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Happy Thanksgiving by Margot Justes

2009-11-21T07:30:00.000-06:00

Between scheduled events every weekend this month and working, November slipped by and seemed to disappear.

I do want to acknowledge an incredible holiday, one where at least this time of year we give thanks, and no matter how tough it is out there, we still have something to be thankful for.

I’ve been blessed with a loving family and great friends-friends I’ve kept for many years- decades, and new friends and acquaintances I’ve made since I started writing. My world has only gotten richer, and I’m thankful. I’m not cooking on Thursday, that tradition now belongs to my older daughter, but given the special holiday, we celebrate Thanksgiving on Saturday at our house as well.

On that note, I would like to wish everyone a truly happy and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Till next time,
Margot Justes
http://margotsmuse.blogspot.com
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris ISBN 978-1-59080-534-3

Writer's block - Real or Not? by Robert W. Walker

2009-11-20T04:55:00.001-06:00

Psychiatry has weighed in on the question of creative blocks and have suggested that they have a beginning in the brain, while writers of poetry, story, and novel tell themselves they just need to get out of their own way and just write. We are at once crafting a story that must allow no wires or strings to show; we attempt to stay off stage, behind the curtain, but at times we see ourselves as did the Wizard at the pulleys and gears and we wonder if we may not simply be frauds at work. Then the doubts seep in like water through rock. It’s been done before by better men than me…TV and Film have eaten up and spit out every idea, so why bother? I can’t compete with CGI effects and CSI effects. Why bother. Who do you think you are anyway? Perhaps a man in need of a vacation, a swift kick, a well-meaning nag to thunder and rail at you at such moments? Some external force to challenge you? And if all fails? Are you left on that lonely street called Writers’ Block, and is there or isn’t there such a place?

Although it has been written about in newspapers and magazines, science journals, books on the creative geniuses of our species, books on inventors and sculptors, depicted in untold films and TV programs including Seinfeld, and although a scadfold of medical/psychological articles have been devoted to it along with entire books and a Woody Allen Play, and despite that it has its own Wikipedia page, and that Google has enough entries in it along with ten-step cures for it for hopelessly ‘blocked’ professional…in fact, enough entries to paper a writer’s walls, DOES this thing really exists…or is it all in our heads?

A great many more people believe it is just a writer’s self-serving indulgence, even sloth, that is at work—even in a writer who has penned untold full length, complex novels. Many naysayers point to any other profession and claim these other professions, say pharmacist, bookstore owner, book reviewer, bank teller, even journalist never cry “blocked” and, I presume then, they believe no person in any other profession has ever quit, given up or in, lost days or weeks due to forces within their craniums, had love and hate drive them from a full day’s work or a divorce, the birth of a child, the death of a child, the loss of a job or health..That no journalist ever missed a deadline, no bookstore owner ever closed up shop or the fight against the big box stores and Wal-Mart—forces outside one’s control.

Regardless, there is more than scant evidence and anecdotes about writer’s block that it also occurs with lyricists, poets, and any creative writing arena. If you disbelieve it, Google it. Here below are a handful of the reams of pages on the ‘malaise of the artistic mind which may actually differ from the mind of a McDonald’s worker, a journalist, a shopkeeper, or a news anchor woman; it may be the same difference one finds in a student who can and does complete an Independent Study project and one who is absolutely incapable of completing work wherein s/he has to craft the project, determine its every part and the sum of all, its every parameter from beginning to end with no guarantees of success or payment or heat for the night or pension or percentage or anything.

FROM GOOGLE – selected from hundreds of pages:

1. Writer's Block -- Practical Tips for Beating Your Writer's Block

Though some people say that writer's block doesn't actually exist, the fact remains that most writers have trouble with writer's block at some point in ...

fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingroadblocks/tp/block.htm - Cached - Similar

2. News results for writer's block

Gigwise

Pete Wentz : Pete Wentz suffered writer's block after Mowgli's birth‎ - 1 day ago

Fall Out Boy member Pete Wentz has revealed that after his son Bronx Mowgli was born last November he was unable to write a song for six months. ...

Entertainment and Showbiz! - 41 related articles »

3. Book results for writer's block

Writer's block: and other problems of the pen - by Jenna Glatzer - 250 pages

Writer's Block: The Cognitive Dimension - by Mike Rose - 160 pages

Writer's block: two one act plays - by Woody Allen - 75 pages

4. Image results for writer's block

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Books From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Writer's block (disambiguation).

Writer's block is a condition, associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task in hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked" writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.

Contents

[hide]

• 1 Causes of writer's block

• 2 Notable blocked writers

• 3 Writer's block in Music

• 4 Writer's block as depicted in other media

• 5 References

• 6 External links

[edit] Causes of writer's block

Writer's block may have many causes. Some are essentially creative problems that originate within an author's work itself. A writer may run out of inspiration. A project may be fundamentally misconceived, or beyond the author's experience or ability. (A fictional example can be found in George Orwell's novel Keep The Aspidistra Flying, in which the hero Gordon Comstock struggles in vain to complete an epic poem describing a day in London: "It was too big for him, that was the truth. It had never really progressed, it had simply fallen apart into a series of fragments.") [1]

Other blocks, especially the more serious kind, may be produced by adverse circumstances in a writer's life or career: physical illness, depression, the end of a relationship, financial pressures, a sense of failure. The pressure to produce work may in itself contribute to a writer's block, especially if he is compelled to work in ways that are against his natural inclination, i.e. too fast or in some unsuitable style or genre, and he or she is not willing to adapt. In some cases, writer's block may also come from feeling intimidated by a previous big success, the creator putting on him/herself a paralyzing pressure to find something to equate that same success again. The writer Elizabeth Gilbert, reflecting on her post-bestseller prospects, proposes that such a pressure might be released by interpreting creative writers as "having" genius rather than "being" a genius [1]. In George Gissing's New Grub Street, one of the first novels to take writer's block as a main theme, the novelist Edwin Reardon becomes completely unable to write and is shown as suffering from all those problems. [2]

Recently, the writer and neurologist Alice W. Flaherty has argued that literary creativity is a function of specific areas of the brain, and that block may be the result of brain activity being disrupted in those areas. [3]

[edit] Notable blocked writers

Well-known writers who have suffered from block include George Gissing, Samuel Coleridge, Ralph Ellison, Joseph Mitchell and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Writers who overcame block and published new work after a hiatus of decades include Harold Brodkey, whose novel The Runaway Soul appeared some 30 years after it was first projected, and Henry Roth, whose first novel, Call It Sleep, was published in 1934; his second, Mercy Of A Rude Stream, did not appear until 1994.

[edit] Writer's block in Music

The album Black Clouds & Silver Linings by the progressive metal band Dream Theater contains a song called "Wither", which is about the fear of having writer's block suffered by the guitar player of the band John Petrucci. It is said that the songs in this album are about personal experiences.

[edit] Writer's block as depicted in other media

In works where writers appear as characters, writer's block has often been shown as part of the story.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completion. You can help by expanding it with sourced additions.

