Traci Hunter Abramson's Blog, page 4
June 13, 2011
Foggy with a Chance of Murder
When I was asked to review G.G. Vandagriff's latest novel, Foggy with a Chance of Murder, I had two purposes. One was to sit down and enjoy a good book, and the other was to see if G.G.'s main character, Chloe Green, reminded me of anyone. You see, G.G. had e-mailed me a couple of months earlier to tell me that to her surprise, Chloe had taken on several Traci-like qualities.
Here's how the comparison came out:
Chloe is a former lifeguard and strong swimmer. Yes. Definite similarity.Chloe is a best-selling mystery/suspense author. Well, I'm not a New York Times type of best selling author like Chloe, but we definitely write in the same genre.Chloe is an excellent shot and enjoys releasing tension on the shooting range. I know how to shoot, but I think I'll stop there with that comparison.Chloe is considering renewing a relationship with a man who had left her for another woman years earlier. Nope. Definitely NOT like me. If a man had betrayed my trust to that extent, I'm quite certain that if he showed up years later the only thing I would be considering would be which door I could show him to the fastest.As for the storyline itself, personally I found Foggy with a Chance of Murder to be less of a suspense novel and more of an emotional journey by the characters. Both Chloe and the other main character, Rob Stevens, are dealing with a lot of emotional struggles as well as the challenges that come from having close family members who are alcoholics.
Romantic tension between the characters is complicated when Chloe's old boyfriend emerges on the scene and a suspense element complicates Rob's life. In the midst of their struggles, Chloe and Rob both begin a journey of spiritual enlightenment and several attempts are made on Rob's life.
Overall, I found Foggy with a Chance of Murder to be an enjoyable way to spend a few hours as I journeyed with the characters on their paths to self-discovery. G.G. is a talented writer and she showcases her abilities particularly well in the depth of her characters.
March 31, 2011
LDS Storymakers Conference
Just a quick note that the registration deadline for the LDS Storymakers writers conference is April 15th. I will be teaching two classes at the conference, one on writing action and the other on writing mystery/suspense. If you want to sign up for the conference, you can find all of the information here.
March 24, 2011
Highlights
As evidenced by my lack of posts over the past few months, life has been a bit crazy for a while. Here are the highlights to what has been going on in my little corner of Virginia:
1. The high school swim team that I co-coach had an amazing season. Both teams only suffered one regular season loss, and my girls' team repeated as district champions by a narrow margin -- only one point. Best of all, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and the girls' district title was the result of some impressive teamwork.
2. My daughter who is graduating from high school this year made it into the only college she applied to: BYU. Yeah! Despite her wonderful grades and strong ACT score, I admit that I was on pins and needles waiting for the news that she had earned the right to go to her first choice school, especially since she refused to consider a second choice. I've got to love her confidence!
3. In celebration of my son's seventh birthday, his pet guppy had babies...37 of them. We now have two fish tanks instead of one.
4. My novel Crossfire was selected as a Whitney award finalist this year so thanks to everyone who nominated it!
5. Last but not least, I have finally figured out which book I'm going to write next. I would tell you, but I'm afraid my characters will stop cooperating if I do. I promise to update the status on this adventure within the next week or two if those pesky characters will let me. I think I hear them calling me again, so I guess it's time to post this and get back to work.
1. The high school swim team that I co-coach had an amazing season. Both teams only suffered one regular season loss, and my girls' team repeated as district champions by a narrow margin -- only one point. Best of all, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and the girls' district title was the result of some impressive teamwork.
2. My daughter who is graduating from high school this year made it into the only college she applied to: BYU. Yeah! Despite her wonderful grades and strong ACT score, I admit that I was on pins and needles waiting for the news that she had earned the right to go to her first choice school, especially since she refused to consider a second choice. I've got to love her confidence!
3. In celebration of my son's seventh birthday, his pet guppy had babies...37 of them. We now have two fish tanks instead of one.
4. My novel Crossfire was selected as a Whitney award finalist this year so thanks to everyone who nominated it!
5. Last but not least, I have finally figured out which book I'm going to write next. I would tell you, but I'm afraid my characters will stop cooperating if I do. I promise to update the status on this adventure within the next week or two if those pesky characters will let me. I think I hear them calling me again, so I guess it's time to post this and get back to work.
December 31, 2010
Latest news
I'm a bit late in sharing the news, but right before Christmas I received word that my latest manuscript has been accepted for publication. Yeah! Obsession is the story of Kendra Blake, a famous singer, and Charlie Whitmore, the FBI agent who has been assigned to protect her without her knowledge. For those of you who have read some of my previous works, you may remember Charlie. His older brother, Matt Whitmore, was one of the main characters in the Undercurrents trilogy and his younger sister, Amy, was a main character in Freefall.
Unless something changes (which is always possible), Obsession, will be released in October 2011.
I am also excited that my newest novel, Smokescreen, has already been sighted in a few stores in the western U.S. The official release date is Monday, January 3rd 2011 but rumor has it that it made it into the stores early. Maybe this means my author copies will be arriving soon. :)
Unless something changes (which is always possible), Obsession, will be released in October 2011.
