Dave Vizard's Blog, page 4
March 18, 2019
Always happy to get a good, objective book review
Book reviews for authors are like liquor and wine to a drunk – you gotta have ‘em.
They are vital to the success of any book. With the advent of self-publishing, the world of books has exploded. Thousands of new titles and new authors burst onto the scene with shocking regularity.
How is a reader to decide which books to buy and read, and which authors to follow?
Reviews are the best way for readers, including me, to figure out if they want to plop their hard-earned dollars down on a book. It also is a question of time. Readers must decide which books they want to invest their valuable leisure time in. Who wants to plow into a book only to find out it’s a turkey of a read?
That’s why authors and publishers spend so much energy and time procuring reviews – and they must be solid reviews from people who do not have a vested interest in the subject or the author.
My mom was a wonderful woman, but would readers accept a glowing review of my work from her? Not likely. Same with my friends, neighbors, co-workers and old schoolmates. They may do their very best to evaluate my work, but it’s simply not going to be objective.
Right now, I’m getting some very positive reviews of my latest work, A Place for Murder, on Amazon and Goodreads. I am delighted to see that so many are enjoying the book and recommending it to others. My sales are good, and picking up momentum.
One of the best reviews I have received came from Michigan in Books, a blog run by Tom Powers, a retired librarian who worked for the Flint Public Library for 30 years. He is also an author who has published eight books, each somehow connected to the state of Michigan.
Powers blog declares that Michigan in Books is devoted to promoting, reporting, and reviewing books that explore the Michigan experience. His intended audience, which is growing, includes librarians, educators, and all readers who are drawn to the state’s fascinating sights, sounds, attractions, and unique history. His new posts appear on the 1st and 15th of each month.
My stories are each set in Michigan and I hope they reveal how much I love and value my home state. But my books also try to look at and offer different perspectives on the pressing issue of the day, which is a reflection of my profession and career as a journalist. For these reasons, I’m very pleased with the review.
In the interest of full disclosure, Tom Powers is not my mom, my dad, a brother, a lifelong friend, or a love interest. But I hope you agree that he does have a keen eye for good writing and storytelling.
Here is the Michigan in Books review of my newest work:
A Place for Murder
by Dave Vizard
Nick Steele, a reporter at the Bay City Blade, is facing the prospect of writing an article on a Pinconning farmer who claims to have grown a potato that looks just like former President George W. Bush when a phone call from a friend on Mackinac Island sends him a lot further north than Pinconning. Suzie Alverez, a worker at the Grand Hotel who Steele got to know while working another story has been found brutally murdered. Her body was discovered in the bed of a pickup abandoned on the highway halfway between Mackinaw City and Traverse City. The police are stumped and only identified the body by tracing her breast implant serial numbers to a downstate plastic surgeon. Steele wonders where an illegal alien got the money for breast implants and why. He smells a good story and follows his nose north.
What becomes clear to the Steele and the state police early on are that Ms. Alverez, like many illegal immigrants, was virtually owned by a network of human traffickers in Michigan. Steele traces the dead woman's trail back to the Michigan Thumb where hundreds of aliens are smuggled from farm to farm where they are kept in near enslavement working off the debt owed to the smugglers who brought them to this country. It looks like Ms. Alverez was unwillingly assigned to work at a Traverse City bordello when she was killed.
Dave Vizard has written a tight and involving mystery that realistically portrays the terrible cost in human suffering illegal aliens will endure to improve their lives and the human predators who make their living off the suffering of those migrants who live outside the law. The author is a former newspaper reporter and he clearly hasn't lost his reporting skills as he clearly and professionally weaves the plight of illegal aliens within the narrative, yet leaves the impression with at least this reader that many farmers in the Thumb would have trouble operating their large farms without migrant help.
This is a very satisfying mystery featuring interesting and likable characters. The mystery touches on very topical and locally tender societal and legal issues, and although the death of Ms. Alverez is solved the greater issue of what to do about illegal aliens and their treatment both in and outside the law is obviously left unanswered. And like all good fiction, the reader is left confronting an issue that defies simple, morally correct solutions, and refuses to go away.
A Place for MurderDave Vizard
They are vital to the success of any book. With the advent of self-publishing, the world of books has exploded. Thousands of new titles and new authors burst onto the scene with shocking regularity.
How is a reader to decide which books to buy and read, and which authors to follow?
Reviews are the best way for readers, including me, to figure out if they want to plop their hard-earned dollars down on a book. It also is a question of time. Readers must decide which books they want to invest their valuable leisure time in. Who wants to plow into a book only to find out it’s a turkey of a read?
That’s why authors and publishers spend so much energy and time procuring reviews – and they must be solid reviews from people who do not have a vested interest in the subject or the author.
My mom was a wonderful woman, but would readers accept a glowing review of my work from her? Not likely. Same with my friends, neighbors, co-workers and old schoolmates. They may do their very best to evaluate my work, but it’s simply not going to be objective.
Right now, I’m getting some very positive reviews of my latest work, A Place for Murder, on Amazon and Goodreads. I am delighted to see that so many are enjoying the book and recommending it to others. My sales are good, and picking up momentum.
