Tina Gayle's Blog, page 75

Editing Pacing - Too Fast ... Too Slow... Just Right

For years, I read about pacing, how to make your story come alive by increase the readability of my work.

Shorter sentences and smaller words takes the reader less time to read so the intensity is increased. The problem is to not only learn how to make this happen but to do it in such a way the reader enjoys the ride.

One of the tools I use to help me is "words" readability scale. After doing a spell check, a screen pops up that gives you information about whether or not the writing is easy to read.

Sentence Complexity/Words per sentence(avg.) gives you the length of the sentence. The lower the number, the easier the writing is to read.

"The judgmental narrator subposition infuriated the commando."

Seven words it should be easy.

Wrong

The words you use can make it difficult to read too.

This is where Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid level can help. These two number can help you see how ease what you've written can be understood.

Learning to use this can help you understand where you maybe losing your readers.

Also, there is a free software program that you can use that gives you a lot of information about your writing.

Try it out at
http://prowritingaid.com/Free-Editing-Software.aspx#



Also today I'm blogging at Romance Lives Forever, stop by and read my blog.

http://romancelivesforever.blogspot.com/2012/11/in-romance-little-things-count.html?spref=tw

Have an awesome day,

Tina

Tina's Tidings of Silly, Useful and Inspiring Info

<!-- #yiv1553264295 .yiv1553264295hmmessage P { margin:0px;padding:0px;} #yiv1553264295 body.yiv1553264295hmmessage { font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} </style> <strong>Silly</strong>--<br /><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1352756991536_9198"><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1352756991536_9197"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/..." /></a></div><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1352756991536_9196"><br /><style><!-- #yiv1553264295 .yiv1553264295hmmessage P { margin:0px;padding:0px;} #yiv1553264295 body.yiv1553264295hmmessage { font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} </style><br /></div></div></div>Though <span style="color: #c00000;"><span style="color: black;">I am not a funny person, when I see something that is, I like to pass it on. This is Marianne Donley’s response to people who've had problems with their computer. I like to bring it out occassionally and reread it. It brightens my day.</span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;">"Computers, Yahoo! and AOL are run by evil little green male trolls --all</span><br /><span style="color: black;">about 15 years old. They live inside your machines. Some times the trolls do</span><br /><span style="color: black;">what you ask them to do. Sometimes they fold their little troll arms and</span><br /><span style="color: black;">shake their little troll heads and say, "Nope. Not doing that. You can't make</span><br /><span style="color: black;">me. Nanner. Nanner. Nanner."</span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;">Now, if you have a larger male person come in to your office and he does the</span><br /><span style="color: black;">VERY SAME THING to the computer that you have been doing for the last 10</span><br /><span style="color: black;">hours, the little evil green trolls get afraid. Frighten trolls do what they</span><br /><span style="color: black;">are told. Then your larger male person gets a smug look on his face and you go off to plan another mystery in which large male people die in very painful ways. "</span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;">Hope it helps you see the funny side of computer problems and write your next thriller.</span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><strong>Useful</strong> - looking for new recipes for the holiday season. </span></span><br /><div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1352756991536_9198"><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1352756991536_9197"><div><br />Try this one for free <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Passionate cooks<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.allromanceebooks.com/produ... style="color: blue; font-family: Cambria;">http://www.allromanceebooks.com//prod... /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><span style="color: #c00000;"></span></div><span style="color: #c00000;"></span></div><span style="color: #c00000;"><div><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><strong><span style="color: black;">Inspiration</span> </strong></div></span><div><br /></div></div><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Cb... alt="" border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Cb..." style="display: block; height: 230px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 204px;" /></a><br /><div></div>"Dream as if you'll live forever...live as if you'll die today." <br />James Dean<br /><br />Have an awesome day and a great week,<br /><br />Tina</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>

Tina Gayle's Promotional Tips

• Yahoo Groups – There are a number of yahoo groups that allow authors to promote with their groups. All you need to do is join the group and then follow their set of promotional rules. Just go into Yahoo groups and sign up for the group that apply to your genre. You will then be able to post messages to the group.

