Happy Holidaze !!

cj Sez: This year-end brings with it reflections of a decade ending and a new one about to begin. I hope your journey through the years went well. My son took the picture of my family room several years ago b.c. (before cats). Because it’s one of my favorite memories, I’m sharing it with you again:

From my house to yours, Merry Christmas

I pray your holiday celebrations at this sacred time of year

are filled to the brim with God’s peace and joy

and the love of family and friends.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

                                                                                                                  Numbers 6:24-26

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  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

   I’m taking the rest of the year off and hope to meet you back here on January 5, 2020!

cj

Finally Home Buy Now ֍

Hometown Heroes Buy Now ֍

   Eight stories, including my own “Puppy Love” in FINALLY HOME, and five stories,   including my own “Hobbes House Noel,” in HOMETOWN HEROES. Part of the proceeds from both of these anthologies will benefit a charity. These books have wonderful stories that are perfect to read anytime of the year.

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and THE POSSE are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and FINALLY HOME will be available there soon. If they don’t happen to have any copies of the book you want, they’ll order it for you.

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

➜         on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

Awards and winners

cj Sez: The Mystery Writers of America last week announced their 2020 Grand Master, Raven, and Ellery Queen recipients.

   Barbara Neely, best known for her Blanche White series, was selected as the 2020 Grand Master, the annual mystery convention Left Coast Crime received the 2020 Raven Award, and Kelley Ragland, associate director and editorial director of Minotaur books, received the Ellery Queen Award. The awards will be handed out at the 74th Annual Edgar Awards Banquet in New York City on April 30, 2020

   Read more about these awesome recipients here:  https://bit.ly/2tmcjPL

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"You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."  …Jack London

///

cj sez: A little history of my writing career…

My first interest was in screenwriting. I flew from Detroit to San Francisco to take Robert McKee's three-day seminar on STORY. 

   The experience was invaluable because I learned to visualize my story and how to write in terms of the characters’ action-dialogue-and scenes that show the story. How characters react and what they don’t say can speak volumes. This is where their actions speak louder than words. This is deep point-of-view writing.

  I’ve talked with writers who visualize some movie star or other playing a character in their books. Is that something you do?  I like to visualize the whole characterization—I’ll leave it to Stephen Spielberg or Francis Ford Coppola (ha ha) to find the best mega-star for the role.

///

   There are only ten (10) more days until Christmas.  If you’re still wondering what to give someone, give them an adventure…give them a book—a gift they can open again and again.

   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you here on Lyrical Pens next week.

cj

PS: FINALLY HOME Facebook hop winners Siobhan Perez and Tracy Fritts each received a copy of HOMETOWN HEROES, a $5 Amazon gift card, an art photo magnet, and a cheery Christmas mug.

Finally Home Buy Now ֍

Hometown Heroes Buy Now ֍

   Eight stories, including my own “Puppy Love” in FINALLY HOME.

   Five stories, including my own “Hobbes House Noel,” in HOMETOWN HEROES. 

  Part of the proceeds from both of these Christmas anthologies will benefit a charity.

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and THE POSSE are still available at The Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. 

   If you’re in the Mobile area, do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse. These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and FINALLY HOME will be available there soon. If they don’t happen to have any copies of the book you want, they’ll order it for you.

➜ Follow me . . .

➜   on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜   on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

➜   on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

Contest Ends December. 10

cj Sez: It’s pre-order time for FINALLY HOME—the feel-good Christmas anthology with eight short romance stories. The Bienvenue Press Authors’ Pre-launch Facebook Hop is still going on and there are PRIZES involved. 

    

   You’ll have to hurry to enter because the hop ends at 8 p.m. CST, Tuesday, December 10. There is a full list of authors’ pages for the Facebook Hop and the Finale Giveaway on the Bienvenue Press Facebook page here:   https://www.facebook.com/bienvenuepress/

   Once you get started on the hop, there are “road signs” to send you to the authors’ Facebook pages, all of whom are giving away some kind of prize.

   When you make the hop to my Facebook page, follow my three simple directions, and you’ll be entered into my contest to win a prize. Two winning visitors will receive a $5 Amazon gift certificate, the ebook of HOMETOWN HEROES, and a cheery Christmas mug with a few other goodies included.

   After you stop at my FB page, I’ll direct you to the final hop where the grand finale prize being awarded to some lucky visitor.

   Psst . . . The price of the anthology is going up soon, but if you hurry, you can pre-order FINALLY HOME now for 99 cents! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0825CCJPH

(free on Kindle Unlimited). And you’ll be getting a two-fer:  A Christmas anthology of short stories, including my “Puppy Love,” with part of the proceeds from the sale benefiting animal rescue groups.

