"The Importance of Bein Kennedy by Laurie Graham. I love her books and even though this was is fiction, it is still very imformative about the Kennedy family.

So far, I am loving it!

I'm reading Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon. Seems very accesible I chickened out of Gravity's Rainbow twenty years ago, and some of his more recent books I balked at because of the size.

Rain GodsRain Gods A Novel

The only books I read now are the ones I'm writing, or the ones I'm hired to edit. Otherwise my time is spent on marketing those that are already complete.

The Villa in Italy by Elizabeth Edmontson.

Eva Etzioni-Halevy
women-in-the-bible.com

Book of Lies The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult

We all want the world to know about our books, don't we?

Jackie

Yes, you do make sense, Dave, and I really am sorry for my misstep. Won't happen again.
Mike

Okay, cool. A man that owns up to his mistakes is okay by me. The "Talk about your book here" thread would be the place for that. Of course, now my reply makes no sense, LOL>

Sorry Dave and Jackie,

Being relatively new here on goodreads, I have yet to navigate my way around. Please accept my sincere apoliogies. I was not attempting to be 'sneaky' at all. I have deleted the post, hope that ensures all will have a safe, fun-filled and Happy 4th. of July.

Michael

I've been reading "The toilet paper entrepreneur" by Mike Michalowicz. Oddly, I got the book as a sample from a printer. For anyone in any kind of business, and yes, writing is generally a business, it's got many good ideas in it. It's not pleasure reading, but it does have it's moments where it's downright funny. Oh, I have lots of info on book printers, so for those of you going your own way, give me a holler offlist, I'll help you out with that if I can.

You're quite right, Dave. So to get back to the original thread, as I've said above, I've recently finished reading 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell. I thought it was extremely good, and it had two main protagonists, in whose viewpoint we were - and occasionally a third. I very quickly came to like both the main characters.

jeesh, couldn't you have at least been a little more sneaky about putting in an ad for your book? Or at least straight forward about it? one or the other, that particular post just doesn't seem right to me, especially on this thread. The talk about your books thread would be more appropriate. Does this mean I can use this thread to advertise my editorial services or consulting? Naw, that don't seem right to me.

Dear Dave and Jackie,

Thanks for your insightful and helpful comments.

A famous British author is reported to have said: "There are three rules on how to write good fiction. The Problem is that nobody knows what they are."

If so, what are agents and editors (not to mention creative writing workshops)there for?

Eva Etzioni-Halevy
women-in-the-bible.com

I have just come back from giving readings of my work in a bookshop in Germany. As I read it out, I realised how challenging it was to read dialogue by two different characters, one old, one young and in two different accents - one American and one English, West Country.

I read my stuff out loud as well. When I lived in my apartment in the spring & summer with doors & windows open, I remember passing by & looking at me as if I were crazy, but it works. If the reading is fluid out loud it is in the writing as well.

Good characters are either lovable or hate-able. When I write the "bad guys" I try to make sure that when they meet their just reward for their evil deeds, the reader is wanting them to get blasted... or whatever. One minor character in my Ash Pane series is a guy that Ash "loves to hate" he's not a evil guy, just obnoxious... at least on the job. I think every character should have traits that make them different, even the heroes have to have their foibles, but they can't be things that make the reader dislike them.

Quite agree with you Dave. You can't make absolute rules about what's right or wrong.

I remember reading a novel by Susan Howatch - a very popular historical novelist - I think it was about a tine mine in Cornwall. All her main characters wrote in the first person. Each had a whole chapter, or more than one to themselves. Unfortunately, from my point of view, none of them were likeable and I couldn't empathise with any of them.

Eva, two different viewpoints in the same chapter without something defining who's POV it is? That wouldn't be good. I always write thoughts in first person, in italics, but not everything they see and do. Of course, I get criticized for writing in present tense, when by all rights, if you think about it, past tense doesn't make a whole lot of sense for an action novel. It's not a history book, that's for sure. Here's what it boils down to. You'll get criticized no matter what you do. For some reason, publishers will make up reasons to reject you when the truth of the matter is they're simply already doing all the books they plan to for that year. Funny though, win some awards, get rave reviews from certain sources, then the same critics will start going along with the pack and give favorable reviews too... even of the same piece of work. I've had diametrically opposed critiques from different publishers on the same piece of work. The very things one didn't like the other did, and vice versa. I've been criticized for writing past tense when I wrote that way too... so go figure... opinions are like... well you know the saying.

When I published my first novel, THE SONG OF HANNAH, I was criticized for writing from the viewpoints of two protagonists and using the first person narrative for each.

Do you fellow authors feel that there is anything wrong with this?

Eva
women-in-the bible.com

Thanks for the tip, Dave. At the moment, I'm only at the first draft stage - and only half way through at that. So it will need some careful reading by myself and others once I've finished - and probably lots of reworking.

Jackie, you can easily have more than one POV, but stick to one POV in a chapter, unless you want to do the *** thing to set aside another point of view. Early in a book you will probably need several POV but will have to work it so that they're not all mixed together. I highly recommend you get someone that reads out loud well to read your work out loud to you during the editing process. This will help a lot, and when they or you get confused as to which pov is which, then you'll know to fix it.

Band of Sisters by Holmstedt.

It's an insightful book into the trials and tribulations of women in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Darlene wrote: "I've nearly finished "Huntress" by Ivory Madison, and I'm well into "Prayers for The Dying," by Faye Kellerman. So many books, so little time...."

I've just finished reading: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell, for my reading circle. But before I start on the next one, I'll be editing, 'Marlowe', the third in a historical trilogy by Jay Margrave.

Dave wrote: "I usually use strong female leads, one series I do has three, but one main one. You can split it up too much. Remember to stick to one POV most of the time. If it's how one of the leads sees it, it..."

I was criticised by an agent for having only one point of view in my novel, Tainted Tree, published last year. (Although I also had letters and a diary by another character.) I have often found multiple view-points irritating. (For example, The Tenderness of Wolves.) However, with my current book, I'm experimenting with more than one viewpoint.

I've nearly finished "Huntress" by Ivory Madison, and I'm well into "Prayers for The Dying," by Faye Kellerman. So many books, so little time....

I'm reading Falling Awake right now.

And I thought I'd share this new blog review of the book CC:
http://www.threedifferentdirections.com/...

If so many of you have so much time to read, I'll email some of you the early versions of my books. I can always use test readers. use tootall1121@yahoo.com or dave@whimpublishing.com

Hi,
I've just turned the last page of "The Wicked Wit of the West," by Irving Brecher and Herb Rosenfeld, which I adored. Now it's a toss-up. I'm either going to start "Huntress," by Ivory Madison which will be my very first foray into reading an illustrated book, or a Faye Kellerman book. I'm working my way through her Peter Decker/Rena Lazerus series at long last!

Hi there;
I'm reading 'By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept'
by Paulo Coelho" for second time. I love his books.

We won't discuss how I learned that.... lol.

Dave wrote: "I usually use strong female leads, one series I do has three, but one main one. You can split it up too much. Remember to stick to one POV most of the time. If it's how one of the leads sees it, it..."

Yes good advice Dave.

I usually use strong female leads, one series I do has three, but one main one. You can split it up too much. Remember to stick to one POV most of the time. If it's how one of the leads sees it, it really doesn't matter who else is in the scene. Too many leads makes a story hard to follow, whatever they may be, strong and female, male and smart, whatever, too many leads gets confusing is you're not telling it just from one POV.

Dave wrote: "This is true. I often have to get with the author and play twenty questions to figure out what they were trying to say. Thing is, if I don't get what they were trying to say, and I deal with this s..."

Good advice ... of course that would keep your wife really busy reading everyone's books out loud!

Some wrote me that I have too many strong female leads in the book ... too pretty and too smart. I guess they liked the James Bond series.

I'm reading, "Out Stealing Horses" by Per Peterson, a Norwegian author. So far, I find the book to be totally captivating.

This is true. I often have to get with the author and play twenty questions to figure out what they were trying to say. Thing is, if I don't get what they were trying to say, and I deal with this stuff all the time, the readers probably won't know either. I know with my own work, since I'm close to it, I know what's being said, what's going on, but from what's on the page, the reader might not. That's one reason I always have somebody, usually my wife, read the thing out loud, so I can hear the way the reader interprets it. I recommend everyone have somebody else read it out loud so they can hear it. It'll help a lot.

Dave wrote: "It's not mine, I get paid to edit these days. Odd, the one thing I really don't like doing with my own work is something I'm quite good at for others. I'm also doing layouts for children's books, n..."

Yes but after a professional proof reader (mine) proofs the manuscript you still have to read through it word by word. Sometimes they do not understand what your point was.

So am I reading the ARC of THE FRUIT OF HER HANDS by Michelle Cameron for the purpose of writing a blurb! A nice coincidence.

Eva Etzioni-Halevy
www.women-in-the-bible.com

It's not mine, I get paid to edit these days. Odd, the one thing I really don't like doing with my own work is something I'm quite good at for others. I'm also doing layouts for children's books, not really even writing much on my own work these days. Oh well, a buck's a buck, these days, it's good to have some work.

Dave wrote: "I don't really have time to read for pleasure these days. Does the romance I'm editing count? "

I hope so. I'm proofing the next edition of my book, and it is painstaking to check every word, headers and footers, chapter page numbers, and on and on and on ...

I don't really have time to read for pleasure these days. Does the romance I'm editing count?

Jim wrote: ""

"Galileo's Daughter" was great, and watching it become a bestseller gave me hope that there was an audience for my, as yet unpublished, historical novel, "Rashi's Daughters." Now I'm up to 4 books in the series, with the final volume coming out in August.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

The Fruit of Her Hands The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz. I'm reading an ARC right now and I hope I like it well enough to blurb.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Reading, Child of God - Cormac McCarthy

What book are you reading right now?

Constellation Chronicles The Lost Civilization of Aries