Tracey Cramer-Kelly's Blog, page 29

Medical Drama in Fiction: A Writer's View of Borrowed Time

CJ Lyons hasn't disappointed me yet… Borrowed Time is another story with all the elements I enjoy: medical drama, lots of action/suspense and romance. So far, CJ Lyons is the closest I've found to an author with the same style writing as I.

The heroine is a cop with the character flaw of being TOO independent and strong-willed. Will she let her guard down and trust the good doctor in time? For his part, the good doctor struggles with his attraction to his patient and whether to set aside his clinical detachment and believe her visions. And, of course, there's a villain we love to hate.

Now, to come at it from a writer's standpoint… I was impressed that so much action could occur while the heroine was in a hospital bed (it was a very fine balance). Without the heroine's visions (and the brazenness of the villain), it would not have worked. I liked the aspect of the visions (I suppose not everyone will); especially interesting was how she learned to harness them. About the time the story started to flag a bit, she was out of the hospital, and it picked up steam.

So our heroine sustained an extreme injury, died on the operating table, had major surgery, and she's out of the hospital in a week… from a reality standpoint, I doubt she could have done half the things she goes on to do (making love among them, ah!). But this is fiction, people! I didn't want to put the book down. A satisfying climax with a twist I didn't see coming (another play on the author's ER doc background) made my afternoon's escape well worth it – and re-energized me to work on my own writing!

Virtual Book Tour: Fun, Quirky Sites and Keen Insights

It's hard to believe that the True Surrender Virtual Book Tour is half over already. The sites that have hosted me have proven to be fun, quirky sites that the owners embue with their own personalities – and, of course, lots of info about books!

And they've had quite a lot to say about True Surrender! Thus far, True Surrender has 'collected' four more reviews, and each one has focused on a different aspect of the novel.

Long and Short Reviews gave True Surrender 4.5 stars, saying it "has an outstanding plot that holds on tightly to the readers emotions, strong characters that you won't be able to forget, and intense situations that will either make or break it for this couple." (It was also up for Book of the Week and came in second.)

New Jersey Girl said: "True Surrender was everything that I could ask for in a book: a captivating mixture of romance and suspense, what a combination."

Tawania at Wicked Readings said: "This story will cause you to examine your own faith, and believe in the blessings you receive everyday."

To read more, click to True Surrender Reviews. To join in the tour, check out the schedule here. Special thanks to all the hosts on the tour!

Rebounds and French Lessons

I've been taking a little breather from writing… which means I've actually done some reading! Here are my thoughts about two books I recently finished, both of which were billed as "humorous romance." As you'll see, that term is used widely; these two books were completely different, and left me with completely different responses/feelings.

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

This book is actually three shorter stories wrapped into one. I found the first story dragging on longer than it needed to. The middle one is essentially a short one-night-stand story that had very little character development and no sensual appeal whatsoever (can you tell I didn't like it at all?). The third was by far the better, about a man whose wife is a famous actress (he's the 'rock' in the relationship), but it was hard to follow. Then there were the tutors themselves, who had a sort of love triangle going. I didn't think the book was 'sexy' (which the description claims) – it was more sad, with the characters lonely and unfulfilled. The idea that stuck in my head was that sex doesn't equal happiness. I heard the book was optioned for movie rights and was very surprised … with all the hype about the book and the author, I expected a whole lot more.

Mr. Rebound by Michael Caine

So geeky college friend (Kevin) has turned into sculpted god … that's a bit tired and overdone, BUT for some reason, it worked – probably because Susan's recollections of their college days included ways that Kevin made her laugh or feel comfortable as herself. Kevin does come across as a little too 'puppy' at times, and there is one scene of friend Liz taking retribution on the ex that didn't need to be there … AND Susan sure seems to get over her ex in a hurry. But the author created believable people with characteristics that made them endearing. Whenever I thought they might get overdone or stereotyped, the author threw in tidbits that personalized them (like Susan's honky sneeze). It was a nice light read for a cold, snowy day.

More about Writing Biker Fiction

I'm still toying with the idea of using a biker chick in my next novel. So I picked up another biker novel with a promising premise: how the main character transforms from a straight-laced yuppie accountant into a rough-and-tumble biker capable of violence. Ah, a topic near and dear to my heart: character transformation!

