Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 32
July 1, 2024
Writer’s Corner: Word Choices
I don’t need MS Word to tell me that my language might be offensive. That’s me. I use offensive language, usually on purpose, for effect because I want to be offensive, or just because it is what my character would say. Of course, I’m not writing for a YA or younger audience. I would want curse words to be pointed out and questioned, if that were the case.
I cuss. Most of the people I know cuss. Even religious folk have been known to issue a curse or two. If I feel the reaction to a situation would be an issued expletive, then my character will issue it. That doesn’t mean that all my characters are potty mouths, but when a curse is in order, they throw it out there, and I believe it is appropriate in certain situations, and also more realistic.
Even if my protagonist isn’t a curser, like Delilah, who uses expletives such as dagnabbit, the people around her do, so my books do contain some cursing. I don’t feel like a story set on the western frontier, would be true to the period or the frontier culture.
Likewise, the modern day Las Vegas culture in the music circles involves drugs, sex, and rock-and-roll, so naturally my character, Amaryllis, in The Rock Star & The Outlaw is involved in all of that and more, and her language often isn’t ladylike. Even so, I try not to let her get carried away with the curse words. And Sarah deals with the issues of prejudice and sexism, and the language in the story reflects the prejudices of the times, whether the AI editor in MS Word likes it or not.
But my villains often have mouths so dirty even their own mothers wouldn’t kiss them. Respect for women or lack thereof is often indicated in the way a man refers to women. If a character lacks respect for women, which many male villians do, then their language when referring to them may be less than flattering. After all, the way a character speaks is one of the things readers use to clue them in to what a character is like, and then decide if they are a character they should like, or not.
Another speech trait which I use often is the improper use of the English language. In the old west, many people were not educated and used words such as ‘ain’t’ or they cut off the ‘g’ in ‘ing’ words. In Delilah, one of things she strived for was to speak more properly after meeting the Mormon woman, Marta, who was a natural born school teacher and corrected Delilah’s speech automatically out of habit. Many of the less savory characters in the Women in the West adventure series, clue readers into their ignorance by the way they speak. I reckon that’s what I do it fer. These are purposeful misspellin’s that drive my AI spell-check crazy.
Many of my western characters are representitive of the many immigrants who made the U.S. into the melting pot that it is known to be. They speak in different dialects to differentiate them from other characters, which gives them colorful speech that is recogizable without adding dialog tags. In Sarah, Lillian Alura Bennett is one such character, who happens to be an Irish madam at a bordello in Glenwood Springs. And in The Rock Star & The Outlaw, the Mexican dialect of Juan Montoya leaves no question when he is speaking.
In Delilah, I had the opposite problem as the character of Dancing Falcon was a young Indian boy, who had been taught to speak English at the Indian agency with a strict teacher, so his speech is almost too proper, which made his speech sound very formal in places. One of the comments from a beta reader was that no one talks like that, so I went back when revising and added in a place where he talks about his time on the reservation and his schooling experience, to explain why he spoke that way to readers. The point being that a characters speech should reveal something about them, as well as making them identifiable.
It was really fun to create the characters in the My Backyard Friends kid’s book series, which is based on the birds and animals which visit my yard in the Colorado mountains. Katy Cat is a bit of a diva, kind of stuck up, and thinks she’s better than everyone else. She’s willing to help out Timothy Turtle as long as it doesn’t inconvenience her too much. I relayed this information in the way she swishes her tail, (body language), and in the way she talks with a bit of attitude. Heather Hummingbird has a lot of energy, so she talks really fast and rarely perches for more than a few seconds at a time. Charlie Chickadee is a young bird on his own for the first time, so I made him a bit niave. The things he says reveals this more than the way that he says it.
Other reasons an author might make the character’s or even the narrator’s voice a bit quirky is because it is the author’s voice coming through. (You know the voice English teachers are telling you to find? Yep. That one.) To an extent, this is true for me. My own speech is usually rather blunt and to the point, and so are my characters’. I don’t use a lot of colorful purple prose, instead calling it like I see it. Many of my protagonists are the same way. Delilah says what’s on her mind and she doesn’t beat around the bush. Sarah, too, tends to speak before she considers the way her words will be taken.
AI editors don’t understand this, and so variants in speech are often marked as needing correction, when in fact, they are purposeful. This is why, just running through your story with an AI editor is never enough. But there are times when human editors don’t get it either. Kevin J. Anderson tells a story about submitting a book to a traditional publisher who turned it over to a novice editor who corrected all the little quirks that revealed his voice and marked his manuscript up until it looked like nothing but red scribbles. That’s when you know that an editor isn’t a good match for you. Kevin politely refused to work with that editor and they assigned him another one. That’s why it’s important to have an editor that gets you and your voice, and understands the nuances of your character’s dialog.
Finding the right editor isn’t always easy, especially if funds are tight. Many editors will offer a free edit of the first ten pages, or even the first chapter so you can fell them out and find out if they are right for you and your story. I wouldn’t go with any editor who doesn’t offer this, and of course, I offer it through Write it Right Quality Editing Services. Any editor worth their salt will understand that they must be able to differentiate between mistakes and purposful word choices.
