favorite books – Writing Under Fire

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Multi-published Women’s Fiction Author Kathleen Paterka says “don’t give up.”

Posted on December 5, 2014March 30, 2022 by jtailele

A very special welcome to Kathleen Paterka. We met through the wonderful group, WFWA, Women’s Fiction Writers of America. Kathleen, when did you first know you wanted to be a writer and was there a particular inspiration to get started?

I fell in love with the written word in the 2^nd grade reading my first Trixie Belden® book. In case you’re not familiar with the series, Trixie was a girl detective who teamed up with her brothers and best friend Honey Wheeler to solve mysteries occurring around their little town in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Trixie Belden changed my life. It was the first time I’d read a book with a plot and no pictures. I devoured the existing series (12 books), and anxiously waited for the next one to be published. It was around that time I made the decision that someday, I would be an author and write more Trixie Belden novels. While I never did tackle the world of Trixie Belden (the last book was published in 1986), I did start my own series. The James Bay novels (Fatty Patty, Home Fires, Lotto Lucy, and For I Have Sinned) are set in the fictional resort community of James Bay, Michigan. After finishing those four stories, I wrote another two books set in different locations. Royal Secrets is about a family-owned Las Vegas wedding chapel, while my upcoming release, The Other Wife, is set in Chicago. For my next book (which I’m currently researching), I’ll be taking readers back to James Bay.

I too well in love with writing over Trixie Beldon, as you can see from my own tattered copy. It is one of my treasured possessions.

Do you have a background in writing? What other work have you done, and how has it impacted your writing career?

In school, my teachers tried steering me toward Creative Writing classes, but I dug in my heels, screaming “No, no, no!” I didn’t like being forced to write poetry or short stories. I knew I wanted to be a novelist, and I couldn’t see any point in wasting my time by writing Haiku (sincere apologies to any Haiku-enthusiasts who may be reading this). While I concede that there are basics to the craft that must be mastered (sentence structure, proper grammar, plot elements, etc.), there’s simply no way another person can ‘teach you’ how to write a book. Want to know the secret? Sit down and start. It’s as simple as that. Caveat: notice I did not say it was ‘easy’. It may be simple, but it’s definitely not easy. After graduating college with a degree in Sociology, plus a few years spent working for a local newspaper, the Catholic church, and the law, I finally settled down where I belonged: in a beautiful castle located in Northern Michigan. My job as staff writer at Castle Farms (a century old French Renaissance castle listed on the National Register of Historic Places) is like a fairy-tale come true.

Kathleen, what advice would you give to new writers just getting started with their first manuscript?

The best advice I can pass along was given to me by an author friend when I was just starting out. This highly successful NY Times bestselling author told me: “Perseverance and persistence, along with discipline, determination and confidence, are EVERY bit as important as talent. Your belief in yourself… is THE ONLY THING that separates you from the hundreds who will fall by the wayside without their dreams and goals realized. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Work hard, work smart, work tirelessly. Be tough, be brave and be persistent. All clichés, yes. But when they apply to you and how much you want to realize your dream, they are very apt.” I’ve kept my friend’s message tucked close in my heart through all the ups and downs of my publishing career, and it’s served me well. Today, I’m sharing her message with you. Don’t give up!

Tell us about one of your book in 3 sentences. Fatty Patty (my first novel) is semi-autobiographical. Though I’m now at a normal weight (and have been for over 35+ years), I weighed three hundred pounds while in high school. Fatty Patty tackles the issues of dieting, dating, self-esteem, and exposes the gritty honest truth of what it’s like to be overweight in a society that worships thin.

What is the premise of your novel we are promoting today? My upcoming release, The Other Wife, will hit the shelves (and the cyber-world of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, plus Kobo) in February 2015. What happens in a woman’s life when her husband dies? What kind of secrets might be revealed? I came up with the idea when my own husband, Steve, actually died in front of me early one morning. I was sitting at the end of his bed in the semi-darkness when he made a strange sound. At the time, I thought it was the oddest snore I’d ever heard. Turns out, it was the infamous ‘death rattle’. Believe me, if you’ve never heard it, it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up! Luckily, Steve was in the cardiac unit of our local hospital. They called a Code Blue, and the medical team managed to resuscitate him. He’s since had a triple by-pass and doing well, thank you! But that hospital experience in 2011 got me to thinking: What if Steve had been at home, asleep in our bed? What if he’d let out that horrible sound, and I’d assumed it was only a loud snore? I probably would have poked him, rolled over in bed, and gone back to sleep… what a horrible thing to wake up to in the morning. And what would my life have been like after that? Thus, a new storyline was born.

