Q. Kelly's Blog, page 25

"Waiting" (and updated "The Odd Couple" links)

OK, ladies, germs, tigers and Sasquatches. "The Odd Couple" is for sale on Kindle and BN.com. (And, of course, it's still for sale on Smashwords.)

Now on to "Waiting"! This is a book I started in 2009. Before 2009, actually, in short-story form. "Waiting" has taken a long while to make it to publication. "Strange Bedfellows" was released in August, but it is younger than "Waiting." "Waiting" took so long because it was not gelling at first, so halfway through, I changed one of the romantic leads. After finishing several drafts, I decided to go back to the original pairing. I'd found a way to make that pairing gel. So, a lot of rewriting was involved, and then throw in my normal editorial process (which involves putting aside my work for a few months at least so I go back to it fresh, and having many pairs of eyes go through it).

Bottom line: "Waiting" is being published today. It should be on Smashwords today (Smashwords converts instantly) and on Kindle and BN in the next few days.

I've posted two excerpts for "Waiting."
Excerpt 1
Excerpt 2

Here's what "Waiting" is all about:
Caris Ismay, 30, is falling in love with a woman she dares not pursue, and at exactly the wrong time. Caris knew that life after having her baby would be different, especially since her wife did not love her anymore. But Caris never expected post-baby life to be this difficult. Dale, her wife of three years, is in a coma that turns into a vegetative state. Lena, Dale's 29-year-old daughter, is put in the awkward position of revealing Dale's secrets to Caris.

Caris and Lena share a perfect, passionate kiss that they cannot stop thinking about. Plus, they can help each other in ways no one else can. They try to build a friendship, but their growing attraction gets in the way. Can Caris and Lena move past the taboo of their attraction and find their path together?

Editing Tips

Once in a while, I post editing tips on my Facebook page, My G account and my Twitter. Errors I see during my regular editing work inspire these tips. Here, I've put together a few of these tips. I'll make another blog post along these lines once I have enough tips for another round.



(1) No need to say December of 2001 or May of 2001. Say December 2001, or May 2001.



(2) The phrase "need to have" is redundant. Example: "I need to have a job." Just say: "I need a job."



(3) No need to say "past work experience." The word "experience" takes care of the "past" part. So, just say: "work experience."



(4) Look for common-sense redundancies. Example: "The changing weather outside...." Where else is weather? No need for "outside."

"The Odd Couple"

OK then, ladies, germs and cats. I've been hard at work on getting the second edition of "The Odd Couple" out. And it's out! At Smashwords, at least. Anytime now, it should be out for the Kindle and Nook as well. (I will post when that happens.) It should also be ready in print in about a week.

This second edition is not a mere re-issuance. The edition has substantial changes compared with the first edition. But did I do a complete rewrite? No, for several reasons.

-First, I felt my writing was fine as is (not as good as it is now, but certainly good). "The Odd Couple" was a finalist for a GCLS award in 2009 (for 2008 printing) for a reason, right? ;-)

- Second, everyone should have a "first" book. It's kind of fun to track the progress of a writer.

Anyway, here's the summary of "The Odd Couple." Read an excerpt here.

*****

Morrisey Hawthorne and her four-year-old son, Gareth, have a pretty good life. Then one day they meet Charlene Sudsbury, who is trying to move on from the suicide of her son, JP, three years before. Gareth is nearly the mirror image of JP, and Charlene connects instantly with him. Not quite so with Morrisey, who can't escape fast enough after Charlene shows her a picture of JP. Charlene is convinced Morrisey is hiding something and sets out in search of the truth.

Despite the circumstances, the two women form an unusual bond and end up with a lot more than they bargained for. But when an old friend of JP's resurfaces, he challenges the fragile trust Morrisey and Charlene have been building.

Can these two women overcome the obstacles that separate them from the happiness they seek?