One of the best reviews I have received came from Michigan in Books, a blog run by Tom Powers, a retired librarian who worked for the Flint Public Library for 30 years. He is also an author who has published eight books, each somehow connected to the state of Michigan.
Powers blog declares that Michigan in Books is devoted to promoting, reporting, and reviewing books that explore the Michigan experience. His intended audience, which is growing, includes librarians, educators, and all readers who are drawn to the state’s fascinating sights, sounds, attractions, and unique history. His new posts appear on the 1st and 15th of each month.
My stories are each set in Michigan and I hope they reveal how much I love and value my home state. But my books also try to look at and offer different perspectives on the pressing issue of the day, which is a reflection of my profession and career as a journalist. For these reasons, I’m very pleased with the review.
In the interest of full disclosure, Tom Powers is not my mom, my dad, a brother, a lifelong friend, or a love interest. But I hope you agree that he does have a keen eye for good writing and storytelling.
Here is the Michigan in Books review of my newest work:
A Place for Murder
by Dave Vizard
Nick Steele, a reporter at the Bay City Blade, is facing the prospect of writing an article on a Pinconning farmer who claims to have grown a potato that looks just like former President George W. Bush when a phone call from a friend on Mackinac Island sends him a lot further north than Pinconning. Suzie Alverez, a worker at the Grand Hotel who Steele got to know while working another story has been found brutally murdered. Her body was discovered in the bed of a pickup abandoned on the highway halfway between Mackinaw City and Traverse City. The police are stumped and only identified the body by tracing her breast implant serial numbers to a downstate plastic surgeon. Steele wonders where an illegal alien got the money for breast implants and why. He smells a good story and follows his nose north.
What becomes clear to the Steele and the state police early on are that Ms. Alverez, like many illegal immigrants, was virtually owned by a network of human traffickers in Michigan. Steele traces the dead woman's trail back to the Michigan Thumb where hundreds of aliens are smuggled from farm to farm where they are kept in near enslavement working off the debt owed to the smugglers who brought them to this country. It looks like Ms. Alverez was unwillingly assigned to work at a Traverse City bordello when she was killed.
Dave Vizard has written a tight and involving mystery that realistically portrays the terrible cost in human suffering illegal aliens will endure to improve their lives and the human predators who make their living off the suffering of those migrants who live outside the law. The author is a former newspaper reporter and he clearly hasn't lost his reporting skills as he clearly and professionally weaves the plight of illegal aliens within the narrative, yet leaves the impression with at least this reader that many farmers in the Thumb would have trouble operating their large farms without migrant help.
This is a very satisfying mystery featuring interesting and likable characters. The mystery touches on very topical and locally tender societal and legal issues, and although the death of Ms. Alverez is solved the greater issue of what to do about illegal aliens and their treatment both in and outside the law is obviously left unanswered. And like all good fiction, the reader is left confronting an issue that defies simple, morally correct solutions, and refuses to go away.
A Place for MurderDave Vizard
December 15, 2018
A Place for Murder just published, so it's time to start writing a new novel
I started writing a new novel last night, but the idea for it came from a friend just over two years ago. We were knocking back a few beers and talking about recent vacations we’d had and the cool places we’d visited.
Each of the regions of the country we talked about were all fair-weather climates – from Seattle to San Diego, and San Antonio to St. Pete, among others.
Beautiful, upscale communities with great entertainment and art venues as well as excellent libraries and museums. Terrific restaurants and raucous pubs seemed to flourish around every other corner. In short, my kinda towns!
But one other element each of these great regions shared in common was a growing homeless population. In some areas, the homeless had taken “control” of parts of the cities where they lived. Tent cities and makeshift homeless shelters appeared to be popping up almost everywhere.
Panhandlers and doggy-bag beggars lurked in the shadows. Street performers played music, danced, and sang for change.
I remember taking a photo of a guy in Seattle who had an old-fashioned upright piano on wheels that he hauled around town to play in parks where folks gathered to bask in warm sunshine. I thought his ragtime and blues were terrific. The cash overflowing from the hat he’d put on the ground by his stool told me he was making some pretty decent dough.
In Key West, I watched a group of college kids set up a volleyball net right over top of a homeless guy who looked like he was sleeping off a major hangover while hugging his shoes in Higgins Park.
The kids barely paid any attention to the old duffer and he only stirred lightly as the game progressed.
Amazingly, the game concluded without anyone diving for a dig and crashing into him. When I left, the young people were heading back to their hotel for more beer and the old guy simply rolled over, oblivious to it all.
Since then, I’ve frequently thought about that scene – a homeless guy sleeping in the sand under a volleyball net with young people partying, and eating, and drinking all around him – as if he were just a picnic table or another bench in the park, not really a person anymore, just a thing we call the homeless.
It made me wonder if anyone would care if he were suddenly gone. Would anyone notice?
Would his disappearance matter to anyone? What would happen if the homeless started to gradually vanish? And what would happen if someone figured out how to make money from it?
And that’s the basis for my next novel. I cannot reveal anything more about the story except that it takes place in Key West. You'll fully understand why I picked that location when you get to the end of A Place for Murder, which just published Thanksgiving weekend.
As I sit down to work on the new book each day, I will think of that homeless guy under the volleyball net. He mattered to me.
I think it’s going to be a great story.