• Post cards, business cards – These can be used as hand-outs to people you’ve met or at conference. Do a search to see where you can find the best price. (business cards)

• Promotional items – This can be an expensive option that may yield little return. (Again you decide where and how you want to promote your book.)

• Look for Promotional Opportunities Everywhere– What you have to realize is everyone is out there trying to sell their book. If you can find a place where you can promote your book that others aren’t using you have a great advantage over everyone else. Look around and seek out opportunities that will get you noticed. See examples below:
a)  A friend holding a book signing at her local Curves or beauty shop.

b)  Talk to your friends and have them spread the word.

c)  Tell the people in your community what you’re doing -- church, other groups

d)  Contact groups that might be interested in your book, i.e., a baby book – a baby store. I hope these tips have helped you find a few new places to promote your book.
These suggestions come from my book "I Wrote My First Story - Now What?"
 Have a great weekend, Tina
 

Finding Your Writing Inspiration

Some people might find inspiration for a story by simply looking out their window and seeing the leaves fall from the trees. The color is wonderful and makes one think of crisp days and cool nights. Maybe even, the first fire since winter. Now what can you do in front of a fire?
Others might find inspiration in a book - a tale of war or romance that sparks a story of their own.


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I personally find inspiration from a number of places, shows on TV, movies, people's life, a conversation, an interesting tidbit on the news.


Pregnancy Plan was developed from a story about a woman who wanted to get pregnancy and used a turkey baster to impregnate herself.

The men in the office where I worked enjoyed coming up with names for the child.

My little butterball, Tom, etc.

But the point is inspiration can come from anywhere, you just have to be open to the story.

Tina

Do Me the Night Before and...

Wake up,
pop this french toast dish in the oven,

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and enjoy a cup of coffee with your lover.

Here's the recipe for The Night Before French Toast
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1 loaf French bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon.


The night before serving, melt butter and brown sugar in a small pan, strirring. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Lay bread slices on top of brown sugar mix. Combine eggs with milk and cinnamon. Pour over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning preheat oven to 350 degreees and uncover backing dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with syrup, honey or chopped blueberries mixed with 2 tablespoons orange juice.

Hope this no fuss breakfast will make for a wonderful day,

Tina

Assumptions?

Haven't all of us been told at one time or another to not assume any thing? Yet, again and again we do it.

Like assuming five cloudy days with snow on the ground wouldn't really bother us. After all, if you don't have to get out in it, why should you care?

Sounded good, in reality, but after moving to Nebraska I didn't do so good with the white stuff. Luckily, after a few years we moved back to sunny California.


Also what about the assumption that because you wrote a book, some one out there is going to want to publish it. This I think is the biggest for new writers. We are so proud of our accomplishment that we don't understand the real difference between writing a good book and writing a book that will sell (those two things aren't necessarily the same thing.)


But don't give up, the great thing about assumptions is they can also be wrong. Like not thinking a book would sell because it had been turned down by one publishing house. Then, you get an email that another publisher wants to buy it or you make the decision to publish it yourself.

If we do everything in our power to make things happen, we can expect certain things to happen. Good or bad looking toward a goal is how we achieve our dreams.

Yes, we make assumptions but that is the only way we can plan for the pitfalls and successes we hope to achieve.


Here's to make assumptions that send us to the top and keep us there.

Have an awesome day,

Tina

Tina Gayle Doing the Donut Dance with Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz

BIO:
****
Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz is an acquisitions editor and author of four upcoming books from 4RV Publishing.  Coming in 2012 are Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch, both middle grade novels, and Boo's Bad Day, a picture book.  Scheduled for publication in 2013 is another picture book, Many Colored Coats.  Penny has been writing for adults and children, professionally, since 1993, with many non-fiction articles and short stories to her credit. She has three romances, Love Delivery, Lady in Waiting, and Mirror, Mirror, published by MuseItUp Publishing and also works as a line editor for that house.  Her short story collection, A Past and A Future, is published by Sam's Dot Publishing.
 