"The Odd Couple" excerpt

Below is an excerpt from "The Odd Couple." Here's a link to the .pdf of it. (No download is required.) For now, you can buy "The Odd Couple" at Smashwords. More sales channels are coming soon!

Excerpt from "The Odd Couple" second edition
Q. Kelly (c) 2008 and 2011 – all rights reserved—

Charlene's eyes flew open. That voice was real. Right across from her, just yards away, there he was. Her son, her JP. Four years old again and risen somehow from the grave. There was no mistaking him. He had listened to her, and he was back. Charlene went weak with disbelief. Her heart wobbled. OhGodOhGodOhGod. This was it, then. This was how she was going to snap and plunge into the valley of the insane. Because JP was dead. The gunshot. The holes. The lifeless eyes.

He was not back. He never would be. But how to explain this boy? Was he simply a figment of Charlene's grief?

The child laid something—a caterpillar?—on a tombstone and chased after a squirrel, coming ever closer. His laughter was music to Charlene's ears. This boy was no figment. Charlene was not going off the deep end. She was hearing JP.

Without thinking, she leaped to her feet. She opened her mouth to call her son to her. JP, JP, you're home, you're alive. How? No, no, tell me later. That doesn't matter. Just come here, come here. Let me hug you.

The boy skidded to a stop. He met Charlene's eyes. She got a good look at his face, and her heart sank. In the summer, light tan freckles had covered most of JP's features, but this boy was blessed with a mere sprinkling. Charlene thought once more that she must be going crazy. Then the child cocked an eyebrow, just like JP would have, and hope filled Charlene's whole being again.

"Hi," the boy said, and he grinned hugely.

Charlene blinked back tears. Freckles or not, this boy was her son. She was being given a chance to redeem herself, to make things right. But a harsh, logical voice cautioned her to take a deep breath, to calm down, to just think a minute, to not say or do anything she would regret later. How could this boy be JP? She had held him for hours, for hours, those lifeless eyes. Still, she had to ask.

"JP?" she ventured.

The child shook his head and flashed another eager smile. "I'm Gareth. Like in the King Arthur story."

Charlene struggled to reconcile the clash between logic and emotion, between mind and heart. Gareth. JP. Gareth. How could it be? How could this child, this so-called Gareth, have JP's blue eyes, his laugh, his hair, his everything, except for the freckles? How? Was it some cruel trick of fate?

Seemingly out of nowhere, a woman, tall and tan, with dark hair and dark eyes, appeared. She tousled Gareth's hair and offered a shy smile. "I apologize if Gareth was bothering you."

A faint thread of hysteria washed through Charlene. She fought to keep it at bay. "Gareth. That's a nice name." No. No. That's JP. My son! My son! Why do you have my son?

The dark-haired woman grinned. "I've always loved King Arthur stuff. Anyway. Hi. I'm Morrisey." She stuck a hand out.

Charlene robotically took the hand and let go after a second.

"Hey, that's a nice bracelet," Morrisey said. "I have a few like that at home."

"Thanks. A friend gave it to me." Charlene could not bring herself to say more. What she wanted to do was fall to her knees and take this other woman's son in her arms. She wanted to inhale his sweet little-boy smell. She wanted to feel him breathe and hear his heart beating. She wanted to tell him everything would be all right, that she was sorry, so very sorry for having failed him. What she wanted to do was trace his face, look into those familiar, lively blue eyes, and reassure him that everything would be okay now.

But she could not do that. That would be absurd. JP was dead, and no amount of pleading, no amount of tears and promises and deluding herself about this look-alike boy would change that.

"You okay?" Morrisey asked.

"It's been a long day."

"I understand. I've had more than my share of long days."

"My son," Charlene blurted out. "He reminds me of my son."

Morrisey's eyes narrowed. "Gareth reminds you of your son?"

Charlene's gaze dropped to the grave marker at her feet. "Yes. JP."

"How?"

