Amy Corwin's Blog, page 19

Guest: Anne Patrick on The Importance of Research

My guest blogger today is Anne Patrick and she is talking about a subject that is near-and-dear to my heart: research and getting your facts straight. How many of us have started a book only to throw it across the room when we run into a glaring error? Obviously, none of us can get everything right--there are some honest mistakes and even historians have been known to argue about what exactly happened when, and to whom--but there are basics that every diligent author should get right.
But...I digress (since this is a favorite topic of mine). Here is Anne Patrick!
Get Your Facts Straight.


How many of you remember the drudgery of researching at your local library? Thanks to the internet, things are a lot easier now. I do my research, probably like most other writers: books and the internet. However, you have to be careful where you get your information and whether or not it is indeed accurate. Your best bet is to find someone in the field you are researching and ask them to lend their expertise. Most always, you'll find a willing participant—especially if you promise to acknowledge them in your book.

Through research is one of the most important steps you'll take in the writing process. You want to take great care in making sure you've done your homework, especially if you plan on doing any book signing or book club talks. I never will forget my first book signing. After I'd done the fun part of autographing all the books, I was asked to talk to a group of about twenty people. Now that in itself is pretty terrifying to me, but when they started asking research questions my anxiety level went up a notch or two. Thankfully, I had contacted a professional in the same field I'd placed my main character and I was able to answer all their questions. I even had a little pamphlet made up (just in case anyone was to ask) that I passed around describing how my forensic artist went through her creation process.
Another example is my novel Fire and Ash. Several months of research went into it's creation, involving books and the internet. To make sure I got my facts straight I enlisted the help of a wonderful man named Keith Tarbox. He is the fire investigator I corroborated with to make sure my fire scenes were plausible and that my character was believable. His help was invaluable. Not only did he take time out of his busy schedule to answer all my questions he read the manuscript and made some suggestions that gave the book more depth. His insights and the real life experiences he shared helped me to get inside Sadie's head and really get to know her. In all honesty, this books success is due largely to his willingness to help out a nagging author.
Last case in point is my short story Dangerous Deception, which is included in a mystery/suspense anthology that was released March 1st from Victory Tales Press. My inspiration behind this story came from reading about the civil war in Sierra Leone back in the nineties. When I first came up with the idea for this story a few years ago, I contacted two different pastors living in Sierra Leone who actually witnessed many of the atrocities that took place. Since my novel is a contemporary, it takes place in a fictitious country. The events I describe, however, were inspired from the stories I was told. This brings up another point you may want to watch out for, avoid using real names and places if possible.


I hope my post was useful to you. I want to thank Amy for having me today, and for the opportunity to share a little about myself. If you'd like to learn more about me and my books, please visit my website: http://www.annepatrick.weebly.com/ .
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Thank you so much, Anne! I'm glad (for once) that I wasn't the one up on her hobby horse screaming that writers need to do the appropriate research for their books! I only want to add that I've noted that the best-selling authors have one huge thing in common: they always do their research, and then some.
 
Nobody gets everything right, but we need to all try to get most things right!
What is your opinion, readers? Do you care if authors go a little "off the tracks" when they right or do you prefer something as accurate as possible?Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Good News

Just got back from a business trip to Chicago and got the best news! My book, The Bricklayer's Helper , has been nominated for the best historical romance in 2010! Wow--I really can't believe it. I'm just thrilled.