Stay tuned.
A Place for MurderDave Vizard
Each of the regions of the country we talked about were all fair-weather climates – from Seattle to San Diego, and San Antonio to St. Pete, among others.
Beautiful, upscale communities with great entertainment and art venues as well as excellent libraries and museums. Terrific restaurants and raucous pubs seemed to flourish around every other corner. In short, my kinda towns!
But one other element each of these great regions shared in common was a growing homeless population. In some areas, the homeless had taken “control” of parts of the cities where they lived. Tent cities and makeshift homeless shelters appeared to be popping up almost everywhere.
Panhandlers and doggy-bag beggars lurked in the shadows. Street performers played music, danced, and sang for change.
I remember taking a photo of a guy in Seattle who had an old-fashioned upright piano on wheels that he hauled around town to play in parks where folks gathered to bask in warm sunshine. I thought his ragtime and blues were terrific. The cash overflowing from the hat he’d put on the ground by his stool told me he was making some pretty decent dough.
In Key West, I watched a group of college kids set up a volleyball net right over top of a homeless guy who looked like he was sleeping off a major hangover while hugging his shoes in Higgins Park.
The kids barely paid any attention to the old duffer and he only stirred lightly as the game progressed.
Amazingly, the game concluded without anyone diving for a dig and crashing into him. When I left, the young people were heading back to their hotel for more beer and the old guy simply rolled over, oblivious to it all.
Since then, I’ve frequently thought about that scene – a homeless guy sleeping in the sand under a volleyball net with young people partying, and eating, and drinking all around him – as if he were just a picnic table or another bench in the park, not really a person anymore, just a thing we call the homeless.
It made me wonder if anyone would care if he were suddenly gone. Would anyone notice?
Would his disappearance matter to anyone? What would happen if the homeless started to gradually vanish? And what would happen if someone figured out how to make money from it?
And that’s the basis for my next novel. I cannot reveal anything more about the story except that it takes place in Key West. You'll fully understand why I picked that location when you get to the end of A Place for Murder, which just published Thanksgiving weekend.
As I sit down to work on the new book each day, I will think of that homeless guy under the volleyball net. He mattered to me.
I think it’s going to be a great story.
Stay tuned.
A Place for MurderDave Vizard
December 9, 2018
What the $@#%&* ? Here's why you won't find any F-Bombs in A Place for Murder
One of the questions I am frequently asked at book signings is if my stories are suitable for young readers. The question usually comes from a mom or grandmother who asks it with a wary eye.
Good question.
In today’s culture, shocking or vulgar language is commonly tossed around in literature, music, movies, art and social media. It seems as though many artists believe they have to include a requisite number of F-Bombs, or their colorful, descriptive and often angry derivatives, to make their work authentic, or real.
Well, I disagree for a couple of different reasons.
You won’t find F-Bombs, graphic sex or explicit violence in any of my stories. Now, that may stop some of you in your tracks and prompt you to ask yourself: No graphic sex or violence? Why the hell would I want to read boring crap like that?
My response is that vulgar language and gratuitous sex and violence are handy tools for lazy writers with poor imaginations and crude writing skills.
Ok, now that I’ve offended roughly half the writers in America, please allow me to explain.
I simply do not believe raw language or scenes are necessary for skilled writers who know how to tell a good story. I also believe that the shock value of such language often gets in the way of effective communication.
Additionally, vulgar language is not commonly used in day-to-day conversation unless you happen to be speaking with a knuckle-dragging lowlife who simply does not know a better mode of expression.
Think about it. When was the last time you heard someone blast out the F-Bomb? Where were you, and who were you with?
That’s my point. Filthy, guttural language does not routinely come up in every day discussion – at least not in my circles, and I’m guessing they do not come up in yours very often, either.
So, why would I want to include dialogue or narrative, laced with verbal nastiness, in my stories?
Another reason I don’t go for vile, disgusting language or scenes in my books is because I don’t want to limit the potential audience at the younger or older ends of the scale. Lots of readers, both young and old, don’t care for the frequent use of Hard K words.
I want my books open and inviting to all readers, regardless of age.
One of my good friends from high school recently sent me a note on Facebook asking if my stories would be OK for his 9-year-old granddaughter to read. She’s a voracious reader, he says, and always looking for new stories.
My books carry adult themes and some mild profanity, I responded, but no nasty, crude language, sex or violence.
My buddy’s granddaughter is a type of reader I want to capture, not block because I couldn’t come up with decent descriptive adjectives and verbs.
I guess the real question is this: Does anybody out there give a damn? I’m betting they do.
A Place for Murder
Good question.
In today’s culture, shocking or vulgar language is commonly tossed around in literature, music, movies, art and social media. It seems as though many artists believe they have to include a requisite number of F-Bombs, or their colorful, descriptive and often angry derivatives, to make their work authentic, or real.
Well, I disagree for a couple of different reasons.
You won’t find F-Bombs, graphic sex or explicit violence in any of my stories. Now, that may stop some of you in your tracks and prompt you to ask yourself: No graphic sex or violence? Why the hell would I want to read boring crap like that?
My response is that vulgar language and gratuitous sex and violence are handy tools for lazy writers with poor imaginations and crude writing skills.
