You can enter to win a free advanced review copy of my new book, THE DECEPTION OF DEVIN MILLER! Just click HERE... ****Two things before you read this post: Do you know the story of the Little Red Hen... and do you know who Benedict Cumberbatch (BBCs Sherlock) is... Read on... ;)
**** Do you know the story of the 'Little Red Hen'? It is an old fable. I tried to find the original writer but couldn't (if you have any idea, leave a comment.)
The basic story (and I'll have a very special reading of it at the end of this post... by a very famous... um... villain/detective *hint* ) is that this little red hen is going to make some bread. She has to plant the wheat, gather the wheat, turn it into flour, and bake it.
Along the way, she asks her friends for help. The rat, the cat, and the dog all say no...
Except...
When the Little Red Hen asks if they want to eat it. They all jump up and go in for supper. And do you know what she tells them? NO! Because they haven't done any of the work.
So... how does this relate to being a Mama and a Writer? When I first started writing, the husband wasn't very happy about it. To him, it was a hobby-- like his fishing-- and it was taking a lot of time... which it was. A LOT of time (now it takes longer bc of social media lol) He was happy when I got my first book contract. He was proud when the book came out. When I started writing the second book... wow. He wasn't thrilled. He thought this was a one hit thing, I suppose. He thought one book a year would be great. I had to explain for any writer now days to get their name out, you have to write 3-4 books a year-- which is daunting with 3 small kids and a full time job. Finally, when people started actually buying the book and people started talking to him about it, he got very excited! He loved my writing and has made every effort since then to 'give me time' to write. It took a year of unhappiness (on that front), but now he's one of my most vocal supporters. He wasn't there for the planting, harvesting, or cooking-- but he's there for the final product. Unlike the Little Red Hen, I'm just happy he's on board now :) If you are trying to write and there is someone not exactly with you, I understand. But it will pass. My husband is very excited about my self-publishing my 3rd book! I NEVER thought he would be. People surprise you!Okay... great. That hits writing, but what about being a Mama? For months, I took my oldest 2 girls to tumbling practice. Toward the latter, my sister came with me. The husband took them a few times, but mainly, it was me. I definitely paid the tuition (though my mother did pay for the recital). The point is, I was there 95% of the time. I did most of the leg work when it came to getting them to and from tumbling. On the day of the recital, everyone was there. My 2 year old started acting like a sleepy, cranky 2 year old and I had to take her out. Guess who didn't get to sit in her seat and 'eat the bread' of watching her girls' recital? Yup... We, as Mamas, get the not so pleasant jobs at times. We get the cleaning up the messes, the arguing, the crying when we brush their hair-- but the others get the 'reward' (the bread at the end of the story) Should we get bitter about it? Well, no... doesn't mean we don't sometimes though. It's human. What about you? Do you have some Little Red Hen moments in your life? Did they (like my husband) turn around and become one of your biggest supporters? And JUST IN CASE you don't know the story of the Little Red Hen-- and just if you are having a bad day-- here is Benedict Cumberbatch (star of BBCs Sherlock and Star Trek: Into Darkness) reading... The Little Red Hen(Proceed to fangirl now if you must ;) ) (from youtube)
Wanna 'TREAT' this Halloween? I'm participating with Lisa Orchard, author of THE SUPER SPIES and the HIGH SCHOOL BOMBER (and lots of other authors) for a Spooky Good Giveaway! One winner will win a Kindle Fire ! We are playing a game called 'bobbing for books'. Here’s how to play and enter the contest via Lisa Orchard’s blog 1. TWEET about the giveaway and then FB share. (Each time you do this, comment on Lisa's blog with the tweet/facebook status URL, HERE) 2. Buy a participating author’s book(s) and post the confirmation code of purchase/book title in a comment on Lisa Orchard’s blog. 3. Enter as many times as you want! There is no limit. 4. Winner will be chosen on OCTOBER 30th. Tweet/share = one entry. Book bought = two entries so enter often... BUT don't forget to leave a comment on Lisa's Blog for each book bought and tweet/fb post to get credit for the giveaway.**All books are clean reads. NO purchase necessary. The amount of chances to win depends on how many entries you have.HERE ARE THE BOOKS... “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” By: Lisa Orchard
An innocent game of Truth or Dare spins out of control when Sarah Cole discovers the dead body of the Cat Lady and what’s worse? The lead detective believes they’re responsible for the old woman’s death. Sarah realizes it’s up to The Super Spies to snare the Cat Lady Killer…or die trying.. A great Halloween read! BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Crossing the Deep” By: Kelly Martin
Sixteen year old Rachel Harker expects the hiking trip in the mountains to be short and painless. Four days later, injured and scared, she just prays to make it home alive. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Hauntings of the Heart” By Joselyn Vaughn
When lost love shows up on your doorstep, what do you do? Minnie Schultz slams the door in his face. With the help of some paranormal investigators, an Elvis impersonator and a couple of nosey friends, can Minnie and Gordon find the future they were meant to have? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Joselyn’s books here: http://joselynvaughn.com
“Abiding Echoes” By: Kay Springsteen
Love is family… Love is endless… Love is timeless… Love is abiding… BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Kay’s books here: http://kayspringsteen.wordpress.com/
“Vala Appointed” By: J. F. Jenkins
Identical twins Anj and Zes Willam have always been considered odd, even in a world where myth is real. Their magic is powerful and intense, as well as their secrets. None more so than Anj, who has the biggest secret of them all. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Double Crossing” By: Meg Mims