///

Aside from the above BSP (blatant self-promotion)…

   It’s the end-of-the-year crunch to gather up the tax data I’ll need to file my taxes. All of that important documentation is lying somewhere amidst the stacks of paper and Pendaflex files in the office closet. My plan in January was to keep a running track of expenses and income, but that fell through the cracks probably in February. I hope you did a better job of attending to that detail than I did. Sisters-in-Crime is producing a webinar on taxes this week…I think I should attend.

///

   If you’re a member of the Sisters-in-Crime online Guppy chapter and don’t always get their emails, they recently put out a call for submissions for their 6th short story anthology with the theme The Fish That Got Away. All Guppies who are members in good standing of both the Guppy Chapter and the national Sisters in Crime organization as of November 15, 2019, are eligible to submit.  Be sure to check the FILES folder on their groups.io site for more information.

///

That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you here on Lyrical Pens next week.

cj

 

Read five lovely stories (including my own “Hobbes House Noel”) in HOMETOWN HEROES, now on sale and free on Kindle Unlimited. Get it here:   https://amzn.to/2Y4jqYn     

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and THE POSSE are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. 

   If you’re local (in Mobile area), do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse. These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and FINALLY HOME will be available there soon. If they don’t happen to have any copies of the book you want, they’ll order it for you.

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

➜         on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

Pre-launch, Pre-Order Party

cj Sez: There are PRIZES involved! It’s pre-order time for FINALLY HOME—the feel-good Christmas anthology with proceeds benefiting animal rescue groups. And in keeping with the anticipation, there's a party going on...

   Hop right on over to Facebook for a chance to win prizes from Bienvenue Press and their stable of authors!

  You’ll find a full list of pages for the Facebook Hop and the Finale Giveaway on the Bienvenue Press Facebook Page. 

https://www.facebook.com/bienvenuepress/

   The Hop runs from Dec 1 through to 8 p.m. CST on launch day Dec 10.

   Pre-order FINALLY HOME now for 99 cents! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0825CCJPH

A Christmas charity anthology of eight short stories, including my “Puppy Love.”

///

   The 2019 National Book Awards (for last year’s books) were awarded November 20, 2019, in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s literature. Find out who won and read more about their works here:   https://nightstandbookreviews.com/national-book-awards-2019/

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   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

   Be sure to visit Bienvenue Press’s Facebook page for the FINALLY HOME Facebook Hop (starts today, and there’ll be prizes). See you here on Lyrical Pens next week.

cj

  Read five stories (including my own "Hobbes House Noel") in HOMETOWN HEROES, now on sale.   https://amzn.to/2Y4jqYn  

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN, HEROES, and THE POSSE are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. If you’re local (in the Mobile area), do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse. These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and FINALLY HOME will be available there soon. If they don’t have any copies of the book you want, they’ll order it for you.

Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj .

  

   Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

Dreams really do come true

cj Sez: First a best seller and then a Hallmark Channel TV movie:

   Authors are often asked where they get their ideas for the stories they write. Today’s guest, author Barbara Hinske, tells us how THE CHRISTMAS CLUB came to be. Take it away, Barbara!

   "THE CHRISTMAS CLUB—my Christmas novella—is one of the Hallmark Channel’s 2019 Christmas movies! If that sounds like an author’s dream come true, it is!

   I’m a women’s fiction author who also writes mystery/ thriller/ suspense novels—all of them with a touch of romance. I planned to publish an anthology of Christmas novellas with a group of other similar authors. It seemed like a smart marketing opportunity and I set to work. What would I write about?

   A homily from a sermon I’d heard thirty years earlier had made a big impression on me at the time and had stuck with me all these years later.

  The point of the pastor’s story was to do kind things in nice ways. We all like to be recognized when we do something kind for someone else. I certainly like a pat on the back! But sometimes the recipient of our generosity feels demeaned—or is made to feel “less than”—by acknowledging our gift. The pastor told the story of a woman whose money blows out of her hands. A young man races off to chase after it, returning to her with the money. She gratefully acknowledges his efforts at finding it. What he doesn’t tell her is that the money was long gone; he’d restored it to her from his own wallet. She isn’t made to feel like a charity case.

  I expanded on this idea by placing characters at Christmas (in 1952) and having the lost money be Christmas Club savings. If anyone has saved all year long in a Christmas Club account at the bank, they know how precious that money is and how devastating it would be to lose it. In my story, however, that lost money carries blessings with it all around.