Can you share a few paragraphs from your book to whet our appetite?

Here’s the Prologue from The Other Wife… I hope you enjoy it!

It wasn’t much of a sound. Later, she would remember it as an odd sort of grunt. Still, it had been loud enough to wake her. Eleanor rolled over in their king-size bed, stretched out an arm, and nudged him. Richard’s snoring had worsened in the past months. She lay there in the darkness, waiting to see if another nudge was necessary. Just the other day, she’d read how snoring could be a sign of sleep apnea, leading to other, more serious, health problems. Perhaps tomorrow, depending on what kind of mood he was in, she’d mention the subject over breakfast. Maybe she should insist that he see a doctor. Not that it would do much good. Richard rarely listened to her. For most of the thirty-eight years they’d been married, he hadn’t listened to much of what she had to say. He’d probably give her his usual shrug, tell her to quit worrying.

Quit worrying. It wasn’t until five hours later that she realized she’d had good cause to be worried. She should have known that sound was different. She should have stayed awake. She should have tried to rouse him. Instead, she waited another minute, surrounded by silence. Then, turning over, she laid her head back on the pillow and curled up in her spot, still warm from sleep, snuggling into the clean, fragrant smell of freshly laundered sheets changed by Martha the day before. Closing her eyes, Eleanor drifted off into the most pleasant dream… only to wake the next morning to every woman’s nightmare.

Richard, in bed beside her, was dead.

Readers, go to Kathleen’s website. There is a place where you can enter to win a FREE copy of her new book, The Other Wife. I have read Fatty Patty and Royals Secrets. They are both fantastic. I can’t wait for The Other Wife to come out.

Thank you, Kathleen, for being on Author Interview Friday on Writing Under Fire.

Author website: http://kathleenirenepaterka.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathleenIrenePaterka

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KPaterka

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kathleen-Irene-Paterka

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/kathleen-irene-paterka

authors, characters, favorite books, fiction, Indie

Happy Birthday to Me

Posted on September 23, 2014March 30, 2022 by jtailele

The earliest photo I have with Mom — Mom, my brothers and me

Today is my birthday, so I’m allowed to post about myself. Life has taken me thousands of miles and blessed me with hundreds of friends, acquaintances, and family along the way. They haven’t all stayed in touch and that is okay. People come in and out of your life for a reason and I accept their time with me as a gift and their absence as a sign our time together has naturally come to an end and we each have different people to meet, to love, to aspire to be.

I usually ask authors questions about themselves and their writing. Today, I’ll ask myself the same questions. Don’t worry. I will only pick a few.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer and was there a particular inspiration to get started?

I wrote my first short story at the age of ten, but I am not sure now that I really thought through the idea of being a professional writer. That didn’t really happen until fifty-two years later, in 2010, when I realized that I would like to make a profession of the passion I have always loved. (okay, you can do the math)

Do you have a background in writing or take any special writing courses that helped you along the way?

I have no formal training. The only college classes I took were for my real estate career. But once I decided to take this seriously, I havent’ been able to stop learning. I read hundred of blogs, endless amount of books, attend every conference and workshop I can. Since I am the president of my local writer’s group, I often have to fill in when a speaker suddenly backs out. If I am going to get up and teach a workshop, I am going to research until I know everything I can about the subject.

How long did it take you to publish your fist manuscript?

I wrote my first published work in 30 days during a NANOWRIMO challenge in 2010. It took another two and half years before it was even close to being ready to publish. I look at it now and know I could do so much better today.

Are you published through a traditional publishing house or Indie published?

I am Indie published through Create Space and as far as self-publishing, you can’t beat it. But, I would love to find a traditional publisher and my desire it to secure one for my current work in progress. It is currently in the editing and re-writing stage. I hope to complete that within the next six months so I can start sending out queries.

Are you a pantser or a planner?

I am a planner. I write and outline and a timeline. Then I search photo sites like Istock and Photo.com for pictures of my protagonists. If I can see them, it is easier to write about them. I also write a character sketch for each of my main characters. All this said, once I start to write, things sometimes take a life of their own. When that happens it is like someone else’s fingers are typing, and all I can do is sit back and say “WOW, How did that happen?”

