her mother’s casket was lowered into the ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">He’d taken her to the prom and waited to mail his application to the University of Vermont until she’d rewritten her application essay. They’d both studied Public Administration with a desire to serve the public. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">So why couldn’t he understand that being an aide to Congressman Daniel McHenry gave her the means to solve big problems? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Miss Martin”—the nurse interrupted her thoughts—“The doctor’s orders are pretty straightforward. Elevate the leg. Take the meds. Keep all check-up appointments.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The nurse crouched until she was eye-to-eye with her father. “After the cast comes off, you’ll need several weeks of therapy. Then you can ease back into work.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Her father nodded. “Understood.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“We decided the back seat of my four-by-four would be the best way to take him home,” Justin said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Neely felt a ping of embarrassment. The car she’d rented at the Burlington airport was small and fuel-efficient. Good for the environment, but wholly inadequate to haul a big man with titanium screws in his fractured femur. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I’ll meet you at the entrance.” Justin picked up two aluminum crutches and a drawstring hospital bag and carried them out of the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Anything more to carry?” Neely scanned her father’s hospital bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I don’t think so.” Her father craned his neck and looked up at the nurse. “I’m ready to go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> ***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Neely stood beside the nurse in the elevator, noting her father’s hunched shoulders and clenched jaw. He was in pain—and determined to go home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The elevator door slid open. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">They passed by the emergency waiting room and approached the automatic exit doors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Outside on the curb, Justin stood beside a metallic-blue pickup. Its spotless finish and chrome trim gleamed under the early December sun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">He’d gotten the city manager job he wanted—and now a truck. Probably saved up and bought it outright. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The nurse wheeled her father outside and positioned the chair next to the open crew cab door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Her father immediately pushed out of the chair and tried to stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Dad!” Neely grabbed his arm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">His good leg buckled. He started to topple over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Justin darted forward and caught him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Back him up to the seat,” the nurse ordered. “Don’t hit his head on the roof.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Her father scooted across the seat butt first until the full length of his cast was safely inside the truck. Justin leaned in, stretched out a seat belt, and buckled him in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“You’ll have to slow down, Mr. Martin,” the nurse chided. “Wait for others to help you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Her father closed his eyes and nodded, his face ominously pale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Take him straight home and put him in bed.” The nurse turned to Neely and lowered her voice. “He needs home care assistance for at least a week. Maybe longer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Neely gulped. Her father had never been able to afford top-of-the-line health insurance, and she didn’t have much in savings. Rent, metro transit, and student loan payments ate up most of her congressional aide salary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Justin shut the crew cab door. “John’s ready to go.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Grateful for an excuse to dash off, Neely thanked the nurse, fished the rental car key from her blazer pocket, and scurried across the parking lot. She and her father would manage on their own, just like they’d done for years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> ***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Every muscle in Neely’s body ached by the time she and Justin tiptoed out of her father’s bedroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Dad had been so unsteady on his crutches, he’d tossed them aside on the front steps and stretched his arms across her and Justin’s shoulders. They’d supported his weight while he hopped on one foot up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Justin stopped in the hallway and gazed at the picture taken at their high school prom. His gold cummerbund and tie of his rented tuxedo matched the bodice of the evening dress still hanging in her clothes closet. His forehead glistened with sweat. “Remind me never to own an old house with steep stairs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I’m down for one level with no walls,” she bantered. “A big open space with all the furniture on wheels so you can roll into the kitchen at midnight for a glass of warm milk.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She held her breath. They’d often joked not so long ago. Would he play along now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I best be going,” He walked downstairs and lifted his jacket off the coat rack. “John’s prescriptions should be ready. He authorized me to pick them up. I’ll swing by, so you don’t have to leave him.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“You’ll need money for the co-pay.” She ran down the stairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Already have it.” He chewed on his lower lip, an all-too-familiar sign he had more he wanted to say but was holding back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She waited for him to disparage her work with Congressman McHenry. She could take it. Working in D.C had taught her to shoulder criticism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Without another word, he walked out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Disappointed, she stood beside her father’s recliner in the living room and watched out the picture window as Justin strode down the front walk, got into his truck, and drove away. She heaved a sigh and felt something in her hand. Looking down, she realized she’d wadded the crocheted doily her father kept on his recliner’s headrest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She smoothed her mother’s handiwork back in place. She’d never forgive her mother for walking out, but she didn’t hate her anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hopefully time would heal the rift between her and Justin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ana Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12325215832587691886noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-91861208324821212522018-08-07T13:08:00.000-07:002018-08-07T13:08:15.245-07:00Up to My Ears in Audio<i>Debra's audio books are making progress.</i><br />
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<br />
Since my publisher began offering an audio version of their books, I've been literally up to my ears in listening. Editing an audio book is a bit different than editing a print book, as cadence and tone and annunciation all play a role. It's different to listen with your ears instead of looking with your eyes.<br />
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Up until now, the titles that have come through of mine have all been novellas. This past week I started listening to the first full-length novel of mine that will be offered in audio. Let me just say it's a loooong process.<br />
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First of all it's hard for me to just sit and listen. I feel like I'm not doing anything. And I'm not one for sitting around idly. I'm ALWAYS doing something. So while I listen I do try to multi-task and do things like fold laundry or prepare dinner or other rote things that don't require too much concentration. I do have to be careful which chore I choose to multi-task with, as some take away from my focus on what I'm supposed to be listening to. But overall, I think I've found a good balance of listening and being able to get other things done. If I do hear a mistake, I put aside what ever 'other' task I'm doing and focus solely on rewinding and listening and marking the spot of the error and documenting the error so it can be fixed.<br />
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Makes me realize that unless it's riding in a car on a long, I probably wouldn't do well with other audio books. Like I said, it's too much like sitting there and doing nothing. I've only given audio a try once on a road trip, and we wound up turning it off because we got caught in a raging downpour that drowned out the sound of the story. We never went back to it. We probably should give it a try again on the way to/from one of our camping adventures.<br />
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Anyway like I said, it's an interesting process to edit the audio version of a story. Yesterday I turned in notes/corrections for chapters 1-8 and was 'rewarded' with files for chapters 9-13. So my work is far from over. A full length novel is A LOT to listen to.<br />
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One thing I've discovered as I've been listening to <i>Wild Wedding Weekend </i>is how much I LIKE the story! It's been a while since I've 'visited' it, and I'm remembering all the reasons it was such a fun one to write, even if it hasn't been one of my biggest sellers. Maybe audio will help that. Only time will tell.<br />
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Until next time,<br />
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Happy Reading! (or listening!)<br />
<br />
Debra<br />
<a href="http://www.debrastjohnromance.com">www.debrastjohnromance.com</a><br />
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Debra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-61463328962141775472018-07-31T11:29:00.001-07:002018-07-31T11:29:36.261-07:00Three Questions<br />
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<i>Paula asks (and answers) three questions!</i></div>