But I need help to actually win, so if you'd like to lend a hand, you can click on this link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php  and vote for The Bricklayer's Helper. I'd certainly appreciate it.
I'm also happy to see that The Vital Principle , the first book in the Second Sons Inquiry Agency historical mystery series is now available on the Nook as well as the Kindle. It is selling steadily and already received a good review (5 stars and a lovely comparison to Amanda Quick's books), which I take to be an excellent sign.
Before I left, I may have mentioned that my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, has offered me a contract for my second paranormal romance and we have a title! Thanks to all my friends on Facebook who helped me weed through a list of possibilities, we finally decided on A Fall of Silver . I'm hoping it may come out late this year (2011) but you just never know.
Lastly, I may have mentioned that I'm looking forward to attending the Malice Domestic conference later this spring. I'll be part of a panel scheduled on April 30th at 4:10PM on making the past come alive. The moderator is Sally Fellows, and the panelists will include: Andrea Penrose, Elena Santangelo, Elizabeth Zelvin, and yours truly--Amy Corwin. I am so honored and thrilled about this. I'm actually more excited about hearing what the others have to say, because I always wrestle with historical accuracy versus the modern reader's taste, sensibility and knowledge. It's more of a pickle than you might think.
That's it for now from the odd world of fiction writing..


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Grand Opening of The Romance Reviews

You're invited!



From March 1 – 31, 2011
at http://www.theromancereviews.com/

I'm proud to be a sponsoring author for The Romance Reviews' Grand Opening!

Play the games. Explore new books. Have fun! This is your chance to exercise your brain cells and bring them back to their youthful best while using the opportunity to obtain all kinds of goodies. What could be better?


Chat with authors. Vote for Best Books of 2010.

Rack up your points!

CAN YOU UNLOCK THE PUZZLE?

Visit everyday to increase your chances to win awesome prizes! There are 134 participating authors, so you're sure to see familiar faces as well as new ones who would love to meet you. There are over 200 awesome prizes waiting for you, so you'll definitely want to participate.


PRIZESWeekly Prizes
$10 Gift Cards – 32 winners!
(8 winners each week)
Over 150 Book Giveaways in total
(paperback, hardback, ebook)

Major Prizes
Grand Prize: $100 Gift Card
2nd Prize: $70 Gift Card
3rd Prize: $50 Gift Card
I really hope you'll have time to participate and enjoy the event. It looks like it will be a lot of fun!
Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

The Changing Face of Publishing

Lots of good news and plenty to watch in the world of publishing. With Borders and other bookstores struggling, we may be seeing a shift away from the brick-and-mortar stores to streams of electrons rather like the music revolution where record stores all but disappeared in favor of downloading MP3s. At least that's the speculation, but how true is it? Really?

It's not entirely true for music, so I doubt it's entirely true that within five years or so, paperback books will be a thing of the past.


Here's the thing: there are still CDs being produced and sold. There's an entire aisle of them in my local Wal-Mart, for example. Not everyone who is interested in music has a computer and access to the Internet. Wow. Did you realize that a significant portion of the people in the United States don't have computers or access to the Internet? I'm not making this up. It's true. Yes, some of them go into places like libraries to use the computers there, but still…

Music CDs still exist, although many folks seem to forget this.


And while the music stores are mostly gone, CDs are sold through other outlets. And I have every confidence that books, following the same trends, will move along similar lines. We may see the demise of the dedicated bookstore, I seriously doubt all printed books will disappear within the next five years (or so). I have every confidence that paperbacks, like CDs, will continue to be sold in outlets like Wal-Mart and Target. There will be significant portions of the population who don't have e-readers or any kind and chose not to read books on their smartphone. They may not have computers, either.
 Not every person who reads owns a computer or wishes to read a book in electronic form, just like enough people prefer to buy CDs and play them on their CD player.


So while I read Konrath's blog about e-publishing, I have a difference in opinion in some of the details. For example, I think he's downright crazy to tell a fellow author to decline a 200K traditional book contract in favor of self-publishing. That's just crazy. You never, ever turn down a 200K "sure thing" that includes a substantial advance. It's always better to get a large chunk of money in one lump sum than drips and drabs spread out over time, because of interest. Even if you earn 1%, you'll have more at the end of one year with a large chunk + interest, than you will getting a small trickle.


And after all, he forgets that Mr. Big Author who gets the 200K traditional contract can then be published, get the name/acclaim, and eventually get his rights back if he wishes and self-publish that same work, in essence, double-dipping.