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About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.
Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
Topics Include:
Becoming Prolific
Writing Tools
Outlining
Making Quality a Priority
Publishing Models & Trends
Marketing Your Book
Book Covers & Blurbs
Book Events—In Person & Virtual
And more…
Pre-Order your copy today: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author
June 29, 2024
WordCrafter News: My Backyard Friends Release and Tour & Summer Reading List Discounts
July Releases
The first three books in the My Backyard Friends kid’s book series will be released through retailers on July 16th. Written by me, Kaye Lynne Booth and Illustrated by Robbie Cheadle this series brings kids stories with moral lessons, inspired by the birds and animals that visit my backyard. All three are available for preorder now.
Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/471vzj
Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/3LL5K7
Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/u/md2YLO
Meet the Characters of the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series
Join us July 15-22 for the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour to send this kid’s book series off right. We’ll have a My Backyard Friends store with exclusive offers for books and MBF merchandise you won’t want to miss. The store will go up one opening day and will be available throughout this eight-day tour. Other stops will feature character interviews, guest posts from me and one from Robbie, as well as reviews of each book.
WordCrafter Press Summer Reading List Discounts
Short fiction anthologies on the WordCrafter Press Summer Reading List are discounted through August 31. Get these fantastic anthologies at great prices while they last for some entertaining and captivating summer reads.
Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception: https://books2read.com/RefractedReflectionsOnce Upon an Ever After: Modern Myths & Lore: https://books2read.com/OnceUponanEverAfterVisions: https://books2read.com/VisionsAnthologyMidnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Stories: https://books2read.com/MidnightRoostLingering Spirit Whispers: Paranormal Anthology Bundle: https://books2read.com/LingeringSpiritWhispers___________________
This segment of “WordCrafter News” is sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services .
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
June 28, 2024
Book Review: Blink
About Blink
When private investigator Andrew Schlakier receives a phone call out of the blue from State Corporate Affairs Mister Fix-it, Peter Michael, to investigate a case, he knows he’s going to be in for a harrowing time.
A mother and daughter have been tragically found dead in their car in a quiet Melbourne street. The finger of blame points to the husband, but with an iron-clad alibi there is simply no way he could have done it. Or is there?
It’s an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse, but as Schlakier delves more deeply into the case and endeavours to deconstruct the suspect’s story, it becomes less and less clear if he is the hunter or the prey.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Robert-Blain-ebook/dp/B09TW5R8KL/
My ReviewI received a free digital copy of Blink on Freebooksie.
Blink, by Robert Blain is a good, old-fashioned detective story, where the P.I strives to solve what appears to be a perfect murder. The death of a mother and daughter from carbon monoxide poisoning, the husband/father has an air tight alibi, but something still seems off. The question isn’t who killed them, but how.
It’s a clever murder, and Andrew Schlakier is the clever P.I. who can solve it by uncovering the killer’s m.o. Schlakier is just your average bloke making a living as a private investigator, and finds himself in the path of danger as he gets closer to the truth. (Think an Australian James Rockford but without the humor). Like any good P.I., Schlakier doesn’t let that deter him, and he pushes forth, in spite of several close calls, until he has revealed all.
An average murder mystery with and average P.I. as the main character. The only remarkable thing is the clever murder method. I give Blink three quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
June 25, 2024
In Touch With Nature – African killer bees, friend or foe? #intouchwithnature #Africankillerbees
African honeybees, and their relatives Africanised honeybees, have gained the nickname “killer bees” due to their aggressive behaviour. A BBC article entitled Flying threat: Why are killer bees so dangerous? (by Jon Kelly) stated the following:
“They surround you in their multitudes – hundreds, maybe thousands of them, swooping and stinging and injecting venom into your flesh.
They might go for your eyes. Or fill up your mouth, nostrils and ears. You will have to run hundreds of yards to escape, if you can see where you are going.
And the air fills with the pheromone that tells the bees to protect their colony. Apparently, it smells like bananas.”
This article referred to Africanised honeybees which came about as a result of human intervention resulting in the mating of Brazilian honeybees with Southern African honeybees.”
Having witnessed an attack by African honeybees on my family’s dogs, I can vouch for the truth of these comments. This incident occurred when I was a teenager and both dogs had to have blood transfusions. They only survived because they jumped into the swimming pool. It was a traumatic event for me, and I’ve written a few poems, paragraphs and a short story about killer bees.
Picture caption: My photograph of an African bee. They look pretty innocuous, don’t they?African honeybees are a lot more hostile than other bees due to their natural environment having far more predators looking to destroy their hives for honey. Some of these predators are ants, anteaters, armadillos, honey badgers, and bee eater birds. African honeybees attack in far greater numbers than Europeans bees which makes them dangerous to humans. When disturbed, they will also chase humans far further than European bees and remain agitated for much longer. However, it should be noted that the venom of African honeybees is no more toxic than European bees.
Picture caption: My photograph of a small bee-eater birdAfrican honeybees occur in the natural veld of South African and Central Africa and is an important pollinator of flowering plants, including many thorn trees such as acacia trees (the favourite food of giraffes). Without African honeybees, southern Africa would not have many of the fruit and vegetables that grow in this region.