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Firstly: A couple of weeks ago, someone on FB was asking why
the sales of her books were so low. Okay, I know, it’s a question many of us
could ask! One of the replies suggested that she should look at the bestselling
books on Amazon, and aim to write something similar to those.</div>
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My reaction: unless she’s a very fast writer, the ‘popular’
trends might have completely changed by the time her book is actually published,
because people soon tire of the same kind of novel. Personally I go into ‘yawn
mode’ when I see yet more books about ‘cosy cafes’ or, here in the UK at
present, stories set in Cornwall (I blame Poldark for that!), and I’m not into ‘psychological
thrillers.’ Yes, these may be current trends, but how long do these kinds of trends
last?</div>
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Secondly, another author (again on FB) declared that she had
read and enjoyed books about the music scene when she was a teenager, so decided to write her own
series. This same author then said she’d enjoyed books by another author set in
her own city, and so she decided to – yes, you’ve guessed it, write her own
series set in that same city.</div>
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My reaction? Don’t you have any original ideas of your own,
without having to ‘duplicate’ what other authors have written about?</div>
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Thirdly, yet another author declared that ‘if you like books
by x, y, and z, you will love my book.’</div>
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My reaction: for one thing, it comes over as incredibly conceited
to ‘compare’ yourself to bestselling authors. Also, if you need to ‘compare’
yourself to other writers, it doesn’t say much for your own originality.</div>
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So, what do we do? Follow the trends (albeit belatedly), write
to a theme that has been successful for another author in the hope that it will
be as successful for you, or try to gain readers by likening yourself to other
authors?</div>
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My reaction: I couldn’t do any of these things. Or rather,
yes, I probably could, but I wouldn’t want to. I can’t write to a ‘trend’ or a
‘theme’, and I certainly don’t try to imitate any other writer.</div>
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Maybe my novels don’t sell as well as stories about ‘cosy
cafés in Cornwall’ are selling; maybe I’ll never reach the top ranks on Amazon;
but I write the stories that I want to write, and I write them in my own style.</div>
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<br />Paula Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-69812898069832223272018-07-24T05:42:00.000-07:002018-07-24T05:42:48.691-07:00Book Trailers<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Have you ever made a book trailer?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve seen several and they intrigue me. Basically, they’re taglines paired with photos and set to music, and they’re used to illustrate your book. Like a movie trailer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve attended conference workshops about them and people pay good money to have them made. While marketing does require investment, trailers were never something I was going to spend money on, because I’m not sure it’s the best use of my resources. The problem is I’m really not a graphic person or a videographer—I should probably make use of my kids.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But then I discovered this free program/computer app. It takes you step by step through the process of creating the video. It can even create one from a blog you write. You can choose images to use and music, colors and fonts and it puts it all together for you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I tried it. Once I got the hang of it, it was super easy to do. My biggest problem with trailers is that they’re static, like a slide show. And because I’m not spending money, I’m making do with the images I have access to, as well as the music. But I don’t think it’s a terrible trailer, and I certainly don’t think it’s doing me any harm.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What do you think?<o:p></o:p></div>
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JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-43715571255233388032018-07-14T13:08:00.002-07:002018-07-14T13:08:48.737-07:00In the throes of Summer<i>Ana's summer is probably as busy as yours.</i><br />
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I took cell phone photos of the three ice-cream pails of just-picked-by-me raspberries and my grandkids sliding down the big slide yesterday at the county fair, but Blogger says they are not formatted for uploading. So word pictures will have to suffice until I figure that out.<br />
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I asked for, and was granted, an extension on book 2. I'm not a fast writer, and I over-estimated how many chapters I could write last winter. Writing in summer is more challenging with work, gardening and grandkid sleep-overs. I'm half way through the story. The heroine and side-kick are entering a seedy bar in search of the injured and missing hero.<br />
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I had fun this past week helping with a short film shoot. The ten-year-old granddaughter is the protagonist. She goes exploring and is frightened by an alien hiding in an abandoned house. She runs home and returns with her skeptical older sister and squirt-gun-toting younger brother. They track down the alien, who checks them out and zooms away. <br />
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My film-producer daughter brought home her camera gear, including a film drone. (The drone has crashed into tree tops twice on homing mode. Obviously, it's a city, not a country, drone. More online tutorials will be downloaded.)<br />
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The short film footage is now in Rachel's editing computer. She'll add CGI images (shimmery light?) to show the alien being. It will be fun to see the final footage. If it's good enough, she'll color correct and sound design, and who knows where it will end up. The footage Rachel shot with the ten-year granddaughter (when Brandi was five) was just released as a music video for a New York City band.<br />
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<br />Ana Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12325215832587691886noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-37562543346032856822018-07-03T11:12:00.000-07:002018-07-03T13:25:20.361-07:00A Month of History<i>Debra spent June immersed in early U.S. history.</i><br />
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My hubby and I love to travel. Usually our one big trip a year is a cruise over spring break for our anniversary. Summers used to be filled with long weekend trips with our parents and and another with the hubby's sister and family. But, as our parents have gotten older and unable to walk around as well as they used to, and as our niece and nephew have gotten older and it's no longer 'cool' to hang with your older relatives, those smaller trips had stopped.<br />
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This summer, things changed a bit. At the beginning of June we took a week-long road trip with a friend out to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. While we spent the majority of our week in Williamsburg immersed in 18th century history, we did take a side trip to Yorktown and Jamestown, which gave us a peek into 17th century history. Every little part of the trip was wonderfully awesome. There is no possible way to pick a favorite thing, although I have to say their Nation Builder program topped the list. My favorite to listen to was Thomas Jefferson. He talked about the importance of education and how the most important thing we can teach our children is history. My paraphrase of both speeches he gave is along the lines of: You have to know where you've been to see where you're going.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RkWzDq9o8gk/Wzu2f3ZFsFI/AAAAAAAAB08/HgrkhNeJikUNIPjNqMmty1KktWJiLwsUACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RkWzDq9o8gk/Wzu2f3ZFsFI/AAAAAAAAB08/HgrkhNeJikUNIPjNqMmty1KktWJiLwsUACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_8418.JPG" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><i>Governor's Palace - Colonial Williamsburg</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g3qnrwF4w-M/Wzu27WJ33TI/AAAAAAAAB1E/zrKp295cN94jGQq50XxVqWOa7i9Ku_yigCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g3qnrwF4w-M/Wzu27WJ33TI/AAAAAAAAB1E/zrKp295cN94jGQq50XxVqWOa7i9Ku_yigCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_8660.JPG" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><i>Old Capitol at Night - Colonial Williamsburg</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrLhrx1SKRQ/Wzu3TbHaMJI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/DqhIwfJxEUk4cVZckmqUyCLl2Vz9k8v5wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrLhrx1SKRQ/Wzu3TbHaMJI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/DqhIwfJxEUk4cVZckmqUyCLl2Vz9k8v5wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_8911.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><i>Young Thomas Jefferson - Colonial Williamsburg</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgKKsVqQPOQ/Wzu4AXT992I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/2DeEZiBQUoYJIV_rqRptvs1ZUrdAF9iPwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgKKsVqQPOQ/Wzu4AXT992I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/2DeEZiBQUoYJIV_rqRptvs1ZUrdAF9iPwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_8677.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><i>The Church at Jamestown Settlement</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cdjlf7W41uc/Wzu4csimlcI/AAAAAAAAB1g/w91z6IrU4XY0RMV_QjqjWx3q2TNSmxp4QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cdjlf7W41uc/Wzu4csimlcI/AAAAAAAAB1g/w91z6IrU4XY0RMV_QjqjWx3q2TNSmxp4QCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_8784.JPG" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><i>Artillery Demonstration at the Revolutionary War Museum in Yorktown</i><br />
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Last spring we purchased a travel trailer, so we've been taking quite a few weekend jaunts recently. Last weekend we took a short trip out to Galena, IL (home of President/General Ulysses S. Grant) and walked around taking in the sites of 19th century history. <br />
