Questionnaire: Why that book?

cj Sez: I found the questions below at another blog and thought, "What a great idea." So, here are some questions for you authors and readers.  

What makes you want to buy a book? Is it the cover or the blurb on the back of the book?

  For me, it's both. The cover has to grab my attention, then the blurb has to make me want to know more about the story, so I browse through the beginning pages and a few more.

When you get into a story, what keeps you reading? Is it the bad boy hero or the tough, strong-willed woman or the cast of characters that help push the story forward?

  Really doesn’t make any difference to me. That said, whether heroine or hero, I am drawn to a fast-paced story, and I have to find a plot. I also like to find humor and some quick repartee in even the darkest of moments. It’s kind of a release valve from the danger.

What makes you like one author more than another?

  I’m a wordsmith. That is, I want to be enchanted by the author’s voice and choice of words…how she/he uses a few precise words and syntax to evoke some visualization and/or visceral reaction in me.

If you’re into reading a series, when do you get tired of it…or do you?  

  As long as the author keeps the storyline and characters fresh, I don’t have a problem with continuing to read a series. It’s when the storyline get stale. The characters change but the story takes the same direction over and over. Sometimes stand-alones have that same problem, and that’s when I’m on to the next author.

Which brings me to reviews:  Do you take the time to write a review?

  Without readers, authors have no audience, and without an audience, authors are out of a job. Honest feedback—Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, etc.—is what keeps us going. We want to know our strengths and our weaknesses. We’re polite; we say please and thank you. . .  except to trolls. A Facebook friend once wrote that someone seemed to have joined Goodreads just to give her latest book a one-star rating. The problem was, the book hadn’t even been released.

  I’d love to know your answers to these questions. So write in, already.

§§

  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

  Books make perfect gifts for everyone, and it’s not too early to do some holiday shopping.

Blatant Self Promotion: 

  Here are a few books to put on your shopping list. (The stories in the Christmas anthologies may have a holiday theme, but each of them is a year-round enjoyable read.)

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes 

  You'll find 70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmas memories.

  My story, written under my maiden name of Marilyn Olsein, is titled “Dancing with Daddy,” and relates how six-year-old me reconnected with my Swedish father after a thousand-mile, years-long separation.

  The anthology is available on Kindle at

Amazon.com : Christmas Through a Child's eyes

Finally Home

  This anthology gifts you with eight Christmas stories, all about our four-legged friends and the special people who rescue them. From funny, to sad, to romantic, there’s something here to tug at everyone’s heart strings.

   In “Puppy Love,” I write a tale about a woman who is passionate about giving abandoned kittens a second chance at happiness. My character’s carefully curated life is disrupted when she becomes a foster hu-mom to a puppy with an amputated leg. Then she is surprised by an even harder challenge when the man who broke her heart asks for a second chance, too.

Finally Home Buy Now  

  My novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

  If you’re looking for free versions of these fast-paced reads, break out your library card. You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

  P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

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

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

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

They are all one and the same

cj Sez: Veterans Day, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Poppy Day: They are different names for the same day, depending on in what country it's observed (and how old you are, I guess). On Monday, November 11, the U.S. respectfully commemorates Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all the war veterans whose heroism made and keep this country free. Amen, and thank you!

   “When first celebrated as Armistice Day, the day marked the end of World War I, formally recognized on the ‘11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month’ in 1918. The U.S. continues to honor the original connection to WWI, and Veterans Day is on the same day every year—November 11—regardless of which day of the week it falls.”  (Source: https://www.military.com/veterans-day )
 
  Excerpted from an American Legion page: “Poppy seeds can lay fallow for years, yet bloom brilliantly when the soil is disturbed or when the soil is freshly dug. After the battles were fought in World War I, the blood red poppy flourished in France and Belgium when battlefields became burial grounds. 

  The red flowers suddenly bloomed among the newly dug gravesites of fallen service members, turning the new graveyards into fields of red.

  Surviving soldiers came to see the poppy as more than a flower—–it became a symbol of their sacrifice; a tribute to the price of freedom.”
 
  Canada honors its veterans also on November 11 by celebrating their heroism with “Remembrance Day” and wearing red poppies.
 
  In England, many people wear paper or ceramic red poppies also as they commemorate Sunday, November 10, as Remembrance Day.

§§

 
  For all you word warriors: NaNoWri deadline is still more than two weeks away. You have time to reach your NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words on or before November 30 . . . Keep up the good work…you got this!