I am also excited that my newest novel, Smokescreen, has already been sighted in a few stores in the western U.S. The official release date is Monday, January 3rd 2011 but rumor has it that it made it into the stores early. Maybe this means my author copies will be arriving soon. :)
December 6, 2010
Coming up for air
Life has been crazy over the past several weeks as I wrapped up my book signing tour, started swim season and finished rewriting a manuscript. Now I'm looking forward to planning for upcoming swim meets, setting up more book signings in anticipation of Smokescreen coming out, and preparing for my nephew's wedding. Oh, wait. Isn't Christmas this month too. Yeah, I might need to do a little shopping before too much longer.
The good news is that my swim team looks great so far this year, a lot of great kids who have untapped potential and are generally a fun to be around. Thanksgiving brought all of my family together, which was wonderful. Oh, and my books are now coming out on Kindle. Yeah! Here's are the links if you want to check them out:
Backlash
Smokescreen.
The good news is that my swim team looks great so far this year, a lot of great kids who have untapped potential and are generally a fun to be around. Thanksgiving brought all of my family together, which was wonderful. Oh, and my books are now coming out on Kindle. Yeah! Here's are the links if you want to check them out:
Backlash
Smokescreen.
October 15, 2010
Meridian review of Backlash
The first few weeks after a new book is released are both exciting and nerve racking. Will everyone like it? Will anyone like it? Will anyone even READ it? Thankfully, the answers are usually yes, except for the "will everyone like it" question. As any author can attest, no one book is going to please every reader. All we can hope is that those who don't appreciate our efforts will be professional and kind in their criticisms.
Yesterday, I received a couple of emails informing me that Jennie Hansen's review of Backlash appeared in Meridian Magazine. Jennie is one of those people that I have come to trust when considering what fiction I might invest both my time and my money. Having her write a positive review absolutely made my week. Here it is if you want to check it out.
Yesterday, I received a couple of emails informing me that Jennie Hansen's review of Backlash appeared in Meridian Magazine. Jennie is one of those people that I have come to trust when considering what fiction I might invest both my time and my money. Having her write a positive review absolutely made my week. Here it is if you want to check it out.
October 5, 2010
Unveiling Smokescreen...
One of the highlights of my trip to Utah (although there were many!) was dropping in to see my editor and some of the other people who work at Covenant. While I was there, I got my first look at the cover for my next book. I'll admit that it's pretty strange to have one book that just came out in September and I'm already looking forward to the next one which will be released in January. Regardless, Smokescreen will head to the printer shortly and here is the sneak peek at the cover:
The Book Academy
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to present at The Book Academy, a one day writers conference held at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. First of all, it was fabulous. The organizers did a great job in every aspect. All of the classes I attended were wonderful and the food was great. A publishers panel was held during lunch which included a question and answer segment so that aspiring authors could gain a better understanding of how the acceptance and publication process works.
The conference started off with the keynote speaker, Brandon Mull, and then everyone broke off into classes. I taught during the first hour and was stunned that my class had standing room only. In fact, the organizers had to bring in extra chairs to make sure we weren't breaking fire codes. Like I said, I was stunned!
Then, as if having 90 people show up at my class wasn't surprising enough, I actually saw people taking NOTES! Now, I will admit that I did spend quite a bit of time preparing for my class, even enlisting a lot of opinions from some friends and family who are English teachers. My cousin Jana and I stayed up late the night before tweaking it because, well, that's what we do.
I was so honored to be invited to present, and I wanted to make sure that no one was disappointed. I did have a few people come up to me afterward and say they enjoyed the class, so hopefully they represent the majority rather than the minority. All I know, is that I was extremely lucky to have so many interesting, engaging people choose to attend and I was impressed with every other presenter I had the opportunity to see.
The conference started off with the keynote speaker, Brandon Mull, and then everyone broke off into classes. I taught during the first hour and was stunned that my class had standing room only. In fact, the organizers had to bring in extra chairs to make sure we weren't breaking fire codes. Like I said, I was stunned!
Then, as if having 90 people show up at my class wasn't surprising enough, I actually saw people taking NOTES! Now, I will admit that I did spend quite a bit of time preparing for my class, even enlisting a lot of opinions from some friends and family who are English teachers. My cousin Jana and I stayed up late the night before tweaking it because, well, that's what we do.
I was so honored to be invited to present, and I wanted to make sure that no one was disappointed. I did have a few people come up to me afterward and say they enjoyed the class, so hopefully they represent the majority rather than the minority. All I know, is that I was extremely lucky to have so many interesting, engaging people choose to attend and I was impressed with every other presenter I had the opportunity to see.
September 24, 2010
That author
Today I decided I really needed to focus on proofing my next novel since it's due by next week. The problem is that if I read more than about twenty pages at a time, I get too caught up in my storyline to notice any potential typos. (I know, it's weird that I can lose myself in my own books. I guess I'm easily entertained.) Anyway, I decided to take a break and visited the Frog Blog to read Kerry Blair's newest post.
As always, I only made it a few lines before Kerry had me chuckling to myse...
As always, I only made it a few lines before Kerry had me chuckling to myse...
September 17, 2010
Organized chaos
Today I am looking around my house, at my cluttered desk and the toys on the floor. The dirty dishes on the counter and the two bags of groceries on the table I have yet to put away after last night's trip to the store. And I'm starting to wonder, do I have to get organized before I can organize my thoughts?
I admit, the last couple of weeks have been a bit overwhelming. School started right after Labor Day and I was really excited about getting a lot of things done. Unfortunately, I didn't re...
I admit, the last couple of weeks have been a bit overwhelming. School started right after Labor Day and I was really excited about getting a lot of things done. Unfortunately, I didn't re...