So I don't think self-publishing is the only answer from here on out. And since this is a topic which interests me, I'll be writing a few more blogs about the publishing industry and self-publishing.
Now…for my news.


The Vital Principle – a historical mystery that takes place in the early years of the 19th century is out! An inquiry agent is hired to expose a spiritualist as a fraud, only to be enmeshed in his employer's murder. I've already gotten one terrific review, and it's sold more in its first week than some of my other small press books have sold in several months. That's always encouraging.

Right now, it's only sale for $.99 as a "special introductory price". Like Konrath, I'm exploring what prices are appropriate for novels. We'll see how it all turns out over the next few months.


Wacked! – This cozy mystery has gone through the first series of edits with my wonderful editor at Five Star/Gale and now I'm eagerly awaiting news about the cover. I'm dying to see what they come up with. The heroine is an overworked computer specialist (like me) who stumbles into a murder investigation. Thanks to this contract, I was able to join Mystery Writers of America! I'm thrilled and it's just in time for the Malice Domestic conference. I'm hoping to attend this yearly conference on a regular basis as it lets me visit the area where I grew up.


A Fall of Silver – The Wild Rose Press accepted my second paranormal romance! I love my editor, so I'm very, very happy about this. For those who read my first paranormal, Vampire Protector, you may remember a secondary character named Quicksilver. This book is her story. It is much darker, edgier and sexier than any of my other books, so I'm a little nervous about it. But sometimes, my dark side just demands to be heard.


Next on my roster is another mystery set in the 19th century. I'm working on the second round of edits. I'm calling it A Rose Before Dying, at least for now. We'll see if that turns out to be the final title or not.


That's it for now!


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Kat Duncan on Creating Unique Characters

Please welcome Kat Duncan for the 4th and final blog in The Wild Rose Press blog tour! Kat is going to talk about creating unique characters which is something she's terrific at doing!

Developing Unique Characters


A reviewer of my romantic suspense, Fifty-eight Faces, recently commented that the villain, Rolf Bauer, sounded more like Snidely Whiplash than a real human being. I was amazed that I'd created such an impression on a reader. Granted, it was not exactly the impression I was going for, but it's a strong connection for a reader to make and that has to count for something.


I remember watching the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and enjoying the escapades of Dudley Do-right and his arch-enemy, Snidely. Are these unique characters? Hardly. In fact, they are considered stereotypical. But then, I think all characters start from a stereotype. It's what you do with the stereotype that makes a character memorable and unique. Since (hopefully) few of us are personally acquainted with real villains, a writer has to use a heavier hand when it comes to stereotyping villains.


What's really fun for me as a writer is creating secondary characters. I like to play around and make them at least as vivid as main characters, even if they only make a cameo appearance. One of my favorite secondaries is Jimbo Wilson. I plan for Jimbo to be a recurring character. You can meet him for the first time today as he leaps from the pages of my romantic suspense, Six Days to Midnight :


Excerpt:


The dissonant squawk of a two-way radio reached the patio. Janet stared as a hulk of a man ambled up to them in a slow waddling shuffle. He was dressed in greasy gray coveralls, unzipped to his navel, showing his blubberous pink torso. Flaming red hair exploded from his head. A matching five day stubble spread across his face.


"Brandt, my man!" he said in affectionate California surfer twang.


Brandt stood, and they clasped one hand, delivering identical pats on the back with the other.


"Jimbo, good to see you, man."


"Dude, I heard you got a problem with your bird."


"Yeah, an issue in the starboard fuel tank."


"Hey no problem, bro." Jimbo turned to Janet with a broad grin. "Say, who's the chick?" The man awkwardly bowed to take Janet's hand. "Hellooo. I'm Jimbo Wilson, aircraft mechanic. And whooo are yooou?" he intoned in his most romantic voice. He bent to kiss her hand.


"Ah, Jimbo. She's with me," Brandt said, rescuing Janet from his amorous advance.


"Oh, yeah. Gotcha, man." He winked and clicked his tongue at Brandt. "Nice catch."