Was there a mistake you made in your writing process you could share with us?

The biggest mistake I made was publish too soon. Even with tons of beta readers and an editor, there was more work that needed to be done on that first book. My second biggest mistake was getting discouraged too fast and self-publishing. I hope I have the stamina to keep seeking an agent for as long as it takes next time.

What genre of book do you love? Do you write in that same genre?

I love women’s fiction, stories about women’s journey’s in life. My favorite writer of all time is Jodi Picoult. I can only hope to write as well as her. Yes, I do write in that same genre. My books are current events (typically within the last ten years). I get my ideas from watching the news. Accident is about an alcoholic soccer Mom from the suburbs that causes a fatal car accident. Town Without Mercy’s inspiration came from the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. My WIP (work is progress) is about international adoption.

Tell us about one of your books in one sentence.

I’ll give you a peek into my current work-in-progress. Re-homing Pigeon is the story of a Louisiana Cajun woman and an orphaned Russian child that must lose everything, including each other, before they can find what family really means

Can you share a few paragraphs from your book to whet our appetite? A sneak-peek into the first chapter. of Re-Homing Pigeon.

If it weren’t for the voodoo curse, she would have been a terrific mother. Cecile Lafayette Boudreaux stroked the Gris-Gris amulet around her neck, and then the mound around her middle. We’ll get through this, Junior, don’t worry. Born in the Louisiana bayou, she wasn’t supposed to scare easily. The weatherman had drawn spaghetti lines that snaked through the Gulf of Mexico, all heading straight toward the mouth of the Mississippi. They named her Katrina. The die-hards planned hurricane parties. Fire up the outdoor cooker; them mud bugs were waiting for cayenne pepper, hot sauce and ‘taters. Laissez les bons temps rouler (Let the good times roll.) Mayor Ray Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation. Governor Blanco told anyone refusing to leave to write their names and social security number on their arms in magic marker so they could identify the bodies.

Cecile told herself that she’d be safe in their sturdy home in Saint Bernard Parish. Armand had boarded the house so not a sliver of daylight peeked through the plywood sheets. This wasn’t the first hurricane in her thirty years, and it wouldn’t be the last. No matter the warnings, she couldn’t leave without her husband, who had responsibilities as drilling manager for the Murphy Oil Refinery.

She opened the door and stared at ominous dark clouds and things that had no business being airborne. Thousands of mosquito hawks (dragonflies) flew in a frenzy, forming a gossamer purple and green funnel. It’s coming . . .

Thanks readers, for letting me indulge in a little self-promotion. Where can people buy my books?

Author Website: http://www.joannetailele.com

Buy Links: https://www.amazon.com/author/joannetailele

https://www.createspace.com/4447337

https://www.createspace.com/4441710

authors, books, editing, education, favorite books, fiction, history, literary fiction, memoir, non-fiction, novels, political injustice, readers, spiritual, spiritual, womens fiction, writers, writing

Janet Levine bring us Leela’s Gift

Posted on July 11, 2014March 30, 2022 by jtailele

Today’s author, Janet Levine was born and raised in South Africa. Multi-published, from her political memoir, Inside Apartheid to her women’s fiction novel, Leela’s Gift, she is a superb writer with a superb grasp of the art of story-telling. Welcome Janet. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer and was there a particular inspiration to get started?

There was never a time I did not want to be a writer. I still have my five-year old scribbles. Vividly I remember the first book I read on my own. It was about a visit to the circus and described the dawn colors and the day’s events. I was enchanted, exhilarated at the world evoked on the pages and I told my mother I was going to do that, write a story. So I did, and I’ve never stopped.

How long did it take you to publish your fist manuscript?

At fourteen, a short story I wrote was read on the national radio in South Africa, and was a finalist for the best teenage writer prize that year. What a thrill. Since the age of eighteen I became a published freelance journalist in the national press in South Africa in those “liberal” newspapers that were against the apartheid regime. I have continued to write articles all my life. I now blog and write book reviews. I also wrote novels from about the age of twelve but none of them were publishable. Because of my involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle I did not have time to polish and revise. My political memoir Inside Apartheid was my first book length manuscript to be published. I started it in 1985 shortly after we immigrated to the USA. My then husband is American and we arrived to live in the Boston area with our two sons. I craved peaceful time to write after the drama of South African politics and wrote the book to establish that a number of white activists were part of the human rights struggle, too. Americans seemed to think that all whites supported apartheid. Because of my reputation in political activities and journalism, I was invited to be on the MacNeill/Lehrer News Hour commenting on the situation in South Africa, and interviewed by Judy Woodruff. A few days later PBS forwarded me a letter from a New York agent who asked if I was thinking of writing a book. I told him I was already working on one. Several months later we had a contract with a large Chicago publishing house.