§§

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

§§

 
  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

  Now some words from my sponsors:
 
  Books make perfect gifts, and it’s not too early to do some holiday shopping. Blatant Self Promotion: Here are a few books to put on your shopping list:
 
Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

  This anthology has 70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmas memories.
 
  My story, written under my maiden name of Marilyn Olsein, is titled “Dancing with Daddy,” and relates how six-year-old me reconnected with my Swedish father after a thousand-mile, years-long separation.
 
The anthology is available on Kindle. Amazon.com : Christmas Through a Child's eyes
 
Finally Home

  This anthology gifts you with eight Christmas stories, all about our four-legged friends and the special people who rescue them. From funny, to sad, to romantic, there’s something here to tug at everyone’s heart strings.
 
  My story, “Puppy Love,” tells a tale about a woman who is passionate about giving abandoned kittens a second chance at happiness. My character’s carefully curated life is disrupted when she becomes a foster hu-mom to a puppy with an amputated leg. Then she is surprised by an even harder challenge when the man who broke her heart asks for a second chance, too.

The anthology is availaable here: Amazon.com: Finally Home (Christmas Romance Anthology)

  The stories in those Christmas anthologies may have a holiday theme, but each of them is a year-round enjoyable read.

  My novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.
 
  If you’re looking for free versions of these fast-paced reads, break out your library card. You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 
 
  P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.
 
➜ Follow me on        
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6 

Today we have Plan B

cj Sez: Apologies, apologies. Author Anne Louise Bannon was unable to appear as our guest today. I’m hoping we can schedule her for a later date.  Plan B topic of the day is the time change. I hope you set your clock back one hour Saturday evening. Here's a tidbit you may not know: We writers adhere to our own kind of clock.

  I actually did set back all my clocks way too early on Saturday and then spent the rest of the day not really knowing what time it was. By the by, I think I found the answer to why there is a time change twice a year. According to one news dot com site: “Daylight saving time was first enacted by the federal government March 19, 1918, during World War I, as a way to conserve coal.” 

  I just wish they’d make up my mind and keep one time or the other. Which would you prefer?

 
  Authors, there is a correct way to write DST in your stories. The correct term is daylight “saving” (not savings) time, and the AP Style Guide says when written out, it’s properly all lower case. (P.S. The rule really applies to everyone.)
 
  And that finishes that topic until next March, when the clock will reclaim that hour you gained.

§§

 

  

A couple of Jane Friedman recent (and helpful) blogs:
 
   This post is by author and book coach Kristin Melville who writes:

 “Story structure promotes the concept that every scene of your story should serve a larger purpose—e.g., the inciting incident sparks the problem, and the climax eventually brings everything to a head.

So what do you need to succeed?”
 
  Click on the link to read more.
Murky Middles Begone: Ensure the Middle of Your Book Stands Strong | Jane Friedman
 
  The following post is by developmental editor and book coach Hannah Kate Kelley. Ms. Kelley writes:
 
“What is Gothic fiction?
Gothic fiction, also referred to as gothic horror, is a subgenre of Romantic literature born out of the late 18th century. These stories typically feature a hauntingly beautiful and dilapidated setting, suspenseful narratives, and dark themes like oppression, guilt, shame, and insanity.”

The link below will take you to the post:  
How to Outline a Gothic Novel | Jane Friedman

§§

 
  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

  Now some words from my sponsors: Books make perfect gifts, and it’s not too early to start your holiday shopping.

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.
 
  If you’re looking for free and fast-paced reads, break out your library card. You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 
 
  P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.
 
➜ Follow me on        
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

cj Sez: Celebrating fall with one of my son’s photos and a Robert Frost poem: 

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..... and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

- Robert Frost

§§

How would you answer these questions?

  Do you have a tall, to-be-read pile of books residing somewhere in your home? 

  Is there one particular book you can point to as THE BOOK that captured your imagination and started you down a path that made a difference in your life. 

  Did you start reading more and more and maybe thinking about being a writer? 

  As a child, did you have a parent read to you? 

  Did you have a home library of books?

I’ll answer first:

  I have a small TBR pile and another small list of TBR Kindle books. I blame that on my eyes, and the fact that most books put me to sleep after about four chapters. Obviously, I’m a slow reader…unless I get captured by an amazing story and “in the zone.”

  THE BOOK for me is The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fennimore Cooper. Based on the French and Indian war and touching on interracial love, the story whetted my appetite for exciting adventure.