August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed — both are now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey. As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust—the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her … for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble “Cruel Justice” By: Mel Comley
The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovered decomposing in Chelling Forest. Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs are assigned to the case. A few days later another victim, this time a young girl, is discovered. Who could the killer be and what’s the connection between the two victims? BUY LINKS: Amazon/ US Amazon/UK Find more of Mel’s books here: http://melcomley.blogspot.fr/
“Moonlight on the Palms” By: Lisa Greer
When professor Astrid Kent’s estranged mother dies, she returns to her childhood home of La Casa De La Luz to set things right. But secrets, murder, and her mother’s ex-husband—Astrid’s former fiance before she fled Texas in shame—threaten to entangle her at every turn, even as another man vies for her heart. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble: Find more of Lisa’s books here: http://www.lisalgreer.com/
“Prepare to Receive More” By: Benecia Ponder
A Step-by-Step Guide to Forming Your Prosperity Partnership with God. BUY LINKS: Amazon:
“The Trouble with Charlie” By: Catherine Bennett
Love. Desire. A psycho bent on revenge. But can Charlie Reynolds recognize the most dangerous of the three? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“At What Cost” By: J. Andersen
When sixteen year old Maggie Reynolds discovers she’s pregnant at the beginning of Junior year, she’s scared to death to tell her parents for fear of what they’ll do. Luckily, her boyfriend suggests another alternative: abortion, but will it really solve all her problems like she hopes it will? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“The Legacy” By: Patricia Kiyono
A family finds and embraces its samurai heritage. The Legacy introduces the Tanaka family, whose story begins in The Samurai’s Garden, available beginning November 6 from your favorite ebook distributor! BUY LINKS: AMAZON
“The Last Time Keepers” By: Sharon Ledwith
When Amanda Sault and her four classmates are caught in a major food fight at school, they are given the choice of suspension or yard duty. It was a no-brainer. A two-week crash course in landscaping leads the kids to discover a weathered stone arch buried in an overgrown backyard. Instead of a forgotten lawn ornament, it turns out to be an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis. BUY LINKS: Musa Publishing Amazon Barnes and Noble “There your Heart will be Also” By: Felicia Rogers
The Renaissance Hearts Series – Begin the adventure with Sarra and Cedric. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Felicia’s books here: http://feliciarogersauthor.weebly.com/
“A Collie Rescue” By: Lindsay Downs
Former Army Sergeant Sandi Charleston, diagnosed with PTSD and homeless barely survives day to day. By a miracle of fate she meets Taz, a uniquely special collie, who helps turn her life around. BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Lindsay Downs books here: www.murdersandmysteries.wordpress.com
“A New Dream” By: Elaine Cantrell
Former NFL player Matt McCallum and baker Violet Emerson find a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returns to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble
“Psychic” By: John Warnock
What if you awoke one day and discovered you had ESP? Would you feel blessed? Or would you feel cursed? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble: Find more of John’s books here:http://www.johnwarnock.info/
“Secrets of Catalpa Hall” By: Lori Lapekes
BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Lori’s books here: http://lorilapekes.com/
“No Job for a Woman” By: Sherry Gloag
Circumstances demand Julian and Deborah learn to work together and Julian dares to dream that he might gain the love of the only person he’s ever given his heart to. But will Deborah live long enough to discover that by releasing everything she values, she will gain everything her heart desires? BUY LINKS: Amazon Barnes and Noble Find more of Sherry’s books here: http://www.sherrygloag.com/
****Please be aware that the KINDLE FIRE will be gifted from Amazon and sent directly from there. Therefore, if the winner receives a damaged prize, myself and the participating authors are not held liable for any damages. The winner must work with Amazon to get a replacement. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on OCTOBER 30th.
Friends, I don't normally do book reviews, but I thought I'd start. I love reading 'clean' fiction (meaning no bad words or, as my publisher calls it pink parts... you can figure that part out on your own ;) )
I haven't decided if I'm going to do one a month, two a month, or every week... probably not every week.
But I wanted to start off with a book I really enjoyed. It's called RAFAEL by K. Victoria Chase.
(ain't that cover awesome? :) ) K. Victoria Chase sent me this book for free to review-- however, I kinda lost it. I loved it so much that I went ahead and bought it for my e-reader. Folks, that's love of a book!
The basic plot is Genie Green is a detective-- and a scorned woman. *Something* has happened to cause her not only to not trust men, but to have serious issues with God. A particularly perplexing case falls in her lap, bringing with it Rafael Santiago from California. He's helping her on the case, and she's not happy about at all. It's not just because he's a man but because he was also a member of the Snakes-- the gang supposedly connected to the seemingly random murders. Genie doesn't know if she can trust Rafael. His 'former bad boy with a heart of gold' routine might be an act, but there is something about him: something passed his good looks and sweet personality that makes her trust him (whether she wants to or not). I absolutely loved this book. I wanted so badly for it to be in paperback so I could flip to the end (yeah, I know you can do that on a nook, but I don't exactly know how lol.)