Many of us cross over genres and it is difficult to pinpoint one to fit our books. What shelves would we find your books in a bricks and mortar bookstore?

I’m a cross over writer; I’ve published a political memoir, two psychology books, and a novel. The book we are promoting today is a novel and we would find it under fiction, women writers, and spirituality.

Do you always write in the same POV or narrative or do you switch it up in different stories?

POV is one of the most challenging decisions for a fiction writer. My voice is decidedly first person. In the novel I am working on now I have two first person narrators; I enjoy making readers “work” a little at figuring out what is the structure. This is highly experimental and unconventional and I still need to work on smoothing the transitions between the voices. In a recently published, magnificent novel The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (recently won the Pulitzer Prize for literature 2014) the author mastered the first person POV to perfection. A pre-pub novel (by a well-known author) I am reading now for review has two, third person (omniscient) narrators, and he works the transitions between their POVs superbly.

What was the hardest part for you in the writing process; the outline, synopsis, query or building the story itself?

Currently the hardest part of the writing process (for me) is deciding to go the traditional route of seeking an agent, or trying to find an indie publisher, or to self-publish. What I have learned is that however long your work takes to write and revise, it is pristinely your baby, until you hire an editor to bring that professional polish. But the aggravation of the editing process and all those revisions is nothing compared to the resilience and patience (and time and/or money) you need to publish your book. You have to absolutely believe you have something to say that other people want to read or don’t even begin the publishing journey. It is a tough world out there.

Tell us about one of your books in 3 sentences

In Leela’s Gift the protagonist, a New Yorker, undertakes an enriching spiritual journey in the mountains near Darjeeling, India. The novel uncovers highly relevant spiritual teachings for our modern world. In captivating prose the novel intertwines modern philosophy and ancient wisdom in telling a story as old as the human heart.

Complete this sentence……. My favorite place to write is in almost total silence in a room surrounded by my favorite books and pictures and with a window that looks out on a garden or some greenery.

How about this one. …. A book about writing I love is Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings.

Where can readers buy your books?

My website is www.janetlevine.com. All four books are linked to Amazon from my website and readers can follow me on twitter @jlevinegrp

Thank you Janet. I know we will have you back to tell us more about Inside Apartheid. Can you share a few paragraphs from the book we are promoting today, Leela’s Gift?

“There was no mistaking Maharishi, standing amidst a group of solemn looking men all dressed in white. Pausing with one hand on the gate, Maharishi looked searchingly at me, drawing my attention back to him. He wore a long, immaculate white kurta, a collarless Indian shirt, over wide white trousers. Open sandals adorned his thin feet. In his other hand the beads of his mala slid effortlessly and deliberately through his slender, elegant fingers. His gaze seemed to penetrate my being and warmed to life many layers of my inner self that until that moment lay dormant; quickly I lowered my eyes, the force of his energy overwhelming. In his presence I struggled for breath.

His dark, deep-set eyes were softly luminous, and they smiled as he opened the gate. At the abrupt loss of his presence I felt cold, as I were in the Atlantic Ocean in winter. His presence radiated such heat and desire than when he left I was bereft. Considering this state along with my urge moments earlier to sink to my knees and prostrate myself at his feet, there was every reason to ask with rising hysteria; what was happening to me? After five minutes at the ashram my inner being swirled in choppy eddies. Maybe I should return to the taxi and drive back to Bagdora airport. The familiar known world tugged at me—standing at the threshold to this world seemed perilous, too risky.”

authors, books, children, favorite books, fiction, literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, writers

Thank you to 50 authors

Posted on May 6, 2014March 30, 2022 by jtailele

My journey into blogging has hit the one year mark. To date, I have had fifty (count’ em 50) authors interviewed on Author Interview Friday. And over THREE THOUSAND views. I have learned so much from each and everyone of you and want to shout out a huge THANK YOU.