   As it turned out, I was the only author who actually wrote their novella. I published it as a stand-alone work in October of 2016 and the rest, as they say, is history. THE CHRISTMAS CLUB was greeted with enthusiastic reviews—many of them opining that it would make a great Hallmark movie and that they would re-read the story every Christmas.

   Crown Media purchased the screen rights and Julie Sherman Wolfe made a lovely screenplay out of it. She changed the setting from 1952 to current day and added a twist that I wished I’d thought of. In my humble opinion, I think both the book and the movie are holiday classics and should be on everyone’s “to do” list for the holiday – now and in the years to come.

   My goal in writing THE CHRISTMAS CLUB was to uplift, encourage, and entertain. I’m more than pleased with the pleasure and happiness it’s bringing into the world."

///

 Barbara Hinske is an attorney who left the practice of law to pursue her career as a full-time novelist. She inherited the fiction gene from her father who wrote mysteries when he retired and told her a story every night of her childhood. Barbara is the bestselling author of the Rosemont series of novels: Coming To Rosemont (first),  Weaving the Strands (second), Uncovering Secrets (third), Drawing Close, (fourth), Bringing Them Home, (fifth), and now Shelving Doubts, the sixth novel in the Rosemont series

Also The Christmas Club

   Read more about Barbara on her website: www.barbarahinske.com  and on Facebook  -  Pinterest -  YouTube - twitter @BarbaraHinske - BookBub Bestseller

  

  The Hallmark movie premiers Wednesday, November 27, at 8 p.m. / 7 central. 

Check your local listings for the channel.  https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-christmas-club

///

cj Sez: There’s a wondrous epilogue to the Hallmark movie . . . The story line inspired star Cameron Mathison to get a life-saving medical procedure. Read about his journey here:

https://www.etonline.com/cameron-mathison-reveals-the-christmas-club-inspired-him-to-get-the-mri-that-saved-his-life-136289?fbclid=IwAR2UtdZ03UV4CsHKBJ4yFPPh68Y2mzr71vubUFmKj04AFOUsd62dWukkTFY

https://et.tv/37lwJrs

  Authors, if you want to try your hand at writing for Hallmark, here’s the link to their website and the kind of stories they’re looking for:

     https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-publishing/for-authors

   For tips on how to write for Hallmark, watch their movies. It’ll give you a sense of what Hallmark consumers expect: fun, positive, lighthearted, and uplifting stories with the prerequisite happy ending.

///

   I pray God’s blessings on you and yours this Thanksgiving.

   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week.

cj

Read five stories (including my own "Hobbes House Noel") in HOMETOWN HEROES on sale now. 

   The Christmas anthology FINALLY HOME is coming soon! Be sure to watch for the "Finally Home Facebook Hop" that begins Dec. 1 and runs through launch day, Dec. 10 ... PRIZES galore await. (P.S. A new and beautiful cover will be introduced.)

   Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for information about all my stories.

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN, HEROES, and THE POSSE are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the books of your choice. (Be sure to look for her recently released, "SOME LIKE IT PLAID.") If you’re local—in the Mobile area—do stop in at the book store. They make a point to shelve the books of local authors (FINALLY HOME will be available there soon), and it’s a neat place to browse.

   Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

Encouragements and a book-to-TV success story

cj Sez:  For all you word warriors: You still have almost half a month to reach your NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words. . . Keep up the good work…you got this!

///

   Stephen King has sold more than 350 million books, many of which have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television series, and comic books. And he has strategies for creating a story that people love to read. One such strategy in his writing is to tell the truth.

“Now comes the big question: What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want. Anything at all... as long as you tell the truth... Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex, and work...What you know makes you unique in some other way. Be brave.”

///

   And I think the truths in the story are what attracted the Hallmark Channel to author Barbara Hinske’s novella, “The Christmas Club.”

   Here’s the promo:

https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-christmas-club is taking @BarbaraHinske’s hit novel, The Christmas Club, to the screen! @cameronmathison stars as “Edward” in this feel-good Christmas event premiering Wednesday Nov. 27 at 8 pm/7c!

   Barbara says: “I am so excited and I can’t wait to see my book come to life!”

One of the book’s five star reviews:

   “When I read THE CHRISTMAS CLUB, I went back after finishing the novella because I was positive that there were too many bills! The money was here and there and everywhere and I actually sat down and wrote down who found the money, each bill and what happened to it. The novella reminded of reading something written by O'Henry because of the twists and turns. But just like a cat falling through the air, the storyline came right-side up at the end. The finish to the novella was almost as satisfying as...and they all lived happily ever after.
   Barbara Hinske has the talent to twist a story around and take the reader right with her. My favorite books are those that I cannot predict as to where the storyline will lead. Just loved the entire novella and great for Christmas gifts.”