South African cultural stories about African honeybeesIn the Xhosa culture (Madiba clan), visitation by a swarm of bees is presumed to be a message from the ancestors who would like the family to do something for them (e.g. the brewing of traditional African beer (umqombothi) and/or the slaughtering of a goat). If the bees produced honey while they were visiting, all honey combs will be removed by a member of the family and placed on small branches before being consumed. But most importantly, words of respect will be said to the bees as they are being persuaded to leave.
In the Pedi culture, a swarm of bees in the yard is always taken as a symbol of the ancestors bringing luck to the family. One needs to then prepare some kind of African beer, but it should not ferment like umqombothi. It is called mashifa, and the sorghum should still be strong and prevalent in the water. You then summon the ancestors accordingly and acknowledge their presence and let them know that you anticipate the good wishes or blessings. The bees are never chased away or killed, and are left in peace to leave of their own accord.
Also in the Pedi culture, the queen bee is used in traditional strengthening. The queen bee is alive when she reaches the traditional healer, but is then respectfully killed and mixed in with a concoction that is applied to the face daily or weekly. This is to subdue your enemies and command respect from those around you – just like the queen bee does in the colony.
This information is from the South African National Biodiversity Institute here: https://www.sanbi.org/animal-of-the-week/african-honeybee/
BBC Earth Youtube video of an African killer bee hive:
InvasionThe colonization of much of the western hemisphere by the African honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) in the last 60 years is one of the most rapid and impressive biological invasions in recent history (Schneider et al 2004). Originally, African honey bees were thought to displace European honey bee subspecies through hybridization and to give rise to “Africanized honey bees” in Latin America. However the incredible success of African bees that have invaded European populations, has led to much of the European characteristics to be lost and existing honey bee populations to remain essentially African in their nesting behavior (McNally and Schneider 1992), swarming and absconding behavior (Otis et al 2002; Rubink et al 1996; Schneider 1995; Schneider and McNally 1992 and 1994; Sousa et al 2002), foraging and diet selection (Fewell and Bertran 2002; Schneider and Hall 1997; Schneider and McNally 1993), and maternal DNA characteristics (Clarke et al 2001 and 2002; Hall 1999; Segura 1989).
This information is extracted from this article: https://bee-health.extension.org/africanized-bees-better-understanding-better-prepared/
I’m closing with this extract that should serve as a lesson to humankind about interfering with nature. But it won’t!
Below is a poem duo I wrote about African bees. The poems are extracted from my book, Lion Scream.
Searching for a HomeAn overcrowded hive
Results in a split
The old queen and her maids prepare for a move
Some drones are invited
To join their party
***
Scouts take off in a group
Searching high and low
For a safe and secure place to make their own
The swarm waits patiently
In a nearby tree
***
Under a wooden floor
The best place is found
The scouts return and perform their waggle dance
Giving clear directions
To the nesting site
Prepped for occupation
The bees move in fast
Much to the chagrin of the resident dogs
Who attempt to drive off
The enemy force
***
The warriors line up
Ready for action
Their gold and black attire carefully designed
To strike fear into hearts
Ensuring respect
***
Unified bombardment
By the deadly cloud
Sends the dogs running, desperate to escape
Useless resistance
Swiftly overcome
Picture caption: Cover of Lion Scream featuring a lion with its mouth open in a roar.About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Award-winning, bestselling author, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta also has thirteen children’s books and two poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton CheadleBlog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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June 24, 2024
Yikes! I don’t have a post for today!
How did this happen? I always have my posts scheduled ahead of time, but today’s post snuck past me. What to do? I guess I’ll have to wing it.
I can start by telling you that I once again have a day job, which is probably why this post got by me. I’ve been training for the past two weeks. You don’t know how relieved I am to know I’ll have steady money coming in once again. It’s rough trying to survive off just my books and my writing. Maybe this is why many authors still hold day jobs. I know trying to manage for the past year without one has been rough. Maybe now I can start putting my writing monies back into the WordCrafter business. So, that’s my big and exciting news.
While not employed elsewhere, I’ve been busy preparing for upcoming releases, including my kid’s book series, which releases the first three books July 16: Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans, and Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home. We’re launching with a book blog tour to send them off right, and to raise funds to publish each one in color print format, because black & white print won’t do for Robbie’s wonderful illustrations. I hope you’ll all join us for the tour to meet the My Backyard Friends characters and get a glimpse of those beautiful illustrations, and help support the color print publications.
I’ve also been combing through the submissions for two anthologies scheduled for this coming autumn. I announced the winner of the 2024 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest – M.J. Mallon and her story, “The Seagull Man”, and I’m geting ready to go through the by invitation submissions for the Dark Fiction anthology, that is as yet untitled. Once I’ve read them all and I have a better idea of the shape this short fiction collection, I’ll decide on the title. And I just finished editing the submissions for the Tales From the Hanging Tree anthology and sending them back to the authors for revisions. This is a themed anthology and it didn’t get a lot of submissions, so I’m writing a second story to be included to fill it out a bit.