Ok, now that I’ve offended roughly half the writers in America, please allow me to explain.
I simply do not believe raw language or scenes are necessary for skilled writers who know how to tell a good story. I also believe that the shock value of such language often gets in the way of effective communication.
Additionally, vulgar language is not commonly used in day-to-day conversation unless you happen to be speaking with a knuckle-dragging lowlife who simply does not know a better mode of expression.
Think about it. When was the last time you heard someone blast out the F-Bomb? Where were you, and who were you with?
That’s my point. Filthy, guttural language does not routinely come up in every day discussion – at least not in my circles, and I’m guessing they do not come up in yours very often, either.
So, why would I want to include dialogue or narrative, laced with verbal nastiness, in my stories?
Another reason I don’t go for vile, disgusting language or scenes in my books is because I don’t want to limit the potential audience at the younger or older ends of the scale. Lots of readers, both young and old, don’t care for the frequent use of Hard K words.
I want my books open and inviting to all readers, regardless of age.
One of my good friends from high school recently sent me a note on Facebook asking if my stories would be OK for his 9-year-old granddaughter to read. She’s a voracious reader, he says, and always looking for new stories.
My books carry adult themes and some mild profanity, I responded, but no nasty, crude language, sex or violence.
My buddy’s granddaughter is a type of reader I want to capture, not block because I couldn’t come up with decent descriptive adjectives and verbs.
I guess the real question is this: Does anybody out there give a damn? I’m betting they do.
A Place for Murder
December 2, 2018
What's your favorite Christie novel?
Help!!!!!
For our next monthly meeting, members of the Pigeon Book Club are reading any work by the late, great Agatha Christie, legendary and prolific mystery writer extraordinaire.
Like millions of others, I’ve read a number of her works over the years. My high school English and journalism teacher, Robert Warren, was a big fan and continuously shoved my face in Christie fiction. He loved her clear, direct prose, natural storytelling ability and the sound creation of complex plot lines.
My favorite Christie novel is Murder on the Orient Express, which also became a popular movie. But she has so many other works. 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, and numerous plays. She is considered by many to be the biggest-selling novelist of all time.
Right now, I’m leaning toward reading The Murder of Roger Akryod, which was once declared the best crime novel ever written. But there’s also And Then There Were None, which was voted the world’s favorite Christie in a vote conducted by the author’s estate.
So many choices with such limited time. That’s why I need your help.
I’m asking you to dig back through your library and reading lists to rediscover the Christie novel that rang your bell.
What’s your favorite Agatha Christie story, and why do you think I should read it for book club?
A Place for Murder
For our next monthly meeting, members of the Pigeon Book Club are reading any work by the late, great Agatha Christie, legendary and prolific mystery writer extraordinaire.
Like millions of others, I’ve read a number of her works over the years. My high school English and journalism teacher, Robert Warren, was a big fan and continuously shoved my face in Christie fiction. He loved her clear, direct prose, natural storytelling ability and the sound creation of complex plot lines.
My favorite Christie novel is Murder on the Orient Express, which also became a popular movie. But she has so many other works. 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, and numerous plays. She is considered by many to be the biggest-selling novelist of all time.
Right now, I’m leaning toward reading The Murder of Roger Akryod, which was once declared the best crime novel ever written. But there’s also And Then There Were None, which was voted the world’s favorite Christie in a vote conducted by the author’s estate.
So many choices with such limited time. That’s why I need your help.
I’m asking you to dig back through your library and reading lists to rediscover the Christie novel that rang your bell.
What’s your favorite Agatha Christie story, and why do you think I should read it for book club?
A Place for Murder
November 29, 2018
Thanks President Trump for helping make A Place for Murder a relevant, hot topic
When I finished writing A Grand Murder in 2015, I had the idea for a spinoff story about the plight of Suzie Alvarez, a temporary summer employee from Mexico who worked at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
But I wasn’t sure Suzie’s story would resonate with readers. Certainly, immigration – both legal and illegal ¬– is one of the great issues facing our country. But at the time it was “backburner” for most Americans, something in their periphery, but not in focus enough to make it a priority issue.
Enter Donald Trump and his march toward the presidency with this key slogan: We’re going to build a border wall and Mexico is going to pay for it. The slogan and issue caught fire among the fledgling politician’s base and helped catapult him to the presidency.
Hmmmm, I thought, the issue of immigration is now on the front burner and is likely to stay there as long as Trump holds the White House. The idea for my Suzie Alvarez story, which had rattled around in the back of my mind, suddenly had legs.
At the time, I was finishing up the first draft of my third novel, Murder in the Wind. As I worked through the final editing process on that story with my editor, I started toying with the idea for the immigration story in earnest.
When Murder in the Wind, published in 2017, I immediately turned my attention back to Suzie Alvarez. If you read A Grand Murder, then you’ll recall the basics of the young Latina’s predicament.
While working at the premiere resort on Mackinac Island, Suzie had become a dupe for an assassin, who used the young woman to gain access to a hotel room and kill its occupant. It worked – except for one thing: The room occupant was the wrong man. Oops!
When the dust settled after the killing, the assassin escaped, and Suzie, like all good dupes, took the fall and landed hard. She did her best to help investigators find the killer, but it was not enough. The result? Suzie lost her job and her visa, which meant she was supposed to go back to Mexico.