  I can’t remember that either of my parents ever read to me. My Sweden-born father didn’t read English all that well, and my mother wasn’t a reader by nature.  

  Companion to the above answer: We didn’t have a home library, although I do remember reading lots of comic books and some Golden Books. The Golden Books weren't mine, though

  All of that is to say, don’t compare your writing or reading life to anyone else’s. Sometimes, all it takes is a single story to bring about a love of books and spark one’s imagination.

  Despite not being introduced to reading books as a child, I grew to love the lyrical syncopation of words and syntax, and I am a published author, both traditional and self.

  How about you? What sparked your love of reading and/or writing? Can you pinpoint a single story? Or do you think it was the cumulative effect of childhood experiences?

§§

  The following Jane Friedman Blog post is by editor Tiffany Yates Martin, who writes . . .

“The Truth About First Lines.

  First lines are greatly overrated. Yes, there have been some classics that have been immortalized in the canon, but too many authors get bogged down trying to create that perfect opening sentence and prevent themselves from creating an effective story.”

  Click on the following link to read the rest of the post. 

Forget the First Line. Focus on First Pages. | Jane Friedman

§§

 Are you planning/plotting/thinking about doing NaNoWriMo? Author Neil Gaiman says: This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard. — Neil Gaiman

  I’m rooting for you!

§§

§§

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

cj

  My short story, “Once in a Blue Moon,” is one of 18 short stories and poems in the anthology HALLOWEEN PIECES. 

  As of the time of this post, the Kindle edition is sale priced at $1.99 and available instantly.

Halloween Pieces: A Mobile Writers Guild Anthology - @ Amazon.com.

  THE DAWGSTAR is a suspense/thriller filled with international political gangsterism, nanosatellites (real things), assassins, fears of frankenfood, and more! A fast-paced Jane Bond-ish read with a touch of romance.

  DEATH ON THE YAMPA is a contemporary suspense/thriller tale with a touch of romance. A woman and the man she loves are rafting the Yampa River through the delicious scenery of Dinosaur National Monument when they encounter her fugitive brother who's joined a domestic terrorist group.

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

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

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

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

We're baa-ack!

cj Sez: Lyrical Pens is back . . . Let’s kick off the blog’s return with a “It’s Fall, Y’all” sale.

A Mobile Writers Guild Anthology @ Amazon.com

  My short story, "Once in a Blue Moon," is one of 18 short stories and poems in the anthology HALLOWEEN PIECES, book 4 of 4 anthologies from the Mobile Writers Guild. As of the time of this post, the Kindle edition of HALLOWEEN PIECES is sale priced at $1.99 and available instantly.

  Click on the link below to watch a YouTube video as I read an excerpt.  And if you have the option, choose to open in “Duck Player” (no ads).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUlZ7kUswE

§§

  Old adage: Truth is stranger than fiction. Why? Because truth is harder to write and make it believable. As a writer, fiction is my choice because I can lie and be applauded for it. Now if I could only remember which lie I told.

§§

"Paths Not Taken" will release in March 2025. Pre-order is available.

§§

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

cj

Now a word from my sponsors:

  THE DAWGSTAR is a suspense/thriller filled with international political gangsterism, nanosatellites (real things), assassins, fears of frankenfood, and more! A fast-paced Jane Bond-ish read with a touch of romance.

 

  DEATH ON THE YAMPA is a contemporary suspense/thriller tale with a touch of romance. A woman and the man she loves are rafting the Yampa River through the delicious scenery of Dinosaur National Monument when they encounter her fugitive brother who's joined a terrorist group.

   You can ask your local library to order my eBooks for you to read with your library card. You’ll need to give them the ISBN number of the title you want to borrow.

THE DAWGSTAR … ISBN 978-17369146-0-1

DEATH ON THE YAMPA … ISBN 978-1-7369146-1-8

And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on  

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

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

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

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

  

Something's come up

cj Sez: Labor Day (it was Sept 2 in case you missed it) is sometimes called the unofficial end to summer. Witness: Most schools are back in session, and stores have already begun their multi-holiday advertising and sales. So let me be the first to wish you . . .

cj Sez: So did I. 

  That said, Lyrical Pens is on hiatus. The current plan is to return online in mid-October. Sorry for the abrupt notice, but life doesn’t always give warnings.