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On July 1, I officially took over as President of our local Historical Society. I'm looking forward to leading the Society in its new direction of programming and education.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-vse8gAX3w/Wzu7rROiaoI/AAAAAAAAB2g/GXt1oQf1sggqZsH3f9UO1TJiuLfTRdy6ACLcBGAs/s1600/DSC_0814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-vse8gAX3w/Wzu7rROiaoI/AAAAAAAAB2g/GXt1oQf1sggqZsH3f9UO1TJiuLfTRdy6ACLcBGAs/s320/DSC_0814.JPG" width="214" height="320" data-original-width="1072" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><i>Our Newly Restored Original 1896 One-room School</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-Gh_rTltTw/Wzu6WwqjfCI/AAAAAAAAB2I/nlPIHL8zkNYg0MK0gtB8uOWVykWK_NHgwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-Gh_rTltTw/Wzu6WwqjfCI/AAAAAAAAB2I/nlPIHL8zkNYg0MK0gtB8uOWVykWK_NHgwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2293.jpg" width="320" height="240" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a></div><i>Interior of Central School</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ouo8PwPRwQM/Wzu5z7BgsJI/AAAAAAAAB2A/0hIARZfl0UUccq2M9Xd_qBAk8HBaSP_0ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ouo8PwPRwQM/Wzu5z7BgsJI/AAAAAAAAB2A/0hIARZfl0UUccq2M9Xd_qBAk8HBaSP_0ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1371.JPG" width="240" height="320" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><i>Me (Playing "Schoolmarm" at a Laura Ingalls Book Discussion in the Schoolhouse)</i><br />
<br />
So, yessire, it's been a history kind of summer so far. And I love it! (And what a perfect lead up to the Fourth of July here in the States!) #historyisfun<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
Happy Reading (and traveling)!<br />
<br />
Debra<br />
www.debrastjohnromance.com<br />
<br />
Debra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-7002141510225548432018-06-27T00:34:00.000-07:002018-06-27T00:34:11.772-07:00Tying up the Loose Ends<br />
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Paula’s new novel, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Irish Shadows</i></b>, is released today.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There were times last year, during the upheaval of changing
publishers, when I wondered if I’d ever finish it. I started it in March 2017
but had no real motivation to continue it for about three months. In August, I
began again, with some new ideas about the problems I was going to throw at my
characters.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0rKenmJ5bmM/WzM9aWMeP3I/AAAAAAAAGIE/EKE3a32Z_iYDa4O67tFOfbFnlYQMOlpHgCLcBGAs/s1600/Irish%2BShadowsbyPaulaMartin500.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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0rKenmJ5bmM/WzM9aWMeP3I/AAAAAAAAGIE/EKE3a32Z_iYDa4O67tFOfbFnlYQMOlpHgCLcBGAs/s320/Irish%2BShadowsbyPaulaMartin500.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The ‘blurb’ sums up these problems:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">After a heart-breaking
experience, Rose Finlay has vowed never to give another man a chance to hurt her
– until Liam McKenna arrives at Mist Na Mara Arts Centre to organise an
anniversary celebration event. Liam has his own reasons for not wanting to
embark on a new relationship, and both fight the mutual magnetic attraction.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shocks await them when
Liam meets the boy his sister gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, and
Rose’s ‘ex’ makes contact with her thirteen-year-old son. Rose also discovers a
betrayal which has divided her family since the Irish Civil War in the 1920s.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Will Liam and Rose be
able to resolve all the shadows from the past in order to find a future
together?</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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As you can see, the characters have quite a lot to deal with
in addition to their relationship issues, but I enjoy playing with different
strands and trying to interweave them. My big problem came when I was nearing
the end of the story, and needed to untangle all those strands and tie
everything up so that there were no ‘loose ends’. I knew (roughly!) <i>how</i> each strand was going to be resolved,
but didn’t know when or in what order.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I eventually made a list of the resolutions of each sub-plot,
made some vague notes about possible events leading to these resolutions – and then
worked backwards, which is something I’ve never done before. Doing that helped
me to decide, for example, that event A needed to happen before event B, and
that C, D, and E might work better as D, E, and C!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Long discussions with my brain-storming partner over several
pub lunches helped, too, although I do wonder what the couple at the next table
must have thought if they’d overheard our conversation about how long a body in
a shallow grave would take to decompose! I do hope they weren’t the same couple
who overheard us a couple of years ago (when I was writing ‘Irish Secrets’)
discussing the best place to hide stolen goods.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyway, I finally managed to work out the order of events (although, of course, the characters did decide to deviate from my basic outline
a few times!), until all the loose ends were tidily and happily resolved.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><b>Irish Shadows</b> will be available for a few more days at the
introductory price of 99c/99p.</i></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><a href="https://bit.ly/2rRFwhV">https://bit.ly/2rRFwhV</a></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />Paula Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-6649522761976035182018-06-19T07:25:00.002-07:002018-06-19T07:25:43.046-07:00Stiletto Contest<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>Jennifer is a finalist in a writing contest...</i></div>
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This weekend I found out that my book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moment-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B073XYRMG7/" target="_blank">In the Moment</a>, is a finalist in the Stiletto Contest, sponsored by the Contemporary Romance Writers (an online chapter of the RWA). I was thrilled, to say the least. It’s my favorite book and it’s only the second time I’ve ever finaled in a contest before. As a bonus, the graphic they give the finalists is pretty!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ephROqcPEac/WykSKLWKNNI/AAAAAAAABhE/hqXJWt8Jb24Ud8sEuCw0dYalxMespf5zwCLcBGAs/s1600/Stiletto%2Bcontest%2Bfinalist%2Bpic%2B2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ephROqcPEac/WykSKLWKNNI/AAAAAAAABhE/hqXJWt8Jb24Ud8sEuCw0dYalxMespf5zwCLcBGAs/s320/Stiletto%2Bcontest%2Bfinalist%2Bpic%2B2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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But what I found most interesting is the score sheet they returned to me for the book that didn’t final. For whatever reason, the contests I’ve entered in the past have never returned those before and I was curious to see what the judges said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There were three of them. One was unpublished, the other two were published in romance. They were all members of RWA. They were to rate the book on a scale of 1 to 5 in a variety of different categories. They could use decimals if they wanted, and they were encouraged to leave comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Contests are subjective, and these comments and ratings were too. While there was some agreement in certain areas, for the most part, the three judges differed significantly in areas such as conflict, POV and voice. I respect the time they took to read my book (as well as many others), and their opinions, even though I disagree with many of them. But there were a few things they pointed out that are good for me to be aware of in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all, it’s exciting. I’m thrilled to have even been a finalist with one book—it was a much needed boost.<o:p></o:p></div>
JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-34675612333070150582018-06-10T16:22:00.000-07:002018-06-10T16:22:01.366-07:00Children's rhymes aren't always warm and fuzzy<div>
Ana's historical WIP heroine just got a job playing piano for riverboat passengers. Her new partner Tess suggests they perform old favorites so the deck passengers can sing along. Research yielded this ditty, entitled 'Miss Susie.'</div>
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<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">The steamboat had a bell</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Miss Susie went to Heaven and</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">The steamboat went to–</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">–Hello operator,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Give me number nine.</span><br /><div>
<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">and if you disconnect me</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">I’ll chop off your be–</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">--’hind the heavy icebox</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">there was a piece of glass,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Miss Susie sat upon it</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">and hurt her big fat</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Ask me no more questions,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Tell me no more lies.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">The cows are in the pasture</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">making pies for</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">—</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Flies are in the kitchen,</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Bees are in the park.</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">Boys and girls are busy</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">kissing in the dark.</span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa;"><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" /></span><br style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;" />This reminded me of another rhyme that girls used to sing when jumping rope. 'Bill and Sarah, sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage.'<o:p style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;"></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Pretty bawdy stuff for kids, my heroine thinks. But she's from a rich family and knows her father didn't invest in her classical music education so she could become a vaudeville act. </div>