One problem. Suzie had nothing to go home to. No job, no family, no opportunities, and she had accumulated a mountain of debt. Faced with ever-increasing pressure, she decided to enter the underground and stay in the United States with the goal of working her way out of debt and into freedom.
Bad choice. Once she became an illegal, undocumented worker, she had no rights and few protections in this country. The result of this choice quickly became horrifying, which is the base for Suzie’s new storyline.
My timing for creating this story could not have been better. When I published A Place for Murder just before Thanksgiving weekend this year, a migrant caravan of several thousand people rushed the U.S. border at Tijuana, Mexico. Border security, now bolstered by several thousand American troops who were ordered into the region by Trump, fired tear gas and rubber bullets into masses trying to enter the country illegally.
News footage and blaring headlines about the confrontation flashed around the world.
A Place for Murder looks at all sides of the illegal immigration issue and shines an illuminating light on the tragedy of human trafficking that can result. It’s a story that will make you weep, angry, laugh, and, hopefully, think about one of the great issues of our times.
Never thought I’d utter these words, but thank you, Mr. Trump. Your timing couldn’t have been better, either.
A Place for Murder
But I wasn’t sure Suzie’s story would resonate with readers. Certainly, immigration – both legal and illegal ¬– is one of the great issues facing our country. But at the time it was “backburner” for most Americans, something in their periphery, but not in focus enough to make it a priority issue.
Enter Donald Trump and his march toward the presidency with this key slogan: We’re going to build a border wall and Mexico is going to pay for it. The slogan and issue caught fire among the fledgling politician’s base and helped catapult him to the presidency.
Hmmmm, I thought, the issue of immigration is now on the front burner and is likely to stay there as long as Trump holds the White House. The idea for my Suzie Alvarez story, which had rattled around in the back of my mind, suddenly had legs.
At the time, I was finishing up the first draft of my third novel, Murder in the Wind. As I worked through the final editing process on that story with my editor, I started toying with the idea for the immigration story in earnest.
When Murder in the Wind, published in 2017, I immediately turned my attention back to Suzie Alvarez. If you read A Grand Murder, then you’ll recall the basics of the young Latina’s predicament.
While working at the premiere resort on Mackinac Island, Suzie had become a dupe for an assassin, who used the young woman to gain access to a hotel room and kill its occupant. It worked – except for one thing: The room occupant was the wrong man. Oops!
When the dust settled after the killing, the assassin escaped, and Suzie, like all good dupes, took the fall and landed hard. She did her best to help investigators find the killer, but it was not enough. The result? Suzie lost her job and her visa, which meant she was supposed to go back to Mexico.
One problem. Suzie had nothing to go home to. No job, no family, no opportunities, and she had accumulated a mountain of debt. Faced with ever-increasing pressure, she decided to enter the underground and stay in the United States with the goal of working her way out of debt and into freedom.
Bad choice. Once she became an illegal, undocumented worker, she had no rights and few protections in this country. The result of this choice quickly became horrifying, which is the base for Suzie’s new storyline.
My timing for creating this story could not have been better. When I published A Place for Murder just before Thanksgiving weekend this year, a migrant caravan of several thousand people rushed the U.S. border at Tijuana, Mexico. Border security, now bolstered by several thousand American troops who were ordered into the region by Trump, fired tear gas and rubber bullets into masses trying to enter the country illegally.
News footage and blaring headlines about the confrontation flashed around the world.
A Place for Murder looks at all sides of the illegal immigration issue and shines an illuminating light on the tragedy of human trafficking that can result. It’s a story that will make you weep, angry, laugh, and, hopefully, think about one of the great issues of our times.
Never thought I’d utter these words, but thank you, Mr. Trump. Your timing couldn’t have been better, either.
A Place for Murder
July 7, 2018
Deadline for next manuscript coming fast, but I'm not worried - here's why
As I take time to write this post, I am staring at a looming deadline glaring back at me.
I am rewriting the last chapters of a new novel and my editor will expect to see the finished manuscript in her email first thing Monday morning.
It's ok, I've got it under control. The re-write will be much better than the original and I already know how I'm going to work it out. So, I'm going to make it one way or another.
Deadlines are not new for me. I was a newspaper guy for almost 35 years. Reporting, editing, column writing, editorial writing, magazine writing and editing. I was proud of the publications I worked for and proud of the work we did.
We really did change the world we lived in, bringing understanding and enlightenment to readers from throughout the community.
And we always did it under the gun - the deadline clock ticking off precious seconds and minutes right up until press time. It was exhilarating work and I loved every minute of it.
These days, however, I mostly set my own short-term deadlines.
When I'm working on a piece of fiction, I invest 2 to 3 hours to the writing process every day. I don't shoot for a specific word count. Rather, I shoot for writing through complete scenes or chapters in the story.
Then I go back later in the same day and re-write it. The break between writing and re-writing gives my mind time to tumble and toss around what I've produced, and I always come up with improved dialogue, narrative, plot development, or color, or detail.
Then, the next day (after sleeping on it and tossing the piece around some more), I'm ready to move the story along to the next scene or chapter.
