An invitation and a book review

cj Sez: Mobile-area readers, take note. Here’s a chance for an exciting experience.

“Enrollment is open for the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department Citizens Fire Academy. The 9-week program begins on September 23, 2019.

MFRD's Citizens Fire Academy is a hands-on learning experience, designed to provide participants with an overview of the major divisions within the department, up-close experience of a regular tour of duty for Mobile firefighters, and general practices in firefighting and emergency medical services. Classes are held on Mondays from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The Citizens Fire Academy is open to the public and free, but class size is limited to 24 seats. Applications are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

Visit cityofmobile.org/fire/divisions/citizens-fire-academy/ to download an application or for more info.

(cj Sez: I did this academy and the Police Academy a couple of years ago as primary research for a book and got some invaluable insights into the local culture and the lingo of Mobile Firefighters. Most exciting? Participating in a jaws-of-life extraction from a mock vehicle crash

That's me, after breaking out a car window.

and being rappelled down from a four-story building. If you’re not in the Mobile area, look for similar opportunities in your home town.) 

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DID YOU KNOW?

As part of the Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton established a program called Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails one book per month to each enrolled child—from the day they’re born until they reach kindergarten. The program reaches over 850,000 children each month.

BOOK REVIEW 5 Stars

“A Lethal Legacy” by Heather Graham

While I was in Detroit last week doing research for a book, I made time to stop in at a local library and do some reading for pleasure. I found “A Lethal Legacy” on their New Books shelf and spent pleasurable hours reading another romantic suspense tale well told.

Heather Graham does a marvelous job of place, setting, and time descriptions that establish the eerie and deadly tone of the suspense immediately. Paint is peeling, chunks of the house are missing and night is falling when the protagonist first sees the “old Victorian house” on an island. The yard is “scruffy sand and grass,” and the “picket fence around it is broken or gone.” Would I want to enter such a house, especially after “a man had died—horribly mangled and brutally broken?”

There is love and betrayal, and love everlasting. Every chapter starts with some kind of action and ends with an invitation—no, a command to continue the journey. At one point spelunkers are warned: “A way of saying, enter here and die.”

“A Lethal Legacy” is book 4 in her New York Confidential series. On Amazon  https://amzn.to/2NvZdaG

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That’s it for this week’s post. Please drop me a note with any questions or comments…the mailbox is always open. In the meantime, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are quick reads, chock full of adventure with a touch of sassy banter and sweet romance. Get your Kindle copy on Amazon…visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for more information about my stories.

To order an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and/or 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  

I'm out of town

cj Sez: Thanks for stopping by, but there’s no new Lyrical Pens post next week—I’m out of town visiting family and friends in my old stomping grounds in Michigan.

   In the meantime, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

   There’s still time to get in some vacation /beach reading. CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are quick reads chock full of adventure with a touch of sassy banter and sweet romance. Get your Kindle copy on Amazon…visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for more information about my stories.

   To order an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and/or 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.

  Do visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook  

 

Writing a synopsis

cj Sez: I’m starting on another synopsis for a work-in-progress and thought I should reprise what I know about writing one.

   Since I don’t do a formal outline for my stories (gasp), I use the synopsis as a form of outline. It also helps me find any holes in my storyline. Someone asked me once how I knew when I’d reached the end of my story if I didn’t know where it was going. The reason I don’t outline is because once I’ve gone through that whole process, I feel as if I’ve written the entire story.

   I don’t consider myself a “pantser” though. I do know how I want the story to start, and I do know how I want it to end. What I don’t know (or plan/plot) is the path the characters will take to get from beginning to end. I consider myself a “pathfinder.” I like the excitement of finding out—as I write—what kind of trouble I can create for my characters then figure out how to get them out of it. Kind of like running a maze. I write until I’ve solved all the characters’ problems then I’m done. The End.

   I’ve talked with writers who say they have absolutely no problem creating a synopsis. Not so me. I need a step-by-step, how-to, cheat-sheet and would love to find the one I safely filed away a couple of years ago. But I do remember some of the important rules. As I’ve said before, some rules are made to be broken, but first one must know what they are. I wouldn’t, however, advise a novice writer to break any rules when submitting a manuscript, especially if the instructions are spelled out on an agent’s or publisher’s website. And always, always use the agent/publisher instructions for font and page layout format.

