All Grown Up

Today I'm using my post here at Acme to do double duty as it were. At "Heroines with Hearts" (the other blog I participate in) we are celebrating 100 followers with a Blogfest this weekend. Our topic...the first 'grown up' book we read.

The year was 1983. I was fourteen years old. An eighth grader.

My family and I had just finished watching the tv mini-series "The Thorn Birds". I was home ill from school. Since I was old enough to be on my own, and whatever virus I was currently suffering from wasn't life threatening, I was home alone. My mom had a copy of the book on her dresser, and I picked it up and thought, "Hey, I really liked this movie, I wonder if the book is any good." (Or something to that effect.)



So I read it.

Let's just say the book had a lot more detail than the movie. Definitely adult reading. Not just sex, but forbidden sex with a priest. Not that the actual story-line was a complete shock, like I said, I'd already seen the movie, but I did learn some new vocabulary. For example, in the scene where the old lady tries to seduce the priest, but he's not interested, I learned the word 'flaccid'. Had to look it up in the dictionary as a matter of fact.

Looking back now, compared to the things I read and write these days (spicy romance is the usual term used), The Thorn Birds seems quite tame. But for a fourteen year old, wow, it was the big time.

From there I went on to skip the whole "Sweet Valley High" phase that many high schoolers of my day journeyed through and went straight into the Harlequin American line. I haven't looked back since. And it's been a wonderful ride!

So, how about you? What's the first 'grown up' novel you ever read? (Be sure to check out other Blogfest participant posts on this topic. For links to their sites, visit Heroines with Hearts.)

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Imagine you are a ePublished author, whether with a small press or an Indie author, and someone offers you free publicity online, press release opportunities, online PR and it is all FREE and up to you as to how much you wish to indulge? What is your response?  First comes the initial warning MOM always told you about -- "If it sounds too good to be true...it surely is too good to be true."  But what if I told you that I know the gentle soul behind this utopia for ePub authors and Kindle book authors haven, and that is motives--while not entirely pure or wanting of success for himself--is as pure as it gets since he wants you to succeed as well; in fact, Patrick wants every worthy ePub author to be successful as he believes there is room for us all to be successful.  More importantly, he wants to create a special place where ePub authors have their own community.  In fact, he named it ePub Community.

I understand skepticism but trust me, here you can put it aside. There are some functions at the site that are confusing simply because of their simplicity but anticipated complexity. The reviews is one such area.

You can place a review, vote, etc., just like posting in a forum. You can copy other reviews on your books and paste them into the submission form.

The trick for me was getting into the habit of checking the menu and seeing what options changed depending on which module I selected. Keep in mind that each menu item is a different module, they were programmed independently on purpose so their systematic promotions would be unique as well.

Don't be intimidated by the scope and hope of this site, that is the ambitiousness posited here. That's just Patrick at work -- a challenge. Just look at it as another site to explore and use to your advantage when it makes sense to do so. Currently, it is a grass-roots effort to create a home for us all.  I hope you will accept my highest recommendation for this site. Here is where our ePublishingConsortium can be found and some information on the ePub author behind it, Patrick:

http://ePublishingConsortium.com

The Legacy Inheritance
http://www.amazon.com/The-Legacy-Inheritance-ebook/dp/B004OA6EAM/

The Lady of the Lake
http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Lake-ebook/dp/B004OYTT28/
PLEASE leave a comment and take advantage of the above --
Robert W. Walker (Rob)
author, Children of Salem, Titanic 2012 (limited time sale thru July)
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Robert+W.+Walker&x=17&y=27

Organizing Your Research by DL Larson

When I first started researching the early 1800's for my American historical, I took plenty of notes. I was very careful to site the title, copyright dates, volume, author, and what library I was researching from. I even kept track of the page numbers I found important information. I wanted to make sure when I posted my Bibliography at the end of my novel, I would have all the accurate documentation. Well, I succeeded in accomplishing that, but it didn't take long for me to realize I needed another system to keep track of the information I acquired. You may need an organizing system as well.

After shuffling through notebooks, copied pages from books, and numerous notations in my own handwriting, I knew it would be quicker in the long run to index what I had already found. My system started out much like an inverted pyramid. I used topic titles such as: Indian Tribes, Routes, Military, Rivers, Towns: Indian/White, Maps, Laws Passed, etc. This was done well before excel was a household word.

Within any topic title I kept several folders, for instance the Indian Tribes I researched were many and varied from culture to culture. My story included real people in our history so details became very important. The Pawnee Indian Tribe was very different from the Shawnee, yet they knew of each other and cross referencing became even more important. Color coding worked well in keeping my notes accurate and easy to verify if I had a question that needed answering. I didn't want to state something as simple as the Pawnee were friends with the Potawatomi if they were in fact sworn enemies or had no contact with them during that era.

Timelines, as we've mentioned this week, are very important. When doing a historical about a real person (and well known) it's never good to have him in one part of the country in a your story when history has him in another place. I documented where my character was over a three year period and although I sometimes forgot and the writing took over, it was easy to search through my notes and sigh with relief when he was where I needed him to be.

Research may be tedious, yet once organized it will save hours of time for any writer. My system may not work well for you, but what ever system you develop, it will prove its worth as you write your story.

I always thought I would write more about Indians of the midwest since I acquired so much information, but I never have. Yet, I'm not willing to throw my notes away. Maybe someday I will revisit those archives.