"Thanks."


"Well, let me take a look at your bird." He dropped a walkie-talkie on the table, then ambled off to examine the jet. Janet watched as a brand new Mercedes panel van drove out onto the runway. With zero sense of urgency or alarm, Jimbo pulled out some equipment and started working under the right wing.


"Who is that guy?"


"James Bradley Osgood Wilson, III, best aircraft mechanic in this part of Africa. Black sheep of a very blue blooded Connecticut family. Thrown out of the American Air Force. He does great work, especially if you need discretion. He has a long clientele list."


"Yo, bro," the walkie-talkie squawked. "I got the video on it. You want it out quick, or you want it out safe?"


"How long for safe?"


"Two days."


"Quick works for me."


"Gotcha, man." Jimbo walked back to the van, gathered up some more equipment then returned to the jet.


From her distance, Janet watched in detached fascination as the improbable man twisted and turned under the wing, manipulating some mysterious device in hopes of snagging the bomb.


"Got it," Jimbo said a few minutes later. "Hey, and I didn't destroy your bird." He held up an object in one hand for them to see.


"What is it?"


"I.E.D. A terrorist bomb."


"Al Qaeda?" Brandt asked.


"I don't think so. Too sophisticated. Not their style. This is professionally engineered. Probably in Europe."


Janet watched as Jimbo casually turned the bomb over several times. Even from this distance Janet could almost see his eyes gleam in fascination at the exquisite prize in his hand.


"Yep. Definitely European. You have some very serious people mad at you, bro."


"Not me. The girl."




I just received a fantastic review from Coffee Time Romance for Six Days to Midnight. "Wow! Six Days to Midnight is loaded with action, suspense, and romance right down to the last sentence. Twists and turns abound, many much unexpected. A great cast of characters tell a story that is pulled right from today's headlines, which is scary but also makes for great reading material. Kudos to Ms. Duncan for offering readers a great read!"



You can read the full review at: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/sixdaystomidnightbykatduncan.html


Now's your chance to read it for only 99 cents: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35415


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Thank you, Kat, for joining us today!Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Make Me Buy Your Book: Mysteries

Make Me Buy Your Book!



Here we are at round two of my monthly challenge for authors to make me buy your book! This month, I'm hankering after historical mysteries. I love 'em and frankly, can't get enough.


For these, think of books like the Falco mysteries by Lindsay Davis—which are a total blast to read. They are set in ancient Rome and poor Falco somehow manages to bungle his way through the politics and bullies in one of the oldest cities on earth. I'm also totally addicted to Charles Todd's books set in post WWI England. They are so atmospheric and richly detailed, you feel as if you are living during that difficult period.


Again, I'm looking mainly for e-books to read on my Kindle. And I welcome both traditionally published authors as well as independents to leave a comment here.


What should you include?


The blurb for your book and a link so we can buy it, of course! I'm serious about that part. I go through all these comments with my Kindle in hand, looking for things to buy. There are a lot of other readers here too who are probably just as desperate to find a good book to curl up with.


If you could also include a bit about what to expect, e.g. is it a cozy-type mystery set in the past, or is it more gritty? Give us the scoop—we're dying to hear about it and this is your opportunity to spread the word about your terrific novel.


My only restrictions are: no erotica and please don't include anything offensive or over a PG rating in the comments.


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Guest Blog - Significant Others

Happy Valentine's Week!
We're a little late, but it's still the week for romance. Caroline and I are trading blogs today and talking about romance in the real world. Hope you will join me in welcoming her!