So here’s my synopsis outline:

➽ Write the synopsis in third person, present tense.  Since my stories are written in past tense, I need to keep that directive on a piece of paper taped to the monitor in front of me.

➽ Start with a hook (the character or the inciting incident) and reveal the story premise. I think of this as my “elevator pitch” . . . the twenty-five words and amount of time a writer has to impress an agent if caught on the elevator together.

➽ Concentrate on the primary story line, the turning points, and their effect (internal and external) on the characters . . . and do this in the chronological order of the story.

➽ As for the characters, only include primary characters by name. Use all capital letters on the name the first time s/he is introduced within the synopsis. Then be consistent with how the character is referred to in the rest of the document. For example, JOHN DOE might become Johnny for the remainder of the synopsis. Secondary characters can be described by what they do rather than by name . . . the sheriff, the teacher, the doctor.

➽ Very important is to show the complete narrative arc for the primary character. How (s)he felt at the beginning of the manuscript and how the character is changed by the end of the story.

➽ Write in active voice. Use strong verbs and words that show emotions, motivations, conflict, and tension. 

➽ Don’t go into lengthy descriptions and backstory in a synopsis. Unless a character’s physical description or age is pertinent to one of the story threads, keep focused on the nitty-gritty of the main story line.

➽ The synopsis should be written in the same tone (voice) as the novel. If the novel is lighthearted, the synopsis should be also.  

   It looks soooo simple, doesn’t it? One, two, three and done.  Ha!

   Just like every other writer who’s typed THE END on the last page of their novel, I’ll be trying to cram thousands of words and hundreds of pages of manuscript into a concise document that is sometimes restricted to maybe four or five pages. Though I have read that some might peak at eighteen pages, depending on who’s asking for the synopsis. How many pages do you usually submit? 

Words of wisdom: A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish.

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   That’s it for this week’s post. Warning: No Lyrical Pens post next week—I’ll be out of town visiting family and friends in my old stomping grounds in Michigan. In the meantime, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

There’s still time to get in some vacation /beach reading. CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are quick reads, chock full of adventure with a touch of sassy banter and sweet romance. Get your Kindle copy on Amazon…visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for more information about my stories.

To order an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and/or 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  

Calls for Submissions etc.

cj Sez:   If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a published romance novelist, opportunities are knocking.….

   Avon Books recently announced an open submissions period during which unagented romance writers can submit their finished work of fiction to the Avon editorial team for consideration. The HarperCollins imprint is seeking manuscripts by writers of all gender identity, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, and ability, and all subgenres of adult romance fiction are welcome, with one mandate: "HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now) conclusions are required." 

   To participate, writers must submit their manuscript, a three-to-five-page synopsis, and 100-word author bio via the HarperCollins website no later than September 15, 2019.

And a reminder from an earlier Lyrical Pens post:

   Harlequin is looking for new talent and wants to bring more stories representing diverse voices to romance readers and announced they will accept writing submissions from September 1 to October 15, 2019.

   “Harlequin’s ‘Romance Includes You Mentorship’ initiative offers aspiring romance writers from traditionally underrepresented communities the chance to work one-on-one with a Harlequin editor for a year on writing a romance novel and includes an offer to publish their book and $5,000 (US) to support their novel writing.”

   Submit a sample of your writing and apply here:  http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/mentorship/

(PS:  Note the upcoming deadlines on these calls for submission, and be sure to follow all the directions.)

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Preliminary Cover Art

   Good news on the home front...my short story, “Puppy Love,” was accepted by Bienvenue Press for inclusion in their 2019 Christmas anthology, FINALLY HOME. The theme of all the touching short stories in the anthology is finding forever homes for homeless animals, and part of the proceeds will benefit a rescue group.

   There is, of course, a romance (between a lawyer and a firefighter), but at the heart of my “Puppy Love” short story is sweet, courageous Molly, a beago (beagle and golden retriever mix) with a prosthetic leg.

Be sure and watch for the launch of FINALLY HOME.

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This was in my email inbox Saturday:

Halloween is Coming! Are You Ready?

(It’s the first week of August, folks.)

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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.

cj

Free on KU

CHOOSING CARTER: action and adventure in the mountains of Colorado with a touch of romance. 

   When Bryn McKay enlists the help of the man she loves to stop her terrorist brother, she knows that someone she loves may die.

   School is starting soon, but there’s still time to get in some vacation/beach reading. Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj 

   To order an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, HOMETOWN HEROES, and/or 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