Ginger Simpson's Blog, page 7
February 26, 2022
Saturday Photo (Things that Make Me Smile) #6 By Connie Vines #SaturdayPhoto, #BWLAuthor, #BWLPublishing, #ConnieVinesAuthor, #RanchoCucamonga
Sometimes, to quote Dorothy. of Wizard of Oz 🌪fame,
"There's no place like home." 🏡
Snow topped mountains 2019 taken during my drive to the market
Simply, breathtaking!Winter of 2019, driving to the market--and it is as cold as it looks here in SoCal! (Notice the Palm Trees) 🌴🌴🌴❆⛄
Happy Saturday!
ConnieXOXO
February 25, 2022
Spotlight: E. R. Yatscoff, Featured Author Interview By Connie Vines # #Author Interview, #MG Fiction, #BWLPublishing
Today's Featured guest is E. R. Yatscoff
Thank you for stopping by today. Please tell our readers about your current release and why you enjoy writing for Middle-Grade readers.😀
E. R.: I like writing MG because it's generally a smaller word count. There tends to be a less intricate background so it’s simpler. I’ve chosen THE FAR BANK as a favorite of mine as there are so many elements of it I’ve lived through.
Connie::What was the inspiration for this story?
E.R.: My blue-collar hometown was full of reckless boys who swam the Welland Canal in summer. I was in awe of many of them. Many drowned. The great accomplishment was to swim straight across to the far bank for bragging rights. The massive Great Lake boats would go back and forth along the canal, so timing was everything—no dilly-dallying. We even put rocks in our bathing suits to touch the bottom. 🏊
Connie:: What would you like to see more/less of in the MG/YA genre?
E.R.: Actually, I’d like to see more crime and less magic/dystopia. I don't follow the genre much. I write about incidents and people when I was growing up and string them together in a novel. The elements and issues of boys during that time are much the same today. Although the pressures on a boy can be even higher now.
Connie:. Do you believe writers are born, taught, or both? Which was true for you?
E.R.: Writers can be taught, but the storytelling talent in a person is a big factor. I always was a storyteller and had to be taught to write. I find it easy to write about something, anything and wish I didn’t have to edit. The devil is in the details. My adult crime writing is based on my firefighting career.
.
Connie: Do you have a favorite paragraph/line of dialogue in this novel?
E.R.: I love the twisted logic in this. ‘Drowning is one thing, but it’s the propellors that’ll really kill you.’
.
Connie: Did you love scary stories as a kid? Can you tell us some of your favorites? Books or authors?
E.R.: I read sci-fi mostly as a kid but gave it up when a super ray gun or escape pod would magically appear. I loved Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes series. So much so, I entered a Tarzan Father’s Day contest at a mall and won a trip to California! My Tarzan call rocked the mall.🎤
Connie: E.R. That was quite a prize!
How do you come up with names for your characters?
E.R.: They are childhood friends or enemies. Everyone had nicknames.
Connie: Could you tell our readers about your current release
E.R.: The Far Bank has a lot of elements: bullying on the paper route from hell, courage, cheating, morals, and of course, action. Many of my MG novels deal with bullies and my protagonists handle them quite well without violence by humbling them.
Connie: E.R.. thank you for visiting "Dishn' It Out Blog" today. I've enjoyed our visit, and I'm confident our readers welcomed a look into your writing life!
E.R. Yatscoff BWL Publisher's Page
https://books2read.com/Final-Response
February 18, 2022
Flawed Characters in Your Story--What's Their Backstory? By Connie Vines #RR#93, #BWLAuthor, #WesternHero, #CowboyRomance, #HappilyEverAFter
This month's Round Robin Topic: Describe a flawed character you might use in a story. What part will they play in the story, and what will happen to them? How did they become so flawed?
Thank you, Rhobin, for this month's topic.
I'd like to begin my post by stating that everyone is flawed--including an author's story characters.
The flaw may be physical, or a character may have a 'fatal flaw': a temper, stubbornness, act-with-out-thinking, or lack of self-esteem-all of which can lead to your story character's doom.