Other than that, I’ve been getting my office set up, as best I can with what I’ve got, hanging out with my cat, Rowdy, taking morning walks and eating a lot of peanut butter, mayonaise and lettuce sandwiches. Maybe now that I’m working outside this little box I call an office, maybe I’ll be able to visit some of my favorite resturaunts and go visit some of my favorite places to camp this summer. There’s a book launch in Gunnison in July that I’d really like to attend and a few ideas floating around in my head for new projects. If I make it, I’ll tell you all about it. 
Rowdy the cat in his bed in my office._________________________________________
About the AuthorFor Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services .
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
June 22, 2024
Chatting with New Blood: Author Julie Jones
Today I’m chatting with author Julie Jones about her author journey thus far, as she releases her debut novel, Blood Follows Blood: The Legend of Ginny Sutton. I’ve worked with Julie in the past, and she has stories in both the Visions and Midnight Roost anthologies from WordCrafter Press, so I know she is a top notch writer who knows how to craft a good story. She is a promising new author and I welcome her here today.
When she asked if I’d like to review her first novel, I was happy to oblige and to invite her to be the first guest on this new blog series, where I’ll be interviewing new authors and reviewing their books. I’m pleased to have her as my guest for this first segment.
So let’s learn a little more about Julie, and then we’ll get into the interview.
About the Author Julie Jones is an award-winning writer from northeast Oklahoma and author of the Legend of Ginny Sutton, a weird western series debuting in June 2024 with the first book titled Blood Follows Blood.In May 2020, she won the Best Horror Story award from the Oklahoma Writers Federation for Camelot, a chilling ghost story set in the once-impressive and now demolished Camelot Hotel in Tulsa, OK. Julie’s short stories can be found in anthologies published by WordCrafter Press and WordFire Press, as well as her own collection Chain Reaction available on Amazon.
InterviewHi Julie. I am thrilled to have you as my guest today. Thank you for agreeing to chat with me.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your author journey to this point.
I’ve been fascinated with reading and storytelling as long as I can remember. I wrote poems and stories as a child and loved thinking up my own Weird Al-style parodies of favorite songs. In high school I was an accomplished student journalist and did well in creative writing and English classes throughout my education. Once my kids reached the age they no longer needed me quite as much, I wondered if I still had any chops. I found a short-term creative writing class at my local technology center and loved it so much I attended two more times. The third class resulted in a long-term writing group, and we published three books together. I learned a lot from that talented group and that’s where I met my editor, Aarika Copeland. In 2020 I entered the Oklahoma Writers Federation short story contest and won the horror category. The honor gave me a fresh boost and I decided to pursue writing even more seriously. Since then, I’ve attended the Superstars Writing Seminar in Colorado Springs three times and had several short stories published. Now I’ve got a novel series of my own!
You’ created a strong female protagonist who is believable and relatable. How wàs the character of Ginny developed?
In early 2022 I stumbled across an open anthology call for weird western stories. The description tickled my fancy and some brainstorming birthed Ginny Sutton. The story was ultimately rejected, but Ginny wouldn’t let me alone. She insisted on spinning yarns about her dead brother-in-law and sharing her heartbreaking backstory. I recognized the spark of true inspiration and began writing down all of Ginny’s adventures. Along the way I tried to put not only my best, but also the broken parts of myself into the story. Some readers will identify most with Ginny’s brokenness and flaws, while some will identify with her strength and determination. Both are valid. Ginny is me, and my mother, and my best friends, and every strong, capable woman I’ve ever known. By the way, the original short story is now chapter four of Blood Follows Blood.
You’ve written a kind of genre mash-up. I love that. Did you chose the genre or did the story dictate it? Why weird western?
It makes more sense to me now than it did when I decided to do it, as odd as that sounds. At the time it just struck me as a lot of fun, so I bought popular books in the genre and read them, then read their reviews. The insights were valuable, but the main thing I figured out was that I needed to do it my way. That meant throwing everything I love into the pot, stirring it all together, and hopefully serving a delicious, satisfying story to my reader. Setting it in the old West made perfect sense once I considered that all my favorite stories, books, songs, and movies feature characters who are self-reliant, personally responsible, capable, mostly moral, and believe in justice. The West encapsulates all those ideals, and to me it made sense to take the quintessential American mythos and marry it with everything that has shaped me as a person.
In your bio, you claim that your fiction is on the weird and creepy side. With your stories in two WordCrafter anthologies, I can verify the truth in that. You’re an average Jane, or maybe an average Julie, but you write all these strange stories. Where do your story ideas come from?
On paper I’m more boring than drying paint but I’ve always loved the weird and macabre, the fantastical and futuristic. I grew up in a town of less than 1,500 people before the internet existed, so books were my escape. I don’t know how many of my classmates spent their summers on the Ringworld with Louis Wu and His Motley Crew or fled Emond’s Field with the Dragon Reborn, but I did. I suppose slice-of-life stories or standard fiction doesn’t appeal to me as much because I live in those worlds already. Take me somewhere impossible to ride along with incredible people doing amazing things. That’s what I want to read.
This tale begins with the story already in motion. Instead of giving us background or introducing the character, you just slam us right into an action scene, then fill us in on the rest as the story unfolds with little exposition, works for this story quite well. But I have to ask, how did you decide that that was where your story needed to begin?