• 8½

• Adaptation

• Ask the Dust

• Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)

• Bag of Bones

• Barton Fink

• Californication

• Deconstructing Harry

• El Goonish Shive

• Finding Forrester

• George Lucas in Love

• I Capture the Castle

• JONAS

• Kaiyoppu

• Leaving Las Vegas

• October Road

• The Lost Weekend

• Masters of Horror: The Black Cat

• Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities

• Misery

• Quills

• Read or Die

• Secret Window

• Sex and Lucia

• Shabd

• Shakespeare in Love

• Stranger than Fiction

• Swimming Pool

• Sylvia

• The Golden Notebook

• The Shining

• Throw Momma from the Train

• Woman on the Beach

• Wonder Boys

[edit] References

1. ^ George Orwell, Keep The Aspidistra Flying, Chapter 2.

2. ^ George Gissing, New Grub Street.

3. ^ Joan Acolella, "Blocked: why do writers stop writing?, The New Yorker, June 14 2004.

[edit] External links

• Psychology of Writing & Revising

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer%27s_block"

Categories: Writing

But still some will adamantly deny the existence of this nebulous gadfly of a disorder that comes and goes, and many of these same people will accept that a writer may have a Muse or may Channel some force from beyond. I leave it up to you, but it has been my experience that those who have never suffered a serious, long-running bout with the Block may well not understand J. Alfred Prufrock’s disconnect with the world either.

I invite you to leave a comment, no matter which side of the discussion you fall or stand on.

My latest e-book is 160,000 words, divides into three books in one and Children of Salem saw many years of being a blocked book and fitting it should hold a curse on it as it details the terrors of a Witch Hunt and subsequent trials, all the while a devil called Block whispering in my ear that I was incapable of crafting this complex story, and yet readers call the control of the material nothing short of genius – enough to make even a jaded old writer blush pink.

Happy Blockless Writing, and do leave a comment for me!

Rob Walker

http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/

http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/robertwwalkerbooks.com

"Dead On takes the reader's capacity for the imagination of horror to stomach turning depths, and then gives it more twists than a Georgia backroad that paves an Indian trail." - Nash Black

Are you Happy being a Writer? by DL Larson

2009-11-19T08:34:00.002-06:00

I've never been asked such a question, but after reading an article about what makes people happy, I have to say I'm more satisfied being a writer than anything else. Maybe it's the same for you. The journey for many writers is long and grueling, but I have experienced untold hours of happiness while churning out words that twist and mesh together. To create and shape conflict, or brew trouble out of nothing but words is powerful stuff. To use my voice to enlighten the reader to my character's insight delights me as if I'm at a candy counter and have all the time in the world to decide what delectable item I need to express just the right emotion.
The process of writing makes me very happy.

Unfortunately, for some of us, what comes after the initial writing is not so fun. The rewrites or fixing technical problems becomes a burden. It's no longer as intriguing as it was when I first started. Now I must face the fact my writing is not perfect; I spent too much time at the candy counter or not enough time chosing diversified words. I left holes in the script, my point of views aren't quite right, and the plot sagged toward the end. Now's the time to get serious and fix the problems I created.

I realized long ago I needed to change my attitude when it came to rewriting and editing my work. And I found happiness once again. The idea is simple and if you like sweets as much as I do, this process might make your rewrites more enjoyable.
I generally let my work sit for awhile, I walk away from it and begin a new project. It may be for a few days or longer. The point is I focus on something else. Then, I go back. Standing before the candy counter in my mind, I re-read my work and the old feeling of excitement for my story floods back because I've allowed myself to have fun with the words once again. I'm back to picking and chosing just the right phrase, inserting whole bits of diaglogue or backdrop that was overlooked before. I think of myself as my assistant, perfecting my work with a critical eye for detail. I even laugh and poke fun of my own mistakes. What was she thinking? Can you believe she actually wrote that? It's proven to be so much more beneficial than being self-critical and beating myself up for not writing my story correctly the first time around.

Writing has so many layers to it few of us get it right the first time the words land on the paper. Finding satisfaction with the process of story telling is much healthier than demanding perfection with every sentence I write. Words flow easier if I'm not scrutinizing each as they enter my mind. I give myself permission to have fun with my writing. Afterall, the plot, the setting, the characters are only words on paper. They can be rearranged any time, over and over and over again. They can be taken away or replaced. I am the one who breathed life into them, no one but me. I have the power to form them to fit my needs.

I've never once run out of words, there's so many to chose from. When I start a new project the candy counter is over-flowing once again. I pace back and forth, wondering, pondering, thinking of all the delectable possiblities. What a wonderful dilemma. I'm a happy writer indeed!

How about you? Are you happy being a writer?

Til next time ~

DL Larson

Julie Lomoe, Morgan Mandel's Guest at Double M Today

2009-11-18T05:30:00.000-06:00

I'm hosting Julie Lomoe today at my personal blog, http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
Julie sent me so much wonderful information, I decided to share part of it here. If you feel so inclined, by all means hop on over to Double M at http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/ for the rest of the story and read her blog post.

About Julie Lomoe -
Julie Lomoe knows home health care from the ground up. As President of ElderSource, Inc., a Licensed Home Care Services Agency in upstate New York, she became certified as a Personal Care Aide and filled in frequently for absent aides. The experience inspired Eldercide, the first in a mystery series featuring the staff and clients of Compassionate Care, an agency in the fictional town of Kooperskill, New York.

Julie’s first published novel, Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders is set in a social club for the mentally ill on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The work was inspired by her many years of mental health experience, both as a professional and as a consumer. Both books are available online from Virtual Bookworm, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Barnard College, Julie received an MFA from Columbia University and an MA in Art Therapy from New York University. She lived in SoHo for many years, exhibiting at the Museum of Modern Art, The Brooklyn Museum, and many Manhattan galleries. She showed her paintings and won a prize at the Woodstock Festival of Music and Art in 1969, an experience she blogged about in a three-part series this past August.

Julie has published poetry as well as articles on home care, mental health, aging, and women’s issues. Visit her blog, Julie Lomoe’s Musings Mysterioso (http://julielomoe.wordpress.com/) to learn more and read the first chapters of her novels.

You're invited now to hop on over to http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/ to read Julie's post and learn a little bit more about her.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel\
http://www.morganmandel.com/
http://choiceonepublishing.com/

Namaste

2009-11-17T14:37:00.000-06:00

I’m involved with a number of writing groups and events one of which is the Love is Murder Con (LIM CON) held during the first weekend in February. We’ve held it annually until now, taking a break in 2010 to reorganize and the decision was an appropriate one for the board, the conference and the attendees. Just wait until you see what we have planned for 2011.

We had our most recent board meeting last week to go over a variety of issues that conference boards usually discuss and I left the meeting feeling quite excited about the 2011 LIM CON. As we continue to hear of other CON’s folding or taking even longer breaks than just the one year we did, it’s becoming clearer that our 2011 LIM CON will be a well-attended and high-energy event.

We’re working on a new web page so check the website from time to time, especially in Jan 2010 for updates. The url is www.loveismurder.net.

In the meantime, I’ve been happily working and writing and cooking. I’m working on a cookbook that I’m very excited about and hope to have it available for the 2011 Holiday Season. I continue to plug away at my fiction and have started writing more poetry and short stories.

I say happily working because I do have a good job. It’s hard and challenging work, but I’m happily and gainfully employed with benefits and I have a job that is as about as guaranteed as they come. Given the cost of my daughter’s education, a recent divorce and so many other issues, I doubt I’ll retire anytime soon, but that’s okay since I do actually enjoy my work and I receive bi-annual feedback during reviews that my work is appreciated. I count my blessings each and everyday.