Every author has something different to bring to the table. Whether it is their experiences in publishing, struggles with writing or offering a book I can’t put down, it has been a wonderful journey. I am going to try to post more of my own personal journey as this new year begins. But fear not – we have lots of other authors to interview and join us here at Writing Under Fire.

If you have a new book being released (or an old one that needs a fresh promotion) and would like to be on my Author Interview Friday, please leave a comment here with your contact information and I will get back with you. I welcome authors from both fiction and non-fiction, local or global. Let’s mix it up a bit.

Couldn’t resist – didn’t have any cute picture to post that had anything to with writing, but how can you not smile at this beautiful face of my grand-daughter, Amber?

authors, books, conflict, editing, favorite books, fiction, Indie, mysttery, novels, series, thrillers, writers

Rich Goldhaber talks about writing a series.

Posted on October 18, 2013March 30, 2022 by jtailele

It is my great pleasure to have my first author of a series on my blog. Rich Goldhaber spent forty years in Research & Development in the medical product industry. He has leveraged his knowledge of science and Technology into a second career as a Mystery/Thriller writer. His five books, The Lawson Series feature his main characters; Dr. Sally Graff and Detective Dan Lawson. Her skills as an emergency room physician, and his as an energetic detective, make them a modern-day Dr. Watson and Sherlock Homes. Trouble always seems to find this pair as they travel the world in pursuit of bad guys.

Joanne: From my limited understanding of a series, there are several formats it can work.

Spinoffs: A series of novels that take an existing minor character, setting, or concept from the first stand-alone story and create a new plot/situation for additional stand-alone stories. Spinoffs are very common in the Romance genre

Serials: A series of novels that follow one particular character throughout many different, mostly unconnected episodes. Each novel is self-contained and could be read as a stand-alone title, though each successive title reveals more about the continuing character(s). Serials are seen most often in Mystery/Suspense and Action/Adventure

Sequels: A series of novels that contain one continuing story in a finite number of volumes. While each volume has a beginning, middle, climax, and denouement, the main plot/conflict of the series continues throughout the series and finally comes to a climax and resolution in the final volume. This main plot/conflict must be introduced early in the beginning of the first book. Sequel series are most common in Science Fiction, Fantasy (just do a search for “trilogy” in the books section of amazon.com!), and Historical Fiction/Romance.

What style of series did you choose and why?

Rich: My five novels clearly fit into the serial classification.

Joanne: Did you plan out all of your books ahead of time before you started to write your first book? What was the process?

Rich: Halfway through the writing of my first book in the series “The 26^th of June”, I realized that the characters deserved more than just one story to fully tell their stories.

Joanne: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer and was there a particular inspiration to get started?

Rich: I am an avid reader. About six years ago I was reading a New York Times bestseller. I thought it was terrible. I said to myself, even I could write better than this. That was a challenge I couldn’t refuse.

Joanne: How long did it take you to publish your fist manuscript? Also, did books two through five come faster?

Rich: Once I settled on going the self-publishing route, I began exploring various self-publishing companies. Create Space, an Amazon company seemed the best, and once that decision was made it took me only three months to see my first book in print. Now I’m an expert using Create Space, and once I finish formatting my text in Word, and creating a PDF for my cover using Photoshop, it only takes a week to get a proof of my new book.

Joanne: Why did you choose to go the self-publishing Indie route in lieu of traditional publication? What were the deciding factors to choosing your publisher? Would you recommend that same Indie publisher to a colleague?

Rich: I tried going the classical route by trying to find a mainstream agent. It became clear to me after six months of trying that my query letters were for the most part not even being fully read. Feedback from my author friends indicated the general unhappiness of using second and third tier agents.

Joanne: Do you think you have a distinctive “Voice” to your stories? Exactly what does that mean to you and how did you find yours?

Rich: My technical background has allowed me to always have a credible technical aspect to my stories. Whether it’s about terrorists making a neutron bomb or a biological weapon, I like the reader to learn something new about a technical subject that they never explored. The trick is to do so without it appearing too much like schoolwork.

Joanne: What was the hardest part for you in the writing process; the outline, synopsis, query or building the story itself?

Rich: Being a technical person during my business career, I was skilled in writing technical papers. Technical writing, however, is heavy on nouns, verbs, and numbers. Adjectives, adverbs, and emotion are out of the question. As a writer of novels, I had to learn to write with emotion. Easier said than done for a technocrat.

Joanne: What advice would you give to new writers that think they want to write a series. What factors are important for them to know before they start?