Unfortunately, it was a rough start. I almost didn't make it past the first chapter (the author describing the character – in both past and present tense). Lots of telling, not enough showing.

This book had all the typical first-time writer problems. The point of view shifted often. Sometimes we got a point of view of a minor character for a few paragraphs and never again. Events happened that didn't move the story forward and were never followed up on.

But perhaps my biggest issue was believability. For a story about transformation, there were just too many instances of character action that didn't 'fit.' For example, at one point the character had been a pledge for only a few weeks when he participated in a beating and actually pulled out the guy's fingernails. This wasn't believable at this point in the character's development. It would have been more believable if he'd cheated on his wife (which he never did, even though he had a biker babe throwing herself at him). Later in the story, when his white-collar boss called him into his office, I was expecting him to tell him his job was in jeopardy (and looking forward to the complications this would make in his personal life as well as the motorcycle club); instead his boss gave him a raise and cart blanche schedule.

And what it is about biker novels and cliff-hanger endings? This book had one, too. Do other biker readers really like that?? Again I felt cheated, like I'd spent all this time reading and still don't know what happens. There is no sense of wrapping up the story lines and sub-plots; they are just left dangling.

So, what to do? "Write a better one," my friends say!

Book Tour Kicks off on Black Friday

Did you know that BOOK TOURS are now virtual? They don't happen in malls or book stores anymore (at least, not for individual authors like me). Instead they happen … on the Web. We 'gather' on a blog or web site and talk just like we would in person – all with a few clicks of the mouse.

The True Surrender BOOK TOUR kicks off on none other than the infamous Black Friday! I hope you can take some time to visit one or more of these sites. You'll get to hear from me, but from the looks of it (I did a quick perusal of the sites myself), you'll find much more! Here is the schedule:

November 25: Bea's Book Nook

November 29: Long and Short Reviews

November 30: It's Raining Books

December 1: Authors by Authors

December 2: Jersey Girl Book Reviews

December 5: Among the Muses

December 6: Wake Up Your Wild Side

December 7: A Writer's Life

December 8: Wicked Readings By Tawania

December 9: A Writer's World

December 12: A Bookish Affair

December 13: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess

December 14: Reviews by Molly

December 15: AsianCocoa's Secret Garden

December 15 (2nd stop): Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews

December 16: Cocktails and Books

True Surrender Reviewed by RomanceJunkies.com

I am not usually one of THOSE phone people. You know the ones … they're texting or surfing the internet on their phones while they're driving. I simply can't manage that kind of multi-tasking (and then there's the added danger of icy/slippery side roads like we had today).

But when I glanced at my email and saw the message from Suzie Housley at romancejunkies.com (my eyes zero'd in on "Your book was wonderful!  It was one of the best ones that I have read this year!"), I had to read the whole thing. I'm glad I did (even though I was likely risking my neck to do so) because it made my day.

She says: "TRUE SURRENDER is one EXCEPTIONAL book!!!  Mere words cannot express how impressed I am with this novel.  Tracey Cramer-Kelly has out done herself on this military romance.  This book is so well developed it would make an excellent candidate for the Lifetime movie channel.  This author has fully convinced me that she is a voice that will quickly earn her high marks in the book world." Read the full review here.

 

The Vagabond Healer (creating believable healer characters)

Eddy has a hard time viewing his healing "gift" as such, rather than a curse, because people are afraid of what they don't know, and their natural human tendency is to lash out when they are afraid. Eddy's been on the receiving end of this one too many times when he comes into narrator Sam's life.

I was drawn to this book because one of the main characters in my novel Last Chance Rescue (Jessie) has a healing power. I wanted to see how another author handled this topic, because I felt it was a delicate balance of telling the story I wanted to tell, while not stretching the reader's belief too far.

I have to say I was not disappointed by this book. The narrator "voice" worked extremely well, and the author stayed in that voice (and POV) for the entire book. There was a lot of relational interaction and character change (which I like), a love interest/conflict, and even all the elements of a mystery. The climax was very well done AND it had a happy ending – my kind of book!