While I’ve hits some bumps in the road these past two years, 2010 and beyond is shaping up to be incredibly rewarding on all fronts and I have to say that I’m excited about it, especially the time I’ve been able to carve out for my writing. Interestingly enough my yoga practice has facilitated this more than anything else. I’m a yoga cheerleader these days because the yoga process and philosophy has provided me with a foundation to accomplish many things I only dreamed about, and more importantly, helped me through some difficult times.

So, as I continue to be busy with work, writing, and living my life, I’ve finally found a peacefulness that I’ve never known before and a sense of living consciously that has kept me safe from some very negative energy from people that have unpleasantly surprised me of late. To these individuals and everyone else out there I wish only good things and positive energy and will genuinely end this entry on a yoga note - Namaste.

Do The Right Thing

2009-11-16T00:29:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not talking about the Spike Lee movie.

In addition to that movie, those four words mean a lot. Of course, Doing The Right Thing can mean different things, depending on whom you ask. Sometimes it means paying your taxes. Sometimes it means volunteering in your community in some way. To some people it means going to church and putting money in the offering plate. For others it may mean simply being fair and honest with customers and others.

Anyway, I want to talk about one more way you can Do The Right Thing. But first, a little background.

When I was a kid, my parents didn’t have a heck of a lot. Seriously. My dad and mom both worked in textile mills in the South, and neither had a high school diploma. When I came along, it meant mom couldn’t work for a while, but finally she was able to get back into harness and let my grandparents watch me.

We had a string of bad luck there for about a year when I was five. First of all, our house burned down with just about everything we had in it. At that time, there was no county fire department, and the city limits ended about a half-mile away. The city firetruck stopped at the city limits and watched to make sure the fire didn’t spread to any homes in the city limits, while the house burned to the ground.

During the months following that, we were living with my grandparents, and late one night we were involved in an accident that totaled the car and put all three of us in the hospital. That meant neither my mom nor my dad could work for several weeks.

The years before that had not been easy, but that Christmas was a really tough one. Minimal insurance and being out of work meant that there simply was no money for gifts. That’s the way it was.

But relatives and friends of the family came through. Though I neither knew nor understood until much later, all my gifts that year, and many the following year, came from outside the family. We were lucky… no, blessed… to have a support structure of people who both cared and were able to help a five-year-old boy have a Christmas that was not a disappointment. And a disappointment like that, on top of losing everything in the fire and being on crutches from a broken hip, would have been pretty rough on any kid.

Fast forward 48 years. Times are hard now--probably a lot harder for many more people now than they were in 1961 when we had our series of catastrophes. And because of the way families have dispersed across the country now (due to job moves or joblessness, ease of travel, etc.), many hurting families don’t have the kind of support structure that helped us through that rough time. These families need help, and the most vulnerable members of these families are the children.

No, I’m not trying to turn on your tear glands. I’m trying to make you think a little about how you might be able to help someone. There are lots of ways, really, for you to Do The Right Thing. But I want to talk about one specific way you can Do The Right Thing and even enjoy it.

This is the fourth year that Wolfmont Press has published an anthology of holiday-themed crime stories with the intent of helping kids, and its title is The Gift of Murder. The first year Wolfmont was able to contribute $1,365 to Toys for Tots. The next year, we got it up to $2,000. Last year, with Dying In a Winter Wonderland, we managed to raise $3,300 for Toys for Tots. This year, we’re shooting for $3,400 so we can hit our target of $10,000 in toto over those four years.

The nineteen authors in this year’s anthology have donated their stories, and much of their time to promoting the book. The editor, John M. Floyd, did an awesome job of choosing from the approximately sixty submissions and in editing the book as well. The publisher is not making any money from the sale of this anthology. All the money over and above the cost of producing and selling the book goes to Toys for Tots, just as it has for the three previous books.

Your purchase of a copy of The Gift of Murder will help us to donate more to the Toys for Tots. Oh, I did say enjoy it, too, didn’t I? Well, this 278-page book has some awesome stories in it--stories that range from hilariously funny to darkly macabre, from day-to-day realism to extreme fantasy--but all crime stories that revolve around the winter holidays of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa.

And remember: one thing it will NOT do is to put a cent into the pockets of the publisher. I want to reiterate that all publisher profits from the sales of the 2009 anthology go to Toys for Tots. And I'll tell you the truth right now: at this point we're not even close to our goal.

The nineteen authors are: J.F. Benedetto, Stefanie Lazer, Stephen D. Rogers, Anita Page, Randy Rawls, Earl Staggs, Peg Herring, Deborah Elliott-Upton, Bill Crider, Carolyn J. Rose, Elizabeth Zelvin, Barb Goffman, Austin S. Camacho, Sandra Seamans, Steve Shrott, Gail Farrelly, Herschel Cozine, Kris Neri, and Marian Allen. These folks are talented, and generous, since they contributed their stories AND their time in promoting the book in various ways.

How do you buy a copy?

1. Get with one of the authors--some of them have a few copies left.

2. Order from The Digital Bookshop, which partners with Wolfmont to maximize the profits from the book, and thus increase the money that goes to Toys for Tots.

3. Order from your favorite independent bookseller.

4. Order online through Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

5. Oh! If you prefer an ebook version, it's available at The Digital Bookshop in ebook form, too, as well as in Kindle version on Amazon.

And if you don’t need another book, or don't want to do any of those things, how about this? Go by your local toy store, buy a couple of toys, and take them by the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots collection center. It’s relatively painless, and you’ll feel better after you do it.

Catching Up

2009-11-15T10:07:00.002-06:00

Remember last week when I said I was under the weather and thought I might be coming down with something? Well, I came down with something all right. I spent the better part of last week in bed with the flu. Not fun. Not fun at all.

So this weekend has been somewhat of a catching up time for me. I've been trying to catch up on household chores that have been neglected. (This includes all of the extra loads of laundry to be done in order to purge the germs from the house.) I've been trying to catch up on paperwork from school (I think I have about a million assignments to grade!) And I've been catching up on e-mail.

It's amazing to me how much e-mail comes in and goes out of my box on a daily basis. I guess I never really realize it until I go several days without checking it. Then the number in my inbox astounds me. (Talk about "You've got mail.") Some of it is junk and can simply be deleted without even a read-through. Other messages need to be at least skimmed to make sure I didn't miss anything vital. And then there are those that need immediate attention. (Or as immediate as it's going to get after four days.) The internet certainly has changed the way we do business, communicate, live...

Too bad it can't do the laundry.

On that note, I need to run. The washing machine is calling. (But my inbox is empty, for now, so that's a good thing.)

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com

Ivan Mestrovic by Margot Justes

2009-11-14T07:30:00.000-06:00

Split has many treasures and one that was a delightful find for me was sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. His work can only be described as monumental, towering, imposing and beyond life size.

His home, a villa that sits on a hill overlooking the Adriatic is, as the saying goes, beautifully situated. Converted to a museum, the home is surrounded by luxurious gardens, one could not ask for a more creative muse. Everywhere you turn, the view is magnificent.

The small more intimate museums like the Mestrovic museum do not leave you breathless and harried but instead leave you with a sense of greater awareness of the treasures shown, and I was enthralled.

Mestrovic worked in bronze, marble and wood. I enjoyed the wood pieces the most, the work seemed more defined, gentler and tactile. No, I did not touch, but I wanted to. His bronzes spoke of power, survival and dominance, the marble pieces on the other hand were romantic, flowing with gentle curves, yet dominant and compelling. You were left with a sense of wonder at the dynamic strength and sheer size of his sculptures. These are my impressions.