I once received the advice, “In late, out early.” Meaning, don’t bore the reader with things like Ginny walking across the high desert lugging her saddlebags and worrying about water. Start with the inciting action and backfill, then end the story when it’s over, not five pages of exposition later. That piece of advice dovetailed nicely with my journalism training where I first learned the importance of snappy introductory sentences and paragraphs that hook the reader. I decided to lean into the classic pulp novel feel with this series and structure each chapter like its own episode. I wasn’t sure if it would work at first, but feedback has been positive. There’s a lot of action and Ginny endures quite a bit, so I wanted to give readers plenty of points along the way where they could break from the story if they wanted or binge if it was just too compelling to stop. But each chapter purposely has my twist on the classic pulp episodic feel.
What was the best part of writing this Blood Follows Blood? Why?
Discovering the story along the way and brainstorming creative ways to connect the events was by far my favorite part. I also crammed so many hidden easter eggs into this book (and its sequels) that I’ve now forgotten them all. Some are obscure and only other fans of that particular thing will recognize it, and some are just for me that nobody knows, but they were all fun to include. I love every weird thing in this book, and figuring out how to connect it all together was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done.
What was the most difficult part of the book to write? Why?
Editing was tough, and I have to give recognition to Aarika here. I tend to write blunt-force style and things like emotional cues and sensory details run sparse. She did a lot to highlight where I needed to add those things and challenged my thinking on some of Ginny’s desires and motivations. At one point I realized time and distances weren’t working out and had to fix that, but because everything in this book is so interconnected, it was a job to make sure I caught all the ripples downstream of every change.
What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?
This is tough because I’ve been honored to meet and visit with many incredible authors. I wish I could remember who told me “In late, out early” but I don’t. The very best thing a writer can do is finish the story. All the other advice that’s given to authors can be addressed once the first draft is done, but if someone is new to the craft, just finish the story. And one more thing, why is the most important question you can ask yourself about your story and your characters. Why was Ginny out in the high desert? Why did Jim’s corpse walk into her camp? Why does she hate him so much? Stories are built on this word.
It’s been a pleasure to have you as my guest today. Please tell readers where they can find out more about you and about Blood Follows Blood: The Legend of Ginny Sutton.
Thanks so much for your time! I’d love for everyone to follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram, and over on my website is a signup form for my monthly newsletter. Readers will want to definitely check it out, as subscribers get early news, chances at secret giveaways, and every newsletter ends with a picture of my dog!
https://www.facebook.com/JulieJonesWriter/
https://www.instagram.com/jjoneswriter
About Blood Follows Blood
How many times does a woman have to kill the same outlaw?
Broken and alone, Ginny Sutton roams the West. After hunting down and killing Jim Puckett—her former brother-in-law and notorious leader of the Mad Dogs gang—Ginny believes justice has finally been served. Until he walks into camp hellbent on claiming her soul.Plunged into a waking nightmare of possessed posses, thirsty vampires, stubborn corpses, and every other manner of supernatural evil her enemies can raise against her, Ginny is forced to embrace one universal truth:
HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY
All she wants is peace. But the fates have other plans for her, and more than ever her survival depends on grit, wit, and an open heart.Will Ginny survive her bloody path to absolution?
Saddle up for a wild ride into the weird west where the myths are real and body count matters!
My ReviewBlood Follows Blood: The Legend of Ginny, by Julie Jones is a captivating weird western that will keep you thinking, “What else could possibly happen?” And, “How much can one girl take?”
This story has so much nonstop action that it makes the reader tired, but Ginny Sutton takes it all in stride. I guess when you live in a world where nothing stays dead, battling supernatural beings wouldn’t make you bat an eye, and deals with the devil would come as no surprise.
For five long years Ginny Sutton had been is a woman haunted by her past and out for revenge, chasing Jim Puckett half-way over the mountains and back. When she finally decided to give it up and go back home to Oklahoma, she caught up with him and chased him some more, hunting him down like the mangey dog he was. But now, Jim won’t stay dead, and the devil’s got a price on her head.
I was impressed with the craftsmanship of this debut novel. Jones has done her research, setting the perfect tone for the tale, with a strong female protagonist I couldn’t help but like.
A delightfully dark, weird western tale that you won’t want to put down. “Bravo!” to Miss Jones. I give Blood Follows Blood five quills.
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If you are an author releasing a debut novel, and you’d like to be a guest on “Chatting with New Blood”, please drop me a line at kayebooth@yahoo.com.
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This segment of “Chatting with New Blood” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.
Being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
Topics Include:
Becoming Prolific
Writing Tools
Outlining
Making Quality a Priority
Publishing Models & Trends
Marketing Your Book
Book Covers & Blurbs
Book Events—In Person & Virtual
And more…
Get your copy today: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author
June 21, 2024
Mind Fields: “Losing a Job: Being Scared Shitless”
note to my readers: I wrote this essay twelve years ago. I just re-discovered it. I should tell you that things have worked out okay.:
What made me decide during my teen years that I was going to devote my life to creating “art”? Music, poetry, prose, photography: if it was “art” I was going to do it and no one could stop me. My parents put me in a psychiatric ward for eight weeks. I emerged no less an artist. The medications I should have been taking had been hidden in my lower lip and spit out the window, drifting down five stories to land in a sodden mess of other spat-out medications at the back entrance to the hospital.