Here in the week we celebrate the week of Valentine's Day, our minds conjure up memories of meeting our significant other, in my case my sweet Hero husband. Since I've known him since I was twelve, I probably shouldn't go back that far. But I will. LOL


The first time I saw my husband was in Lubbock, Texas at his sister's thirteenth birthday party in 19mumblemumble. I first met Joyce in Sunday School, but we were later in Girl Scouts and school together. I knew she had a twin brother, but had no idea she also had an older brother. Halfway through the party, my fifteen-year-old Hero arrived from work to take photos for Joyce. Instantly mesmerized, I thought Hero the most sophisticated, suave "older man" I'd ever seen. What each of us wore that evening, where I sat, everything about the evening is seared into my brain as, "Hey, this is important stuff, so remember it!" Surprisingly (or not), I have photos of Hero when he was fifteen and he looks exactly as I remember, but...maybe I was star struck and he wasn't really so sophisticated or suave. Hero was and is a geek, a genius, an electronics wizard. In fact, he became an electrical engineer in the aerospace industry specializing in rockets. Yes, Hero is a genuine rocket scientist who has several patents to his name.



But I am ahead of myself. Hero's sister was angry that I--according to her--flirted with him at her party. No matter. We did not marry when I was twelve. We dated off and on when I was in high school and a freshman at Texas Tech, but then he graduated and went off to Dallas. Our paths didn't cross again until we were both living in Dallas several years later.



One year I wanted to go visit my parents over Thanksgiving, but couldn't afford air fare for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hero's sister told me Hero was driving to Lubbock for Thanksgiving and she'd tell him I needed a ride. Yes, the same woman who fussed at me for "flirting" with her brother was now matchmaking. Go figure! Hero invited me to accompany him to Lubbock for the upcoming holidays, and also invited me to dinner on Friday. Again, I remember what each of us wore and where we went for dinner: I wore a sleeveless black dress and my black suede heels and we ate at Yee's Chinese Restaurant. We were married four months later in Dallas and went to New Orleans on our honeymoon. Our first child was born two years later followed by the second daughter almost three years after the first. I truly believe Hero and I are soul mates and hope we enjoy many more years of our happily-ever-after together. His kisses still curl my toes, and there is no better husband in the world. Now that is real romance!



Speaking of romance, www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-cle... will take you to the purchase link for my latest romances, the western historical THE TEXAN'S IRISH BRIDE and the paranormal modern time travel OUT OF THE BLUE. They're also available in print and download from most online stores. My back list of contemporaries SNOWFIRES and BE MY GUEST and linked historicals THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE and THE MOST UNSUITABLE HUSBAND are available at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/... and will soon be available at other online sources in e-download.



Please check my blog at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com to see what A. J. Nuest has written on this topic.

Thanks to Amy for letting me guest on her blog today.

---Note from Amy---
Be sure to leave comments as you will automatically get entered for both our weekly and grand prizes for the Wild Rose Press blog tour. The tour runs from Feb 2 through Feb 23, and we're giving away gift certificates and a fabulous grand prize so stay tuned!


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Would you buy this book?

Book covers and cover art are so important! When I walk into a bookstore or even browse online, the first thing that catches my eye is the bookcover. It's what makes me pick up a book and read the blurb. And then read the first paragraph. And then buy the book.

Without a good cover, chances are that most readers will never bother to read the blurb unless it's an author they know and love already.

So I'm very, very interested in what draws in a reader. I've got a historical mystery coming out in the next couple of months, so I'm particularly interested in covers at the moment.

What do you think of this cover?
It's for a historical mystery set in 1815 and features a spiritualist accused of murder.

In 1815, an inquiry agent, Mr. Knighton Gaunt, is asked by Lord Crowley to attend a seance with the express purpose of revealing the spiritualist as a fraud. The seance ends abruptly, however, and during the turmoil, Lord Crowley dies. Gaunt is left to investigate not only fraud, but murder. Suspicion turns first to the spiritualist, Miss Prudence Barnard, but as Gaunt digs deeper into the twisted history of the guests at Rosecrest, he discovers more deadly secrets.  Inevitably, long-time friends turn against one another as the tension mounts and Gaunt is challenged time and time again to separate fact from fiction.

What do you think of the cover?