Born in 1883, he lived through wars and religious upheavals, his work reflected the times. He died in the US in 1962. There is a great deal of information available on his art and life, and just to give you a glimpse of some of his work, I posted pictures.

Chicago, a city well known for its love of art, has two magnificent, gigantic pieces sculpted by Ivan Mestrovic, The Bowman and The Spearman; perfectly positioned at the Congress Plaza entrance to Grant Park.

Till next time,
Margot Justes
http://margotsmuse.blogspot.com
http://www.mjustes.com/
A Hotel in Paris ISBN 978-1-59080-534-3

Raising the Dead (Manuscript) PART II by Robert W. Walker

2009-11-13T04:29:00.002-06:00

Yes, more about the novel I dug out of its grave to breathe life into it and reshape it and publish it. I have kindle-lized my so-called “dead” novel that would never see print according to the powers that be—the people who determine for you and me what is bestseller material, what they will get behind, what they will put on shelves for our reading pleasure. I am still waiting for a green light from a traditional publisher for Bloodroot which is now Children of Salem, but now it is a different book as a close friend and fanatical reader on finishing the last rewrite of this cursed book said to me, “This is an historical romance, Rob.” And she gave me a number of points in the novel where the romance could and should come to the forefront and such things as the geography of a witch hunt needs find the backdrop. She was right, of course, and I changed the title thereafter from Bloodroot to Children of Salem and subtitled it “Romance in the time of the Witch Trials.” And thereafter on the final final rewrite, I transformed this opus (160,000 words that breaks down in three books – another reason for its being a cursed book in the eyes of agents and editors I have known).

I transformed Bloodroot from a seriously wrought historical novel pitched on the fork of one attitude on my part to an entirely different pitchfork…the attitude of the writer of romance and intrigue, and a far less serious-seeming attitude it is.

I use the term serious here to describe my approach, my internal dialogue with myself about the nature of the novel that changed so much over the years from a dissertation –literally as it was my dissertation at Northwestern University in first draft in 1972 that set me to work on this accursed journey to craft a truly worthwhile novel that would go well beyond the famous play, the Crucible written by Marilyn Monroe’s husband as an allegory for McCarthyism. Arthur Miller did his homework and crafted an amazingly close to the truth play, and I suspect he read Francis Marion’s nonfiction work on the subject in order to write his play. I was determined to write an expose to shed light on every aspect of the event, something no play could do but perhaps a novel might.

Of course while putting the novel away and taking it out every couple few years to rewrite it, I wrote other titles—in fact over forty-five—and I honed my craft, and in writing my Chicago City series begun with City for Ransom and the award-winning Shadows in the White City, and the trilogy ender City of the Absent, I realized that what I took to 1893, I needed to take (this attitude) to 1692. Finding the right attitude toward the work and going back in for a final time to rework it as a thriller yes but a romantic thriller and a romantic historical changed everything down t the title – Children of Salem.

Not that the curse has been lifted as it sits on the desk now of one agent for what will be a year in February….and it has continued to be turned down with a lovely note attached but now I KNOW it is not the work that is cursed but the so-called business of traditional publishing that is cursed. And so it was with absolute confidence that I set myself up as my own digital publisher and published Children of Salem via the Kindle store where it is available on the Kindle and in many another format for a modest price. And I have also placed it on the paperless, virtual shelf at www.thedigital-bookstore.com

Admittedly, in its earlier permutations and form, Bloodroot should most certainly have been rejected but not Children of Salem. I had every reason and the some to give up on this novel; I even began to believe it had a curse on it and did not want to be told—that perhaps the villains in the piece, based on real historical people, were working against me. But by the same token, Jeremiah Wakely would not let me off so easily; he kept coming back at me and demanding my attention and time and devotion to this story. A good thirty years later I don’t need traditional publishers to finally get this tome, this opus, this book I was born to write out of my bottom drawer forever and into the hands of readers. It is outselling all my other ebooks put together, including the HarperCollins pubbed City Series books that have been priced to high for the typical kindle reader’s liking. Bottom line is that technology I could not have imagined even a year ago has given me a platform and a publication springboard for Children of Salem. And now a first review of the book has popped up on Amazon and it is vindication balm for its author—a FIVE-STAR review. You can read the review and see the great artwork at:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Title-CHILDREN-Romance-Trials/dp/B002GU6LIC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257400408&sr=1-1

Thanks for reading this obsessed author’s blog and happy reading and writing to you. Do leave a comment and let me hear from you.

Rob

http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/

SALUTE to our Veterans! by DL Larson

2009-11-12T08:48:00.002-06:00

Did you hug a Vet, yesterday? Or tell a Vet thank you for their unselfish service? Perhaps you attended a community parade honoring our fallen veterans. Maybe you watched a bit of the service at Fort Hood, heard the President's solemn words about sacrifice and the convictions we hold dear regarding freedom.

Our freedom is a precious commodity. It may never be paid for in full. Seems with every generation a new crop of radicals find ways to sabotage our basic rights to live as we see fit. We retaliate by defending our beliefs, because if we don't, freedom would perish and with it all we as Americans cherish.

Last evening I attended the WindyCity RWA monthly meeting where a Vietnam Vet and his wife of 40+ years were the guest speakers. They talked of "how things were back then," meaning the late 1960's and early 1970's. My generation. Many Vietnam vets have in the last ten years started talking about their experience. Before that time, very few spoke up. Maybe they couldn't verbalize their fears and trials of war because no one wanted to listen; maybe the WWII vets didn't consider Vietnam a REAL war and so the Vietnam vets went underground. Maybe the media had caused too many hearts to harden and the general population thought they knew too much about that ugly war and simply wanted to move on.

Regardless of the reason, I hope we see more Vietnam vets speak up, admit they served our country. We, as citizens can in turn say "thank you" for standing guard during such turmoil. Maybe this blog will encourage a Vietnam vet to wear his veteran's hat in public, or give him the nudge he needs to tell his children he served his country and why. I pray all our vets, men, women, young and old, know how much they are honored and appreciated for keeping our freedom alive.

God Bless and SALUTE to each!

Til next time ~

DL Larson

Advertising Can Be Obnoxious by Morgan Mandel

2009-11-11T07:55:00.020-06:00

As I sit in the commuter train on my way to my day job in Downtown Chicago, I can't help but be annoyed. That's because on select cars at varying times, a bunch of signage covers the car. Today, it's the one I'm in. When I glance out the window, it's like looking through a screen door. Apparently, aesthetics aside, Metra has found a way to get advertising dollars, which in this day and age are sorely needed. If it keeps the fares from going up more, it's worth the inconvenience.

When he sees a commercial come on, my DH grabs the remote and flicks to a different channel. I'm more willing to watch, but what drives me crazy is when a short commercial comes on, is followed by a different commercial, and then after the second one, the very same first one appears. At that point I'll get up and let the dog out or do some other chore because it's just too irritating.

As an author, to get my brand out I'm forced to do advertising, which we like to call promotion. How else will the public know that I've so far written three books? So, I do book signings where people will still stop by and say they've never heard of me before. "That's why I'm here," I usually tell them.

I hand out bookmarks, I get reviews and post them, I send out postcards, I do presentations at libraries, I do so much networking online on blogs, egroups, and networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever have time to concentrate on my work in progress.

