Looking forward to the promise of a New Year

 cj Sez: This is the last Lyrical Pens post of this year and a good time for me to reflect on the stresses of 2020 as I optimistically look forward to happier and healthier 2021.

 
  “When sorrows like sea billows roll” pretty much describes 2020 for me—both of my sisters died, three months apart (not virus related)—but I find comfort and peace leaning on God’s promises and declare, “it is well with my soul.”

  Despite the sorrows, I have much to be grateful for.

  I’m grateful for my loving family...grateful for the wonderful exuberance of grandkids…grateful for good health in the midst of a world-wide pandemic…grateful for thoughtful neighbors and friends…grateful for the comraderie of writer communities...grateful for the indie bookstores who sell my books...grateful for meeting goals...and on and on I could go.

 

  My heartfelt thanks to you for stopping by to read my 2020 Lyrical Pens posts and leave a comment. You are the best!

   I wish you and yours a 2021 overflowing with happiness, health, and peace.
 

  You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.
cj
 

A week of exceptional events...

 cj Sez:  On December 21, the Winter Solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere. That’s when the nights reach their longest in the global north—in Fairbanks in Alaska, the sun barely makes it above the horizon during the winter solstice before the scene dips back into darkness. 

   Conversely the date is the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, when the days reach their longest in the global south.

   For you romance writers, if your protagonist exclaimed that the earth stood still when her lover kissed her, she might be right—depending on when the kiss happened. How is that so, you ask?

   It’s because for several days before and after each summer or winter solstice, the sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., the sun actually pauses in its path at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction… for two or three days.

§§

Star light, star bright . . .    

   As 2020 skids to a close, the world will witness a celestial Christmas phenomenon that it hasn’t seen in nearly 800 years, not since March 4, 1226.

During the December 21 Winter Solstice, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will align so closely together that to the naked eye they will appear to be one dazzling star—referred to as the “Star of Bethlehem” or the “Christmas Star.” The astronomical phenomenon is expected to stay visible in the Northern Hemisphere for the entire last week of December.

   Mark your calendars for a once-in-a-lifetime look, because the brilliant star won’t appear again until 2080.

§§

Buy Now

   Books are Christmas gifts that keep on giving year-round, and anthologies are even better because there’s more than one story to enjoy. 

   With that in mind, let me help you out with a wonderful gift idea: Seven short stories in one great anthology, HOMEROOM HEROES. 

   Better yet, it’s a two-fer: part of the proceeds from this anthology will benefit the Acadiana Writing Project. 

   My short story “The Substitute,” is about an FBI agent working undercover as a substitute adapted physical education teacher for a class of physically and mentally challenged students while he investigates Federal fraud and tax evasion. His job gets even more complicated when he falls in love with the beautiful, first-grade teacher assigned to help him with the kids.

   HOMEROOM HEROES joins HOMETOWN HEROES and FINALLY HOME as the third in a series of anthologies published by Bienvenue Press benefiting various charities. All are free on Kindle Unlimited. 

   From paranormal to contemporary to historical, there are short stories in all three anthologies to fill everyone with the spirit of the season. Look for them on Amazon and at other fine book sellers.

§§

   December 25 is the third auspicious event this week. Though it may seem rather antithetical to wish everyone a Merry Christmas when we’re still in the throes of a pandemic, it is with joy that I celebrate the birth of Christ—a figure of love and hope.

§§ 

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

cj 

➜ Follow me . . .       

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

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

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

More than seven million words!

cj Sez: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE DETERMINED MILLIONS!

(From Sisters In Crime  … their Facebook site press release):

7,258,625!

   That's how many words were reported from participants of our #SinC50K  #NaNoWriMo challenge in November! Congratulations, everyone!

§§

   Let's talk a bit about opening lines, and the importance of a good, inviting opening line, opening paragraph, or opening chapter.

   There’s a lot of advice that says start a story in the middle of a drama, some captivating situation. This is the hook with which a writer can snag the reader’s, or agent’s, interest.

   Ken Follet, in The Pillars of the Earth, starts off with “The small boys came early to the hanging.” Wouldn’t you want to find out more?

   One of my personal favorites is from Prison Letters, Corrie ten Boom’s memoir of her time in a WWII concentration camp: “From time to time, I wrote short sketches on scraps of paper.”

   In a 2013 interview with Joe Fassler, Stephen King said: “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story.” He goes on to say, “For me a good opening sentence really begins with voice.” He thinks readers are drawn to the story because of the voice of the writer.

   In the opening-line examples above, I believe you can get a good sense of the author’s voice, how the rest of the story is going to be told.

   Authors know (for sure) that introductory lines are hard to write. They also generally change as the writer gets further into the story. King, himself, said it used to take him months or even years to settle on an opening line. (I doubt it takes him years now, considering how prolific and masterful a writer he is.) He also said, “A really bad first line can convince me not to buy a book—because, god, I’ve got plenty of books already—and an unappealing style in the first moments is reason enough to scurry off.”

   Wow, would I hate that. All those hours and months wasted because I blew the first line. I try to develop first lines that fit both the story and the genre.

   Here’s my first line for my romantic suspense (ala Jane Bond-style) Deadly Star:  

“I am not going to die; I am not going to die.” 

And for Choosing Carter:  

Bryn McKay’s body ricocheted off the passenger door as the pickup, engine roaring, veered from one side of the Colorado mountain road to the other.

For the untitled detective mystery I’ve just finished:

             “We bury our dead alive, don’t we?” 

   Do you start your stories in an active scene? Are you in narrative voice? Please make sure the opening is not in backstory.