§§

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

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA-Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. If she’s out, she’ll order one for you, and I’ll pop over to sign it. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

  P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story. The Haunted Book Shop has a couple of those, also.  

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

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

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

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

There is no try.

cj Sez: I’ve been saying for a long time, way too long a time, that I’m trying to learn how to write an interesting mystery or I’m trying to learn how to write a YA story. In fact, I said it just the other day. Then I found this meme in my archives:

  It reminded me that I know better. And have done better. If I “really’ want to learn how to do something, I have to set an achievable goal and do what’s necessary to reach it.

  I once had a wild hair thought to challenge my staid existence and made a goal to go white-water rafting. When I was 50, I took six weeks of swimming lessons and then spent 5-1/2 days with 12 strangers on an Outward Bound white-water rafting trip on the undammed Yampa River flowing between Colorado and Utah. I had a great adventure (parts of which are incorporated into my second novel, DEATH ON THE YAMPA), made some interesting friends, and still don’t know how to swim.

  When I first wanted to learn how to write novels, I enrolled in a creative writing class at a local community college. I flew to San Francisco and spent three days immersed in Robert McKee’s STORY screenwriting workshop. I grabbed a bunch of how-to books. I read novels and read some more.

  Over time, I discovered I was drawn to the books of Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, John Grisham, James Lee Burke, Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series. You know the kind, heavy on the action and adventure with a smattering of sex. When I relocated to Mobile, I took a continuing education class at the University of South Alabama, wrote seven paragraphs based on a prompt from the instructor, and, with a three- or four-line positive response written on the paper, decided I was ready to write.

  BEEP, BEEP: Writing in a vacuum doesn’t work. I thought my premise was wonderful, the words and structure perfect. I wrote crap. There was no brilliant beginning, middle, or end. There was only a quasi-beginning, a sagging middle, and an unsatisfying end. And I couldn’t even edit out all the punctuation errors because I would read right past them.

So, I joined writers’ organizations and a couple of critique groups in order to get the kind of varied writer/reader responses I would get should my novel be on a library shelf. I went to conferences, writer retreats, and workshops. My first short story was published in a literary anthology in 2008, my first suspense novel in 2013.

 

At first, my stories and novels were traditionally published but understanding that the publication world is a fickle place, I took an intensive class in self-publishing, got my rights back (from Simon & Schuster), amended my novels enough to warrant renaming them, and then self-published. And you know what? It felt good. I still submit my short stories for consideration in small-press anthologies.

  There is a song lyric that, paraphrased, tells me I can spend my days living a dream or spend my days trying not to die. I don’t see any hope or laughter in the latter. The Yoda meme reminds me that I must own my dream. I will either do or do not. 

  

  I will either learn how to write a mystery or set a new goal—hopefully an achievable one. 

  Today’s lesson: Set a goal. Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and write it down. You might be surprised at how far seeing it in writing will take you.

  Okay, I’ll climb off the soap box, but think about it reader or author: What’s your goal? 

§§

  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe Labor Day celebration for you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Summer is winding down, kids are back in school, and there is some available downtime. Having a book to read is the perfect relaxing entertainment for those moments. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

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

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

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

A GUEST POST today by author Kathleen Kaska

cj Sez: Lyrical Pens is excited to present a guest post today by Kathleen Kaska, the author of the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series as well as the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s.

 

  Kaska generously shares her experiences as she pursued new publishers for her books that had been previously published. Following is the author's “Here’s My Road to Reissue,” a very interesting take on that process.  

“I learned a long time ago to take advice and seemingly factual information with a grain of salt. Once, a librarian told me that if my first book didn’t become an instant best-seller, I’d have a difficult time getting anyone to publish my second book. Thirteen books later, I’m glad I didn’t act on her information. Later, when the publisher of my first four Sydney Lockhart mysteries folded, someone also told me that it would be nearly impossible to find a new publisher for books that were previously published. I didn’t listen to them either. I had big plans for several more books in this series, so when the rights were reverted to me, I began doing my homework and searching for a new publisher.

When my first book came out in the early 90s, the publishing options were simple and straightforward but limited. Writers looked for an agent or contacted publishers directly, sent their submissions, and waited, and waited, and waited. Simultaneous submissions were frowned upon, so the process worked against the writer.