Penny can be found online at her blog, http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com, and her website, http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com.

Hi everyone, my name is Ann. I’m the main character in Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz’s contemporary romance, Love Delivery.
While I wouldn’t say life has been good to me, I am divorced after all, I can’t complain.  I live alone with my cat, Mittens, and I work a short bus ride away from my apartment at a great little independent donut shop.  I’m the day manager, so I start really early.  I have to make sure all the fresh-made donuts are in the trays and fresh coffee is ready for the first customers of the day.
I don’t exactly consider myself gorgeous, what with my pear-shaped body and all, but I get by.  There is a real hunk of a delivery guy, Tom, who comes to the shop on a regular basis. He and I talk and joke a lot.  Sometimes I think he feels like I’m the little sister he never had.  Still…
Guess you’ll have to read Love Delivery to see where my life takes me.
Today, though, I want to share one of the baker’s recipes for making donuts.  First, the ingredients:
2 packages of active dry yeast (or if you use the jar, check the label for the equivalent amount)
¼ cup warm water (around 105 to 115 degrees)
1 ½ cup lukewarm milk…  I like who milk best.
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter (or shortening, but I love butter)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart of safflower or peanut oil for frying (Olive oil can’t handle the really high heat you need to fry the donuts)
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, stir gently, and let sit about 5 minutes.
Put the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and two cups of flour into a large mixing bowl.  I like to use my heavy-duty mixer.  Mix at a low speed for about two minutes.  Continue mixing at the low speed and slowly add ½ cup of flour at a time until the batter pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  If you’re using a mixer with a dough hook, switch to the dough hook.  If not, remove the batter from the bowl.  Knead for five minutes, either with dough hook or by hand on a floured surface.  Put the kneaded dough in a greased bowl, cover with a linen towel, and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour, or until double in bulk.
Remove from bowl.  Put on floured surface.  Roll to ½ inch thick.  Using either a glass dusted on the edge with flour or a donut cutter, cut circles from the dough.  If you use the glass, you will need to cut out the center, or depress with your thumb or a spoon.
Now you’re ready to fry.
Use a large pot.  Put in the quart of oil.  The oil needs to be deep enough that your batter will be covered.  Place the pan over high heat and bring to 325 degrees F.  Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.  Lower the heat and maintain 325 degrees.  If the temperature drops, raise the heat a bit.
When the oil is ready, use a long-handled slotted spoon to immerse the donuts, one at a time, into the oil.  Be sure you don’t crowd the pot.  When they turn golden brown, they’re ready.  Remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to cool.
While they are still slightly warm, roll in confectionary sugar, dip in melted chocolate, or drizzle with icing.  You can also add sprinkles.
I know donuts aren’t very healthy, so I don’t eat them very often.  Working in the donut shop, I quickly learned I don’t want to eat too many.  Amazing how those extra pounds seem to gather around my hips when I indulge my sweet tooth.
Be sure to leave your name and email address to be entered into a drawing for a free short romantic story.





Title: Love Delivery Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Author: Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/4ajo9wz

LOVE DELIVERY
 Blurb:
A waitress in a donut shop, Ann is happy with her single life and her cat, Mittens, until she finds herself interested in Tom, the handsome man who makes deliveries to the shop.  Unfortunately, Tom comes with some baggage, including five cats; Maria, his vicious ex-wife; and Maria’s adorable daughter he calls Kitten. 

When Maria is hired at the donut shop and learns Ann and Tom are beginning a relationship, she does everything she can to tear them apart.  Will Ann and Tom’s love prevail, or will the evil ex-wife win in the end?  Love Delivery is a sweet romance, which will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your lips.
EXCERPT:
“Here it is,” he said, steering her to a quiet corner. Candles lit the table. A bottle of red wine stood open. Tom held the chair for her, and then sat close so their knees touched. “Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked, reaching for the bottle.