Charlene looked back at Gareth, into JP's bright blue eyes, and fought to keep herself stiff. "How what?"

"How does he remind you of JP?"

"Oh, just…nothing, really. I don't know. I'm silly, huh? I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Morrisey said, but her earlier friendliness had vanished.

"Strange Bedfellows" is in paperback on Amazon.com now

Buy the print paperback from Amazon.com here.
Two other places to buy the print paperback are http://www.ridetherainbowbooks.com and https://www.createspace.com/3684429. You can also contact me directly.

For e-book versions:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3kg7c9x
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/3e9eer2
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/3hegq8f

I'm almost done with revisions for my next book, "Waiting." Woo hoo!

Keta's Keep Featured Author

Wednesday morning, starting at 6, I'll be the featured author on Keta's Keep (http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com/). Guess what that means? You can win a free copy of "Strange Bedfellows." Leave your email address AND a comment in the comments section of my featured author post (which will be posted about 6 a.m.). After a few days, I'll pick one commenter at random. When you post your email address, put in (at) and (dot) instead of @ and . -- to foil spambots.

And while we're talking about giveaways, remember I have one going on at Goodreads until the end of September (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12570007-strange-bedfellows). Go to "enter to win." Your chances should be better with Keta's Keep-- less entries. Good luck ;-)

Also, if you live in the Roanoke, Virginia, area, the store A Little Bit Hippy will be carrying "Strange Bedfellows" in print in a few days. I'll post again with more details once the store has copies.

Find out stuff about me!

I have an author interview up at Shay Fabro's blog here: http://shayfabbro.com/2011/09/17/interview-with-author-q-kelly/

I'm going to copy and paste a few of my favorites.

What writers have influenced you the most and why?

Short answer: all of them, really. Humorist Dave Barry is one of my favorite authors, but I don't write humor (would love to one day). What his writing DID teach me was to think outside the box and to look at situations from different perspectives. So does "MAD" magazine. Another favorite author of mine is Roald Dahl.

Some so-called "bad" authors have influenced me too—to NOT write like them! And many, many authors have a wonderful grasp of language and words that just flow off the page. Their characters and their words come alive. I read books like I breathe air, which is to say I read A LOT, and so no one author has had time to get his or her tentacles firmly into me!

Whose opinion(s) about writing do you value most and why: other writers, readers, family/friends, editors/publishers

All opinions are valid, and no one person's opinion is more important or valuable than another person's. That said, readers are the people who buy the books.

What genre do think would be the hardest for you to write and why?

Probably straight romance. Like I said, I tried it once and did not get far. I'd probably be thinking all the while I was writing: Why aren't these people two women? Whose bright idea was it to make one of them a dude? Oh yeah… MY bright idea!

For the research aspect, I imagine courtroom/legal thrillers would be difficult. These are probably best left to police officers and lawyers.

Kindlegraph!

One of my readers tipped me onto Kindlegraphs. This site lets me do e-autographs. You don't necessarily need a Kindle (http://kindlegraph.com/books/new).

I've registered "Strange Bedfellows" and done some autographs. Go here if you want one from me: http://kindlegraph.com/authors/Q__Kelly.

Happy signing to me ;-)

Print copy of "Strange Bedfellows" available now!

Wow! The "Strange Bedfellows" print proof arrived today. It wasn't supposed to until next week. Looks fine. So "SB" is on sale now -- through Createspace.com (https://www.createspace.com/3684429 ). Look for it on Amazon in the next five to seven days. It takes time to show up in the Amazon system.

"Strange Bedfellows" giveaway on Goodreads

I have a "Strange Bedfellows" giveaway on Goodreads. Enter for a chance to win a print copy. The copy has to be print, per Goodreads rules. However, I do the shipping, so if you (the winner) happen to prefer e-book, we can most probably work that out.

You have until October 1 to enter.

Here is the link where you enter: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/14729-strange-bedfellows

Good luck! ;-)