Lots of authors find the promotion side of the coin obnoxious. Most of the time I have to admit I enjoy it, maybe even too much - Except for those times when I see thirty emails waiting to be opened so I don't miss something important and I just don't have time to open them, or when I just want to spend time with my husband and our dog child, Rascal and I have to tear myself away from the computer and ignore it.

A happy balance would be nice, but in this competitive day and age, somehow that doesn't seem possible.

What about you? Do you enjoy promotion? Or do you consider it obnoxious? Please share.

Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com/

KEEPING IT SHORT - AND ELECTRONIC by Austin Camacho

2009-11-09T04:01:00.000-06:00

At Bouchercon I saw convincing evidence that the paper book was not dead, as hundreds of fans hauled away rolling cases filled with new acquisitions. But there was also much talk of the popularity of e-books, which got a dramatic boost from the Kindle.

A completely separate ongoing conversation had to do with the threatened death of the short mystery story. The most vocal proponents of this form belong to the Short Mystery Fiction Society which gives out the Derringer Award for the best short mystery of the year.

The challenge with short stories is that there are precious few places to get them published. Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines have little competition these days. The Strand is a larger, slick magazine that also publishes some fiction among other things.

So the question arises, will people buy short stories the way they buy novels in e-book format? Perhaps the short story form will gain even more popularity if the stories can be purchased individually.

If short fiction sold individually is the leading edge of the new wave of reading options, then Echelon Press is standing at that edge. Their new line of Echelon Shorts allows readers to download quick reads for small money – much like downloading the songs you like to make your own IPod mix instead of buying whole CDs.

I loved the idea I decided to submit a story myself and was pleased to be accepted. So now, for a couple of bucks, new readers can get the flavor of a Hannibal Jones novel in a few thousand words. My short story, “A Little Wildness” has all the basic elements of a Hannibal Jones novel in a bite-sized package.

Naturally, I hope you’ll give the story a try. But more to the point, I hope you and others will step further into the 21st century and sample other short stories on the site. This could be the reading plan of the future and we get to be there today.

What I'm Reading

2009-11-08T11:56:00.002-06:00

I'll apologize in advance for the brevity of this post, but I'm feeling a bit under-the-weather today, so I've curled up on the couch with a good book. I chose "According to Jane" by Marilyn Brant (a friend and fellow Chicago-Norther).

So far I'm about 100 pages in, and I'm hooked. Marilyn has spun a marvelous tale of a young woman's journey to find love. I highly recommend picking it up for yourself.

For more about the book and Marilyn herself, visit her website at www.marilynbrant.comUntil next time,

Happy reading!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com

The Palace by Margot Justes

2009-11-07T07:30:00.001-06:00

My fascination with ruins is relatively recent. My first trip to Athens a few years ago got me started. Age may have something to do with it, I look at history with a bit more depth now and ruins are the ultimate show and tell in history, at least for me.

You can see how a society lived, the order that existed and your imagination takes root at the endless possibilities. I wonder if I’m stepping where a scholar stepped, walk the path of a Roman Soldier, an Emperor, the possibilities of historical footsteps are endless, and as a writer that appeals to me.

Diocletian’s Roman Palace is just such a place, filled with history, well preserved, just simply magnificent. His retirement home was built near the place of his birth, Salona close to Split and was ready for his occupation in 305 AD.

It is massive, a fortress as well as a palace originally with entrances on three sides, two on land, one from the sea. Incredibly well preserved and to this day it blends in with centuries of various architectural styles, and the best part, it is woven in with the contemporary life style. People live and work in this gigantic remnant, this incredible relic of ancient Rome.

We were given an impromptu concert-for lack of a better description-in a rotunda, its top long gone, but the sound of the voices echoed thought out and rose to the heavens, poignant Croatian folk songs stirred the emotions of the people standing and listening enthralled to the angelic voices. A memory never to be forgotten.

I'll be in Galena tomorrow signing A Hotel in Paris, at Book World in case anyone is in the area, please stop by and say hello. And the CBRNE threat presentation is posted on my website.

Till next time,
Margot Justes
http://margotsmuse.blogspot.com
http://www.mjustes.com/
A Hotel in Paris ISBN 978-1-59080-534-3

Raising the Dead Manuscript from Its Grave: Part 1 by Robert W. Walker

2009-11-06T04:24:00.015-06:00

I published myself after a lifetime of eschewing any sort of vanity press. And I did it using a “dead” manuscript about a “dead” subject filled with “dead” historical characters in a “dead” time period which one editor, a true pro, said of: “It is the hardest time period to write about, to make come alive, and especially to display any sort of sexual encounter, but in your hands Rob, if anyone can pull it off, it’s you.” That sort of trust and confidence in my writing and even rejection letters laced with lovely and positive remarks has kept me going back and back to the grave to unearth this dead manuscript. Rejected hundreds of times and stowed away off and on for some thirty years or more. I had every reason to lower it into the ground of my past writing attempts and leave it buried and chalk it up to part of that large graveyard of previous work that stays in the grave but represents lessons learned, craft-building, and I am a firm believer that book X could not have come into being as it is had I not failed on book Y from which I learned so much of what to do and what not to do.

Recently as July I began putting up ebooks on the paperless bookstore called Kindle (for the Kindle reader) and I put up a number of out of print titles, and a book of short stories, and a how-to book that is doing well there, and then I decided to place up an original never before seen anywhere else title – Children of Salem, one of my books that had been buried by a stack of rejections so heavy as to be used as the headstone.

Why put it up on Kindle, a book rejected by EVERY New York publishing house twice over in various permutations? A book turned down in fact by any and all publishers, editors, and agents who ever took a look. Was I just being arrogant and publishing the work out of anger or angst or what? No frustration is the word. Fed up with traditional publishers who could not SEE the possibilities of this novel, a novel I had kept faith in for over thirty years, with agents who loved it but couldn’t sell it…with editors who could not turn it down without writing personal notes about how it affected them, etc., etc., I saw the new technology as a godsend for Children of Salem and decided to take the bull by the horns and put it out there. My risk? Only my reputation.

Maybe all those people who had rejected the novel were right, but I didn’t think so and I trust that readers will agree with me, and at least one has! One who has given it a Five-Star review on amazon.com now finally. It feels freeing and great to have taken control and vanity or not, whatever you call digital publishing, for me it was and is VINDICATION as Children of Salem is outselling all my other ebooks save my how-to (Dead On Writing). To see the review and the fantastic cover art my son, Stephen, designed for Children of Salem you need only click here:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Title-CHILDREN-Romance-Trials/dp/B002GU6LIC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257400408&sr=1-1

http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/

I kid you not, I never give up on a novel idea once I have determined it is a worthwhile project, worthy of my time, energy, blood, sweat, and rewrites. This goes for this manuscript that may even be thirty years old, rewritten countless times, given the “drawer” countless times, but never thrown into the flames or fed to the landfill. Is this a good or a bad thing? I suppose it depends on the idea and the execution of the novel, the crafty crafting of the craft.

I bring this up because my Children of Salem, which for decades went by the title of Bloodroot, and I tenaciously held onto the title until I changed my attitude toward the novel. Bloodroot as a title for me was a double entendre: poisonous nightshade or bloodroot posed the idea of a poison in the blood of Puritanism, and it held the image of a rooting in the old world, a poisonous idea that followed mankind on the ships that led us to America and the Bay Colony of Massachusetts.