I started this novel on my birthday, January 6, and I will finish Monday morning, July 9. That's six full months to complete 35 chapters. Again, I'm not worried about word count because I know that's all going to change while working with my editor. The story will grow and then it will shrink.
I'll bet you're dying to know who the lucky woman is that gets to sort through and make sense of the craziness rolling out of my mind.
Her name is Christina M. Frey, and she's an editor and literary coach at Page Two Editing. This will be our third writing project together and I look forward to seeing where she thinks we should take the story from here.
I trust her completely and believe in her abilities. From experience, I know she will come up with some fabulous ideas about how to make this an even better story.
The real fun begins Monday morning when the deadline clock expires and Christina gets in the driver's seat for the rest of the ride to the novel's completion.
I've worked with all kinds of editors most of my life. Some really good, and some really horrible. Christina is the best I've encountered. That's because she pushes me to improve the story at every level, but never loses sight of the fact that it is my story.
I'm eager for Monday morning to arrive. Deadlines don't break you, they only make you stronger.
I am rewriting the last chapters of a new novel and my editor will expect to see the finished manuscript in her email first thing Monday morning.
It's ok, I've got it under control. The re-write will be much better than the original and I already know how I'm going to work it out. So, I'm going to make it one way or another.
Deadlines are not new for me. I was a newspaper guy for almost 35 years. Reporting, editing, column writing, editorial writing, magazine writing and editing. I was proud of the publications I worked for and proud of the work we did.
We really did change the world we lived in, bringing understanding and enlightenment to readers from throughout the community.
And we always did it under the gun - the deadline clock ticking off precious seconds and minutes right up until press time. It was exhilarating work and I loved every minute of it.
These days, however, I mostly set my own short-term deadlines.
When I'm working on a piece of fiction, I invest 2 to 3 hours to the writing process every day. I don't shoot for a specific word count. Rather, I shoot for writing through complete scenes or chapters in the story.
Then I go back later in the same day and re-write it. The break between writing and re-writing gives my mind time to tumble and toss around what I've produced, and I always come up with improved dialogue, narrative, plot development, or color, or detail.
Then, the next day (after sleeping on it and tossing the piece around some more), I'm ready to move the story along to the next scene or chapter.
I started this novel on my birthday, January 6, and I will finish Monday morning, July 9. That's six full months to complete 35 chapters. Again, I'm not worried about word count because I know that's all going to change while working with my editor. The story will grow and then it will shrink.
I'll bet you're dying to know who the lucky woman is that gets to sort through and make sense of the craziness rolling out of my mind.
Her name is Christina M. Frey, and she's an editor and literary coach at Page Two Editing. This will be our third writing project together and I look forward to seeing where she thinks we should take the story from here.
I trust her completely and believe in her abilities. From experience, I know she will come up with some fabulous ideas about how to make this an even better story.
The real fun begins Monday morning when the deadline clock expires and Christina gets in the driver's seat for the rest of the ride to the novel's completion.
I've worked with all kinds of editors most of my life. Some really good, and some really horrible. Christina is the best I've encountered. That's because she pushes me to improve the story at every level, but never loses sight of the fact that it is my story.
I'm eager for Monday morning to arrive. Deadlines don't break you, they only make you stronger.
February 19, 2018
Gritty Mr. Paradise puts readers on streets of Detroit
Just finished reading the work of one of my favorite Michigan authors. Top-notch crime/cop novel by the late, great Elmore Leonard. Took me a chapter or so to get into the rhythm of his writing again, but enjoyed it very much. The late, great Leonard has a kind of Joe Friday (Dragnet) narrative style. This is Book of the Month at Pigeon library Book Club. I will be curious to see how many members finished the book and what they thought of the gritty, Detroit street life. One of the many things I enjoy about our book club is the wide range of books we read and the lively discussions they create.Murder in the WindDave Vizard
November 15, 2017
California example shows school lockdowns work - but only when rules are followed
Authorities in California are lauding quick thinking, fast moving school officials for locking down their building before a nut job with an automatic weapon could get in to shoot the place up. Cops are saying this undoubtedly saved many young lives.
I can say with confidence that lock-down drills at schools work when they are able to be implemented. Not so much when school rules are not followed. Let me explain.
I am a substitute teacher in the Thumb of Michigan. Last spring, I was teaching on two occasions when lock-downs were instituted.
The kids, in both instances, knew exactly what to do. When the alarm sounded, they shut off lights, covered windows and retreated to a protected corner of the classroom to sit quietly - all within seconds. Impressive at all levels, though I was dismayed that youngsters would have to do such things.
However, the lock-down did not work at one of the schools because I could not lock the entrance/exit door to the classroom. Without my knowledge, someone - perhaps folks from the admin office or custodial staff - had placed a small metal magnet inside the door casing near the top of the door, preventing it from closing. Later, I learned from one of the other subs that this was done to prevent the door from closing and locking accidentally, which would require someone from the admin or custodial staffs to come unlock and open the door.
But I didn't know that when the alarm sounded and we went into defensive mode. So, there I stood holding the door as tightly closed as I could with both hands on the door knob while students completed their part of the exercise.