I didn’t see any choice in the matter. I was driven. I wouldn’t listen to my father’s imprecations to “find yourself a profession and do “art” on the side”.
What? Do “art” on the side? Jeez, what did he think I was? Some kind of dilettante? I was going to be immersed in music, writing, etc for my life, every day of my life, 24/7/365/80something.
That’s what I’ve done. I’ve arranged everything in my life to be an “artist”.
I use these quotation marks because at this stage of my life the words Art, Artist, Creative, etc have been so devalued that I feel like a complete fool. I can’t explain what I really am. I’m in late middle age and I’m still doing it. I fit the classic model of the “starving artist”, the impractical beatnik hipster free spirit who lives outside the mainstream and survives as a free lance everything.
I’ve had the perfect job for twenty six years. It’s a part time janitorial contract, about fifteen hours a week. When I combine that income with a couple other cleaning jobs, I’m an independent man with a subsistence income. That frees me to be the artist/musician and writer that I am. I really don’t know how to do anything else.
I create. I do the cleaning job on my own time, no one pressures me, it’s physical work and my mind can wander through my artistic universe while I sweep and scrub.
When the property owner died this perfect job died with him. The new management gave me thirty days notice. I got the letter yesterday. The landlord is hiring a slick professional firm of janitorial shysters who hire Latino workers, put them in blue uniforms, pay them minimum wage and pocket the rest.
You know the kind of sickening gut-storm that happens when you find out your lover’s been cheating? You know that feeling?
I feel like that. A nice chunk of income worth $1100 a month has suddenly vanished. It was my largest contract. I don’t know how I’ll pay my rent, care for my wife, keep the internet broadband connected. I still have some work. Just a bit. I’m 64 years old. My feet are in chronic pain. I’ve never worked for anyone else.
I’ve had enough experiences in my life to understand that one of the most basic structures of existence is this: death and resurrection. Getting fired is a death. I await the new blossoming.
I’ve been going through years of heartbreak. I’ll be honest. No one wants to read about my pain; there’s enough pain. Who needs some obscure writer to dump more pain?
I think I’m a special writer but show me a writer who doesn’t think he or she is special. Writing is a landscape of self delusion, fantasy, hope burning, guttering, rejection gathering, courage failing. This is a tough time for writers. There’s a zillion grandiose twenty five year old English Lit and MFA graduates who want to hit the Great Harry Potter Roulette Wheel.
I’m scared shitless. I’m old, I have a lot of unmarketable skills, my wife is disabled and my dogs are neurotic as Alaskan Armadillos. What am I going to do?
Here’s where the leap of faith enters the picture: It Will Come. I’ve been stuck in the most colossal rut for seven or eight years. I’ve been comfortable.
Comfort can be deadly to an artist. I’m going to have to ride it out. Already, I’ve applied for two writing jobs. Wouldn’t that be cool, actually being employed writing? I don’t need to adhere to my strict regime of “my work my work my work.”
I can do other people’s work. I can do it well. I’ve done it before. I was a ghost writer for six years for a celebrity photographer. My ghost written articles appeared in People Magazine, Teen Beat, National Enquirer, a host of tatty rags. I got paid by the hour. My boss was seventy five years old, and he was a tightwad!
I’m going to get less scared as the days pass. I know this has happened and that it will turn out okay. If it doesn’t turn out okay, that’s going to be a drag.
What’s the worst that can happen? I always ask this question when things are rough. The answer: the worst that can happen is that I can suffer horribly for a long time, intimately observe my mind disintegrating, and then die alone in a ditch.
So, if that’s the worst that can happen, what am I worried about?
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Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com
Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos
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This segment of “Mind Fields” is sponsored by the Roberta Writes blog site, where you can find the poetry, photos, videos, and book reviews by Robbie Cheadle and so much more.
June 18, 2024
Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet, author and editor of Hotel by Masticadores, Michelle Ayon Navajas and a review #poetry #poetrycommunity #bookreview
Today, I am delighted to welcome talented poet and author, Michelle Ayon Navajas, as my June Treasuring Poetry guest. Michelle is also the editor of Hotel by Masticadores. Welcome Michelle!
What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?I love to read freestyle and ballad.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?I love to repeatedly read Annabel Lee. Though technically, it’s not a ballad, but I trust that Edgar Allan Poe referred to it as one, because like a ballad, the poem uses repetition of words and phrases purposely to create its mournful effect.
Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan PoeIt was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?I love freestyle and ballad poetry because they offer a unique freedom of expression and emotion. Freestyle allows for spontaneous creativity, while ballads provide a structured yet melodious form to convey deep feelings and stories. Both forms can be deeply personal and evocative, resonating with the human experience in different ways.
What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?“What If Snowflakes Don’t Fall In Winter?” What if snowflakes don’t fall in winter?
and fresh buds don’t bloom in spring?
or summer doesn’t need sunshine?
nor leaves don’t fall in autumn?