The title simply felt like a good fit, and the novel was a serious, heavily-heavily researched and layered tale of the Salem Witchcraft episode as it was never portrayed before—a unique look at the economics, the politics, the theology of witchcraft, as well as the geography and history and sociology of the belief and use of that belief during an election year to condemn and thus win reelection. I saw so many connections to modern life in what happened to “us” in 1692.

I can’t count on two hands the number of editors and agents who turned the manuscript down with the proviso that it was a great book “But I can’t sell it.” So it was stashed away again and again, trotted out every couple-few years and rewritten again and given its chance with a new agent or another editor only to chalk up more rejections than Babe Ruth strike outs. But always with the warmly worded, “I can’t get the scenes out of my mind and I loved the book BUT I can’t sell it.”

Again to the bottom drawer, literally. It fit no “commercial” needs or cubby holes, no pigeon holes and no category. It was historical but scary as in real—reality-based terror in which neighbor hangs neighbor but it was also a sociological tract that shed a light on human activity that points a finger at us all. No one was safe and everyone was guilty, and even our hero, Jere Wakely, had unspoken issues that only helped to fan the flames; and it was a condemnation of church and state in bed together, and it was multiple point of view, and somewhere in there a romance was at work….

Little wonder it has always been a hard sell; loved ones considered my angst with this novel as simple—the book had a curse on it, and it had control of me, and it would never give me my freedom. It was a deep well and I was its ghost with chains upon my feet. Loved ones confused my passion with obsession, and at times I too decided it was all a cursed foul matter that I should burn in the nearest roaring fire. Instead I would pull on something within me that insisted this story could be reshaped to get something other than a wonderfully kindly gently worded rejection.

I intend to carry on this discussion NEXT FRIDAY here at Acme so do return. There is a great well of resolve required to have faith in your own work for as many years as I held this belief for my Salem Opus. And so this blog needs be split. Hope to see you back here then and in the meantime do leave me a comment as we make it soooooo easy to leave a comment here.

Rob
http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/

Windy City Authors & Local Libraries! by DL Larson

2009-11-05T08:56:00.002-06:00

Good golly, I love libraries! Look at all this free publicity for the local authors of Illinois who belong to the WindyCity RWA Chapter! The displays have been going on for several weeks in the branch libraries in the Naperville area: 95th Street, Nicols, and Naper Boulevard. I believe the displays will be up for a little longer, so if you get the chance, check them out!

The timing on these displays couldn't come at a better time for me. Just when I'm thinking I'm standing at a crossroads and getting nowhere, some kind souls do this and there my books are standing face out for all to see! There are so many great writers in the WindyCity chapter and I'm proud to be a part of them, glad my books belong with this family of authors.

I'm a great believer in asking for and receiving signs. I know we're not supposed to talk religion on this blog, but I want to share with you what happened recently. I've been asking the good Lord to give me a sign if I'm on the right path, with my life and with my writing. Imagine the pestering child pulling on mama's skirt while she's doing a dozen other things that HAVE got to get done. But I persist; I'm a stubborn child.

I get my answer, not in words, but through action. A RWA friend sent me nine pictures of the WindyCity Author displays. I don't go to Naperville very often so seeing these pictures is the closest I will get to being there. I'm thrilled! My books are right there in the thick of things. But it doesn't stop there.

Two days ago I had a few free moments to chat with my fellow librarians between our preschool visits to the library. We were chatting at the circulation desk when a lady stepped off the elevator and approached us. "I've been looking for you," she said to me. "Would you autograph these for me?" She had two sets of my books, Memories Trail and Promises To Keep. She'd purchased them through Amazon.com. She had the urge to do some Christmas shopping and decided on books. My books.

I didn't know this lady, but somewhere she heard about me. It's been two years since my last book was published, so my books aren't in many stores, and I have to admit I haven't been pushing them like I did awhile ago.

Some might call this coincidence and that's okay. I like to believe it's an answer to a question. All this happened at the right time for me. I simply needed a little nudge to remind me, yes, I'm right where I'm supposed to be, and yes, struggling is part of being an author. If only I could remember that!!!

Til next time ~

DL Larson

A conference is like a garage sale by Morgan Mandel

2009-11-03T23:07:00.002-06:00

A conference is like a garage sale. I never know what I'll discover, but I usually can find something I like to take home with me. Among my take home items, of course, are books, some of them free. Those are just the tangible goodies.

With June's mention of Spring Fling 2010 coming in April, I remember back to my first conference, Of Dark and Stormy Nights, sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America. I read about its existence in a magazine and decided to try it out. There I met many fascinating mystery writers, made friends, and learned much about writing from their panels and speeches. What impressed me was the fact that many others were like me in the same boat, striving to get published. There were also others who had made it to the promised land of publication and were happy to share their experiences.

That was quite a while back. Since then, I've been to Bouchercon, the National RWA conference, Love is Murder, and Spring Fling, to name a few conferences. Each held something unique for me to remember. I got my first contract at Love is Murder one year and had Two Wrongs published, which led to the next contract for Girl of My Dreams. Another year I got my inspiration to self-publish. The result is my recent release, Killer Career.

In April, I'll be going to another Spring Fling conference. I don't know what I'll take back this time, but I'm sure to find something great. For info. on this conference to be held April 23 and 24 at the Hyatt in Deerfield, IL, click onto: http://www.chicagospringfling.com/

What about you? Have you been to any conferences? If so, what do you like about them? Or, maybe you're thinking of trying one. Which one?

Registration Is Open! by June Sproat

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

That would be for Spring Fling 2010 sponsored by Chicago-North RWA.

Dates: April 23-24, 2010

Location: Hyatt, Deerfield, IL

Headliners and Keynote speakers: Cherry Adair and Julia Quinn

The conference will feature workshops led by our headliners, Julia Quinn and Cherry Adair as well as authors Jenna Petersen, Elizabeth Hoyt, Jade Lee, Courtney Milan, and Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and many others.

Pitch appointments will be available with guest Editors: Amanda Bergeron (Avon), Lindsey Faber (Samhain) and Kat O'Shea (Leap Books & The Wild Rose Press) or Agents: Diana Fox, Laurie McLean, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, and Paige Wheeler.

Check the website: http://www.chicagospringfling.com/ for more information and to register.

Hope to see you there!

June

www.junesproat.com

Raking Leaves

2009-11-01T08:47:00.003-06:00

One of the most beautiful parts of fall is the colorful leaves on the trees. The world seems to glow with their deep infusion of reds, golds, yellows, and oranges. They even look beautiful when they cover the ground, blanketing the earth with their vibrant quilt.

Eventually, of course, they need to be raked. I don't really mind this task. Bundling up against the slight chill in the air with the promise of hot apple cider afterwards is a cozy prospect. You don't really need to think about what you're doing, so your mind can wander and think and create. And it's one of those tasks that lets you really see what you've accomplished. Where leaves once covered the lawn, after an hour or so green grass is visible.

But then comes the morning. Overnight the trees have once again shed their colorful coats and leaves dot the ground. By the end of the next day, the grass is blanketed. Time to rake again. This process continues for several weeks. However in time, all of the leaves will have fallen and this task really will be done for the year. Then it's time to look forward to the joys of snow shoveling.