But as time went on and we did not receive an "all clear" declaration, I began to worry. My imagination went on overdrive: What if this is not a drill and there's an armed crazy guy out in the hallway trying doors until he finds one open? Will I be able to keep him out? Will I be able to overpower him if he gets into the classroom? Will he just shoot me through the door and come in and harm the children? Will the youngsters identify my inability to lock the door and panic? What if there is more than one madman out there?
All of these scenarios - and others equally frightening - passed through my mind. When the "all clear" signal finally came, we quickly went back into regular classroom mode. I praised the students for their quick action and cooperative spirit. I also encouraged them to talk about what we experienced. They were candid. "You just never know when it might be real," was the common thread from our discussion. Great! They had been well-schooled on the subject.
Later, after school dismissed I brought up the problem to the office staff. Each person just stared at one other when I told them what had happened. Who wants to admit that he or she screwed up? One thanked me and said she would look into it.
When I heard on the news this morning that the lunatic gunman could not get into the school, it made me wonder what would have happened if a magnet had been placed in the door jam to keep it from accidentally closing and inconveniencing school personnel.
Hope we never find out.
I can say with confidence that lock-down drills at schools work when they are able to be implemented. Not so much when school rules are not followed. Let me explain.
I am a substitute teacher in the Thumb of Michigan. Last spring, I was teaching on two occasions when lock-downs were instituted.
The kids, in both instances, knew exactly what to do. When the alarm sounded, they shut off lights, covered windows and retreated to a protected corner of the classroom to sit quietly - all within seconds. Impressive at all levels, though I was dismayed that youngsters would have to do such things.
However, the lock-down did not work at one of the schools because I could not lock the entrance/exit door to the classroom. Without my knowledge, someone - perhaps folks from the admin office or custodial staff - had placed a small metal magnet inside the door casing near the top of the door, preventing it from closing. Later, I learned from one of the other subs that this was done to prevent the door from closing and locking accidentally, which would require someone from the admin or custodial staffs to come unlock and open the door.
But I didn't know that when the alarm sounded and we went into defensive mode. So, there I stood holding the door as tightly closed as I could with both hands on the door knob while students completed their part of the exercise.
But as time went on and we did not receive an "all clear" declaration, I began to worry. My imagination went on overdrive: What if this is not a drill and there's an armed crazy guy out in the hallway trying doors until he finds one open? Will I be able to keep him out? Will I be able to overpower him if he gets into the classroom? Will he just shoot me through the door and come in and harm the children? Will the youngsters identify my inability to lock the door and panic? What if there is more than one madman out there?
All of these scenarios - and others equally frightening - passed through my mind. When the "all clear" signal finally came, we quickly went back into regular classroom mode. I praised the students for their quick action and cooperative spirit. I also encouraged them to talk about what we experienced. They were candid. "You just never know when it might be real," was the common thread from our discussion. Great! They had been well-schooled on the subject.
Later, after school dismissed I brought up the problem to the office staff. Each person just stared at one other when I told them what had happened. Who wants to admit that he or she screwed up? One thanked me and said she would look into it.
When I heard on the news this morning that the lunatic gunman could not get into the school, it made me wonder what would have happened if a magnet had been placed in the door jam to keep it from accidentally closing and inconveniencing school personnel.
Hope we never find out.
November 13, 2017
Feisty ladies of my book club play key role in Murder in the Wind
I worked my book club into my new novel, “Murder in the Wind,” as a salute and thank you to a delightful group of women who amaze me at every monthly meeting. They are smart, witty, insightful, and full of great observations about the books we read.
I joined the Pigeon District Library Book Club just over a year ago. Like anyone who joins a book club, my goal was to read compelling books and then join others who had read them for lively discussion. That goal was achieved very quickly.
But I soon discovered that being a member of this all-female group had other advantages – what I call reading with benefits. That’s right. It wasn’t long before the author in me saw the huge potential for learning that these ladies could readily offer. After all, women are the biggest readers of books today, especially fiction.
With this group, I spend most of the time listening. I only pipe in when I’m asked a question or when it’s my turn to offer a review or critique. Silence lets me soak up the discussion like a dry sponge.
I want to know what touches these readers in personal ways and moves them – what makes them laugh, or cry, or get angry, or find joy, or rant and rave. I want to know what prompts them to think about things in new ways, what causes them to reconsider their beliefs.
I’m lucky because these women are not shy. They are well educated and have lived full, active lives. They’re teachers, professionals, businesswomen, and some are moms and housewives – or all of the above. They speak their minds, even when others don’t agree with them.
They are open about which authors they enjoy, and ones that bore them. They are eager to talk about story development, characters, dialogue, and story endings. It’s a treasure trove of information for any prospective author at any level – novice or best-selling writer.
They’ve helped me get a better understanding of readers. So, naturally, when the opportunity arose for them to become part of my murder mystery, I had to include them in the plot. It was actually quite easy.
One of the central characters in “Murder in the Wind” is a member of the Pigeon District Library Book Club. When two members of the club hand deliver the “Book of the Month” to the character’s home, it becomes a turning point in the story. Before long, the mystery unravels for my protagonist, Nick Steele.
But that’s all I’m going to reveal. If you want to know more, you’re going to have to pick up the book.
