Sharon C. Pennington's Blog, page 7
June 26, 2009
Whoohoo!
A spin-off from my debut novel, Hoodoo Money, this second book has Charlie Cooper searching for the "dead" supermodel, Angeline St. Cyr, on the fictitious Caribbean island of Jacqueme Dominique. I'd never written a jungle adventure so this novel required a lot of research, and I had some great helpers along for the tumultuous ride: Barrie Kibble, with his sense of craft and knowledge of weaponry (BTW, if you’re looking for an edge-of-your-seat thriller, you won’t miss the mark reading his Chasing the Wind, Dry Rain or Legion); Benjamin Hall, with his knack for catching clichés and his military experience; Jake Steele and Hope Clark for their always keen eyes — and then there was Dorothy.
Dorothy Swanson is a rapacious reader, introduced to me by a friend and fellow writer. I don't think I've met another person with such a fervent appreciation for books and authors. She is why writers sit in front of computer screens until their heads ache and eyes blur.
Devouring every chapter, Dorothy followed the read with a gazillion questions and possible scenarios. What a treat for me to see how a reader saw my story as it unfolded. The facts she questioned, the scenes she didn’t quite buy, the simple errors she caught . . .
How in the heck did I get so lucky?
Now, onto the next novel. I’m tentatively calling it Sparrow and the Star Man. We’ll see how the plot develops.
You ready, Dorothy?
With great affection for readers everywhere . . . Sharon
June 25, 2009
WHOOHOO!
Whoohoo! Put the final period on my manuscript for the new novel, Mangroves and Monsters, last Thursday (June 18, 2009) and sent it off to the publisher. Exciting. Now, I've got my fingers crossed she likes the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
A spin-off from my debut novel, Hoodoo Money, this second book has Charlie Cooper searching for the "dead" supermodel, Angeline St. Cyr, on the fictitious Caribbean island of Jacqueme Dominique. I'd never written an rainforest adventure so this novel
June 6, 2009
Announcing the WCOP (Writer’s Club of Pasadena) 1st Annual Fall Conference & Writer’s Extravaganza Fiction Contest . . .
Entries: Novel excerpt or short story entries, any genre
Fee: $15 per first entry; $10 each additional entry
Prizes: 1st Place $300, 2nd Place $150, 3rd Place $75
Mail three copies of your submission, along with your check or money order, to Rosemary Olson, 10809 Newton, Houston TX 77075. Entries must be postmarked no later than September 1, 2009. Contest is open to all who wish to enter. You DO NOT need to attend the Conference to enter the contest.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
1) Entries must not be previously published
2) No email entries accepted
3) Author’s name should not appear anywhere on entry, except cover sheet
4) Format: Courier or Times/New Roman Font; 12 pt, double spaced, 1-inch margins, numbered pages with title in header; maximum 20 pages per entry
5) No staples or paper clips. Please do not fold submission. Use plain white paper
6) Three copies of each submission required
7) Entry fee, check or money order, should be included, made payable to Writer’s Club of Pasadena
8) Cover sheet, centered and double-spaced, should include Author’s name, Title of Submission, Address and Phone Number
9) Entries must be postmarked no later than September 1, 2009.
Winners will be notified by phone or mail, and announced at the October 17th conference.
Good luck!
May 3, 2009
HARDCOVER OR TRADE PAPERBACK?
Okay, I admit it: I was a ?hardcover snob.? Before my novel, Hoodoo Money, was released in trade paperback original in 2008.
And that?s hardcover, not hardcore.
Hmmm. . .or is it?
I treated my hardcover tomes like prized possessions, jewels in my bookcase of keepers. Masterpieces by Stuart Woods, Sandra Brown, Iris Johansen, Elizabeth Lowell, Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, Stella Cameron, Tami Hoag, Julie Garwood and Nora Roberts adorned the shelves in my den. Along with the hardback works of so
April 5, 2009
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. . .
I attended my first meeting of an honest-to-goodness, real, live writers group yesterday: the Writers Club of Pasadena (Texas).
Oh, I've participated in online writing/critique groups for more than ten years; I've been a member of Writing Well, where I'm one of three international moderators, for the past eight years. But, as you know I'm sure, there's not much safer than sitting in your pajamas and critiquing someone's chapter, or participating in debates over this and that, or adding your spec