<div>
She and Tess are due to start entertaining in fifteen minutes. </div>
<div>
Will she?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ana Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12325215832587691886noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-33935114030245576142018-06-05T14:05:00.002-07:002018-06-05T14:05:37.816-07:00A Sabbatical<i>Debra is re-prioritizing her life.</i><br />
<br />
Over the last few months, heck...probably the last few years, I've been debating and debating about what I wanted to do with my writing career. I really love my small press, but was wondering if maybe it was time to branch out a bit. I had an iron in the fire that didn't amount to anything. Recently I've had a huge upswing in auditions for getting my books into audio. (Three are on the market now.) A contest caught my eye, as one of the final judges was an editor at Harlequin, and I figured that would be a good way to possibly get my work in front of her. It would require shortening a mss, but a couple beta readers (Thanks, Paula!) had encouraged that, so it was definitely something to consider. But as I read further through the contest final judges, another name jumped out from another publisher. One I've been really, really interested in. Problem with this one was I'd already been rejected by them for the mss I thought of entering. Did I try a different, albeit incomplete, one and hope that if it caught her eye I'd have it done by fall when the finalists were announced? The deadline is fast approaching, and I still have yet to make a decision.<br />
<br />
Probably because I think what I've decided overall is to take a sabbatical from my writing. It's going on the back burner for now.<br />
<br />
Oh, I'll still do some publicizing of books I already have out there. And with finalized audio books coming at me left and right these days, I'll be spending time getting together some publicity and campaigns for those. But I'm not going to make writing a huge priority. If the muse happens to strike, my fingers will hit the keyboard and knock out whatever pages I can, but I'm not going to force myself to write every day. And I'll still post and follow and like on Twitter. And of course here at Heroines with Hearts. (Although I am thinking of switching my Facebook account over to my real name instead of my author one, if that's even possible to do.)<br />
<br />
I have other things going on in my life right now that I want to focus on. Effective July 1 I will be the president of my local historical society, and I am so excited about that! Oh boy do I have plans! I've written up my five-year plan already and have started outlining and gathering materials for a series of monthly programs I want to develop. I am definitely going to be a hands-on president. So that's where my focus is going to be for the time being. <br />
<br />
Writing has always been a hobby for me, not generating anything I can call income in any sense of the word. I thought maybe it was time to go after writing in a more career-minded way, but I've found that my mind is less and less focused on writing and more and more focused on other things. New directions. New opportunities.<br />
<br />
I still consider myself to be a writer and always will. But for the time being...I'm going to be a writer who's not writing. Will I come back to it? Hopefully. I still have lots of ideas in my head for stories, books, and series, and I really, really hope that someday they'll see the light of day in published form. But my instinct at the moment is to set that aside and do other things.<br />
<br />
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
Happy Reading!<br />
<br />
Debra<br />
<a href="http://www.debrastjohnromance.com">www.debrastjohnromance.com</a>Debra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-41944463066958669652018-05-29T11:32:00.000-07:002018-05-29T11:32:06.029-07:00Comma Splices<br />
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<i>Paula looks at comma splices</i>. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eiWh_9BrQtY/Ww2bkaXsXLI/AAAAAAAAGF0/J3N_eT856EsZ-aVR8MWjTJJmnpz6OYEzQCLcBGAs/s1600/comma-punctuation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="612" height="191" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eiWh_9BrQtY/Ww2bkaXsXLI/AAAAAAAAGF0/J3N_eT856EsZ-aVR8MWjTJJmnpz6OYEzQCLcBGAs/s200/comma-punctuation.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Recently, I’ve read a couple of books with dozens (if not
hundreds!) of what I call ‘run-on sentences’, which are also referred to as ‘comma
splices’. Basically, this is when two independent sentences are ‘connected’
with a comma.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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For example: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paula
loves Ireland, she has been there many times.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope that, like me, you are cringing, because all my
instincts say this is incorrect – and this is confirmed by every grammar guide.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Independent sentences like this should not have a comma
between them. They should have either a <b>full stop (period)</b>, or a <b>conjunction</b>,
or even a <b>semi-colon</b>. NOT a comma!<o:p></o:p></div>
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One source I checked suggested that comma splices were a
common error made by ‘inexperienced writers’. However, the novels I read were
not written by newbie writers who hadn’t had their work checked by an editor
before self-publishing. Both had independent publishers – and therefore, one
assumes, competent editors. But both novels contained not just single comma
splices. Often they had three or more independent clauses with only commas
between them e.g.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charlie gazed in
admiration at Jane, he was looking forward to dinner with her, they had not
been out together for weeks, who knew when they would again.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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I’ve adapted this rather than quoted it directly – but it’s
an example of what occurs frequently in both novels. And, apart from the comma
splices, shouldn’t the final ‘independent sentence’ have a question mark at the
end anyway?<o:p></o:p></div>
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This leads me to wonder<o:p></o:p></div>
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(a) whether the authors are totally ignorant of basic
grammar rules.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(b) whether these novels have actually received any editing
(despite one of them being with a fairly high profile publisher)<o:p></o:p></div>
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(c) perhaps more worrying in my opinion, whether today’s editors
are ignoring a fundamental grammar error.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What do you think?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>P.S. I’m happy to report that most novels I have read
recently do not contain this error!</i></div>
Paula Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-49969209766611584722018-05-22T06:53:00.000-07:002018-05-22T06:53:14.624-07:00A Self-Publishing Adventure<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>Jennifer is self-publishing one of her backlist books...</i><br />
<br />
When my previous publisher, Rebel Ink Press, let me know they were closing their doors in June, I wasn't surprised. However, I was conflicted about what to do with the four books on my backlist that I had with them. So after taking a breath, I decided to try self-publishing one of my <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Little-Faith-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B07D3BNZG9" target="_blank">titles</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I've heard a lot about self-publishing but didn't quite know how it worked. So before I did anything, I talked to people who did it, and did it well. And what I learned is that while you have to pay money for editing, covers, etc., the percentage of royalties you make is significantly higher than the percentage you make with a traditional publisher. That's not to say I don't want to publish with a publisher. I do. I'm very happy with my current publisher. But some of the backlist books whose rights I now have back are not going to go anywhere and I don't want them to languish in the ether.<br />
<br />
Self-publishing is a growing industry and hybrid authors (those who do a combination of self-publishing and traditional publishing) are on the rise. The stigma around self-publishing is gone, especially if you self-publish well. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m starting small, only working with one of those books—<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Little-Faith-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B07D3BNZG9" target="_blank">A Heart of Little Faith</a>. The first thing I did was to give it to an editor. No matter how many times it’s been looked at, it can always benefit from someone other than me looking at it. A writer friend I know is also a freelance editor. She edited the entire manuscript and oh boy, there were a lot of changes she recommended. I took a deep breath and made them, and wow, the book is SO much better. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I sent the manuscript to a copy editor. Because again, I always miss the little things and those are the things that end up embarrassing me (Random Reader: Did you know you spelled that word wrong?). I know someone who is phenomenal at copyediting and she found lots of things that would have been embarrassing if they had been published. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whenever a book is re-published, it needs a new cover. So I hired a cover artist, who designed a beautiful cover.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tNZGZ12TX1Y/WwQfTjbhiJI/AAAAAAAABc0/gePLCYiIxJwXcVOR2m5F0IhLNXMF0hFeACLcBGAs/s1600/JenniferWilck_AHeartofLittleFaith_800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tNZGZ12TX1Y/WwQfTjbhiJI/AAAAAAAABc0/gePLCYiIxJwXcVOR2m5F0IhLNXMF0hFeACLcBGAs/s320/JenniferWilck_AHeartofLittleFaith_800px.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Little-Faith-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B07D3BNZG9">https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Little-Faith-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B07D3BNZG9</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One of my critique partners does all her own formatting and works with Amazon, so she handled formatting and gave me explicit and easy instructions on how to put it up on the site. It's there now and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Little-Faith-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B07D3BNZG9" target="_blank">available for pre-order</a>. It will be released officially on June 1. Since this is an experiment for me, I'm only publishing this book for Kindle. I'm curious to see what happens. I know how much I spent and I’ll see how much I make in sales. If it works, I’ll self publish the others. If not, I’ll hold onto the rights for a while and see what, if any, other options I have. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wish me luck!</div>