What works well for you in note keeping or researching a special topic for your book? Tell us your secrets on keeping organized.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

When Is It? How to Control Your Timeline by Morgan Mandel

Real time has a way of escaping. Summer flashes by so quickly before you know it its time to get the Christmas list going.

Don't let this happen to you when you write. You need to keep your readers grounded. You can't let time of day, day of the week, month or season escape, or your readers will get confused, or even angry.You can cheat on the year, if you want to keep it generic, but you need to be consistent. For instance, you can't describe a 70's happening when you want the book to occur in present time, unless you're doing a flashback.

Forever Young
Blessing or Curse

While editing Forever Young-Blessing or Curse, I found spots where I'd meandered from the timeline, saying in one place three months had passed, then later I'd unintentionally jumped back to one of those past months.

It gets tricky to keep track of a timeline, but it's essential to do so. The best and easiest way to do this is by keeping track as you go along, but of course I chose the hard way. I wrote what I wanted and then had to face the consequences when I edited. I had to go back through the chapters and figure out exactly when each event took place and make corrections. For that, I started taking notes, but found that too tedious. I then proceeded to write events on a printed calendar, but couldn't fit them in, not to mention that after typing for so many years, my handwriting is hard for even me to read.

Inspiration struck and I did what I should have done at the beginning. I told Microsoft Word to find me a calendar, and it offered me a nice selection. I chose one with lines and columns on one side, holidays underneath, and on the other side the actual calendar for the year, with all the months, days and dates. With this calendar I can type in what I want and even change the column headings if I so desire. Mine say Events, Date, Time and Day. So far it's working pretty well.

I'm happy with my new way of keeping track of the timeline. Now I can be sure my readers and I both know the answer to the When Is It question.

What's your way? Or, maybe you'd like to try mine.




http://www.morganmandel.com/
http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com/

Killer Career now 99 cents
on Kindle and Smashwords.

The Best Laid Plans

So last week was going to be one of those perfect summer weeks. My hubby and I were heading off on a long weekend vacation with our parents. It's something we do every year. We look forward to it all year long. A fun time away spent exploring the sights and secrets of a small town. Then, we had tickets to Ravinia (the outdoor concert venue here in Chicagoland) for a symphony show. I looked forward to a picnic on the lawn, complete with wine, beer bread, and assorted fruits. Plus time under the stars with my wonderful hubby. Finally, friends and I had tickets for the latest (and last) Harry Potter film for opening night. An event over ten years in the making.

Ah, yes, it was going to be a wonderful week.

But alas, all that changed when I wound up in the hospital having surgery instead. Now I face recovery, which is going well, but definitely not the way I planned to spend my summer.

So, what do I take away from all of this (besides a clean bill of health when all is said and done eventually)? A tie in to writing, of course.

All of the changing and rearranging these past couple of weeks reminded me that my characters go through many ups and downs before they find their happily ever after. In fact, readers expect a bumpy road instead of smooth sailing. If they got from point A to point B without any twists and turns and unexpected happenings, it wouldn't make for a very interesting read, would it?

Why should real life be any different?

So I will take heart and look toward the light at the end of the tunnel and my own happily ever after just a little bit farther down the road.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Now and then I read about someone who feels overwhelmed with their email. There are ways you can bring that email monster under control by using labels, folders, and rules. Details will vary from one email provider to another, but I will describe a few things you can do with Gmail.

Create a filter.

Once you select Create a filter, you see a slew of options.

If you receive mail from sources you don't care about, you could have it automatically deleted. Or you could Star email from important sources, automatically putting it in a separate Priority category. Another nice thing you can do here or with individual emails is create labels. For example, anything coming from a member of my family is labeled "Family."

Archive mail you've read and want to keep.

This gets the mail out of your inbox but keeps it accessible. If you use this tool together with labeling, you will get your email under control.

Getting It Just Right! by DL Larson

Last night my husband and I were watching a TV show with an episode about a race car driver. The driver had both hands on the steering wheel but the sound track had the car shifting gears. My husband commented, "wonder who's shifting?" Then shortly after that a commercial came on. Not a big surprise. The spokesman said he was a retired school teacher and wanted to make sure the government did not take his social security away from him. Hmmmm, something didn't seem quite right about his words. Then it dawned on me, teachers have their own retirement plan, they do not receive social security once they retire. The information the man gave was wrong, wrong, wrong!

Small details are important and the writing world is no different when it comes to particulars. Using half-truths or not doing the research needed does several things to your credibility as a writer. If your readers know something you wrote is not accurate, they may not want to read another book by you. Editors and publishers will assume you are an expert on whatever you are writing about. If they find out differently, that too can be detrimental to your career.

Years ago when I first started writing, my dad read my first manuscript. It was daunting to have him read my historical family saga, but I figured I better get over that. Well, he read it, said he enjoyed it immensely, but I better research pheasants a bit more. Pheasants? I didn't remember writing about pheasants. He replied that my character went hunting and brought home a few. What I learned, thanks to my dad, pheasants were not native to the United States. I had no idea!
It was a great lesson about small details.

Have you discovered inaccuracies in books you've read? What bothers you when reading something you know to be different than how the author protrays it to be? Or, has anyone pointed out a mistake in your work?

Share with us!

Til next time ~

DL Larson