It struck me how raking leaves is much like editing. For me editing is a fun process, a time to really dive into what I've written and clean it up. A page once covered with mistakes and weak verbage becomes clean and strong, using just the right turn of phrase. Of course the next time I look at that very same perfectly written page, I find things I want to change again. And the process goes on. At some point all of the editing is finished, and I send it off to my editor with the delightful task of approving my galley. And then I get to look forward to creating a new story, with new characters and plots, which will some day circle around and be ready for the editing process once again.

I love the change of seasons and the tasks that go with them here in the Midwest, just as I love the tasks that occur is each and every step of the writing process. What a glorious world we live in.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com

Happy Halloween by Margot Justes

2009-10-31T14:23:00.003-05:00

This is one of those life interferes blogs. I thought I'd get my blog written yesterday, but alas, I spent the day at the Daley Center doing my civic duty, as in jury duty.

Silly me, I thought I'd be able to write while waiting, no such luck. I actually made it to a courtroom, a couple of hours later I was not chosen, and was told to go back downstairs and wait for another panel assignment.

And wait I did, till 3:30 when we were told we could all go home. The jury room had a television on all the time, I couldn't concentrate, I'm used to peace and quiet, so no writing. By the time I got home, I was drenched, the proverbial drowned rat look was not pleasant. My daughter came home late last night, and today we're having friends over for pizza, so we have to get ready.

I did start my blog about Diocletian and promise I will post it next Saturday, but for right now Happy Halloween everyone.

Till next time,
Margot Justes
http://www.mjustes.com/
A Hotel in Paris

The Magic of a Facebook Reunion by Robert W. Walker

2009-10-30T05:04:00.000-05:00

Confession: I FREAK OUT a little whenever I see someone from my checkered past suddenly dropping in on me unnounced—or rather announced—online. Suddenly “in my face” on my computer “in my living room” – whoa! OUT OF THE BLUE, seeking “only” to say a hardy HI-HO hello, and I’m immediately circumspect and wondering for what reason is this happening? Why and how come? AS MY FIRST IMPULSE (MY BAD) IS TO ASSUME THE WORST. Did I fail to pay a debt? Did I hurt someone’s feelings? Does she wants to know why I put her in my last book and slandered her—despite the fact it’s NOT her. Or is it someone desperate and seeking a loan? Relatives are good for this one. And on and on my fevered mind runs; yet another part of my brain is shouting, “Nah, man, this is cool! This is no Trojan Horse; this is a gift as when I heard from Owl Goingback, the only Native American I know who writes horror novels. So….Open that package. This is a gift. Someone who thinks enough of you to make first contact, and what are the chances it’s not good news?

Well in all instances of such contacts that I have indeed opened and read, they have all worked out wonderfully, and perhaps I have been lucky but those from my past who have either looked me up or stumbled upon me on Twitter or Myspace or Facebook have turned out to be great friends who merely wished to renew an acquaintance; folks who at some time shared moments with yours truly and it is complimentary that they wish to know how you are doing years later. Says something about you actually. Something good.

Most recently a wholly great reunion was made, one that has taken ten years and still Steve and I picked up as if it were yesterday –and in fact, we are throwing in with one another to collaborate on a novel. Oddly, it came about slowly and without a plan, and it was the last thing on either mind as we had chatted over months about all the trivia and news one expends time and energy on on Facebook. The idea to collaborate came about as an afterthought. But think about that. Two friends reunite online, one in Sweden, one in America, one a Brit, the other a Chicagoan, and whamo they are in business together.

Ten years ago I said yes to an online contest wherein the winner won the dubious honor of becoming a character in my next Instinct title. Steve Savile won the prize, knowing my stipulation—that I’d have to create his character free of any stipulations, and so I made him a London cop’s peg-legged snitch whose nickname was Dot’n’Carry for the noise he made coming and going with that wooden leg. Steve loved it; so much so that he read passages from the book to his students, despite the poking fun at him. He took it so well but I always warn people to “be careful or your might wind up in one of my novels”—so he wasn’t a complete innocent on arrival.

I also knew that Steve aspired to be a writer of thrillers, suspense, and horror as well, and when he showed up at DragonCon Atlanta one year maybe eight years ago and found me at my signing, we had a warm first face to face meeting. I was so impressed with Steve that I decided to revive Dot’n’Carry in City for Ransom and its two sequels a couple few years ago. I contacted Steve to warn him that the Dot man was back but set back in the 1800’s. He was again thrilled and a sport about it.

Now on the tenth year anniversary of Steve’s debut as a character in Blind Instinct, we have teamed up—due to conversations on Facebook—to do a collaboration on an idea we began kicking over online. How cool is that? Really?

Then I hear from Adam Pepper—another great young writer. We met at Love is Murder years ago—maybe five or six years. Again Adam simply wanted to give me a shout out and to say hello. It was great to reminisce about our meeting in Chicago as we shared an adventure there—getting lost on a snowy night in my own damn city; we had a wild ride that night, one that I still call Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I was told by Steve that he felt “honoured” to be working on a book with me, honored with a U. Then Adam boosts my ego by calling me “Royalty” with a capital R. They both have told me that despite what any publisher decides as in ending a series with my name on it, that they know from whom they have learned…who they read in order to master their own skills. You can’t buy that kind of thank you from readers who became writers in part inspired by you.

I have always said the same was true for me when reading John Lutz, Ed Gorman, William Bayer and certainly Dean R. Koontz, and a long, long list of other authors ranging from Martin Cruz Smith to Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. Two lessons or morals of the story here: Don’t fear old friends looking you up online unless you know them to be psycho, and secondly: learn all you can from the authors who came before you.

Happy Writing and Reading everyone,

Rob
http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/
http://www.amazon.com/kindlebooks
http://www.smashwords.com/
http://www.wordclay.com/
http://www.digital-bookstore.com/

"Dead On takes the reader's capacity for the imagination of horror to stomach turning depths, and then gives it more twists than a Georgia backroad that paves an Indian trail." - Nash Black

Halloween Plans! by DL Larson

2009-10-29T08:32:00.002-05:00

The Children's Department of my library has been transformed. It now has the ghoulish look of an abandoned building. The windows are blacked out, cobwebs abound across every book case and an influx of spiders has encroached on the area. In other words, we're ready to have some fun.

Our Teen Advisory Board decided to host a haunted house. It's called 'The Abandoned Library Walk-Thru.' We have creepy music, including Marilyn Manson stuff - G rated, yet full of creeking, moaning and eery sounds. We have a fogger ready to disorient our guests, but the most exciting is the large strobe light. If only I had dug that out of my supply box first, none of the other props would have been necessary. As we set up last night, we had to take strobe-light run throughs, which meant turn off all the lights and dance around to the flashing, jarring light. I have to admit, the hippy girl in me enjoyed it immensely and I busted a move or two. I'm thinking the kink in my neck this morning may have something to do with that.

We have all our props ready for the adult section upstairs and will finish that area on Friday before our event begins. The weather has threatened to be soggy if not darn right wet and cold, so we opted to leave our back entrance for our guests to wait in case of inclement weather, which is all we've had in the midwest lately. We've sent out numerous flyers around town and take home notes to school kids. We decided to charge $1/person with all the proceeds going to our local Helping Hands. All we need to do now is get our costumes ready.

The kids don't need any help in that area, they have too many ideas and struggled in deciding what they really wanted to be. I am wearing a hockey mask and something black with a cape. I don't want my little friends to think I actually had anything to do with this project. I want "Mrs. Deb" to hear about it rather than be visible to them and have them become afraid of me. I got this idea from a school teacher friend of mine. She's taught for over twenty years and said the kids loved telling her about their Halloween program, thinking she hadn't attended because they never recognized her in her costume. She's a clever woman, a little devious too.