Over the years, I’ve signed with numerous publishers. My experience with the university press that published my biography, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story, was/is amazing. When I have questions or need something, I call them. And guess what? They answer the phone! They were open to negotiating my contract, and my royalty statements are accurate and arrive on time. The same is true for the publishers of my trivia books. Not so true with the first two publishers of my mysteries. So, I learned to be cautious. I’ve learned to ask questions. I’ve learned to recognize publishers who accept manuscripts despite not having read them.

The good news is that now there are thousands of traditional small presses, hybrid presses, and self-publishing options. The less-than-good news is that a writer has to know the business, study the contracts, know when to negotiate, and be able to recognize a good deal. With this in mind, I knew I wanted a publisher who would work with me, answer my emails, listen to my suggestions, give me honest, helpful advice and feedback, brainstorm with me on promotion and marketing ideas, give me reasonable discounts on purchasing my books, connect me with her network of published authors, and above all, care about my books. I know that’s asking a lot, but writing is hard work, and I did not want to sell myself short.

   Three years ago, I signed with Anamcara Press, and I couldn’t be happier. My publisher conducted a thorough edit on each previously published book, rebranded the entire series, which now includes two new books, and provided me with a publicist who helped me schedule book tours and kept me involved every step of the way. We meet virtually several times before each new release, tweaking the cover, metadata, and book blurbs. 

   I trust her expertise and experience. I’m selling more books than I ever have. And to top it all off, she is a nice person.”

§§

cj Sez: 

   For your reading enjoyment, here’s the cover and buy link to the reissue of MURDER AT THE ARLINGTON, Book 1 (of 6) in her Sydney Lockhart mystery series.

Buy the Kindle Now  

  Thank you, Kathleen, for the tips and reassurances. Yep, it’s going to take work, but if we writers will do our due diligence research, there are several publishing options available for that previously published book. 

§§

  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school, and there is available downtime. Having a book to read is the perfect relaxing entertainment for those moments of R&R. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

  And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page to find links to anthologies in which I have a short story. 

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:     Amazon Central Author Page

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

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

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Readers' wants and expectations

cj Sez: I rediscovered one of my archived posts about my path to creative writing, and I’ve excerpted it here. Hope you can find a useful nugget in here:

Readers have different expectations/wants

  My first drafts are crappy and sparse, mainly for two reasons: First, first drafts are supposed to be crappy, and second. before a screenwriter course turned me on to creative writing, I was once a corporate journalist/editor tasked with relating the gist of a story in limited line space.

  When I’m finished with the first draft, and the manuscript has its usual dearth of details, I start work expanding details: The five senses…hear, see, taste, smell, feel… and the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the plot.

  I incorporate some action descriptors, but I consider too many of them stage directions. Some writers use them much like adverbs to “tell” their readers what to think or as a way to add words to a short manuscript.

 

  Action needs to have purpose. If describing an action doesn't contribute to the reader's knowledge of the character, scene conflict, or mood, then it’s stage direction. I write mostly suspense and thrillers and have a minimalist approach to action—using few words speeds up the pace and heightens the tension. On the other hand, readers of cozy mysteries or more narrative-based novels want, and expect, to know every detail.

  Adding or withholding detail is a good way to control the pace of your novel. Even in suspense and thrillers, there are places where the reader needs a breather from the action. These would be the spots where I add more detail or beats. Places where I can reveal more of the characters’ growth, i.e., transformation, as the plot progresses.

  Hint: Adding detail words slows the pace; being stingy speeds it up.

  When action is needed to set some mood for the scene, then yes, I detail the action. Sometimes I add details to slow the action and increase the tension. If I want a character to give the reader a sense of impending danger and fear, then I add more description to the action. I tend to follow the lead of my favorite authors—Robert Parker and James Lee Burke. Their succinct style of writing is what I like to read, and it is their fans who are my target market.

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Author and Reader Notes

Be sure to stop by next week when Kathleen Kaska, author of the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series shares her path to securing a publisher to reissue her books.

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  In a recent Jane Friedman blog post, Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), an award-winning author, editor, and book coach, says writers can make their protagonist “too good.”

When It Comes to Characters We Love, Vulnerability, Not Likeability, Is Key | Jane Friedman

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Author quote:

  “All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?”  —Philip Pullman

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Congratulations to fellow Mobile Writers Guild member Carrie Dalby on the upcoming release of LOYALTY, the third book in her meticulously researched historical Washington Square Secrets series. 

  LOYALTY will launch August 27 and is currently available for preorder.  Buy Loyalty Now      

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: My local indy book store, The Haunted Book Shop, has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

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