Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 211
October 31, 2021
Question of the Day with Karen Guzman
Q: What kind of scene do you think is the most difficult for authors to write and why?
A: Elements of spirituality and spiritual longing creep into a lot of my fiction these days. Conveying these moments in a character’s life, without lapsing into either cliches or sentimentalism, can be challenging. I find that using external stimuli and imagery helps ground the moment and make the experience more visceral for the reader.
In my new novel, Arborview, nature imagery helped me project my character’s internal longing. Dark forests, bare branches reaching into the sky, undetectable breezes dancing through treetops, all play a part.
Another type of scene that I—and I suspect a lot of us—obsess over is the all-important climactic moment. All of the narrative energy leads to this moment, and the whole story hinges on it, leading to the resolution (or not) and the ending. With so much riding on the climax, it’s critical to make it moving, impactful, and believable. And when it’s a moment of high drama, and emotional or psychological breakthrough, for a character, there’s a lot going on. Even when I know the climax well in advance, and know where it needs to lead narratively, I still struggle to make it “pop” as much as possible. And that pop, in the end, has to have emotional resonance. Hopefully, by the time the narrative reaches the climax, the reader is so invested in the character, the climax is a cathartic moment.
Again, I kind of jump between the character’s the internal state and the external surrounding to bring it to life. Having a character project fleeting thoughts or feelings onto the surroundings can be very useful. There are several dramatic moments in Arborview, when my characters do this, and I think it works really nicely.
Learn more at www.karenguzman.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kguzman_author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kagauthor/
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/karenguzman7
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/arborview-by-karen-guzman
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4348296.Karen_Guzman
Question of the Day with Karen Guzma
Q: What kind of scene do you think is the most difficult for authors to write and why?
A: Elements of spirituality and spiritual longing creep into a lot of my fiction these days. Conveying these moments in a character’s life, without lapsing into either cliches or sentimentalism, can be challenging. I find that using external stimuli and imagery helps ground the moment and make the experience more visceral for the reader.
In my new novel, Arborview, nature imagery helped me project my character’s internal longing. Dark forests, bare branches reaching into the sky, undetectable breezes dancing through treetops, all play a part.
Another type of scene that I—and I suspect a lot of us—obsess over is the all-important climactic moment. All of the narrative energy leads to this moment, and the whole story hinges on it, leading to the resolution (or not) and the ending. With so much riding on the climax, it’s critical to make it moving, impactful, and believable. And when it’s a moment of high drama, and emotional or psychological breakthrough, for a character, there’s a lot going on. Even when I know the climax well in advance, and know where it needs to lead narratively, I still struggle to make it “pop” as much as possible. And that pop, in the end, has to have emotional resonance. Hopefully, by the time the narrative reaches the climax, the reader is so invested in the character, the climax is a cathartic moment.
Again, I kind of jump between the character’s the internal state and the external surrounding to bring it to life. Having a character project fleeting thoughts or feelings onto the surroundings can be very useful. There are several dramatic moments in Arborview, when my characters do this, and I think it works really nicely.
Learn more at www.karenguzman.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kguzman_author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kagauthor/
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/karenguzman7
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/arborview-by-karen-guzman
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4348296.Karen_Guzman
Question of the Day with Sharon Cooper
Question: What are some of the most compelling and unique elements that you always add to your stories?
I try to make all my stories unique and compelling. Some of the elements I use include:
· Character conflicts that are relatable (to some extent) to readers.
· Humor. Even if the storyline is somewhat serious, there are always areas in the story to drop in some humor to lighten the reading experience.
· Angst. I add just enough angst to keep a reader reading, but not enough to make that same reader uncomfortable.
· Surprise twists and turns throughout my stories keep a reader reading.
· The value of family love. Whether characters are related or thrown together by love and respect for each other, there’s always a feeling of “family” in every story I write.
Visit Sharon’s website www.sharoncooper.net for a list of her work and where you can find them.
Review: GHOSTS by Raina Telgemeir
Cat and her family were moving out of SoCal. Her dad says it was because of his new job, but she knew the real reason—her little sister was sick. Her new home was a place called Bahía de la Luna, a place where the sun didn’t shine too much, and Cat hated it. Her sister, Maya, was so full of energy—so much life and adventure—that it was hard to believe that she was sick.
One day, the two follow an unknown path down a chilly walkway that led to an abandoned boardwalk. Inside an old building, they meet a guy named Carlos, who tells them all about ghosts. But there’s no such thing as ghosts…right?
I liked how the story infiltrated the Hispanic culture and told all about Día del los Muertos. Of course, Cat hated the thought of spirits coming back to visit. It was just creepy! Funny how Cat just freaked out about ghosts, especially when weird sounds and cold winds start happening. But what happens when she starts seeing real ghosts?
Vibrant and colorful illustrations with beautiful landscapes! I loved the facial expressions and animated gestures.
A sweet story about death, heritage, and sisterly love. A wile and ghostly fiesta!
My rating: 5 stars
Review: THE WITCH’S CAT AND THE COOKING CATASTROPHE by Kirstie Watson and Magdalena Sawke
See what happens when a well-doting cat tries to cook something for his kind witch. With fun and colorful pictures, this story is a delicious joy!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: THE WITCH’S CAT by Sonica Ellis
Meet Pepper, the black cat that was always by herself because she was different
One day, she asks the witch to cast a spell to make the other cats like her. And poof! They did! But the truth was really all inside Pepper all along.
Story had such wonderfully colorful illustrations. Some of the text was a little too much and too small to read.
A nice story about being yourself.
My rating: 4 stars
Review: SANDWICHES by Jeremy Gerold
What a freaky and confusing cover! A crossed-off skeleton eating a hamburger? What the heck was that supposed to mean? I don’t get it. And it’s SO UGLY! Was this a story about sandwiches? Title and story were just as confusing and ugly.
Rating: 1 star
Review: ONCE UPON A HALLOWEEN Anthology
Well, these stories were a major disappointment. They just weren’t captivating and they didn’t lead anywhere interesting. They just sucked.
Rating: 1 star
Review: COURTESY by Amanda Auverigne
Two girls trick-or-treating on Halloween. The whole thing gets off to a slow start with scene descriptions and redundant dialogue. The girls are supposedly in for a “wild” night, but it really wasn’t. Sure, the guy on the cover is pretty creepy, but the read was just “eh.”
Rating: 3 stars
Review: HALLOWEEN NIGHT ON MONSTER ISLAND by Clark Roberts
Visiting a carnival on Halloween. Sounds like it might be an interesting story, right?
The first few chapters deal with the rollercoaster ride. Chapter 1 focuses on the ride itself as it’s climbing up the hill. Chapter 2 focuses it on the ride itself, going through the loops and spins. Are you getting bored yet?
The read itself was okay, but not very interesting. Just what not I expected.
Rating: 2 stars