Halloween night is another costume change. My family has decided we all need to be pirates for trick or treating! There are seven of us and I will undoubedly be the oldest and scraggliest-looking one who refused to cough up a lot of money for her attire. I'd rather spend my booty on more worthy endeavors - like candy, and drinks, and supper.

What are your plans for this Halloween? Are you hosting a party? Going to one? Hitting the streets with your little ones? How about a costume? What's the child in you want to be this year?

Share your Halloween plans with us!

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

Please Welcome My Guest, Marilyn Meredith, Mystery Author - Morgan Mandel

2009-10-28T04:27:00.000-05:00

A Tulare County Supervisor, with both Native American and Mexican roots, dies under suspicious circumstances. Because of Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s own ties to the Bear Creek Indian Reservation, she’s asked to help with the investigation. To complicate matters, besides the supervisor’s husband, several others had reason to want the woman dead.

Tempe has unsettling dreams, dreams that may predict the future and bring back memories of her grandmother’s stories about the legend of the Hairy Man. Once again, Tempe’s life is threatened and this time, she fears no one will come to her rescue in time.

Now that you've heard something about Marilyn's latest book, here's some great advice from Marilyn about Critique Groups.

The Value of a Writing Critique Group By Marilyn Meredith

Though I certainly realize all critique groups are not the same, I couldn’t get along without my critique group. I’ve belonged to it for twenty-eight years. I found it through an ad in the newspaper when I first moved into the area.

The group began as a college creative writing class that kept attracting the same students. It evolved into a group that met in the instructor’s home. When I joined, the group moved from home to home and the instructor was taking a break. At that time, there were at least ten members, often making it impossible for every writer to read what they brought. In that case, the ones who were left out got to read first the next week.

For a short while, the group consisted of people who were more interested in getting together than writing. One fellow couldn’t stand to be criticized. The new facilitator suggested that we move to her home and handpick who should join us—those who were serious about their writing. From that time forward nearly everyone who has become a regular participant really wants to improve their writing.

People move on for one reason or another, and at this time we are now meeting in the originator’s home, the instructor who started it all. We have five regular participants. Each one brings a chapter, about ten pages or so, with pages printed out for everyone to follow along as the author reads and writes comments.

We have some loose rules. No interruptions while the author is reading. When he or she is done, we take turns critiquing the piece—again, no interruptions. After, if the author wants to explain something, that’s allowed. However, we’ve all come to realize that if an explanation is necessary, some rewriting is needed.

I’m the most published of the group, but I find its help invaluable. I consider them my first editor. I’m the only one writing mystery, but that hasn’t been a problem. One member is great at finding grammar mistakes and inconsistencies in content. A younger author always picks up on dialogue or clothing that’s old-fashioned or doesn’t fit the piece. She also gave me some great tips on how to describe running on the beach. Our one and only man is invaluable for problems with firearms, cars, and male dialogue. Another member doesn’t give much criticism but writes great comments and suggestions on the chapter itself.

When I’m home, usually the next day, and start going through the chapter, using the papers they’ve made their notes on, I’m amazed at the different mistakes they’ve found and the variety of comments. Of course there are some I don’t agree with, but usually just the fact that something bothered the reader gives me a nudge and I find a better way to write the sentence or paragraph.

At my most recent writer meeting, I thought what I’d brought was a truly exciting action scene. When I was through, one of the members said, “You’re not going to like what I have to say.” Gulp. He thought the whole chapter was too choppy. I had to think about that for awhile. The others voiced their opinion and more or less agreed. I know that when I’m writing something exciting, I don’t write as much as I should. Most authors seem to have the opposite problem and become too wordy.

So now it’s up to me to flesh out the chapter, develop it so it won’t be “choppy.” I can do that.

Thank goodness for my critique group because I honestly thought it an exciting piece. Oh, the excitement was there, I just left too many questions unanswered as the others pointed out one by one.

Yes, they heard every chapter of my latest book, Dispel the Mist, as well as most of the others in my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. In fact, they know Tempe almost as well as I do. Besides being critique partners, they’ve all become good friends despite having different backgrounds. We all have one thing in common—we want to be the best writers possible.
Marilyn Meredith

Dispel the Mist is available from the publisher http://mundaniapress.com as an e-book and trade paperback as well as online and your local bookstore.

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over twenty-five published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series. No Sanctuary is the newest from Oak Tree Press.

She is a member of EPIC, four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, WOK, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She was an instructor for Writer’s Digest School for ten years, served as an instructor at the Maui Writer’s Retreat and many other writer’s conferences. She makes her home in Springville CA, much like Bear Creek where Deputy Tempe Crabtree lives. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com/ and at her blog - http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com//.

Please leave a comment for Marilyn. Maybe you have some good or bad experiences with critique groups you'd like to share, or maybe you'd just like to say hello.

The Worst Blogger Ever by June Sproat

2009-10-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have to be the worst blogger ever. No, really. I’m not very good at it. But I’m hoping to change that because I’ve got big news. I’m going to London, as in England!!

I know, I can’t believe it myself, but it’s true. And, I’m going next month.

Yep, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a pantser. I write like I live, by the seat of my pants. (It drives my mom nuts!)

So, I’m going to London and I’m not sure what I’m doing. I’ve got the passport, the hotel, the plane tickets -- I sort of have a plan. I know for sure I’m going to Bath. I mean I love Regency historicals and I’m dieing to write one, so this will be the idea location for research. Other than that the plan is open.

I know Margot shared her adventures, so I will be blogging about mine, planning and surviving stages.

Anyone with any advice or knowledge you want to share, please feel free, (like getting from the airport to my hotel—I’m going to have luggage and don’t want to take the underground.)

Thanks for reading!

Best,
June

ps: Mom, I did get really good walking shoes!

www.junesproat.com

A Theory

2009-10-25T09:07:00.002-05:00

Lately work has been stressing me out. There's a lot to do, not enough time to do it, and to top it off, my computer at work crashed about three weeks ago and I haven't gotten a replacement yet. I'm sure many of you can relate. Because of all of this, my attitude hasn't been the greatest on some days. I'm just tired.

But, last week I discovered something. I'm sure this isn't anything new, but for me it was like a lightbulb went on.

If I like my outfit for the day, my day is a little brighter, the frustrations aren't so grating, and my whole attitude is better. Now I'm a decent dresser. I tend to like what's in my closet comprising my wardrobe. But I am finding that my clothes are getting old. They still look nice, but I'm simply tired of wearing them. I've had them for a while and it's kind of a case of same-old-same-old.

Last week I made an effort to only wear the outfits that I really, really liked. And you know what? I had a great week!

I figured the same concept could be applied in my writing. In historicals, the description of characters' clothing is very important. It helps to set the scene and ground us in the time period. But even in contemporary romance, clothing can play an important role. If my heroine is down in the dumps, she's probably not all gussied up, but dressed in sweats and an old ratty T-shirt. If my hero is coming to pick his girl up for a date, he's probably shined his boots and pressed his shirt, not come striaght from the barn. It's those little things that make my writing authentic.

So the next time I get time to sit down and write, I think I'll pay attention to what my characters are wearing. And, I think it's time to go shopping and spruce up my wardrobe. A bit of "out with the old and in with the new".

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra

www.debrastjohnromance.com