Rafael is an absolute charmer (but not in a swarmy way). He knows who he is, what he is, and all about his past, but he doesn't let that define him. And he loves his Mama (come on, girls... let's all sigh at that :) ).
Genie is as hardheaded as she can be. She has her reasons. She's a woman in a man's world, and she wants to advance through the ranks to eventually be in the FBI. She sees Rafael as someone blocking that goal, so she's not entirely thrilled with him.
I'm not going to lie, this book didn't end the way I thought it would. That's not a bad thing either.
The writing about the crime/murders was very realistic, most likely due to the fact that Ms. Chase works in law enforcement. The characters are believable, flawed, and have the same questions about life we all have.
And the kisses... oh the kisses... they are pretty hot as well :)
I give Rafael 5 out of 5 stars.
Here is a little preview. I love these 2 together:
“Wow. You know, you have a real talent with women.” Rafa gave her a sideways glance but didn’t answer. She saw the corners of his mouth fight an upward pull. “I bet they have you working all the female subject interviews.” Genie tugged hard on the door handle. “You don’t have to be jealous Genie,” came his smooth reply. “Jealous? Ha! Why would I be jealous of her? Over you?” She got in and slammed the door closed. Rafa slid effortlessly into the seat, calmly closed the door, and jerked his seatbelt on when the car surged forward. Genie nearly forgot to brief the surveillance team, and she whipped the vehicle around and pulled alongside the other car. She rolled down her window. “Let’s give it another day fellas. I’ll let the Lieutenant know and if there is any change to the plan, then we’ll give you a call. Until then, your relief will come as scheduled.” They nodded in affirmation, and Genie drove away. “Watch your speed,” Rafa teased. “My speed? What about your speed?” “Myspeed?” His voice feigned innocence to her insinuation. “In another minute Ms. Flores Cera would have forgone the call and invited you in. I’m sure she could whip up some fajitas and rice in no time.” Rafa roared with laughter. “Do you hear yourself? Fajitas and rice? Who knew Ms. Church could toss around stereotypes.” Genie blinked. Did she truly say that? Shame swept through her. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “That was unkind. I don’t know what I was thinking.” “I do.” Genie heard the smile in his voice. She wasn’t jealous. She. Wasn’t. Jealous.
Whether you’re writing a term paper, short story, or novel, your first words have an important job to do. They grab the reader’s attention, leaving ’em begging for more. Fail to do that, and your reader will find something more exciting to do, like cleaning the lint from her belly button.
Everyone has different expectations as to what makes a great first paragraph of a story. Genre and personal preference play a large role here. But the most important thing to grab your reader’s attention is the voice. Take note, this is also true for term papers. Not to leave you in suspense or anything, but I’ll be discussing the mysterious voice next week.
There are a few things you want to avoid in the first paragraph of your story:
Rambling beginnings where nothing is happening except for a long detailed description of your setting and main character. Boring!
Overwriting. This means too many adverbs and adjectives. I’ll be discussing this topic more in the near future.
Jumping in without giving the reader anything to cling to. Why should we care about your protagonist as she jumps off a cliff?
Asking questions. I read a first paragraph recently from an unpublished fiction writer. In it, the protagonist asked five questions. The paragraph had only six sentences in it to begin with. You want your readers to be asking the questions, not the protagonist. If your readers are asking them, then they’ll keep reading because they want to discover the answers. Right?
Starting with your protagonist waking up, unless she’s jarred awake by someone entering her room. If you do this, then build the suspense (always a goodie for opening paragraphs) so the reader has to go to the next paragraph to find out who the perpetrator is. A vampire. A criminal. Her older sister coming in through the window after sneaking around with the boyfriend her parents disapprove of. Isn’t that more riveting than having Janie wake up, look at the alarm clock, and deliberate what to wear to school?
Those are but a few suggestions as to how not to start your story. But then how should it begin? The books listed below have some great ideas, but I found them orientated more toward adult novels. The best thing is to do a little detective work of your own. Grab your favorite novels or short stories, and study their opening paragraphs to see what you like about them and what turns you off. Then keep that in mind for your next fiction project.
Here’s one of my favorites:
Phoebe and her friends held their breath as the dead girl in the plaid skirt walked past their table in the lunchroom. Her motion kicked up a cool trailing breeze that seemed to settle on the skin and catch in their hair. As they watched her go by, Phoebe could almost tell what everyone was thinking. Everyone, that is, except for the dead girl. (Generation Dead, Daniel Waters)
What could be more compelling than that?
Recommended readings:
Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us: A (Sort of) Compassionate Guide to Why Your Writing Is Being Rejected, Jessica Morrell
Hooked: write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go, Les Edgerton
Note: This super cool picture was generated using the first 100 pages of my YA novel, Lost in a Heartbeat, using the Wordle program at http://www.wordle.net/.