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JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-32241365923346557042018-05-14T06:16:00.001-07:002018-05-14T06:16:36.037-07:00My mission, should I choose to accept it<i>Ana muses about a writing challenge.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Last week, the plot of my next chapter requires the hero to battered, put aboard a steam freighter, and expected to die of his injuries. Naturally, being the hero, he lives, but wakes with amnesia. My original draft of this chapter was in a secondary character's POV. Reasonably well-written with dialogue reveals of the hero's situation and condition.<br />
<br />
First feedback from a round one crit partner was thumb's down. "Too telling. Try from his POV."<br />
<br />
Hmmm. How to write a scene from an unconscious character's POV? Guess he can't be unconscious.<br />
Here's what I have now. What do you think?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The man awoke to drumbeat throbs in his head. He tried to fill his lungs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Pain stabbed his ribs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">With an effort that almost left him spent, he forced one eye to open a crack. The other stayed shut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Somewhere behind him, a hissing lantern cast a faint light. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">He lay prone on a floor, hands crossed on his chest like a corpse. Stacks of burlap sacks towered above him. He swiped his parched tongue over his lips and loosened a chunk of crusted blood. A gash oozed, refreshing the sickening taste of metal coating his mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Feet shuffled past his head, followed by a heavy thump. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">He tried to cry for help, but all that came out was a barely-audible groan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Think he’s stopped breathing?” a man whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I hope so,” a second replied. “I’ll check.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Did they mean him? </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">His heart raced with desperation. He’d heard of people who appeared dead and were buried alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A floorboard creaked. Grunts sounded near his ears. Something thin and sharp-edged touched his lower lip. A piece of glass or broken mirror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Summoning his last ounce of strength, he exhaled and prayed his breath would fog the glass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Sonofabitch,” the second man exclaimed. “He’s still alive. He must have medicine man blood in his veins.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“You still wanna dump him overboard?” the first man asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Can’t until he’s dead. Damn. How am I going to explain this to the captain?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Ana Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12325215832587691886noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-20212840945250691262018-04-30T17:24:00.000-07:002018-04-30T17:24:31.305-07:00Murphy's Law or Fate?<i>Debra's writing has taken an unexpected turn.</i><br />
<br />
Not to get too religious here, but I'm a big believer in letting God lead me in the direction He wants me to go. When I got a rejection on the mss I'd submitted to a new publisher, I took that as a sign that I wasn't supposed to make a huge career change from teacher to full-time author. Yes, yes...I also know the old adage of not putting all of your eggs in one basket, but like I said, I'm a big believer in signs. And I figured He was sending me one. Not to mention that things in my day job were looking up. (The school year got off to a rough start, but the kiddos and I had finally reached an understanding, and I was enjoying being in the classroom again. For a while there...mid-life crisis perhaps?...I really was contemplating getting out.) To me, that was another sign to stay put.<br />
<br />
As I was cleaning out my inbox and deleting old e-mails, I came across the one I'd gotten from Wild Rose about getting my books into audio. I'd re-upped all of the contracts necessary to start the projects, but to be honest, with the keep-to-the-path-you're-on signs I seemed to be getting, and a bit of laziness thrown in to boot, I'd kind of lost interest in the idea. So, I deleted that e-mail.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't you know it? A day or two later, our marketing rep contacted me and said she was going through old e-mails/files and saw I'd re-upped all of my contracts, and unless I had any questions or special requirements for narrators, she would mark those books as ready for audio auditions. I told her to go ahead, honestly thinking those auditions were hard to come by and it probably wouldn't amount to anything in the long run.<br />
<br />
By know I really should know better than to tempt fate, right?<br />
<br />
In the next few days I was inundated with auditions for my books. There were coming in two and three in a day. And then things really got rolling.<br />
<br />
As it stands right now, here's what's going on:<br />
<br />
I have one book (<i>New Year's Eve at The Corral</i>) almost ready to be released. There was just one small correction in one chapter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAgvFhDJK6k/Wuew2USnMcI/AAAAAAAAB0c/ZGF98mZIXTs9xKE0oip2cG1CBLUFIOX1gCLcBGAs/s1600/NewYearsEveAtTheCorral_w11023_750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAgvFhDJK6k/Wuew2USnMcI/AAAAAAAAB0c/ZGF98mZIXTs9xKE0oip2cG1CBLUFIOX1gCLcBGAs/s200/NewYearsEveAtTheCorral_w11023_750.jpg" width="133" height="200" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="750" /></a></div><br />
(I wanted to attach the 'retail sample' audio clip here, but in reading directions in how to do that in blogger, it seemed WAY too complicated, so I'm not even going to attempt it right now! LOL)<br />
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I have another book (<i>Wild Wedding Weekend</i>) mid-production with the narrator sending me chapters to approve as she gets them done.<br />
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I've approved chapter samples for two stories (<i>One Great Night</i> and <i>Valentine's Day at The Corral</i>.)<br />
<br />
And, I've heard and approved auditions for six other stories, which should mean that contracts have been offered and I'll be getting chapter samples on those soon.<br />
<br />
Which means that all of my stories except for my original Corral trilogy (Which I haven't re-upped the contracts for...long story...yet) and <i>An Unexpected Blessing</i> are the only titles not at some stage in the audio process at the moment.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that all of this started on April 5. Less than a month ago.<br />
<br />
So in addition to being excited about getting my stories...especially the older ones...out there in a new format and giving them new life, here's what I've taken away from this whole thing.<br />
<br />
Apparently God wants me to be multi-dimensional in my life's pursuits. <br />
<br />
And I'm getting more excited about my writing again...even though with the school year quickly winding down (which involves more projects, special nights, and field trips than imaginable) I really don't have time to write these days...and am looking forward to sitting down with my laptop once summer comes and figuring out what the heck to do with my completed mss that needs some work and the mss I started for NaNoWriMo...which is a GIANT mess...and (hopefully) getting that sucker finished. Where they'll go once they are fixed/finished is anyone's guess at this point.<br />
<br />
But I'll be keeping my heart and mind open for signs from above, and what is meant to happen with them will happen. He always lets me know...in His own time.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
Happy Reading!<br />
<br />
Debra<br />
<a href="http://www.debrastjohnromance.com">www.debrastjohnromance.com</a><br />
Debra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-22860816580974603852018-04-24T12:17:00.002-07:002018-04-24T14:52:11.030-07:00Adverbs or No Adverbs?<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paula looks at adverbs
in our writing</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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‘The road to hell is
paved with adverbs,’ said Stephen King.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In one sense, I agree with him. Adverbs can often lead to
lazy writing. Recently I read a novel (by a best-selling author) which was
littered with adverbs, especially after dialogue tags. On one Kindle page
alone, there was: said truculently, said coldly, retorted sarcastically, said
wearily, reiterated sullenly, said dourly - and when I got to 'she ejaculated
hoarsely’ I nearly splurted my coffee in the middle of Starbucks!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, there are times when we should avoid adverbs,
especially when they are redundant (‘she whispered quietly’) or when the adverb
can be replaced by a stronger verb (‘he raced down the street’ instead of ‘he
walked quickly’). With dialogue, it is usually better to show (with a simple action/gesture) how a character is feeling, rather than giving readers a plethora of adverbs to tell them how someone said something.</div>
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However, this doesn’t mean that ALL adverbs have to be
deleted! Sometimes an effort to do that can lead to ‘clunky’ writing,
especially if the writer is simply substituting an adverbial phrase in place of
the adverb. Isn’t it better to say ‘He stroked her cheek tenderly’ instead of ‘He
stroked her cheek in a tender manner’ (or any other verbose description of what
‘tenderly’ means)?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do a search of your latest chapter for ‘ly’ words, and you’ll
probably (there’s one!) be surprised by how often you use words ending in ‘ly’.