Will you remember how we used to be?
the love we shared gently
like snowflakes falling smoothly in winter out of thin air unannounced, unnoticed
unspoken yet blissful
the dreams we dream, hopes we hope
like spring awakening the earth
bringing heaps of sunshine after
the cold, gloomy winter
the laughter we gave out
like sunshine on a summer day
rhyming along as the birds singing
passionately hot, vibrant, and crisp
the memories we created
like leaves falling flawlessly in the autumn breeze, with cooling temperatures and darkening nights
What if snowflakes don’t fall in winter?
and fresh buds don’t bloom in spring?
or summer doesn’t need sunshine?
nor leaves don’t fall in autumn?
Will you still love me tenderly?
Promoting my poetry books involved a mix of traditional and modern strategies:
Social Media: I utilized platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to share snippets, and behind-the-scenes insights, and engage with my audience.
Book Readings/Events: I join readings at local bookstores, libraries, or cafes. I also join virtual events which can also reach a wider audience.
Collaborations: I partner with other poets, artists, or influencers for cross-promotion.
Press Releases: I send out press releases to local newspapers, literary magazines, and online platforms.
Book Reviews: I solicit reviews from book bloggers, literary magazines, and online reviewers.
Online Presence: I maintain a blog where readers can learn more about me and my work.
Book Signings: I join book signings at bookstores, festivals, or community events.
Book Trailers: I create short videos or trailers featuring excerpts from my book.
Email Marketing: I build an email list and send newsletters with updates, exclusive content, and offers.
But remember, consistency and engagement are key to building a loyal readership.
Michelle is the editor of Hotel by Masticadores “Hotel of Broken Hearts”.
Hotel was born from a conversation within the masticadores Editors. Barbara Leonhard (USA), Miriam Costa (Brazil) and j re crivello (Barcelona-Spain), understand that all of us, at some point in life, would like to write a letter to: an ex-love, or a deceased relative, or remember that landscape or house that sheltered us in a stage of our life.
For this reason, we have created Hotel, an ephemeral tool that we put at the service of readers and writers. The only rule is a maximum of 600 words (in Word) and that the texts and images be accepted by the Editorial Board. That being said, Hotel will appear in Spanish and English.
You can send your collaborations to fleminglabwork@gmail.com
Hotel also publishes poetry and book reviews.
My review of Locker by Michelle
Picture caption: Book cover of Locker by Michelle Ayon Navajas featuring a red school locker against a red background.What Amazon saysWe can close our eyes to reality and pretend things didn’t happen the way they happened. Fiction is the closest to escaping what’s true and painful. This collection of over fifty poetic flash fiction stories will push the boundaries of our reality. It will make us discern things for ourselves and will lead us to understand our true nature better.
Each is a stand-alone story you can read anytime, anywhere, without the need to finish the entire book. But, as soon as you flip to the last page, you will realize there is more to these poetic flash fiction stories than simply a collection of poetic tales.
My review of LockerLocker is a deeply emotional and heartfelt collection of flash fiction. Each piece revolves around the central themes of love and secrecy. The title, Locker, refers to a school locker where students store their personal items. These comprise of a mixture of practical, everyday items and also their personal secrets. Love notes, drawings, and books are all articles that are stored in lockers.
Each piece of flash fiction draws on this concept of opening our own ‘mental’ lockers and looking through the memories stored there. Some are wonderful, bright flashes of happy joy in our lives, and others are sad or traumatic. All mould us into the people we are and are vital components of our life paths.
As with our own memories, some of these stories are wonderfully uplifting: the moment when we fall in love and everything in our world is perfect. Others cover losses of love interests, miscarriages, and even situations where love changes to abuse.
The author is a talented and well known poet and the writing style of her short stories is lyrical and poetic. The language is a treat for lovers of the written word and evokes intense feelings.
I highly recommend this beautiful and intense book to all lovers of character driven stories.
You can purchase Locker from Amazon USA here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CFD1637L
Michelle Ayon Navajas Amazon US author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08Z3VZ4Y5
About Michelle Ayon Navajas
Picture caption: Poet and author photograph of Michelle Ayon NavajasMichelle Ayon Navajas (born June 23, 1976) is a Filipino poet, writer, and educator. She is a Best-Selling international Poet known for her books reaching the #1 spot within days of their release. Her 8th poetry book, “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark,” went straight to the top of both the best-sellers list and new releases on Amazon on short notice. Her 7th poetry book, “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” went straight to the best-sellers list on Amazon in less than 24 hours of release by pre-orders alone and eventually became the number Poetry Book on Amazon India on its actual release day, soon after the book rose to the best- sellers list as well in all other Amazon Markets worldwide.
Currently, Michelle holds the title of having 4 books published in a row to have made it to Amazon’s Best-Sellers List (“I Will Love You Forever, Too,” “After Rain Skies, 2nd Edition,” “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” and “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark”) and 3 books on Amazon’s #1Hot New Releases/New Releases (“I Will Love You Forever, Too,” “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” and “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark”.)
Her poetry appeared in several international literary magazines and anthologies such as Spillwords NYC, MasticadoresUsa, and MasticadoresIndia. Her poems “Holding Hands” was voted as Spillwords Publication of the Month for November 2021 and “Love Happens” was voted as Spillwords Publication of the Month for December 2022.