“No thanks,” Ann said. “I don’t drink.”
Tom poured a glass for himself. “Here’s the menu.” He handed it to her.
“I know what I want.”
“What’s that?”
“Fettuccini Alfredo.” Ann shook out her napkin and placed it on her lap.
“This chicken dish is good,” Tom said, pointing to an item on the menu.
Ann grimaced.  Is he a control freak? I already told him what I want. “I don’t eat meat.” Her voice sounded harsh in her own ears.
“Ah, well, okay, then. Fettuccini Alfredo it is.” Tom called the waiter and ordered the Alfredo for Ann and a spicy chicken dish for himself.
I guess we don’t agree on everything after all. He drinks and eats meat, too. I hope he doesn’t drink a lot. Maybe we weren’t made for each other. Not knowing what else to do, Ann took a sip of water and smiled.
Tom smiled back. “You’ll have to come meet my cats one of these days. Tyra, a gorgeous, long-haired black female, is my bathroom kitty. Whenever I’m sitting in there, she has to be in my lap. There’ve been times when my pants have been around my feet, and she’s curled up in my underwear.
“Then there’s BeeBee. She’s a Siamese. When I first got her, I thought she liked to cuddle, but it turned out she was just scared. It took me a long time, with lots of persuasion, to get her to come close to me. Finally, I was able to pick her up. I had her in my arms, and I put my face down to smell her fur. Suddenly, “I think my favorite, though, is Loki. He’s the smallest of the bunch. He has allergies, and if I don’t get him to the vet for a shot in time, he loses his fur on his rear quarters, right by his tail. He loves to ride on my shoulders. Looks just like I’m wearing a fur collar.
“Then there’s the two new ones, they’re the kittens. They haven’t developed personalities yet. You should always get two kittens instead of one,” Tom said when the food arrived.
“Why?” Ann asked. Her face hurt from laughing at Tom’s cat stories. Mittens never did any of the things Tom’s cats did. 
While she ate, Tom continued to share funny stories about the cats and kittens. “Kittens play with each other so you don’t need to play with them. You can just sit back and watch them. When I have kittens in the house, I don’t even turn on my T.V. set.” Tom twirled pasta on his fork. He lifted the fork halfway to his mouth and stopped. “Looks like we have company,” he groaned.
Ann turned. Maria and a curly-haired blond child entered. Ann watched Maria’s smile turn to a frown. Maria pulled the child toward their table. Ann gulped. Now what? Can’t she leave us alone? How can Tom and I ever get to know each other if she’s always showing up? She pasted a false smile on her face and clutched her napkin tightly.
“So you decided not to listen to me,” Maria spat at Ann.
“Daddy!” the little girl cried, holding up her arms.
“Hi, Kitten,” Tom said, scooping the child into his arms. He gave her a bear hug, and she giggled. “I want you to meet my friend, Ann. Ann, this is Kitten.”
“Hi, Ann. Daddy calls me Kitten, but you can call me Catherine.” The child put her arms around Tom’s neck and hugged him.
“Hello, Catherine,” Ann said, finding her voice.
“At least you could have gone somewhere else, Tom. We always ate here,” Maria accused and pushed Tom’s shoulder.
Tom moved Catherine to his other knee and glared at Maria. “Do we have to fight in front of Kitten?”
“Hey, Mr. Nice Guy, you’re the one who left us, remember?”
Removing Catherine from his lap, Tom stood up and faced Maria. “You’re creating a scene. Why don’t you leave before things get ugly?”
“Maybe you should have thought about that a long time ago.” Maria poked Tom’s chest with her finger.
Ann watched in fear. Only moments ago, she and Tom were enjoying dinner. Maria’s face now looked hard and dark. She swore at Tom and poked him again. Then she shoved him on the shoulder.
Tom grabbed her hand. Maria spat at him and reached up, clawing his face with her other hand.
“I hate you,” she screamed, grabbed her child, and ran out crying.
Tom turned to Ann. There were bloody scratches on his face. Ann dipped her napkin in her water glass and dabbed his cheek. “I’m sorry, Ann, I guess this spoiled dinner.”
            This is never going to work for us, not as long as Maria is in the picture. Ann nodded her head. “Sure did. I’m not very hungry now. I think I’d better just go home.”