What kinds of covers attract you? I'd love to read your comments and suggestions, so be sure to let me know!Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Valentine's Day - Truffles

My husband is a choc-a-holic and his birthday falls the day after Valentine's day, so even though he's not supposed to eat sweets, once a year I make him truffles. They are ridiculously easy to make and if you're scratching your head, wondering what the heck you can do for your significant other, it's a great last minute idea.

Here's the basic recipe...

Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
1 & 2/3 c. heavy cream
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb of semi-sweet chocolate
2-3 Tbsp Bourbon (Amaretto or Grand Marnier are also good), optional
Cocoa powder

Directions
Chop up the chocolate roughlyPour the cream into a saucepan and add the butter in chunks.Heat the cream and butter over medium heat until the butter melts, stirring constantly.Turn up the heat and keep stirring until it's just starting to boil. Remove from the heat.Add the chocolate and stir it in until it melts and starts to thicken & cool.Add the liquer (if you wish--this is entirely optional).Cover and cool for 2-3 hours (or longer). While it is cooling, stir it about every 45 minutes or so.Sprinkle some cocoa on a plate and coat your palms. Form the truffles by scooping out 1 tsp (you don't have to be exact--this is just a rough size and you can make them larger or smaller at your discretion). Roll them briefly to make balls (don't hold them too long or they will melt) and then roll them on the plate to give them a nice coat of cocoa.Keep them refrigerated.
Note: I like to wash out and save the glass instant coffee or mason jars to use as truffle jars. They make really cute gifts when you tie a red ribbon around them. 

So there you are--easy, right? These truffles have a deep, rich flavor and you can have fun adding different liquers if you wish. Orange-flavored liquer is excellent, although my husband is a big fan of bourbon-flavored truffles.

I've got my mixture sitting in the refridgerator right now and I'm planning to surprise my husband with a jar of his favorite bourbon truffles this evening, right after a scrumptious dinner of venison bourguignon, pasta, and a huge salad.

Happy Valentine's day (a little early, but...)Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

School of Hard Knocks: Writing Goals

Writing Goals



No matter what you're doing, you'll accomplish it more efficiently if you know your goals up front. This series of blogs about writing blurts out just about everything I've learned over the years and after you decide on what you want to write, the next most important thing is to decide your goals. (Okay, maybe the next thing is to get a cute little laptop and a skin to make it look really snazzy and encourage you to write. But I digress.)


Many folks want to write for their own pleasure or the pleasure of their family and friends. They are the lucky ones as they don't have to worry about placing their own desires and needs second and those of the readers, first. But if you want to write professionally, then your goals change. Your writing must change to accommodate that goal.


You must put your readers, first.


That statement usually causes a lot of puzzled glances. But here's the thing: when you write for yourself, if you want to veer off and suddenly add a completely unrelated incident about a blue cat in a tree, it's not a problem. It's fun, freaky and you can have a blast doing it. When you write professionally, however, you have to keep in mind your readers and reader expectations.


Here's an example. Let's say you love mysteries and have decided to become a mystery writer. This means that as you write, you have to remember what mystery readers want from your story. They want a mystery and they want that mystery resolved. If the resolution of that mystery doesn't have anything to do with blue cats, and blue cats don't serve to illustrate something about one (or more) characters that relates to the mystery, then I'm sorry. No blue cats allowed. It doesn't matter what you want. It matters that you meet your reader's expectation if you plan of being successful. And getting published.


Naturally, all bets are off you decide in the end that you'd rather write for yourself, self-publish, and not worry about selling any copies. That's perfectly legitimate and a fun thing to do. However, even for self-published authors, I urge you to think about this: if you want someone to buy your book—and pay their hard-earned money for it—isn't it a matter of honor that you write a cohesive, good novel? And that it is actually worth the money they pay? Do you want to make people wish they'd never heard of you? That you're a terrible writer? Sadly, they may think you're a terrible writer no matter how good your book is, but I've drifted off topic. The point is that writing a novel means developing enough intestinal fortitude to think of the reader first, think of the reader's expectations, and give them the best darn experience you can for their money.


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities