Randi Samuelson-Brown's Blog

Hispanic Heritage Month - I LOVE Hispanic Literature

I have to say that one of my favorite books is Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits. From there, or perhaps before, I read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Ever since those early discoveries, I have been a fan of Hispanic literature. There are so many GREAT authors to discover. Which are your favorites? Maybe I should start a list, if one hasn't been created already.

Plagues and Pandemics - Reading and Writing in the time of Uncertainty

Like probably every other person out there, the Covid-19 is raising havoc in daily life. Routine is challenges or non-existent at the moment. WE will all settle into new patterns due to forces beyond our immediate control. I'm included in the restlessness brought about by uncertainty.

Thinking about it, however, we are all living through history - a major historic event.

Over the years I've been fascinated by the 1918 pandemic - and for no real, identifiable reason at the time. Later I learned that my great-grandfather died from it, as did my grandfather's first family of a wife and young son. I am the product of his second, later marriage.

Displaying a further, morbid bent, the Black Plague holds a lingering fascination, as did the plagues that swept through New Orleans.

What it is about writers and tragedy? Possibly the backstory such events provide for tales of perseverance and overcoming unsurmountable odds to win in the end.

What is it about readers of life and death situations - perhaps we put ourselves in the story and emerge through the trial triumphant.

We will all learn something from this pandemic - something that can go forward as a positive contribution for the future. It will just take time to figure out what that might be in the end.

Until then, be well every one. Hope you find the time to read, write and think what sometimes might be uncomfortable thoughts. And persevere. We must all persevere.

The East Coast Writes Literature and the West Coast Writes Westerns?

Oh boy. I do write westerns and I live in Colorado. I was at the Women Writing the West Conference in San Antonio - and in one of the speeches a writer brought up the the East Coast writes Literature, The North Writes Literature, the South writes literature and the West...writes westerns. I know a lot of "western" people who are not writing about the west BUT, does that stereotype hold true?

What I am Currently Reading

I have been give a copy of The Vine Witch (ARC) by Luanne G. Smith. Can hardly wait to get started!

Also I am reading a book about Old New Orleans called Intimate Enemies.

What are all of you reading?

Writer's Conference Season in the West

I know Writer's Conferences go year-round, however in the west they seem to flourish in the summer - probably something to do with the weather :-)

Here is a quick run-down of Conferences that I know of:

Wyoming Writers - Laramie Wyoming June 7-8. This is my first time attending this one! www.wyowriters.org

Western Writers of America - Tucson Arizona. June 19-22. Look a their website for details - westernwriters.org. This would have items of interest for non-writers as well.

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers - Denver, CO - www.rmfw.org. There's a lot of horse-power at this one. September 6-8. Scholarships available.

Women Writing the West - San Antonio, TX - www.womenwritingthewest.org.
October 10-13.

I will be speaking at all of these, with the exception of the Western Writers of America which I won't be able to attend this year. Darn.

A Writer's Contract with Readers

Admitting to what you are reading on Goodreads is an interesting experience - as is abandoning a book without finishing. I recently abandoned yet another book by an author far more famous than I'll ever be, and who's books have sold more copies than mine ever will. And I had to ask myself why. The writing and the plot started out brilliantly, but around page 225, for me, it died.

Which brings me to the point of this blog today. A writers has a 'contract' with a reader. That contract goes something roughly like "If you spend your precious time reading what I have written, I promise to entertain/inform you." The reader has many books to choose from. That is why a writer needs to deliver the absolutely best product he/she can as far as craftmanship and plot in fiction is concerned. For non-fiction, craftmanship, organization and accuracy reign supreme.

Before I got published, I always finished every book I started whether I was interested or not. I don't know why I did that, to be honest. Respect maybe. But the writer should respect the reader's invested time. For that reason, I now will sometimes abandon books. I still feel a twinge of guilt, but it is accompanied by the notion that the writer didn't hold up what I perceive as their end of the bargain.

Interview for SunLit at the Colorado Sun

Hi All:

Here is an interview and an excerpt of a chapter of The Beaten Territory. I was asked to chose a chapter that I thought represented the book well - and not just the first chapter. This is what I came up with.

https://coloradosun.com/category/sunlit/


https://coloradosun.com/2019/03/01/ra...

To Write, You have to Read

I've started teaching at the Colorado Free University these last couple of months - and it's been a fabulous experience. I can't think of anything as nice as spending a weekend afternoon talking about writing. For as many people who want to write (and I was one of them myself) - it's very important to read - and to read GOOD books. I can tell you from experience, that when I read books where the writing is less than the best drags my writing skills down as well. Also, it's great to see how others craft their stories. Sometimes the famous writers aren't even the best (in my opinion). Probably one of the best writers to read for "show, don't tell" is Cormac McCarthy. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Western Movies - and differing views of the American West

I've been watching all different types of Western Movies over the last couple of months. I find that each of the following have really sparked some sort of connection deep inside - which can only help in the process of writing. If you are writing Historical Fiction, I do believe that movies are a complementary form for writing.

Here are some quick thoughts: Stage Coach 1939 - starring John Wayne. Looks to actually be filmed in Monument Valley and existing structures. The end shots by the brothels in the town most likely portray what it was actually like at the "lower end" of town.

Meek's Cutoff directed by Kelly Reichart. Settlers try to find a quicker way to Oregon and get lost in the great American "desert." The feeling of desperation is tangible.

The Homesman - disturbing topic based on the novel of Glendon Swarthout. The film follows the book closely.

The Ballad of Lefty Brown - filmed in Bannock Montana - a fabulous Montana State park. Shows the shifting nature of frontier justice.

She Who Walks Ahead - one of the portraits of Sitting Bull is in the Bismarck State Historical Center. Story of a female artist who paints the great chief. Based upon real characters and events, although some liberties with facts are taken.

Take a look and let me know what you think!

Utilizing your research for Historical Fiction

If you write Historical Fiction, you probably have a lot of cool research, odd facts and random characters that you love. I had always considered such wonderful by-products as an outcome of the craft. However, when I was at the Western Writers of America Conference in Billings, I ended up pitching to non-fiction editors and was strongly encouraged to submit proposals and articles. This is a great way to widen your reader base! I have one article under consideration with True West, and a book proposal with Two Dot.

Just something to think about!

Happy Writing.