Rich: Write the first story and then decide whether the main characters are worth additional exploration.

Joanne: One of my favorite series writers, Randy Wayne White always brings us exciting new stories but as a fan, I have my favorite characters that I would be so disappointed if they were not included. Do you have a favorite character that is in all your books?

Rich: Of course the main characters are my favorite, but one minor character, Benny Cannon is always exciting to write about. He’s the super-geek working at the FBI. He’s like the character “M” in James Bond movies. He always has a technical gadget to help Dan and Sally solve a problem. Also, I position him as a weird dresser (e.g. one green sock and one red sock).

Joanne: Do you have anything new in the works? If so, is it another book in the series or are ever planning on writing a new, totally different series?

Rich: After five books with the same people, my next novel moves to a new set of characters. It’s called “The Cure” and involves a young engineer who begins working for a start-up company that has found the cure to cancer. Is it really a cure or are there others factors at play? If it’s too good to be true is it always too good to be true?

Joanne: Where should readers go to purchase your books?

Rich: My books are available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Book stores are also able to get this book through their normal distribution channels.

Joanne: Can you share a few paragraphs from one of your book to wet out appetite?

Rich: The beginning of my second book “Succession Plan” follows:

I had been living with the guilt for almost a year. Disgrace began on the last day of my father’s life. I sat silently at the side of his bed in the nursing home waiting for what I knew was inevitable. As always, a potent cocktail of urine and Mr. Clean filled the air.

The special care facility where he had lived for the last six months was one of the finest in the city, but all of the Andrew Wyeth prints and brightly colored rooms could not alter one overriding fact. This place specialized in managing death. His cancer had slowly eaten away his self-esteem, and the frail man who now resided in what was once a fit athletic body, clung tenaciously to life.

He suddenly awoke, and his dark sunken eyes reached out to my inner soul. He searched for my hand, squeezed it tightly, and reminded me of my promise to take care of the ring. He then closed his eyes forever and left on his ultimate journey.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I bent over, kissed his forehead, held onto his now lifeless hand, and openly cried; not over his death, his passing had been a blessing. During the last six months, his life had been filled with miserable pain and suffering, dulled only by the increasing dose of prescribed narcotics. Instead, my tears were shed over his last words.

You see, the ring was the problem. He had given me the present on my eighth birthday. The gift was bestowed along with one of his famous long rambling speeches, and as he held the cheap looking plastic gold colored object reverently in his hand, he explained it was an authentic Captain Video Secret Decoder Ring. He wanted me to understand its true value lay far beyond its intrinsic worth. Rather, it was a symbol of the wonderful memories of his own childhood. Captain Video was a TV program from the early 50’s, and when my father was a young boy, he had used the ring to decode special messages from the Captain. Handing me the ring in front of the extended assembly of family and friends, he made me promise to save his most cherished possession and pass it on to my children when the time was right.

I didn’t know what to make of the gift or the ceremony, but I did hide the ring in the safest most secret spot I knew, a small shelf hidden from view behind a built-in bar in our basement. To reach the special place, a person needed to crawl behind the bar and reach up inside a cabinet; a difficult set of physical maneuvers unless you were less than four feet tall and weighed under fifty pounds.

authors, books, children, favorite books, fiction, novels, readers, writers

Readers vrs. Writers

Posted on October 8, 2013March 30, 2022 by jtailele

As we are gearing up for lots of Book Fairs and events as the snowbirds slowly make their way back to the sunny shores of south Florida, it has occurred to me how different readers and writers are attracted to certain books. Naturally, big names are always a draw. If you are Dan Brown, James Patterson or J. K. Rowling, trying to find the right enticement for a reader to even consider your book among the millions of new books that come out every year is not a problem. Others of us are not so fortunate.

I hope that all of you have enjoyed my Author Interview Fridays. There are literally hundreds of new authors with fabulous books coming out all the time. Here is just one small place to help find those hidden gems.

Many of my followers to this blog are not writers. Many just love good books. And God Bless you, every one. So what makes you pick up a certain, book, flip it over to the back cover and read the blurb and drop it into your shopping cart, either virtual or literal? Is it the cover? The subject matter? The closest thing to the coffee machine?

I have recently been working on a re-write to my debut novel. And giving it a fresh look with a new cover.

Here is the old cover.

And not the new.

and a new back cover.