She is also part of the award-winning ensemble of authors in two Poetry Anthologies, that are both Amazon Best-Sellers: Hidden In Childhood and Wounds I Healed.
Graduated with a Master of Education majoring in English in the Philippines (University of San Agustin, Iloilo City). Michelle was a former college professor, teaching literature, speech & oral communication, creative writing, drama, and theatre arts. She is also a graduate of Mass Communications major in Journalism (Centro Escolar University, Manila).
Michelle is active in her writing profession and works as a freelance creative writer.
Follow her online:
June 17, 2024
A Day at the Lake
Visiting StorksI always enjoy going places where I can see different birds from those that visit my yard. Recently I visited a lake in Salida, Colorado, where ducks and geese frequent. I spent a pleasant afternoon walking around the lake and I was fortunate to be there at a time when the storks stopped by for a visit. You can see them perched in the photo above. They are quite large, and interesting looking, but oh, so graceful in flight. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture their departure as they lit out for their next stop. But I did get some shots of the cute duckies and geese below.
Going in?
Fancy meeting you here.
Comeon. Let’s blow this pop stand.
Bottoms Up – Must be mealtimeI found a better picture of the majestic stork. Different trip, different lake. This one was spotted on Lake DeWeese, just outside Westcliffe, Colorado.
Stork floating on the lake_________________________________________
About the AuthorFor Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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If you’d like to show your support for this author, you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, or check out the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book.
June 16, 2024
Summer Reading List from WordCrafter Press On Sale Now
Now through August 31, all WordCrafter Press anthologies on our summer reading list are on sale!
Lingering Spirit Whispers
Three great WordCrafter paranormal anthologies bundled into one exceptional paranormal anthology set: Whispers of the Past, Spirits of the West, and Where Spirits Linger. Thought provoking short fiction for every lover of ghost stories and paranormal tales.
Only $4.99 during the Summer Reading List Sale June 15 – August 31
Purchase link: https://books2read.com/LingeringSpiritWhispers
Once Upon am Ever After: Modern Fairy Tales & FolkloreThis unique and imaginative collection of eleven thought provoking fantasy stories will delight readers who enjoy stories of wishes gone awry.
What happens when…
A woman desires to carry on her family’s legacy, uncovering a long-buried curse?
A not so perfect witch casts a spell to defy age and preserve her relationship with her handsome shapeshifting familiar?
A time traveler longs to be the savior of knowledge lost?
An incompetent delivery boy becomes an unlikely savior of forgotten artifacts?
A magic mirror yearns for a different question?
A tiny story witch desires to share her stories with the world?
Spells are cast, unlikely alliances made, and wishes granted, sometimes with surprising outcomes. You’ll love this anthology of modern myths, lore, and fairy tales. Once you read these twisted tales, you’ll be sure to be careful what you wish for….
If you liked Gilded Glass, you’ll enjoy Once Upon an Ever After: Modern Myths & Fairy Tales, short stories with thought provoking themes, captivating characters and diverse cultures, from humorous to horrifying, from the legendary past to possible futures and back to the here and now.
Only $2.99 during the Summer Reading List Sale June 15 – August 31.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/OnceUponanEverAfter
Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality & Deception
Reflections and Refractions…
One reveals truths, while the other bends light into varying shapes of deception.
Does a small camp mirror reveal hope… or death?
Is the warrior in the mirror a monster… or a protector?
Does a glimpse in the mirror reveal a young woman’s true self… or what someone else has shaped her into?
Does the mysterious portal to the future reflect what could be… or what must be left behind?
Are the dancers reflected in the water’s depth things of beauty… or evil?
This unique and imaginative collection of nine mind tantalizing fantasy and science fiction stories will appeal to readers who enjoy thought provoking tales with hidden meanings resting deep below the surface. These stories will keep you pondering long into the night.
If you liked Gilded Glass or Once Upon an Ever After, you’ll love Refracted Reflections.
Only $2.99 during the Summer Reading List Sale June 15 – August 31.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/RefractedReflections
VisionsAn author’s visions are revealed through their stories. Many authors have strange and unusual stories, indeed. Within these pages, you will find the stories of eighteen different authors, each unique and thought provoking. These are the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and horror stories that will keep you awake long into the night.
What happens when:
An inexplicable monster plagues a town for generations, taking people… and souvenirs?
A post-apocalyptic band of travelers finds their salvation in an archaic machine?
The prey turns out to be the predator for a band of human traffickers?
Someone chooses to be happy in a world where emotions are regulated and controlled?
A village girl is chosen to be the spider queen?
Grab your copy today and find out. Let authors such as W.T. Paterson, Joseph Carabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Stephanie Kraner, and others, including the author of the winning story in the WordCrafter 2022 Short Fiction Contest, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, tantalize your thoughts and share their Visions
Only $3.99 during the Summer Reading List sale June 15 – August 31.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/VisionsAnthology
Midnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Stories
20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare.
Only $4.99 during the WordCrafter Summer Readng List Sale June 15 – August 31.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost
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