Murder in the Wind
Dave Vizard
I joined the Pigeon District Library Book Club just over a year ago. Like anyone who joins a book club, my goal was to read compelling books and then join others who had read them for lively discussion. That goal was achieved very quickly.
But I soon discovered that being a member of this all-female group had other advantages – what I call reading with benefits. That’s right. It wasn’t long before the author in me saw the huge potential for learning that these ladies could readily offer. After all, women are the biggest readers of books today, especially fiction.
With this group, I spend most of the time listening. I only pipe in when I’m asked a question or when it’s my turn to offer a review or critique. Silence lets me soak up the discussion like a dry sponge.
I want to know what touches these readers in personal ways and moves them – what makes them laugh, or cry, or get angry, or find joy, or rant and rave. I want to know what prompts them to think about things in new ways, what causes them to reconsider their beliefs.
I’m lucky because these women are not shy. They are well educated and have lived full, active lives. They’re teachers, professionals, businesswomen, and some are moms and housewives – or all of the above. They speak their minds, even when others don’t agree with them.
They are open about which authors they enjoy, and ones that bore them. They are eager to talk about story development, characters, dialogue, and story endings. It’s a treasure trove of information for any prospective author at any level – novice or best-selling writer.
They’ve helped me get a better understanding of readers. So, naturally, when the opportunity arose for them to become part of my murder mystery, I had to include them in the plot. It was actually quite easy.
One of the central characters in “Murder in the Wind” is a member of the Pigeon District Library Book Club. When two members of the club hand deliver the “Book of the Month” to the character’s home, it becomes a turning point in the story. Before long, the mystery unravels for my protagonist, Nick Steele.
But that’s all I’m going to reveal. If you want to know more, you’re going to have to pick up the book.
Murder in the Wind
Dave Vizard
November 4, 2017
Gary Thompson, one of the great fathers among some stinkers in Murder in the Wind
When I was in the process of developing "Murder in the Wind," I needed to create a wide range of dads because it is largely a story about the sometimes complex relationships between fathers and sons.
For my story, I wanted dads of all flavors - the great, the good, the OK, the bad, and the ugly.
To create one of the terrific dads, I turned to a life-long friend, fellow Marine Corps veteran, and college roommate, Gary Thompson.
Gary, who I have always affectionately called "Mo-Fo-Bro No.2 for reasons that will not be described here," is one of the main characters in "Murder in the Wind."
Great guy, and he makes a colorful, believable, and lovable character.
But he's just one of my dads. I've created the gamut - from the truly heroic to one who is as mean as a snake to one who is absent - lost to war.
One of my central characters, Dave Balz, laments the loss of his dad to Vietnam before it became an all-out war. "Never knew my dad," he says. "Do you know what I would have given as a kid to have had any dad - even a lousy one?"
The scene is a touching moment between Balz and my protagonist, Nick Steele, who loved his pop every day of his life, perhaps even more so after it was cut short by an early, fatal illness.
But not every family has a father figure like TV's fabled "Brady Bunch." As we all know, there are lots of stinkers out there. Sometimes, dads are absolutely despised and hated.
The contemplation of patricide is a central theme in "Murder in the Wind." For many, it is an unthinkable subject.
But for others, especially when big money and power are involved, it is real and happens far more often then most think.
Those who read "Murder in the Wind" will likely see their dads in one of my novel's father figures.
Hopefully, it will prompt reflection on their relationships and result in renewed appreciation for all the sacrifices that the best dads make.
I wrote "Murder in the Wind" for my sons. Here is the book's Dedication: "For Mickey and Mack. A dad could not be prouder of his sons than I am of these two fine young men."Murder in the WindDave Vizard
For my story, I wanted dads of all flavors - the great, the good, the OK, the bad, and the ugly.
To create one of the terrific dads, I turned to a life-long friend, fellow Marine Corps veteran, and college roommate, Gary Thompson.
Gary, who I have always affectionately called "Mo-Fo-Bro No.2 for reasons that will not be described here," is one of the main characters in "Murder in the Wind."
Great guy, and he makes a colorful, believable, and lovable character.
But he's just one of my dads. I've created the gamut - from the truly heroic to one who is as mean as a snake to one who is absent - lost to war.
One of my central characters, Dave Balz, laments the loss of his dad to Vietnam before it became an all-out war. "Never knew my dad," he says. "Do you know what I would have given as a kid to have had any dad - even a lousy one?"
The scene is a touching moment between Balz and my protagonist, Nick Steele, who loved his pop every day of his life, perhaps even more so after it was cut short by an early, fatal illness.
But not every family has a father figure like TV's fabled "Brady Bunch." As we all know, there are lots of stinkers out there. Sometimes, dads are absolutely despised and hated.
The contemplation of patricide is a central theme in "Murder in the Wind." For many, it is an unthinkable subject.
But for others, especially when big money and power are involved, it is real and happens far more often then most think.
Those who read "Murder in the Wind" will likely see their dads in one of my novel's father figures.
Hopefully, it will prompt reflection on their relationships and result in renewed appreciation for all the sacrifices that the best dads make.
I wrote "Murder in the Wind" for my sons. Here is the book's Dedication: "For Mickey and Mack. A dad could not be prouder of his sons than I am of these two fine young men."Murder in the WindDave Vizard