What is the verdict? Better? Worse? If so, why? If you leave a comment, I will put your name in the hat for a drawing of the new edition. Your comments are valued by me.

authors, characters, conflict, favorite books, small towns, writers

Local SW Florida Historian Marya Repko writes what she knows best

Posted on September 20, 2013March 30, 2022 by jtailele

It is my pleasure to have Marya Repko, local historian and journalist with us today on Author Interview Friday. Marya writes for the Everglades City newspaper, “The Mullet Rapper” (www.evergladesmulletrapper) as well as is working on her own books. If you are unfamiliar with the Florida Everglades, Marya is the “go-to” person with the answers.

Joanne: When did you first you know wanted to be a writer and how did it all begin for you?

Marya: I have always written. Living in rural Connecticut, we wrote letters to family with news long before email was around. Daddy wrote poetry which he then threw into fireplace; Mother wrote reports for local charities. My brother, Mathew Goldman, also writes (www.constantwaterman.com), Since July, 2005 his memoirs entitled, “From the Journals of Constant Waterman” have appeared as a semi-monthly column in “Messing About in Boats.” His work has also appeared in “Good Old Boat” and “Windcheck.” His collections of articles have been published in his books, “The Journals of Constant Waterman” and “Moon Wind at Large.” Our parents would criticize, make sentences shorter, and correct our spelling. A history teacher in college stressed “cause & effect” for my reports which helped me to present ideas logically.

Joanne: Tell us a little about your writing.

Marya: Most of my books have been technical and self-published but did I contribute as a journalist to computer magazines. I always write non-fiction but some computer technical (and editorial) and lately local history.

Joanne: Can you tell our readers about your experience with publication?

Marya: I have always self-published, except for paid journalism. My local history area, Everglades City, FL, is so small that a traditional publisher wouldn’t know how to handle it. I enjoy the marketing and distribution in SouthWest Florida. I would recommend self-publishing to other authors if their subject is of limited interest. You need to start with good typographer to make the book look professional, then promote yourself on a website with PayPal, be ready to give talks & signings, run around distributing copies, keep track of finance.

Joanne: Since your writing is so specific, how do you stay in the “voice” you want to present?

Marya: It’s so important to have an audience in mind! I aim my writing at a friend who might be interested in local history. After so many years of writing letters and, now, emails, I try to target my readers as if I were almost talking to them. However, with local history, I also include footnotes so they can confirm what I’ve written. When I did the kids’ versions of my history books, I had to aim them at 4th-grade age group.

Joanne: Can you tell us about your writing process?

Marya: Certainly, for local history, I make a time line in a data base and then follow that as I write. The hardest part is motivation, but it helps to have a deadline. Our tourist season is so short that I want finished copies in November so my summers are tied to research on the computer and then writing. Once I have the time line, the words usually come easily (unless I ask myself why?/when? and need to do more research). Then, I have to tidy up grammar/spelling and do the formatting to send naked copy to proof-readers. I have some wonderful friends here that read for me. Then I make corrections, insert photos, finally give camera-ready PDF to the printer with a new ISBN. The formatting is fun; I enjoy playing with typography and design. I use Whitehall Printing on Corporate Square in Naples, Florida, for printing and find they are very helpful.

Joanne: How do you market your material that is not in the paper?

Marya: I have my own website http://ww.ecity-publishing.com where I can take orders through PayPal. My books are so local that I visit outlets and sell for cash or payment within 30 days. I do not do consignment. Of course, I try to have reviews in local papers which I prompt with press releases, give complimentary copies to reviewers. I also have links to organizations who invite me to give illustrated lectures with lots of historical photos.

Joanne: What advice would give to someone that wants to write?

Marya: My advice? … don’t stare at the blank page. Sit when you’re relaxed on a porch or by the pool with notepad and pen, start writing! I always scribble on paper before I translate into words on the computer.

Joanne: Are you working on anything at the moment?

Marya: Yes, I am working on an “historical memoir” of the place where I grew up. It’s part Local History and part Oral History, probably still Local History on the shelf. Here is the Preface for my new book, Memories from Hadlyme. I’m expect the publication date to be around August 15, 2013.

PREFACE

One of my early memories is of my father lettering “established 1742” on a sign for the Hadlyme Congregational Church. Even as a child, I knew 1742 was a long time ago – 200 years before I was born!

That glimpse of history made me curious and I’ve been digging around ever since to find out how or why or when local events happened, like an archeologist uncovering the past, following clues, and discovering little-known facts that link together to shape our past.