§§

   With this year of turmoil coming to a close, I’ve been thinking of people and places I miss. Coincidences being what they are, someone posted this question on Facebook: When you think of home, what do you think of? 

   What I think of is sitting around the kitchen table harmonizing on old hymns with my sisters and my mother. I think of childhood-me sleeping with the window open under a warm blanket in the chill of a starry July night in West Texas. Precious and happy memories.

When you think of home, what do you think of?

§§

   Books are Christmas gifts that keep on giving year-round, and anthologies are even better because there’s more than one story to read. With that in mind, let me help you out with a wonderful gift idea: Seven short stories for less than a buck!

   HOMEROOM HEROES, Bienvenue Press’s upcoming charity anthology for 2020, is available now for the preorder price of 99 cents! Better hurry, tho. The price goes up on launch date—December 15. Buy Now.

   Better yet, it’s a two-fer: Buy a book and part of the proceeds benefit the Acadiana Writing Project.

   HOMEROOM HEROES joins HOMETOWN HEROES and FINALLY HOME as the third in a series of anthologies published by Bienvenue Press benefiting various charities. All are free on Kindle Unlimited.

   From paranormal to contemporary to historical, there's something in all three anthologies to fill everyone with the spirit of the season. Look for them on Amazon and other fine book sellers.

§§

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

cj

P.S.  My stand-alone suspense novels are out of print on Amazon, but The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies in stock. TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me . . .       

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

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

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Chekhov said, and I quote ...

 cj Sez: The question of leaving unresolved threads in stories came up in another discussion recently, and I opined that I found it annoying. 

   I want to know what happened or, if the book is part of a series, I want to read some hint that it’ll be resolved, good or bad, in some later story. Basically, I agree with playwright and short story author Anton Chekhov’s critique on plays, referred to as “Chekhov’s gun.”

 
   “Chekhov's gun is a dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. Elements should not appear to make false promises by never coming into play.  .... In the original instance, the ‘gun’ is a monologue that Chekhov deemed superfluous and unrelated to the rest of the play.  He is quoted as saying: "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there."
 
   Of course, Chekhov’s principle applies to short stories because of the word count constraints, but I think it applies to novels as well. I’m not talking about red herring threads…those are always tied up in some fashion.
 
   However, if the “gun” (dialogue/character/conflict) happens to be in a story that is part of a series and you plan to reveal the who/what/when/where/why/how in a later story, you might consider including a hint of that in the denouement through a simple mention in a character’s dialogue or thought or in an epilogue. It can be disappointing if there isn’t some kind of closure for all the threads and that could affect how the reader judges the author. I really dislike loose ends. In fact, I’ve not read other books by the same author because s/he left me hanging.

§§

Has this ever happened to you? 
   I've been looking for plain cornmeal (not cornmeal mix) for a while and couldn't find any on the shelves, so I went to the dot com site and ordered. But I couldn't order just one 5-lb unit to reach the $35 minimum for free delivery; the dot com said I had to order a three pack. 

   The order arrived on Saturday morning in a sturdy box, and now I have cornmeal . . . on the sidewalk, on the front porch, trailing through the den, on the kitchen table, and on the kitchen floor. Two of the unprotected 80-oz paper bags had broken open, and the fine-ground cornmeal drained out of the holes in the corners of the sturdy box. In my defense for ordering “bags” to be delivered, the photo on the dot com site showed boxes. Yep. Lesson learned. It’s still 2020.

§§

 
Here’s a rare phenomenon …and a bit of nice news at the end of 2020:  
“HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — The rare “Christmas Star” is coming!
   2020 has been a rough year, but as it comes to a close we will see a celestial Christmas phenomenon that hasn’t been seen in nearly 800 years.

   Mark your calendars for December 21st (the Winter Solstice) because that is when Jupiter and Saturn will align very closely in the sky, so close that to the naked eye they will almost appear to be, “colliding.”
  

This will cause a radiant light to be created, often referred to as the “Star of Bethlehem” or the “Christmas Star.”
   This is something that hasn’t happened this brilliantly since March 4th, 1226.
(///)  Overall, it will be closest to Earth on December 21st, but the “Christmas Star” should stay visible from just about anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere for the entire fourth week of December.
   The next time this will happen?
   How about March of 2080! So take some time later this month to try and catch a glimpse of one of the truly bright lights of 2020!”
(https://mynbc15.com/news/offbeat/the-first-christmas-star-in-nearly-800-years-will-soon-be-visible )

§§

   Books are Christmas gifts that keep on giving year-round, AND…and…HOMEROOM HEROES, Bienvenue Press’s upcoming charity anthology for 2020, is currently available for the preorder price of 99 cents! 

   Better yet, it’s a two-fer: part of the proceeds from this anthology will benefit the Acadiana Writing Project.
 
My short story “The Substitute,” is included.

  "When FBI agent Aron Olsen is assigned to work undercover as a substitute adapted physical education teacher for physically and mentally challenged students, he knows he’ll need a lot of help. He is thrilled when his help appears in the beautiful form of first-grade teacher Melanie Andrews, who is also a Special Olympics volunteer. Together they learn to turn their can'ts into cans and their dreams into plans."

   HOMEROOM HEROES joins HOMETOWN HEROES and FINALLY HOME as the third in a series of anthologies published by Bienvenue Press benefiting various charities. All are free on Kindle Unlimited.
 
   From paranormal to contemporary to historical, there's something in all three anthologies to fill everyone with the spirit of the season. Look for them on Amazon.
 

§§

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

cj
 
P.S.  My stand-alone suspense novels are out of print on Amazon, but The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies in stock. TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us
 
➜ Follow me . . .       
➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6