But then consider how the sentences containing each of those words could be
rewritten. Could I have removed ‘probably’ from the above sentence? Yes, but
then I’d be assuming that you WILL be surprised or, worse still, insinuating
that you have used millions of adverbs! Omitting that adverb would change the
whole meaning of the sentence – and that can be true in our fiction writing,
too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I do think we need to be aware of not overusing adverbs, but
at the same time, not go overboard trying to find other words. Sometimes a
simple adverb is the best word to use.</div>
Paula Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-90592651906617740642018-04-17T05:41:00.000-07:002018-04-17T05:41:00.726-07:00Writing Workshop<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>Jennifer attended a writing workshop...</i></div>
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I went to my first writing workshop in a long time. It was a master class, taught by a respected romance writer and the topic was using verbs to plot your story. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, I’ve gotten into a rut with my writing. Yeah, I write daily. And yeah, I’m publishing books steadily now. But I’m having a harder and harder time getting what I want on the page. The techniques that used to work for me don’t and I’m beginning to see the necessity of plotting, which is terrifying for a pantser.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I decided that taking a class offered by my local writer’s group was a good idea. No matter how talented you are, you can always stand to learn, polish, become better. The fee was reasonable, I’d heard great things about the instructor—like, really great things—and it was a weekend where I was completely free.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The morning session was instruction and exercises. The afternoon was taking what we learned in the morning and applying it to our own story. It was suggested that we bring an idea for a story or an early-stage manuscript to work on. Since I’ve just started a new manuscript, the timing was perfect. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Basically, the idea of the workshop was to come up with strong, specific verbs to describe our character. Verbs lead to action. Action makes a compelling story. So, for example, if my hero is hiding from his past, his overarching verb would be hide. Every scene he is in would be either described with a synonym for hide or it’s opposite—a synonym for reveal—as his arc progresses. Once you know the action for each scene, it’s easy to flesh out the rest of it—description, motive, backstory, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And in theory, it is. Unfortunately for me, in practice, it was difficult. I kept shying away from verbs and using adjectives or nouns. It’s not that I don’t know what a verb is, but this was a totally new concept for me and I’ve always been more attracted to the why than the what or the how. Plus, it’s plotting and I can’t do that. So while I could totally see what he wanted me to do, there was a huge disconnect in my brain when it came to actually doing it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ultimately, I don’t think this method is going to work for me. It might be helpful for me to come up with stronger verbs when I’m writing, because word choice is essential, but no matter how many times I tried it, it didn’t feel natural. Even the workshop leader said if it doesn’t feel natural, don’t do it, which I appreciated. Every writer is different and writing isn’t something that everyone can do the exact same way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But it was another tool to add to my toolbox, and it was good to make a conscious effort to get out of my rut. Education is always beneficial, and reminding myself that I’m never too old to learn can only help me.<o:p></o:p></div>
JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-72853091676861066012018-03-16T08:45:00.000-07:002018-03-16T08:45:18.009-07:00Blog Tours?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paula’s thoughts on
her week’s blog tour.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of last year, I paid a ‘blog tour organiser’ to
set up a tour for me. It seemed like a good way to promote my re-published
Irish novels in the week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. I had detailed
instructions from the organiser about what she wanted, and I duly forwarded to
her five different blogs and also excerpts which illustrated the blog topic,
together with bio, links, covers, and other photos. She then sent me the list
of blogs where my posts would appear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All well and good – or so I thought. To begin with all
seemed to go well – my first blog appeared last Monday, I advertised it in
various places, and received quite a lot of comments (including those from HWH
members – thank you, all!)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday’s blog appeared – and again I advertised it, but this
time in some different FB groups, so as not to promote to the same people. After
several hours, I realised there was a small problem – no comments appeared. Neither
the usual one I write thanking the blog host, nor any others, although I know
for certain that there should have been at least two other comments, and there
may have been more. Yes, the message popped up that comments would be posted
‘after approval’ but it would seem this blog host didn’t bother to ‘approve’
any comments (as evidenced by other posts on the site, which also had no
comments).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday – I waited all day for my blog to appear on the
third site. It didn’t – until later on Thursday! This meant that I needed to
advertise two blogs on the same day – not an ideal situation. Hardly surprising,
therefore, that no comments have been made on either of these blogs. Oh, and
neither of these blog hosts used the photos of Ireland which I had carefully
selected to accompany my blog, either.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday – well, we’ll wait and see. The blog post is there,
and I’ve advertised it in various groups…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My conclusions at the
end of this week:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Five consecutive days of blogging is counter-productive.
Yes, people visited my first one, but after that, nothing. Were my blogs too
boring to comment on? I hope not, because I worked hard on creating completely
different topics for each day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. In this case, the blog tour organiser formed the contact
with the hosts, and I had no contact with them at all (and in fact only one of
them actually responded to my thanks to her). The others simply posted what the
organiser sent them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. Last but not least: effect on sales? As far as I can see
at the moment, not a single sale!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So what would I do in
future?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. I would set up my own blog tour, with requests to friends
with blogs. This way, a more personal contact is made, and also the blogs will
probably follow a different format, rather than all being presented in the same way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. I would space out my blogs. Five in one week is too much.