How my Military Service Affects my Writing

I wasn't a very good soldier. In fact, people often react with bemused surprise when they find out I served five years as a paramedic in the Army National Guard. "You?" they say. "You took orders from others?"

Not very well, I admit…but this was 20 years ago – I was young!

I might have made a good officer, though. I was already bossy (as three of my younger siblings can attest to) and a bit of a control freak.

But I like to think I was a good medic. Where I responded to Army 'regiment' with near-distain, what I was trained for had the opposite effect: I loved it. I loved splinting a broken leg. Inserting an IV. Dressing a sucking chest wound.

Of course I approached my training with a 'proper' level of seriousness…but it was a sort of conceptual play. I joined to help pay my way through college (my real aspiration); never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be activated.

Desert Storm changed that. One day I came home to a blink on my answering machine (remember those?) and a message from my Sergeant: "call me immediately." My friend said I lost all color in my face; my legs went shaky and I had to sit down. Turns out that the Military Police unit that shared our armory had been activated and the purpose for the call was to reschedule our monthly training.

For the first time, it occurred to me that I might have to defend our country somewhere half-way around the world. That was not in my plans!

I had a lot of military friends. My BFF was Air Force ROTC, and she introduced me to my college flame, who was also an Air Force cadet. Today an ex-Air Force physician is one of my SMEs (Subject Matter Experts). Good friends from church lost their son in Iraq. And I have many motorcycling acquaintances who are involved with the Patriot Guard.

There was (is?) also a side to the military lifestyle that challenged every moral I was brought up with: the casual sex, the easy changing of partners, the marital cheating, even borderline harrassment. When you're immersed in an environment, you start to think it's perfectly acceptable. Now I find that fascinating as fodder for characters.

The Army that I trained in is undoubtedly a different Army now – it has to be. Instead of broken legs, medics deal with IEDs and missing body parts. It's not just bullets that kill. Traumatic head injury – common now – was barely covered in my training. And PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) wasn't even mentioned.

So how has my experience in the military affected my writing? I think everything I write is affected by what I've experienced. I tend to view experiences through a lens that others may not have ('how can I use this?') Yes, there's a healthy dose of imagination and plenty of creative license, but a seed has to be sown somewhere, and for me the dual experience of military training and medical training turned out to be a rich garden.

What fascinates me now about today's military is the juxtaposition between service to country and service to family. This inherent conflict is something I'm only beginning to explore, I suspect!

Countdown to Official Book Release

In just four days, I hope you'll celebrate with me as I officially release my second book, True Surrender, and the companion music video, The Rose (Surrender Version).

COME TO THE PARTY!

Loosen up. Have good conversation. Get your signed copy of True Surrender. And watch dramatic scenes enacted in the companion music video, The Rose (Surrender Version).

When:  Saturday, November 5, 7pm til whenever (come and go as you can)

Where:  St. Anthony Village Pub at 35W & Industrial Blvd. in Minneapolis

Address: 2720 Highway 88, St. Anthony

Directions: http://www.stanthonyvillagepub.com/contact.html

RSVP! Visit my Facebook invite and let me know if you can attend. Or just jet me a response via email. Feel free to bring friends and even kids (within reason) – mine will be there!

P.S. Can't make it but WANT THE BOOK? It's available now!

The Dark Side of Paramedic Work: Book Review: Black Flies

Since I was trained as an Army paramedic in a previous life, I am drawn to novels and characters who are in that line of work (and much of my writing is impacted by that experience).

The book description for Black Flies by Shannon Burke included a reference to "minimalist intensity," and that's a good term for it. The character recounts intense scenes, but it's almost as if he's a step away from them. Perhaps that was intentional – quite a bit of showing instead of telling here, and with males, there's bound to be less verbalizing of emotions.

But you do get the sense of the main character struggling with the desire to help people versus the forces (and people) that continually want push him down. Burke created a cast of characters that could each have their own story and did impact the main character's personal growth through the book – I thought that was well done.

In the end, it was just a little too dark for my tastes. I guess I'm just a happily-ever-after kind of gal … Or perhaps I just want to keep my rosy do-gooder view of paramedic work intact!