The flaw is part of the character arc, the path to self-growth. And, in a romantic novel, the way the main characters, and often the secondary characters, close the story with a HEA (happily ever after).
Yet the path is always bumpy and uncertain for the Hero and Heroine. It is often a secondary character or a 'villain' who usually has the most interesting/unexpected backstory.
I take full advantage of secondary characters and villains who reveal, little by little, unexpected details of their past.
This is especially so in my YA novel, Tanayia--Whisper Upon the Water.
Of course, that is all I can say because I never print 'spoilers' for my novels; or any books I review.
What Is an Example of a Character Flaw?
This is an extreme character flaw but also an excellent example.
Though you may have not read the novel, most are familiar with the movie or the storyline of the Thomas Harris novel The Silence of the Lambs (and its subsequent film adaptation by director Jonathan Demme). Hannibal Lecter has a personality disorder: A cannibal and a sadomasochist. Lecter's character flaws, however, are somewhat offset by his brilliant mind, which he uses to help the main character, Clarice Starling, apprehend a serial killer tormenting Appalachia.
Lecter is an example of how in fiction, even characters with the most severe personality flaws can embody a degree of three-dimensionality.
The opening to my novel, Brede, Rodeo Romance, Book 2:
Thunder rumbled across the remote New Mexico sky as unforgiving wind shoved low gray clouds against a craggy mountaintop. Brede Kristensen tugged the brim of his Stetson lower on his forehead. The threat of a storm didn't faze him; nothing fazed him anymore. The worst had already happened.
(the elements can also take on a life of their own--evolving and changing, influencing and affecting the characters in your story).
Thank you for stopping by,
Visit the talented authors participating in this month's Round Robin Blog Hop.
Connie
XOXO
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2yB
Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
February 11, 2022
Spotlight: Joan Havelange, Featured Author Interview By Connie Vines #Author Interview, #Cozy Mystery, #BWLPublishing
Today's featured guest is Joan Havelange
Thank you for visiting "Dishin' It Out" today.
Please tell our readers about your current release 😃
Joan: Book four is my latest Cozy Mystery, ‘The Suspects.’
The hilarious adventures of Mable and Violet. These intrepid amateur sleuths make their way through the European capitals to end up smack in the middle of murder in Moscow.
Connie: Wow! Sounds like a great setting for a mystery story. What was the inspiration for this story?
Joan: On tour to Russia, my tour guide related a story about a tourist in her care who died in a Moscow hotel. And all the hoops she had to go through with the authorities. Of course, the cause of death in ‘The Suspects’ is murder.
Connie: What would you like to see more/less of in the mystery genre?
.Joan: As long as there is a puzzle to solve, I’m happy.
Connie: What, in your opinion, makes a good mystery writer?
Joan: A writer, who can weave a story with twists, with no plot holes.
Connie: Do you have a favorite paragraph/line of dialogue in "Suspects" published by BWL?
The Suspects.
Mabel bit her lip as she looked at the white waxy face of the dead woman lying on the bed. The life force that was Hilda drained away, her eyes wide open, sunk back into her skull, jaw slackened, and lips pale.
“Come on, we have to get the hell out of here.”
“Shouldn’t we look for clues first?” asked Violet.
“Clues, what clues? We just erased them.”
“But don’t you want to find out who killed Hilda?”
“We’re in a foreign country.” Mabel started for the door.
“That never stopped you before.”
“This time, we are in big trouble.”
“Why? We didn’t do anything wrong.” Violet insisted.
Mabel paused, grim-faced; she looked back at the dead woman. “Really! We haven’t done anything wrong? We moved a dead body and interfered in a crime scene."
Connie: Why did you choose this location for your mystery novel?
Joan: The mystery begins on a Nordic tour that ends in Moscow. I took that tour. It was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone who loves travel: Saint Petersburg, The Hermitage, the Summer Palace. And Moscow, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square, to name just a few of the sights. I wanted to share some of the fabulous tourist attractions with my readers. And, of course, weave a mystery around it all.
Connie: Joan, you are certainly a world traveler! If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters, who would it be?
Joan: It would be a toss-up between my main protagonists, Mabel and Violet. Mabel jumps into the middle of things with no fear. Violet is the opposite but a friend who always has Mabel’s back.
Connie: What are your hobbies? Do any of your characters share your hobbies/interests? Do any of your hobbies play a part in your novels?
Joan: I’m an avid golfer. Both of my ladies golf. My first novel’Wayward Shot’ takes place on a golf course. Violet is the better golfer.
Connie: Joan, do you have another novel in the works?
Joan: I’m working on my next mystery, ‘Murder Exit Stage Right.’ I directed little theatre for many years, so this mystery is a joy to write. The publishing date is in October of this year.
Connie; Sounds like another great story! Joan thank you for sharing your adventures within your novels and with our readers 📙🕮🕵🔎
Readers, please click on Joan Havelange's links.
https://www.facebook.com/mabelmysteries
https://books2read.com/Wayward-Shot
https://books2read.com/Death-and-Denial
https://books2read.com/The-Suspects-
https://www.bookswelove.com/havelange-joan/
https://www.instagram.com/joanhave/
https://books2read.com/The-Trouble-With-Funerals
Joan Havelange - Russell, MB, Canada (107 books) | Goodreads
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-suspects-joan-havelange/1140139468
Thanks for stopping by today,
Connie
XOXO
February 5, 2022
Saturday Photo (Things That Make Me Smile): Photo # 5 By Connie Vines # Navajo Nation, #SandPainting, #FourCorners, #Dine, #Native American Art
My family and I have vacationed throughout the United States. The Native American artwork (featured today) was created by Navajo artists on the Reservation.
From My Personal Art Collection
Sandpainting is the art of pouring colored sands and powdered pigments from minerals or crystals or pigments from other natural sources onto a surface to make a fixed or unfixed sand painting.
Because the symbols are sacred, the Navajo artist makes respectful changes to the symbols to the original sand painting (which is destroyed after the healing ceremony).
From My Personal Art Collection
From My Personal Art CollectionAn Art of Healing: For the Navajo (Dine), the sand painting is a dynamic, living sacred entity that enables a transformation in the mental and physical state of the patient. The sand painting is considered toxic and destroyed because it has absorbed the illness or problem.
Navajo word for Sand Painting is
iikaah ("ee-EE-kah").
Wood Box a gift from a friendThank you for stopping by today!
Connie
XOXO
January 30, 2022
Poodle Talk Sunday: Treats! By Connie Vines #Poodles, #Poodle Talk, #Life is Better with a Poodle #connievines-author
Treats!
This one may not be specific to only poodles, as virtually every dog loves treats. With that being said, poodles seem to tend to be a little more discerning when it comes to their taste buds than a lot of other breeds.
Why?
Because they love those special treats that you pick up at the pet store or specialty shop for dogs.
"Run-of-the-mill treats for me?"
My poodle will poke her nose in the bag, but it's not a winner!
If you have problems while training your dog, it is essential to keep this in mind.
While I don't bake dog treats, I switch up the selection.
My current poodle is a toy, and she weighs 8 lbs. In her case, she prefers soft treats. I purchase the organic variety, min-training treats, shaped into a tiny bone - which I break into half, so she doesn't swallow it whole.
I alternate between: Chicken, Salmon, and Duck. Since the Duck flavor is the most prized, those are not doled out too often. 🦆 She usually receives a Salmon treat 🐟when she responds quickly when called or stays in a sit position without creeping forward (Yes, she's wigglier).
Of course, verbal praise and pets are always appreciated. As is a 🐔 treat or toy my poodle has forgotten about (with a loud squeak).
And of course, my gentle companion is silly, playful and my sweet protector receives hugs and praise 'just because' 🐩!
Happy Poodle Sunday,
Connie
XOXO
Photo Posted on Pinterest.
January 29, 2022
Saturday Photo (Things that Make Me Smile) # 4 By Connie Vines #LiveOakCanyon #Photo, #PhotoSaturday
My year-long plan is to post a photo each Saturday about things that make me smile. 😀
Many things make me smile, so you will find different photos pop up. Of course, my pups, and friends of my pups, will be posted.
Yes, it is January, but I found this photo of three of my granddaughters during a family outing at the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch.
Why is it that the tallest child (middle-child) scrunches down, while the shortest (the baby) teeters on top of a ladder to position for the photo session? The eldest child (to whom I can relate) just steps up and attends to business. 😉🦇📷
liveoakcanyon.com/pumpkin-patch/
Good Times!
Connie
XOXO
January 28, 2022
I'm at BWLAuthor Blog Today: Too Many Books and A GREAT Tracking App! By Connie Vines
Happy Friday!
On the 28th of each month I 'appear' on my Publisher's website. So I'm in the spotlight this week 😎🎥🎤🎬
Topic:
"Why You Can (Almost) Never Read Too Many Books"
👉I'm also sharing a new phone appt to track and sort your personal library (past/present and future reads). Fast, accurate, and simple to use, too!
https://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/
January 22, 2022
Writing Contemporary Novels--How Do You Deal with COVID or the Pandemic? By Connie Vines #RoundRobin, #WritingTips, #COVID, #WritingFiction
Thank you, Rhobin, for allowing me to select this month's Round Robin Topic:
When writing contemporary fiction, are you including the topic of COVID or the Pandemic? If so, in what manner: as a plotline, part of the day-to-day reality of your characters? Or, is the topic excluded? If so, why?
While researching this topic, I discovered there is a newly coined (for lack of a better label) sub-genre: "Pandemic (and Post Pandemic) Fiction.
This came as no surprise to me in the 'historical sense.' In my Native American historical novel, a subplot was the diphtheria epidemic in the 1880s. Tanayia--Whisper upon the Water.
While the"Pandemic/Post Pandemic Fiction POV perspectives vary from historical novels to science fiction. Responses are just as varied: scientific ingenuity, unreasoning paranoia, defeated acceptance, heroic sacrifice, or sheer survival at any cost. And writers have long employed plagues and epidemics (historical and imagined) as the background or subject of their fiction.
Publisher's Weekly has a list (published in 2020) of 13 Essential Pandemic Novels.
None of which I found exceptionally light or escape-from-reality-fiction to read when one could be worried about a friend or loved one.
To quote Elle Magazine: Romance Novels Are The Antidote To Pandemic Life.
I agree.
Since I write mostly Romance and YA novels, I'm more inclined to mention a 'shelter-at-home event' or have a main character remove/choose a mask.
I will touch on politics in historical novels. (I include both sides of a topic because I did not live within the norms of that time),
However, I do not include politics in Contemporary Romance novels. Why? Because #1 politics are not romantic, the storyline's focus is #2 Romance with a HEA (happily ever after) conclusion.
Thanks for stopping by today,
Connie
XOXO
Visit the talented writers in today's Round Robin Blog Hop to read more!
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2wY
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Robin http://rhobincourtright.com
Helem Fairfax https://helenafairfax.com/blog/
January 21, 2022
Spotlight: Yvonne Rediger, Featured Author Interview By Connie Vines #AuthorInterview, #CozyMystery, #BWLPublishing,
Today's featured guest is Yvonne Rediger
Thank you for stopping by today. Please tell our readers about your current release.😃
Yvonne.: Thank you, Connie, for allowing me to be a guest on your blog. I’m excited to share Condo Crazy, my newest cozy mystery with you, book 3 in the Musgrave Landing Mysteries published by BWL Publishing Inc.
Connie: What was the inspiration for Condo Crazy?
Yvonne: Condo Crazy was a work inspired by my sister and the crazy things that happened in her condo building. She was great about letting me weave her adventures into a story. I like to add humor to my stories and Condo Crazy has some funny things happen along with a few mysteries to solve. Connie: Yvonne what would you like to see more/less of in the mystery genre?
Yvonne: For me, I think every mystery should have a good solid mystery right up front and center. I want to solve the puzzle. I’m fine with a light romance unfolding along the way, but the mystery is the star of the show. 🕵❓
Connie: W hat, in your opinion, makes a good mystery writer? 🖋💻📚 Yvonne: A writer should transport the reader into the main character’s world. There should be familiar anchor points, like pets–Gladys has a white Persian–and family. Maisy, Gladys’ granddaughter is visiting. There should be unexpected things as well, and Arlie Birch supplies that aspect, as do Gladys’s neighbors. There is never a dull moment in that condo building.
March 2022 ReleaseConnie:
Do you have a favorite line/paragraph of dialogue in this novel?
Yvonne: Yes. Here is my excerpt:
Arlie stepped back from Gladys’ car and closed the heavy tailgate of the station wagon. His hand paused on the chrome door handle. For a moment he looked at the station wagon with a pensive frown. "I keep meaning to ask, wasn't this Earl Moffatt's old hearse?"
Gladys knew what Arlie was doing. He was trying to distract her from thinking about being robbed, and she could have hugged him for the effort, so she played along. "Yes, I got it at a good price. The rollers make moving the bread racks so much easier." She patted the side of the car, now Gladys’ bakery delivery vehicle. thought.
Connie:: If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters, who would it be?
Yvonne: Gladys Wyatt was easy to write, if I were forced to live the rest of my life as one of my characters, I’d swap places with her. My husband and I used to live on Vancouver Island and I’ve been to Musgrave Landing, although the ‘real’ place is only a dock and a collection of a dozen houses. When we lived in British Columbia, for a time we lived in a couple of different marinas. First on sailboats then later on, in a floating home. We also kayak and scuba dive. I used some of this for Gladys’ character background. She lives across the road from the marina.🎣🐟🐠
Connie: Do any of your characters share your hobbies/interests?
Yvonne: I also love cooking and baking, so food features a lot in my stories. There’s nothing better than curling up with a cup of tea and some home baking or a glass of wine and something savory in front of the fire in winter. love reading, 🎂🍪🍷Connie: Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers today? Yvonne.: As I finished up this novel, I realized I still have one or two more adventures for Gladys and Arlie. There may be follow-up books in this series since new ideas keep popping into my head.
Connie:: Yvonne. thank you for visiting "Dishn' It Out Blog" today. I've enjoyed our visit, and I'm confident our readers welcomed a look into your writing life!
Condo Crazy – Release Date March 6, 2022, from BWL Publishing Inc.
Welcome back to Musgrave Landing.
Blurb:
Gladys Wyatt is busy with her home bakery business. She needs to keep up with the expenses on her new condo. It would help if Linda would stop flooding the place. Freddie isn’t much bothered by the damage Linda causes. He is more caught up in defending his medical plants from Lara Finkle, the one-time mistress of the late embezzler mayor. How can she afford a unit in the new building anyway? Arlie Birch thinks he knows, but not everyone agrees.
It would also be great if Enid, the building manager, and Dwayne, the condo board president, would stop coming up with new bylaws that threaten Gladys’ bakery business. This makes the condo board meetings quite contentious.
When Gladys is accused by Ann Westcott of hanging prank banners on the water facility build, is it possible the pranks could be related to the thief plaguing the village? Gladys suspects it was the thief who injured Matthew's dog.
Gladys is shocked to find a body, half outside of the garage. Could the thief also be responsible for the murder? She reminds her granddaughter to keep the condo doors locked, but will that be enough?
BWL Publishing website; https://bookswelove.net/rediger-yvonne/
Please visit these links to learn more about Yvonne Rediger, and purchase her mystery novels: Website: http://blackyvy50.wix.com/yvonnerediger (All book links can be found here)Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/YvonneRedigerAuthorTwitter: @blackyvyInstagram: @blackyvy50
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiDUwNJcq9KeJwTI7-Ms4S-ojGT5zxj6X
Thanks for stopping by, everyone!
Connie
XOXO