People don’t have the time to visit the same person’s blogs every day. One a
week (or two, at the most) is enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having said all that, I am seriously beginning to question
the value of blogging. Personally, I think it has had its day. It’s nearly ten
years since we first set up this blog, and although it is good to ‘chat among
ourselves’, how many other comments do we get? Nowhere near as many as we did
in the early days. And, if we’re being really honest, how many other blogs do
we visit and leave a comment? I know I used to visit (and comment on) a lot
more than I do now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Apologies if this sounds very negative, but this week has
been a real disappointment for me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Paula Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-62559412164370699752018-03-06T07:27:00.003-08:002018-03-06T07:27:38.177-08:00I'm An Author!<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Jennifer finally believes in her career...</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have decided that I must be a real author.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know, this sounds crazy, so let me explain. I’ve been
writing professionally for twelve years. I have a long way to go to before I
can completely support myself doing this, but I make money off of my books,
people buy them and even enjoy them. It’s something I love doing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But no matter how many books I publish, how many readers
tell me they like what I write, I’m filled with doubt. I think that’s normal—at
least I hope it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to achieve my goals, I set to-do lists. They
include things from my real life as well as my author life, and I know the
importance of sticking to the list to make sure I’m productive. Without an
office and a boss making sure I hit my targets, it’s too easy to get
distracted. So I do my best to stay on task.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Until Friday. This past Friday, we were hit with a Nor’easter
that knocked out our power. Without power, our basement flooded. Temperatures
in the house went down to 46 degrees. We moved into my parents’ house a town
away, but went back and forth, trying to protect our things, deal with the
insurance company, get our stuff, etc. During that time, the things I needed to
get done for my upcoming book launch didn’t happen. The writing and editing I
intended to do didn’t happen either. And I stressed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, some would say that’s a natural reaction to what was
going on, and I agree. Of course the situation was stressful. Even though we
were all safe, had a warm place to be, and didn’t lose anything that can’t be
easily replaced, it’s stressful. I’m not saying I shouldn’t have felt it. But
this was the first time I stressed over my writing career.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which means, in a very roundabout way, that I’m a real
author. Because if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have even thought about it. So while I
definitely need to work on ways to manage my stress, the good thing I’m taking
away from this is I’ve got enough of a career to worry about. Yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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By the way, my upcoming book that I’m now woefully behind on
marketing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is available for preorder
<a href="https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/5742-five-minutes-to-love.html?search_query=jennifer+wilck&results=6" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-79214292444309946312018-02-26T13:57:00.002-08:002018-02-26T13:57:31.388-08:00My Kind of Vacation<i>Ana muses about her recent mini-vacation.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Two weeks ago, my hubby drove to a farming conference in Tennessee, a major expedition from winter in northern Minnesota. I stayed home and tended the cows, six water-pipes-will-burst-if-they-go-out heaters, and two spoiled house cats. I was on vacation.<br />
<br />
Don't misunderstand. I love the man. I enjoy cooking his breakfast and don't mind bunching his socks. But not having to share the television remote was sheer bliss.<br />
<br />
I turned the channel to Hallmark and indulged in their Valentine's Day movie marathon. Romance stories about professional women clashing with fairly good looking ex-boyfriends and sparring with really good looking career-focused men.<br />
<br />
One was set in a California winery. Another in a Montana ski resort town. A third in a bed and breakfast in Vermont. An in-debt-with-time-running-out Wyoming ranch. Sumptuous locations.<br />
<br />
All the secondary characters were there. The best friend confidant who tells her what she doesn't want to hear: that the hero who pisses her off is her perfect partner. The supportive and long-suffering parents. The long-distance boss who doesn't care how much she wants to come back to the city. Complete the assignment or look for another job. The crabby/nosy neighbor who finds fault at every turn.<br />
<br />
Immersed in a romance atmosphere, free of distractions, I worked on my WIP, book 2 of the Prairie Hearts series. If I'd gone someplace sunny and warm, I probably wouldn't have written a word.<br />
<br />
I'll take holed up alone any day, but don't tell my hubby. He's still apologizing for leaving me with all the chores.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Ana Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12325215832587691886noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-76280727072648145502018-02-19T09:09:00.002-08:002018-02-19T09:09:58.560-08:00The Power of a Writer<i>Debra thinks about what amazing power writers hold.</i><br />
<br />
This weekend I hosted a children's book discussion at our Historical Society based on the book <i><b>Sarah, Plain and Tall</b></i> by Patricia MacLachlan. As the kids and I were chatting about the book, we turned to the author notes at the back of the edition I had. A quote from Ms. MacLachlan stood out as she responded to the question of 'What is the best thing about being a writer?'<br />
<br />
<i>"For me the most rewarding thing about writing is making things come out the way I want them to; making sense of the things that were in my life when I was a child as well as the things that I care about now that I am an adult. As a writer I have the power to set things down and make them right, that same power that I don't always have in life."</i><br />
<br />
Her response really struck a chord with me. The power writers have at their fingertips is really amazing. We have infinitely more control over the lives of our fictional characters than we do over our own. Even over simple things like the weather: if my story calls for a sunny day at the beach...wa la...the sun pours down, heating the grains of sand and sparking over the water. If the angst and turmoil and tension of a scene needs to be back lit by a thunderstorm...boom!...thunder shakes the earth and lightning forks through the sky lighting it with a brilliant flash.<br />
<br />
We control our characters' emotions and reactions. We give them backgrounds and backstory. And especially in romance, we give them a happily ever after. Guaranteeing that after all of the angst and turmoil and bad things that have happened in the past, they are going to be happy. Everything is going to work out in the best way possible. Not to sound blasphemous, but it's a little like playing God.<br />
<br />
You have only to turn on the news. Or look on Facebook. Or open an on-line search engine and read the heart-breaking headlines there each and every day to know this doesn't happen in real life.<br />
<br />
But not only do we have the power to control our characters and stories, we also have the power to make our readers feel good after a crap day...or a crap week...or a crap year. To let them immerse themselves in a story with a good ending. To know for certain, that no matter what the characters are going through and how long it takes them to get there or what bad needs to be overcome, it <i>will</i> all be overcome. To lose themselves in fiction for a while to take the edge off of reality.<br />
<br />
It's a daunting responsibility to think that as much joy as we get out of our writing (most days, right?!) how much more joy we can bring to those who read our stories. Not to mention in a world that more and more often feels like it's falling apart, being able to control anything is truly a miracle.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
Happy Reading!<br />
<br />
Debra<br />
<a href="http://www.debrastjohnromance.com">www.debrastjohnromance.com</a>Debra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-13430970763705243782018-02-13T11:30:00.001-08:002018-02-13T11:30:46.361-08:00Writing a Synopsis<div class="MsoNormal">
Paula agonises over her synopsis! </div>
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I read somewhere that the synopsis is probably ‘the most
despised document you might be asked to prepare’ – and, having spent hours
trying to write the synopsis of my recently completed novel, I agree with that!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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My previous publisher only required a basic ‘blurb’ when I
submitted a novel to her, so I was well out of practice in writing a synopsis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course, I knew the basic advice about synopses –
characters, core conflict, how the characters deal with it, how the conflict is
resolved and how the characters have changed as a result.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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All well and good, but what happens if you have several
sub-plots which add to and/or further complicate the core conflict? Or which hinder
or contribute to the resolution of the conflict?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I think this novel had more sub-plots than I’ve ever used
before. Sometimes they form separate strands (for a while, at least!),but then
they become interwoven and often somewhat tangled!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I started by writing a basic plot summary. Maybe that is
similar to what I might have written beforehand if I was a ‘plotter’ – but,
being a ‘pantser’, this was the first time I had done it. It was, inevitably, far
too detailed, with too many names and too much irrelevant information. </div>
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But,
having done that, I could then see (a) what had to be deleted, (b) what could
be condensed and (c) what needed to be taken out of the ‘linear’ outline of the
story and combined, so that the synopsis didn’t jump from one thing to another.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, after tearing my hair out a few times, I finally managed
to compose a synopsis, which I hope reflects the most important parts of my
story, as well as the emotional journey of the two main characters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’d be interested to know how you approach synopsis writing!
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paula Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040623635956769807noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-68225785303608770782018-02-06T07:34:00.001-08:002018-02-06T07:34:32.444-08:00Editing, Editing & More Editing<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Jennifer gives an update...</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ve been buried in my editing cave for the past several
weeks, and I’m just now coming up for air. What have I been working on? Glad
you asked! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For the past few years, I’ve been working on a new series
that I hope to start pitching in the near future. So I was editing books one
and two to try to get them into shape. I’m hoping I was successful. I still
have book 3 to revise—and it needs some serious revisions—and book four to
write. This is a series I work on in my spare time (ha!), so it’s taken a while
to get up and running.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QObn0NJqt6w/WnnKfiwTHfI/AAAAAAAABTg/Y4LpfM7L63ghrL7OyvW9zkLst_5-J-sngCLcBGAs/s1600/FiveMinutestoLove_w12190_750.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://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QObn0NJqt6w/WnnKfiwTHfI/AAAAAAAABTg/Y4LpfM7L63ghrL7OyvW9zkLst_5-J-sngCLcBGAs/s320/FiveMinutestoLove_w12190_750.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I finally received my galleys for Five Minutes to Love from
my editor, so I spent a week scouring the manuscript for misspelled words,
additional or missing words (like a double “is,” for example), spacing issues
or punctuation mistakes. My eyes are buggy, but I think I caught everything.
Next step is to make sure they corrected all the errors and then I will have a
release date. In the meantime, Addicted to Love, the first book in this series, is on sale this month for 99 cents. So it's a great time to pick it up!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0W_wAvbL9U/WnnKts74p7I/AAAAAAAABTk/osbpZp9R0uEMBtrhfX5Ok6jLYqsIfD6GQCLcBGAs/s1600/Teaser-ATLsale.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0W_wAvbL9U/WnnKts74p7I/AAAAAAAABTk/osbpZp9R0uEMBtrhfX5Ok6jLYqsIfD6GQCLcBGAs/s320/Teaser-ATLsale.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I’ve also been re-editing my first book, A Heart of Little
Faith. The publisher who had it is getting out of the business this summer, so
I took my rights back and will try my hand at self-publishing that title (and
maybe one other). I’m curious to see how it compares to other means of
publishing, and I like the idea of being a hybrid author. So I sent the
manuscript out to an editor, she has come back with fantastic changes, and I’m
slowly going through them, making the book stronger. Next step will be
copyedits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that, my friends, is what I’ve been up to lately. Hoping
to have some news soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Oh, and happy birthday to Debra! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-31272381263543339822018-02-01T06:27:00.002-08:002018-02-01T06:27:32.081-08:00Basking in the Glow<i>Ana feels good about Success</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
A writer friend's first romance was released by Kensington on Tuesday.<br />
Each month, authors in on the Soul Mate Publishing roster have their books published.<br />
<br />
Debra is waiting for news on her latest submission.<br />
Paula is polishing her latest (and possibly greatest) story.<br />
Jen is super busy setting up promo for new stories.<br />
I am writing chapter four of a contracted story, book 2 in the Prairie Hearts Series.<br />
<br />
At least once a day, I lean back and bask in the glow of everyone's success--not to steal any morsels, but to appreciate how good we all are. And to thank the systems that allow us to create works of creative art and share them with readers all over the world.<br />
<br />
It's time for a quick, "Hooray!"<br />
<br />
<br />Ana Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12325215832587691886noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999125118927001112.post-15131034127888980622018-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:002018-01-23T16:57:48.659-08:00The "What If" Game<i>Debra ponders what will happen if...</i><br />
<br />
I'm at about week 10ish in the whole "You'll hear back from us in eight to twelve weeks." timeline. While I wait with fingers and toes crossed. While I wish on as many shooting stars as I can. While I pray. While I sit on pins and needles. I'm playing a little 'what if' back and forth with myself. Obviously, in this particular 'game', there are two options.<br />
<br />
What if...I get THE CALL and it's a yes!<br />
<br />
Well, first I will fall out of whatever seat I'm sitting in, then get up and do a VERY enthusiastic dance of joy. Probably shed some tears as well. Call/yell for my hubby so he's the first to know. And then let everyone else I've ever been acquainted with know as well.<br />
<br />
After that, I'm going to have some fairly major decisions to make. Because my hope for this particular call is that it takes my writing from something I do for fun and pleasure, to something I do as a career (while, of course, keeping the fun and pleasure component.) At the moment, writing is a hobby. Most days I enjoy it. I love to tell stories, as I can live so many vicarious lives, and it gives me something to do with all of those voices in my head. But I'm not writing to make a living. I have a real job that I also love most days and which I need to pay the bills. But if this really happens, I'm going to need to devote more time to my writing. It literally will become a job, not just a hobby if I am lucky enough to sign with this publisher. Does that mean I give up every other interest I have in order to be able to work two jobs? I'm highly involved in my local Historical Society, and it's something I am passionate about. But with two careers to possibly juggle, my already limited time will be even more limited. Would I eventually choose my writing career over my other career? Something I've been doing for 25 years now? Hmn? Perhaps it is time for a change. Time to branch out and try something new. But at that point, it really, REALLY needs to be a career, because my hubby and I are not in a position to be able to live on one salary.<br />
<br />
On the other hand...<br />
<br />
What if...I get a call, an e-mail, a letter and it's a rejection?<br />
<br />
Well, first there will be some tears. Quite different than the joyful ones in the 'yes' scenario. But once I pull myself together, I will still have some decisions to make.<br />
<br />
Do I try this publisher (Which I really have my heart and hopes set on.) with another mss (in hopes they like my voice even though the submitted story wasn't right for them), or do I look elsewhere? So far in my writing 'life', I have not gone the agent route. Do I attempt to get an agent and let her pass my work around? But if I submit the original mss to her, then I've already missed out on my target publisher. Or do I submit a new mss to her and let her know I'd like it to be passed along to said target publisher. Is that even an option with an agent. IF she'd even accept me in the first place. Do I take a step back from writing totally and focus my energies elsewhere? Become even more involved with the Historical Society. (There is a possible opportunity on the horizon for that as well.) Will a rejection be a sign that it's not meant to be? Or am I just too hyper-focused on this one submission? I really, really love my current publisher, but the new projects I'm working on don't seem like they'd be a good fit. Or perhaps, again, it's just me being hyper-focused on what I'm coveting at the moment. I mean, there are LOTS of publishers out there. It would be REALLY silly to give up totally just because of a rejection from one. If that's how I played this game all along, I never would have gotten published in the first place. Rejection is all part of the writing life.<br />
<br />
The 'what if' game is tricky. It's in turn exalting and depressing. I'm trying to take a glass half full approach in both outcomes, as there really could be something good that comes out of either. But unfortunately I'm a bit too much of a pessimist to do that. And I really feel I've put all of my apple hopes in one basket.<br />
<br />
At this point, only time, and hopefully just a couple more weeks will tell. In the meantime, I'll continue with the 'what if'. You all keep those fingers and toes crossed. And if you happen to see a shooting star, make a wish for me.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
Happy Reading!<br />
<br />
Debra<br />
<a href="http://www.debrastjohnromance.com">www.debrastjohnromance.com</a>Debra St. Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.com5