Available at
MuseItUp http://tinyurl.com/8jajtjt Amazon http://tinyurl.com/7fy9plw.

Thanks Penny for stopping by. Hope you have a great holiday season,

Tina
 
 

Tina's Tidings - Winners of H0P and Other Stuff

Tina's Tidings.

Hey, everyone hope all is going well in your world.


Wanted to give the winners of the hop first. Twimom22580 - Birth
Cassandra - Revive

Hope you ladies enjoy the books and learn more about the special bond between the executives wives'.


As for me, I've been out seeing the world.  Take a look at a few pictures I took while on the campus of University of Tennesse. The color of the trees was amazing. It's a big campus and has lots of amazing buildings to see. Not counting some good looking students.
 Author Tip  Also wanted to tell you about a  Talented Group of Global Authors Offering a Diverse Array of Books. They are a twitter group that has evolved into so much more. VISIT them at: http://bit.ly/ScGRs0  or LIKE them on Facebook: http://bit.ly/U1v8cfThey use the twitter name   # ASMSG Thier authors are from all over the World · http://asmsgbooks.wordpress.com/  It is an easy group to join and can give you great exposure.  Have a great day, Tina   

Tina Gayle Mayhem, Books, and Pri$es for Howloween

  http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page/

Leave a comment to win either a copy of my ebook "Birth" or "Revive"

Make sure you have your email address in the post so I can email you the book if you win. Leaving a comment on any of the Howloween post qualifies to win one of my books.

Executives' Wives' Club series

Four women...
One fatal car wreck...
Everyone's lives changed...

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Book 1 - Revive

Needing to revive her life and jump start her heart, Jennifer Larson is facing the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executives Wives' Club continue to mourn their husbands, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he love her or her money?


Book 2 - Birth

Brie Sullivan has a new baby girl and there are a million things to do, but Brie doesn’t have the energy to keep up. Why? She’s still grieving for her husband and suffering from baby blues, but she won’t let that stop her. She’s come up with the answer--find a new husband to be the father of her kids.

Jason Clark has been doing everything he can to help Brie. He loves her but can he accept her proposal of marriage knowing she’s not thinking clearly about the future?


Read the 1st chapter of any of my book on my website www.tinagayle.net

Good Luck,

Tina

Tina Gayle's Howloween Bunny Jumping Event

  http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page/

Leave a comment to win either a copy of my ebook "Birth" or "Revive"

Make sure you have your email address in the post so I can email you the book if you win.

Executives' Wives' Club series

Four women...
One fatal car wreck...
Everyone's lives changed...

[image error]
Book 1 - Revive

Needing to revive her life and jump start her heart, Jennifer Larson is facing the biggest challenge of her life, moving into an unplanned future. While the rest of the Executives Wives' Club continue to mourn their husbands, Jen is tempted into the future by a sexy chiropractor, Hagan Chaney.

But does he love her or her money?


Book 2 - Birth

Brie Sullivan has a new baby girl and there are a million things to do, but Brie doesn’t have the energy to keep up. Why? She’s still grieving for her husband and suffering from baby blues, but she won’t let that stop her. She’s come up with the answer--find a new husband to be the father of her kids.

Jason Clark has been doing everything he can to help Brie. He loves her but can he accept her proposal of marriage knowing she’s not thinking clearly about the future?


Read the 1st chapter of any of my book on my website www.tinagayle.net

Good Luck,

Tina