My wandering life since 1960 has taken me from Hadlyme to England, Holland, Ireland, and finally to Florida where I recently have had time during retirement to publish several brief local history books. I enjoy the research, writing, typographic design, and sharing my knowledge.

I realized when my nephew Ezra Goldman asked me about an old post card of Moodus Main Street that I should write about my own home area, for him and for younger people in East Haddam. The Hale-Ray School Reunion in 2013 was the impetus to put words on paper.

Marya Repko

ECITY PUBLISHING

P O Box 5033

Everglades City, FL, 34139

(239) 695-2905

authors, children, family, favorite books, fiction, friends, love, parents, wishes, writers

Turning Back the Clock [My Three Wishes Blog Blitz]

Posted on September 2, 2013March 30, 2022 by jtailele

Today I’m participating in the Three Wishes Blog Blitz, hosted by author Juliet Madison! From 2nd to 6th September you’ll have the chance to win some awesome prizes at all the blogs participating in the blitz, including mine. All you have to do is follow my instructions below for winning the prize I have on offer, and then you can click over to Juliet’s blog to enter her prize draw, and see the list of all other blogs taking part and enter their giveaways as well. How cool is that? Why is it called the Three Wishes Blog Blitz? Juliet’s new romantic comedy release, I Dream of Johnny, is about three wishes, a high-tech genie in a lamp, and one very unfortunate typo that proves magic isn’t all it cracked up to be…

What if we could turn back time? If you had three wishes about turning back the clock, what would they be? Stop 9-11 from happening? Of course, but I don’t think I have the skill or no-how to do that. So . . . on a lighter note. If I could turn back the clock, I would

1) have believed in myself to make the tough decisions that I either: a) didn’t do at all b) made wrong decisions because of lack of faith in myself.

2) have taken better care of my body so I don’t have all these aches and pains now (or is that just old age?)

3) told more people that I loved them, and more often.

What would YOUR three wishes be if you could turn back time? Let’s play “Back to the Past” (not the Future) Every person that leaves a comment with their three wishes about Turning Back Time, will get his/her name thrown in the hat for a copy of my debut novel, ACCIDENT. AND, if you LIKE this on Facebook, your name will go in twice. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE, since wishes come in threes, if also link back to Juliet’s page and LIKE her blog, your name will go in the hat a 3rd time.

The competition closes at 12pm Friday 6th September.

Once you’ve entered my giveaway, visit Juliet’s blog & enter her giveaway too, and visit any or all of the other participating blogs to enter more prize draws. You could potentially win a whole heap of prizes! Good luck! Visit the official Blog Blitz post here: http://julietmadison.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/3-wishes-blog-blitz-official-post/

Blurb about ACCIDENT

Susan Jennings is an alcoholic soccer-mom in the 1980’s that buries her secret buried behind the bottle. Her addiction causes a fatal car accident that kills her only son and the driver of the other vehicle. Her mother and daughter are badly injured. Susan is charged with vehicular homicide and sentenced to ten years in a prison cell the size of her walk-in closet. She must first learn to stay alive behind the dangerous prison walls, and then face her addiction before she can try to win her teenage daughter’s forgiveness. Deanna Jennings awakes from a coma to discover that she has lost a limb in the accident, and her baby brother. She is not interested in forgiving her mother. With her father becoming increasingly distant, she relies heavily on her devout Christian grandparents to get her through the trauma. She meets the handsome and charismatic pastor of their church, Reverend Jim Olson. Despite the vast difference in age, Deanna is convinced the pastor has a romantic interest in her. When Susan discovers that Reverend Olson is now pursuing her daughter, she is determined to use any means necessary to be granted an early parole. She must save her daughter from the snares of the devil hiding behind the clergyman’s collar.

authors, conflict, editing, favorite books, fiction, writers

Opening Zingers

Posted on August 21, 2013March 30, 2022 by jtailele

Sometimes you know you are going to love a book from the very first sentence. This “hook” is not as simple as it sounds. What opening sentence drew you in when you first read a book? If you are an author, put your first line out there for a test. If you are an avid reader, give us the first line of your favorite book. ONE sentence only and it must be the first sentence.

The opening sentence in my WIP: Town Without Mercy reads like this. “”We interrupt this program to bring you a special report.”

Go ahead, give us your first line. If not your work, tell us what book and author it comes from.

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