///

   cj Sez: Barbara is one of my Facebook friends, and I’m hopeful I can get her to do a guest appearance on Lyrical Pens.

   Oooh, I love sharing the news of these kinds of success stories.

   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week.

cj

   Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for information about my stories.

   TO ORDER an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and the anthologies HOMETOWN HEROES and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. If you’re local (in Mobile area), do stop in at the book store. They make a point to shelve the books of local authors (FINALLY HOME will be available there also), and it’s a neat place to browse.

   Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook

Remember to thank a veteran

cj Sez:  Veterans Day is Monday, November 11. What is the difference between Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day, you ask . . .

   

   Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, including those who are still living, while Memorial Day honors those who have died while in military service.

   Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 as Armistice Day, a day to honor the fallen soldiers of The Great War for their sacrifice and bravery. The name and date were fixed by history—the major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.

   The day didn’t become a legal holiday until 1926 and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 at the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations.

   

   And in Arizona at precisely 11:11 a.m. on every November 11th, the sun’s rays align to complete the stunning Anthem Veterans Memorial in Anthem, Arizona, by shining an solar spotlight through each pillar’s oculus and highlighting a vivid mosaic of The Great Seal of the United States

   The monument's five staggered, gleaming, white marble pillars honor the service and sacrifice of members of the nation’s five military branches. The sizes of the pillars correspond to the Department of Defense’s order of precedence: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and finally Coast Guard.

(Veterans Day Info Source:  Various sites on Google.)

   I live free today because of brave men and women who defended the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution. Thank you, veterans, each and every one of you.

֍

  That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week?

cj

   Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj .

   TO ORDER an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and the anthologies HOMETOWN HEROES and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice. 

   If you’re local (in Mobile area), do stop in at the book store. They make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and it’s a neat place to browse.

   Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook

Sliding into 2020

cj Sez: Fall, autumn, pre-winter, post-summer, turn-back-the-clock-time…whatever you call it, it’s time for state and county fairs. Corn dogs and hot dogs, funnel cakes and cotton candy, games of skill and luck, rodeos and grandstand entertainment, blue ribbon winners and petting zoos, a kaleidoscope of color, a cacophony of beautiful noise, and exciting rides.

Photo by Jeff Johnston

  How about that for an exciting ride at the Greater Gulf State Fair? Personally, I would not be one of those people spinning and hanging by a thread that many feet in the air. That said, I hope you had a chance to go to a fair this year.

֍

   I feel like I’m on a downward slide to the end of the year—somewhere between Halloween and the beginning of winter (the winter solstice occurs December 21). And my favorite annual greeting pops into my brain: Happy HalloThanksMasYear! Think about it. Right now, many stores have displays up for the generic harvest time and fall colors as well as for every one of those holidays.

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NaNoWriMo anyone?

   If you’re participating…best wishes for the win!

November is the National Novel Writing Month, and the challenge is to write fifty thousand words, as in 50,000, in one month. Let’s see, “30 days hath September, April, June, and November.” That means you’ll have to write an average of (just a minute, calculations going on) 1,667 words per day. Whew!

   If you’re not in a support group (they are very good for encouragement and motivation), there are multiple sources of helpful forums and advice online. There is even an official organization:  https://www.nanowrimo.org/

   So, shouldn’t you be writing? There are only 27 days left until Nov. 30.

֍  

   November 30? Now that I think about it, since I get paid monthly, I have only one more payday until Christmas. Aarrgh

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cj’s helpful hints for your Holiday Gift Giving List…

   The good news is there is still time to get bargains that offer more bang for your bucks, and that’s anthologies! More than one story in a tome, offering hours of enjoyment at one low price.

   In addition to getting wonderful stories, the best part about the two listed here is that part of the proceeds will go to benefit worthwhile charities.  (P.S. I have a story in each anthology.) HOMETOWN HEROES (benefits the Cajun Navy) is available now . .

   FINALLY HOME is set to launch December 10 (benefits animal rescue groups).

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Personal Update:

   I’ve requested a reversal of rights from Simon&Schuster for my novels CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR. As of this post they were still free on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. If they disappear before you can grab a copy, you can still order autographed paperbacks from The Haunted Bookshop. (See below.)

   I’m hoping to get the novels re-issued with new covers and new names, and if I’m lucky, it’ll be next year. (Seek a new publisher? Indie publish? ¿Quien sabe?)

֍

   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week?

cj

   Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for information about my stories. And if you wind up searching for my name, be sure to use two "t"s in petterson.

   TO ORDER an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and the anthologies HOMETOWN HEROES and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook