Heather Kindt's Blog, page 13

Cabin 5

It’s the year anniversary of Ruby Slips and Poker Chips: The ModernTale of Dorothy Gale winning the Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver Contest. In the time since the contest, I’ve published Ruby Slips, gained a publisher for the first book in my Weaver trilogy, appropriately called The Weaver, completed the second book in the trilogy called The Watcher, am well into the third book, The Ender, and won third place for the first chapter in  a future book YA paranormal romance called Dreamers.

Dan Alatorre just completed his July 2018 Word Weaver contest and I came in third again with my horror short story called Cabin 5. Now if you know me, you might be thinking “Why in the world is Heather writing a horror story?” Believe me, I asked the same question.

I think to grow as a writer, it is important to stretch yourself. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on the romantic comedies or YA paranormal romance. It’s just that I wanted to try to see what I could do. Cabin 5 is a little creepy, but don’t worry, it’s more Hitchcock than King. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Cabin 5

Heather Kindt

Brittney hefted her duffel bag from the trunk and swung it onto her shoulder. It must’ve been a half-hour on a one-lane dirt road to get out to this hellhole. She glanced down the hillside—cabins, canoes, and a lake. Everything that screamed camp to her. And it was exactly where she didn’t want to be.

Her stepdad didn’t even bother getting out of the car, just took a long drag on his cigarette before flicking the ashes out the window. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Cal smirked before spinning out his tires on the gravel driveway and taking off.

She loathed her stepdad, and her mom for that matter—sending her away to a stupid camp to work for the summer.

“Howdy-ho.” A guy stood by the side of the road—tall, lanky with thick-rimmed glasses. He had a whistle around his neck and his pale white legs extended out from his khaki shorts. A clipboard was in his hands. “You must be Brittney Cahill.”

“How’d you know that? Stalk often?” She swept her blonde hair off her neck and up into a messy bun using the tie around her wrist.

He raised an eyebrow before pointing to the paper on his clipboard. “No. You’re just the only female counselor missing.” He turned his back to her as another car pulled up. “Head down to the mess hall and get your cabin assignment.” The dork called over his shoulder.

Anything to get away from you nerd. This place had to get better.

Brittney longed for her gas station job from last summer. Even though living at home with her mom and Cal drove her crazy, she had discount cigs, free Slurpies, and of course Bobby—the number one reason she was sent away this summer.

The mess hall was down the hill from the parking lot and closer to the lake. No one was around when she pushed on the creaking door that she let slam shut behind her. A disheveled old man, walking with a slight limp, entered through a side door and lifted his glasses to his nose. He appeared frail and Brittney worried he might keel over at any moment.

The man sat down at a circular table and sifted through a stack of forms. “Name please.”

“Brittney Cahill.” She remained standing even though there was a metal folding chair across the table from him. Brittney shifted her weight from foot to foot.

He inspected her, making her wish she hadn’t worn her daisy dukes and tight tank.

“I’m Ben, the caretaker of the camp. You’ll be in cabin 5 in the village. No smoking, no drinking, no cellphones and no mixing with the male counselors. Staff meeting’s at four, before dinner.” He slid a box toward her. Numerous cellphones were inside.

Well, what kind of fun was this place going to be? She placed her phone into the box. “Can you define mixing?”

Ben straightened his papers. “I think, Miss Cahill, you know what I mean.”

The creaky door slammed behind Brittney and she jumped, her heart racing. A tall, dark-haired guy entered—sunglasses still on. He was tan and his muscles were evident even through his loose t-shirt.

“Hello, Marcus.” Ben started sifting through the forms.

Marcus sauntered over to the table giving Brittney a tiny grin. “I’m guessing I’m in Lakeside eight again.” He emphasized his cabin number and lifted his sunglasses, before winking at Brittney.

“Yes, and same rules apply.” Ben pushed himself up from the table, letting his chair scrape across the floor. “Don’t want a repeat of last summer.”

“No, we wouldn’t want that.” Marcus smiled at the as Ben hobbled back into the other room. He turned to Brittney. “I’m Marcus, and you must be . . . “

“Brittney.” She set down her bag. Her hand instinctively ran through her hair and released her locks from the hair tie.

His eyes took her in from head to toe. “Nice to meet you, Brittney. Maybe we can catch-up later.”

“Um . . . “ She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. “Do you know how to get to the village?” Anything to spend more time with him. She knew she could use the poor, new girl tactic at least for a few days.

“Past the road, hang a left, and then go across the field. You can’t miss it.” He grabbed his bag, gave her one more look-over, and was out the door.

The new girl. It had been a while since she’d played the role. Now, she was forced into it by her mom and her frickin’ stepdad. Neither of them wanted her anymore. Her mom said it was so they could have a healthy environment. Her mom and all her new age, yoga mumbo-jumbo was driving her crazy. They couldn’t have Brittney’s smoking habit around. The second reason she was sent away—they wanted to replace her with a new baby.

Brittney crossed the dirt road alone and frustrated. She kept her head down, not wanting to make contact with anyone at this stupid camp. A large field spread out next to the parking lot. At the far end of the field was a wide, muddy path that led into the woods. A communal bathroom was on the left after the first cabin. She turned her nose up at the cobwebs clinging to the screened door and cringed at the foul odor that hung in the air.

Brittney climbed the stairs to cabin 5, the furthest cabin out. A spider darted across the wood causing her to let out a muffled squeal. She flung open the creaking door and jumped inside to avoid and further encounters with the insect world. She clutched her duffel bag to her chest, her heart beating wildly as she drew in a deep breath. Three bunk beds lined the walls of the musty room. The windows were mostly screened, so a few flies buzzed near a dim light. A single twin bed was to the left, next to a beat-up, brown dresser. She set her bag down on the bed with a sigh—her home for the next two months. Despite the forested, wild world of spiders and other nasty, creepy-crawlies outside, the cabin was fairly clean, and with a few Brittney touches would be passable.

A loud bell clanged in the distance a few hours later as Brittney checked out her work—heather gray bedspread with dark gray and pink furry pillows, pictures in matching black frames on the dresser, and a small area rug on the floor. The bell rang again.

She was at the edge of the woods, when another girl called out to her.

“Hey, wait up.” The girl fell into step next to Brittney. “You must be the new girl. I’m Rachel.”

She wore a Camp George t-shirt and ripped jeans. About an inch taller than Brittney, Rachel had dark French braids knotted in different color hair-ties. Her mocha-colored skin was flawless and her eyes shone bright set in her dark lashes.

Brittney swept a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Brittney . . . Maybe you could call me that instead of new girl?”

“Sure.” Rachel made an indentation in her bottom lip with her teeth. “Where you from?”

“Cromwell.” Brittney thought she should add a little bit more to the conversation, so she didn’t seem like a complete jerk. “It’s in Connecticut.”

“I know.” Rachel waved at another girl exiting a larger building behind a grove of pine trees. “I’m from Hartford.”

“Oh.” Brittney twisted the string bracelet on her wrist with her finger. “What’s this meeting about anyways?”

“For the group leaders it’s so everyone can meet each other and to go over the rules and everything.” She waved and gave a wide smile to a guy hanging a towel outside one of the lakeside cabins. “Plus, it’s a way to check out the new guy counselors.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Marcus was pretty hot, but she wasn’t tied down to him yet.

The small staff lounge was in the same building as the mess hall, but they entered through a different creaky door. Most of the seats on the couches were already taken, so Brittney squeezed in where she could find a spot.

She introduced herself to the two people next to her and then took a few moments to scan the room. There were a couple of guys that caught her eye, one being Marcus. He smiled at her, so she ran the tip of her tongue over her cherry coated lips. His eyes grew wide.

Brittney turned her focus away from him and onto another guy with light-brown hair. She knew how to flirt and planned on driving Marcus crazy. She lifted her arms above her head to feign a stretch, revealing her more than ample assets.

She heard him cough across the room. Perfect.

“Hello, everyone. Welcome to Camp George.” A woman with long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail stood at the front of the room in front of an old TV. “I’m Amy and I’ll be the women’s group leader this summer. This is Kevin and he’ll be in charge of the men.” A hefty man gave a half-wave from his chair next to the beat-up television.

“We know we’ve hired the best staff and we’re ready to have a successful camp and forget all about last summer.”

The room erupted into a bunch of side conversations.

Brittney turned to the girl next to her. “What happened last summer?”

She kept her eyes on Amy as the group leader started up again. “It’s all in the past and no one has anything to worry about. Ben has been here all winter and he’s assured us that the authorities have gone through this place with a fine-toothed comb.”

Brittney stared around the room, trying to get a clue from someone about what Amy was talking about. Every set of eyes was either set on their feet, their hands, or on Amy.

“Whomever, or whatever was causing the . . . disturbances last year has left and I’m sure if we all follow the rules, there won’t be any problems.”

Disturbances? What disturbances? Vandalism—a sexual predator—a serial killer? Brittney wanted to raise her hand, but she didn’t want to be such a new girl.

“So without further ado, Kevin is going to go over the rules for this camp season.” Amy sat down in her chair near the front of the room.

“Welcome, counselors. It’s so good to see so many of you returning this year. Especially after . . . well, you know.” Kevin’s face reddened before he continued. “We’ve added two new rules this year. As usual, no drinking. This goes for on or off camp grounds. And yes, even if you’re twenty-one.”

Groans sounded from a few counselors on the couches.

“No smoking anywhere. It might just be your summer to quit.”

Brittney could already feel the twitch deep down for one of her cigarettes buried in her duffel bag beneath her bed.

“No men in the women’s cabins and no women in the men’s cabins, even on the weekends when the campers are gone.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow at Brittney. She uncrossed her legs and then crossed them again, staring at him the entire time.

“And here are the new rules. No walking around camp by yourself at night and no swimming by yourself.” After a couple of protests, Kevin added, “You need to use the buddy system this summer. It may be long gone, but we want to be safe.” He chuckled. “Yeah . . . I know we’ve slacked off on they buddy swimming rule in the past, but this year it will be strictly enforced. No exceptions.”

What may be long gone? What the hell happened last summer?

Brittney twisted a loose string on her shorts. She couldn’t be the only new counselor who didn’t know what Kevin and Amy were talking about. At the moment, Brittney longed to be back at the gas station sucking on Slurpies.

Amy stood back up. “We have two new staff member this summer. Colton Hewes from Worchester, Massachusetts.”

The guy with the light brown hair gave a half-wave to the other counselors. When he glanced in Brittney’s direction, she smiled at him.

“And Brittney Cahill from Cromwell, Connecticut.”

Brittney smiled at the other counselors. “Hey.”

The clipboard counselor from the parking lot rolled his eyes. Definitely not her new BFF.

“So, you all got your cabin assignments. Tomorrow, we’ll be assigning your stations for camper rotations and planning out the first week of camp with your coworkers.” Kevin rubbed his hands together. “But for now, let’s go get some grub.”

The group rushed through the door to the mess hall. After going through the line, Brittney brought her food to an empty table and sat down.

“Is anyone sitting here?” It was Colton, the other new counselor.

Brittney held her hand out to the spot. “No, it’s all yours.”

He punched open his milk carton and poured it into the plastic cup. As Colton forked his pasta into his mouth, Brittney saw some type of football championship ring on his finger.

When he stopped mid-scoop with his mouth hanging open, she smiled. “Either you don’t eat much, or this is the best spaghetti you’ve ever eaten.”

“Missed lunch today.” He set his fork down. “So, you’re the other newbie.” Colton glanced over his shoulder before he leaned toward her. “What do you think happened last year?”

“I don’t know.” Brittney lifted her napkin to her mouth as Marcus walked in their direction. “But I intend to find out.”

“Can I sit here?” Marcus set his plate down.

“Sure.” Colton went back to inhaling his food.

“So what happened last year?” Brittney pushed her noodles around with her fork, but then looked at Marcus. “Because all this talk is really starting to creep us out.”

Colton nodded.

Marcus leaned in this time. “Can’t tell you. Classified information.”

“What do you mean?” Brittney crumpled up her napkin and tossed it at him.

“But . . . I can come to your cabin tonight and let you in on a few camp secrets.” Marcus grinned and then tossed the napkin back at her.

Colton shook his head, picked up his plate, and walked away.

Brittney ran her finger along her lips. She knew what he wanted, but maybe he’d let her in on what she really wanted to know.

“I’ll see you after lights-out?” She smiled.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” He reached out and drew circles on her wrist with his finger. “What cabin are you in?”

“Village 5.”

“Oh.” He pulled back his hand and jumped out of his seat. “I forgot. I’ve got bathroom duty tonight. Got to make sure those toilets sparkle.”

Brittney drew her eyebrows in, her mouth hanging open. What the hell just happened?

*****

The bell rang for lights-out around what Brittney assumed was ten o’clock. She carried her toiletry bag up the hill to her cabin and set it in one of the drawers of her dresser. Even though it was hot and muggy outside, she felt a chill run through her. She was sleeping alone in a cabin at night with only screens between her and the creatures of the forest.

Brittney slipped under the sheet and reached over to turn off the small lamp on her nightstand. She drifted off to a restless sleep.

The noise that woke her sounded like it came from outside the cabin. The leaves crunched just beyond the screen. Brittney’s heart rate increased, but she didn’t move an inch. Maybe if it was a bear, it would go away. Was the door locked?

The crunching noise grew louder and closer. She gripped the sheet tighter around her body. The sweat from the humidity encompassed her and suddenly turned cold.

She had to take a risk before her heart gave out on her. “Marcus?” Her whispered word sounded like it was shouted from a megaphone in the silent world.

The crunching retreated away from the cabin. What happened here last summer? Was she going to be the next victim of the mysterious assailant?

Brittney reached over and pulled on the door handle to make sure it was locked before pulling her sheets over her head hoping to deter any knife-wielding intruders.

First thing the next morning, she dug through her dresser for a t-shirt and shorts before reaching for the top drawer to take out new underwear.

She slid open the drawer, the thoughts of the midnight noises still fresh in her mind.

A bloody, severed finger lay on top of her pink thong, rolling back and forth.

Brittney screamed, adrenaline pumping, and slammed the drawer shut. She collapsed down in front of the dresser, her face in her hands and tears streaming from her eyes. She had to look again to make sure.

Edging the drawer open, she closed one eye and peeked again at the finger. The football ring was there. She hurried down the steps of her cabin and through the field, not stopping until she reached the mess hall. Marcus leaned against the building next to the door as she stood there, still trembling.

“Village 5?” He raised his eyebrows at her. “Catherine was there last summer. Broke rule 3. No hanging in guys’ cabins. Didn’t last two weeks. How long do you think you’ll last, newbie?”

She flung the door to the mess hall open and every eye turned in her direction. It was silent. Brittney’s eyes were wide as she searched the room for Colton.

Amy stepped forward with a stack of pancakes on her plate. “Looking for somebody?”

“Where’s Colton?”

He had to have been put through the same type of initiation.

“Where’s Colton?” Louder this time, more frantic.

“Oh, you only broke the first of the new rules.” Amy placed a hand on Brittney’s arm. “You know it’s very dangerous to go walking around camp alone at night, even to your cabin. Make sure you don’t do it again. Colton broke both of the new rules.” She let out a soft laugh. “Thought it would be safe to go for a midnight swim.”

It was only then that Brittney noticed Amy’s hair was wet and her jean shorts appeared damp. Brittney looked from face to face to face around the room, her mouth hanging open.

Amy wagged a finger at her. “Just make sure you don’t break any more rules. At the end of the summer, we want to send you home in one piece.”

 

 

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Here Are Your Winners! Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver Writing Contest (July 2018) — Dan Alatorre – AUTHOR

Here Are Your Winners! It seems like the wait gets longer each time, doesn’t it? Why is that? Because I need a lot of time to read and critique the amazing stories you send, that’s why! I KNOW you want to get right to the winners and believe me, so do I. These are really […]

via Here Are Your Winners! Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver Writing Contest (July 2018) — Dan Alatorre – AUTHOR

The Weaver is Coming

I am happy to announce that the first book in my YA paranormal romance trilogy, The Weaver will be published by Parliament House Press in 2019!This is a publication announcement. I will reveal the official cover at a later date.

Most writers choose the endings to their stories . . . most writers are not Weavers.

Laney Holden is a freshman at Madison College whose life goes from normal to paranormal in a matter of seconds. When the antagonist in the book she’s writing, shoves her down the stairs at the subway station she learns she is a Weaver. Weavers bridge the narrow gap between fantasy and reality, bringing their words to life.

Laney soon meets William whom she also suspects is a character from her book—one she’s had a mad crush on since her pen hit the paper. But he’s in danger as her antagonist reveals a whole different ending planned for Laney’s book that involves killing William. Laney must use her writing to save the people closest to her by weaving the most difficult words she will ever write.

THE WEAVER is the first installment of The Weaver trilogy. It is a YA paranormal romance set in a small town on the north shore of Boston. It will leave you wanting more.

The post The Weaver is Coming appeared first on Heather Kindt.

Interview with Author Dan Alatorre

Best-selling author, Dan Alatorre sat down with me recently to chat about his writing and his advice for new authors. He holds a special place in my heart because he has helped me launch my writing career through his contest.

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I will include a link to his current contest at the bottom of this post. Now, sit back and enjoy Dan’s “been there, done that” wisdom.

When and how did you first start writing?

Technically, I always wrote. If you’d have asked me that ten years ago, I’d have said I didn’t, but looking back it’s obvious I did. I made comic books for my older brother and badgered the teacher at my grade school into starting a newspaper so I could write for it. I became co-editor of the high school paper. But I always wrote comics and short stories, and later I wrote skits for a Saturday Night Live-like show my high school friends and I would occasionally tape record. Before that, as kids, my younger brother and the kid next door recorded ourselves doing home made plays called Steve Clancey, an action adventure character.

Say what you want, but a comic book by a kid still has to have a beginning, a middle and an end. It needs characters and a plot. One of my comic book series was Sam Parrot, Private Eye, about a detective bird, and a strange comedy series called Weird Corner that was inspired by macabre stuff I’d occasionally see in Mad Magazine and The Twilight Zone reruns on WXIX-19, a TV station we (barely) got that broadcast from Cincinnati.

So I always wrote stuff, and I often wrote funny stuff, but when I started posting little vignettes of Facebook about the adventures I had with my baby daughter, they quickly developed a following. I’d write a short story, post it, and go off to work. When I came home, there’d be a hundred comments from friends and friends-of-friends. Pretty soon they were asking me to write a book.

That lead to the Savvy Stories series, which was a big hit, but I wanted to write novels. My first one, An Angel On Her Shoulder, I wrote in about 41 days and it was 105,000 words long. That got trimmed because I sat on it while I wrote a few other books and learned about writing drama in novels. The Navigators was born because an author friend said I needed more tension in my stories, so I decided to write a story that was filled with tension. Navs was. It’s a gripping page turner. Readers can’t put it down. (What can I say? I’m a quick study.)

From what I learned writing The Navigators, and with input from a few critique partners I’d met along the way – who I still work with today, by the way – I reapplied myself to Angel, and turned a good story with a few interesting characters into a brilliant paranormal thriller readers love.

What is the best book you’ve written? Is it The Navigators? What is the worst book you’ve written?  (if you dare to answer that one)

Fans like The Navigators best, so who am I to argue? It’s a fast-paced sci fi thriller that keeps readers glued to their seats. I’m writing the much-demanded sequel now, to launch a whole series.

Hmm… least favorite. That’s tough! I enjoy them all or I wouldn’t have written them, so which is last in line of the love? Let’s look at the list of stuff I’ve published.

The Navigators
An Angel On Her Shoulder
Poggibonsi: An Italian Misadventure
Savvy Stories: funny things I learned from my daughter
The TERRIBLE Two’s: funny things I learned from my toddler daughter
The Long Cutie: funny things I learned from my preschool daughter
The Short Years
There’s No Such Thing As A Quick Trip To BuyMart
Night Of The Colonoscopy: A Horror Story (sort of)
Santa Maybe
A Day For Hope
The Zombunny
Zombunny 2: Night Of The Scary Creatures
Zombunny 3: Quest For Battle Space
Stinky Toe!
Laguna The Lonely Mermaid
The Adventures of Pinchy Crab and Ramon D’Escargot
The Princess and the Dolphin
All American Favorites: 35 Delicious Family Recipes That Will Make You The Star Of The Show
35 Great Recipes You Wish Your Mother Made
35 More AMAZING Recipes Your Mother Would be Proud Of!
25 Great eBook Marketing Tips You Need To Know!
The Box Under The Bed: an anthology of scary stories from 20 authors
A is for ACTION: Tips For Writing Amazing Action Scenes – A basic guide on why action scenes are different from other scenes, and ideas on how to write them.

Okay, so looking at that list, I guess there are a few contenders. The cookbook, All American Favorites, is a fine cookbook and worth its price, but I should have stayed focused on novels. Releasing that one delayed another novel, and it wasn’t worth it. The world wasn’t begging me for another cookbook, but we didn’t know it at the time. The marketing book 25 Great eBook Marketing Tips You Need To Know! was a great book when it was created a few years back, and a lot of the lessons there are still extremely relevant, but it was made for newsletter subscribers and not with the intention of being released to the general public or updated, so some things in there are dated. I’d update it and release it publicly as part of the S Is For Story series, though.

But that’s not what you wanna know. You want to know if there’s a novel I’d do differently today or not write.

Well, I’d still write them all, but I’d redo The Long Cutie because the Savvy Stories series is mostly lighthearted family fun, and that book has stories contributed by other authors that tell of their family tragedies regarding Long QT Syndrome. Those are terrific stories, interwoven by great stories about my daughter, but most people would probably do better skipping the tragic stories and just reading about me and my kid. When FOURthcoming comes out, the 4th book in the series, which is already written, then I’ll be okay with The Long Cutie because it won’t end the series on a down note.

What was the best part of writing books with your daughter, Savvy?

We all want our kids to exceed us in stuff, don’t we? So she writes terrific stories and loves doing it, and that’s just a blast. We sat down one day when she was four years old and she told me a story about a mermaid who had to learn how to make friends, so I typed it up and had an illustrator friend make the characters for us, and we published Laguna The Lonely Mermaid. It went straight to number 1. A four year old bestselling author! Not too shabby. A few years later, she and I were discussing creating a new monster for Halloween. She said we should write about zombies, but that seemed a little gory for second graders. What about something cute and cuddly but still monstery? She said like a zombie bunny? A zombunny? So I said sure – and what does this zombunny do? Well, she had a lot of ideas.

And The Zombunny series was born.

So it’s cool to see her learn and grow and struggle and overcome. It’s fun to hear her story ideas, or sneak a peek at one of her writing journals – of which she has about a thousand; I don’t know where that obsession comes from – and see her young mind at work. They are filled with rainbows and unicorns and happy little adventure stories.

The coolest part was when she said, unsolicited, that one day she wants to be an author like me.

So, you’re pretty accomplished. What is the best advice you have for new writers?

Write every day

Get up earlier if you can’t find time to write. You won’t find it. It’s not lost in the couch cushions. You need to make time to write.

Use your writing time to write, not check email or watch YouTube.

Join a critique group. Helping others will advance your skills faster and you’ll see your own issues much more easily.

Finish what you start. Know what we call a person with ten stories started and none finished? Not a published author.

You are allowed to have early works. Don’t perfect a story forever, write it and then write the next one.

Good writing is a habit. So is bad writing. Learn, apply, move on. Don’t try to rewrite your last story. Stuff that bothers you won’t bother most readers, and you’ll do better next time.

You are a better writer than you think. Know this: I have writing contests on my blog DanAlatorre.com about 3-4 times a year. In those, I see lots and lots of stories, and they’re all pretty good. Most of the winners didn’t believe their stories were good enough to be published until they won my contest, and now they have strangers forking over good money to read words they wrote. One critique partner was * this close * to tossing her manuscript. I pushed her to keep going, and it became a runaway bestseller, selling over 20,000 copies in less than a year. Do not deprive the world of your masterpiece. It’s better than you think.

Learn to have confidence. See the prior info above for the reasons, but it’s mainly because if you are reading an interview like this, it’s because you want to learn – which means you want to improve, so you will. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t good already.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you get nervous when you present in front of others?

I don’t get nervous in front of a crowd, ever. When the curtain goes up and the cameras go on, I’m center stage like P. T. Barnum, and I’m going to give you a show. I once did an hourlong writing presentation with one slide of Hogwarts castle and almost no notes, and the attendees loved it – even though more than a few couldn’t tell you what it was about afterward. We had fun.

I am the top act at the circus, and I will dazzle you.

Years after you read one of my books, the characters will still be memorable to you, leaving an impression like few other authors will.

I learned at an early age, quite by accident, that it was easier to entertain a crowd than a handful of people, and I got good at it. When I’m onstage, I own the stage.

So you’d think I’m an extrovert. I’m not. I play a role and I do it well, but I’m just as happy doing a presentation to a hundred writers or five hundred salespeople and executives as I am staying in my office and writing all day, speaking to no one.

My wife once said I’m social and I do a great job of socializing when I try; I just don’t try very often. A critique partner who I did an internet show with said it was neat to see me in person when I was “off” – as in, being normal and not performing for the camera.

I enjoy both. I do what’s needed, and I do it well.

Which character from your books is most like you? Which character is least like you? And finally, which character is your favorite from the characters you have developed?

Sam from Poggibonsi is my favorite, hands down. She is a wild card, a say anything, do anything type, who is hard working and loyal and beautiful – but really outrageous and hilarious. She gets away with everything because she’s smart, and because she knows her stuff, but she also gets herself into all sorts of jams. I like her because she says all the witty stuff everybody else wishes they had said.

Second to her is Father Frank, from An Angel On Her Shoulder. Frank is a boisterous, big personality, and he can steal the scene like Sam can, but he’s also the wise old sage that helps our main character in Angel get onto the right path.

Aside from the Savvy Stories books, which are me, I am probably most like the characters in The Navigators. The father is me as a dad, the boyfriend is me as a young man, the bad guy is me at my worst, etc. J. K. Rowling said we put a little bit of ourselves into each character, and it make sense because you can’t write a convincing bad guy if you don’t have some bad guy in you.

Who am I least like? Maddie in Poggibonsi is not like me or anyone I know. She’s a real pill. Readers hate her. Findlay in The Navigators is a truly awful, petty guy, and even though I created him, on my worst day I hope I’m nothing like him. Readers are happy when he gets his comeuppance.

Readers have their own surprising faves, though, and often it’s a lesser player in the book. The cab driver in Poggi is a fan favorite, as is the vixen female lead in Poggi, Julietta. Others love Peeky from Navs. Dahlai, Tyree and Jimmy from Angel have been requested to get their own series from fans.

I love writing in my office, if you had your dream place to write, where would it be and why?

I am one of the blessed few who actually do write in my dream place. I have a beautiful home office that other authors would be (and are) completely jealous of. It has dark green walls and a rich mahogany desk and bookcases. I live in paradise – Florida – so I can go outside any time and watch palm trees swaying in the breeze. As if that wasn’t enough, I took my laptop to Italy and sat on a hillside in Tuscany and wrote there for a few weeks, too. Don’t hate me.

We couldn’t hate you, Dan.

You are an indie author. Have you ever tried to go through a traditional publisher? If so, what was that experience like?

I started in traditional. I found an agent and we started the process, having talks and deciding all the things, but when the deadline he set came and went (for him to read my book and lay out the next step), I didn’t hear anything. I called. I emailed. I texted. Nothing. A week passed, and he finally called and said he hadn’t read any of it yet, and he’d need six more weeks. I came from being a Fortune 500 company sales manager, where I went to President’s Circle. In that world, when you have deadline, you deliver or you get fired.

So he got fired.

I published my book and, after some help from a marketing friend, it became a bestseller. So did the sequel. And a bunch of other books I wrote.

But the indie world is different from Trad in a lot of ways. I said I had marketing help; without that, my book never sells more than five copies. And the book market changes all the time. What worked five years ago doesn’t work today, and you have to ask if you’d be happier learning the latest stuff in marketing or writing and letting your publisher do that stuff. Either way you have a lot of marketing to do as an author, but Trad publishers can help with important things like book covers and blurbs and marketing – in exchange for taking most of the royalties. Going Indie, you make more money on each sale, but you have to do all of that stuff yourself, and you have to be good at it. That’s a tall order.

Also, they are no longer mutually exclusive paths. Many top trad authors also put out indie books, and the top indie authors are always getting deals from the trad publishing houses.

I say try both and see which is best for you.

Ok, last question. You’ve helped me a ton in starting my writing career. What is the best part of mentoring new authors?

Seeing them succeed and knowing I played a small role in their success. I’m like a proud papa, and my author tree has so many branches now of people who I coached or mentored or worked with or critiqued for or edited or kicked around ideas with or worked with in an anthology, it gets bigger and better every year. They’ve all become friends, and that’s especially nice.

I love being able to take a new author who isn’t sure of their talent, and look at their work and be absolutely awed by it, and helping them go from hiding it in a drawer to sharing it with the world – and having the world say thank you.

Bio:

International bestselling author Dan Alatorre has published more than 22 titles in over a dozen languages.

You’ll find action-adventure in the sci-fi thriller The Navigators, a gripping paranormal roller coaster ride in An Angel On Her Shoulder, heartwarming and humorous anecdotes about parenting in the popular Savvy Stories series, an atypical romance story in Poggibonsi, and terrific comedy in Night Of The Colonoscopy: A Horror Story (Sort Of). Dan’s knack for surprising audiences and making you laugh or cry – or hang onto the edge of your seat – has been enjoyed by audiences around the world.

And you are guaranteed to get a page turner every time.

“That’s my style,” Dan says. “Grab you on page one and then send you on a roller coaster ride, regardless of the story or genre.”

Readers agree, making his string of #1 bestsellers popular across the globe.

His unique writing style can make you chuckle or shed tears—sometimes on the same page (or steam up the room if it’s one of his romances). Regardless of genre, his novels always contain unexpected twists and turns, and his endearing nonfiction stories will stay in your heart forever.

He has also written illustrated children’s book and cookbooks, as well as stories for young readers. 25 eBook Marketing Tips You Wish You Knew, co-authored by Dan, has been a valuable tool for upcoming writers of any age (it’s free but only available to subscribers of his newsletter) and his dedication to helping authors of any skill level is evident in his wildly popular blog “Dan Alatorre – AUTHOR” at www.DanAlatorre.com

Dan’s success is widespread and varied. In addition to being a bestselling author, he has achieved President’s Circle with two different Fortune 500 companies. Dan also mentors grade school children in his Young Authors Club and adults in his Private Critique Group, helping struggling authors find their voice and get published.

Dan resides in the Tampa, Florida area with his wife and daughter.

Link to the Dan Alatorre Word Weaver Contest for July:

VOODOO. Early bird discount

 

 

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Teacher on Break (Yes, they do let us out) Vegas Day 2

June 5th

My husband and brother decided to join a poker tournament at the Excalibur, so they had to be there at 7:00 a.m. I took the opportunity to stay in bed and then take the kids to the pool. The Tahiti Village has a main pool with a zero entry beach area. It also has a lazy river with plenty of tubes which is my favorite. I’ve been impressed that every time we’ve been to the pool there are plenty of lounge chairs and many of them are in the shade (vital for Vegas).

When the losers finally showed up (well, maybe Tom made it in the top ten out of 40 which was pretty good considering last time he tried one of these tournaments he was the first one out), we left for lunch. Across the street from where we are staying are the Las Vegas Premium Outlets. We ate at the food court to keep it light since we had a food tour booked for 5:30. Bailey and I stayed to do a little shopping after lunch.

The big event of the day was our food tour on Fremont Street. We met at Container Park which is part of the revitalization project for that part of town. It is made completely of shipping containers and highlights all local businesses. Our tour guide, Shaun was from Buzz Food Tours. It was his first time leading a tour on his own and he did a great job.

After a quick tour of the park, we stopped at Cheffini’s and Pinches Tacos. We were served the Cheffini dog and Mexican street corn and Agua Fresca. My favorite thing on this stop was some type of milk with cinnamon in it that the kids were served.

We also stopped at Jojo’s Jerky for a taste of the different sauces they sell. My favorite was the Caribbean jerk. All of their meats come from grass fed beef from Colorado which is a fun fact. And yes, there are fish swimming beneath the counter.

Following the jerky tasting, we strolled down Fremont Street and even found Dottie’s slipper.

Our next stop was at Project BBQ, but before I comment on it, I need to talk about the Heart Attack Grill. I don’t have pictures, but I need to give my two cents. It was started by someone trying to make a statement about obesity, but it serves food items that make people obese! When you eat there, you have to wear a hospital gown and you are served by nurses. If you weigh yourself on the giant scale outside and weigh more than 350 pounds, you eat for free. I understand that the silliness of the whole thing might draw attention to the issues in our society, but you’re still serving the sickening food. On to Project BBQ.

Project BBQ is a food truck in the middle of Fremont Street and is considered the best BBQ in Vegas. We had chicken BBQ sandwich and project chips. Very tasty. Keep in mind on this tour, all of our portions were pretty small. This is a good thing because you’re full by the end.

We were given markers to write on the wall at this stop. Tom was very sweet.

Our next stop was the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino to look at some of the amazing antiques they have and to see a portion of the Berlin Wall behind the urinals in the men’s bathroom. It’s now behind plexiglass to avoid the staining. Then, we crossed a bridge to go to the California Hotel and Casino to Aloha Specialties for Spam Musubi (sorry, no pictures).

Pizza Rock is supposed to have some of the best pizza in Las Vegas. Apparently, the owner competed in Italy and had to be escorted off the stage after he won because the Italians weren’t happy that an American won the pizza making prize. We had purple potato, pancetta, feta, rosemary, and pesto pizza. Yum!

The last stop on the food tour was at a place called Fiddlestix where we had an Irish Breakfast milkshake (there was even bacon on top!). In the Gold Spike, they have many LARGE games. You can play giant chess, corn hole, or even beer pong. Shaun told us that they filmed a season of MTV’s The Real World there, so maybe this was their back yard. The kids and I played corn hole and drank our milkshakes on the lawn furniture.

Great second day!! I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

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Teacher on Break (Yes they do let us out) – Vegas Day 1

June 4th

My family road tripped it from Colorado to Las Vegas with five people in the car (and two of them being teenagers). Yes, I know we’re crazy. But we survived the trek across Colorado, through Utah, a tiny section of Arizona, and then Nevada.

The first stop yesterday was at a Tix for Tonight booth to get tickets for the Mat Franco show. It came with a free dining card – bonus! After that, we walked to the M&M store. On the way we got to listen to a woman playing the ukulele and singing her “I hate Trump” song. No comment on that one.

My daughter was lured in by the wall of M&Ms, so of course we had to get a bag (as you you’ll see, my children had way too many sweets yesterday – Vegas isn’t only bad for adults.

A quick commentary here. You no longer get barraged by people handing out porn on the streets. I think they’ve rehired these people to bug you about buying things in the casino malls. They try to hand you tiny bags and lure you into their store to buy $150 eye make-up. Don’t worry, just use the same tactic as before – ignore them.

In the Planet Hollywood mall area we bought the kids Tollhouse cookies and then found the car in the parking garage. We parked at the Linqs casino where they have the High Roller (a ferris wheel like the London eye). Walking down the Promenade, we stumbled upon the Sprinkles cupcake ATM. My husband had seen this on-line and not knowing if we were going to make it back to this place, we bought the kids cupcakes. Yes, you read that right. Now they’ve had M&Ms, cookies, and cupcakes. Bad parents.

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For linner (lunch/dinner) we drove down to Treasure Island and used our dining card at Señor Frogs. My husband and I got the giant yard drinks and we split up fajitas. Very delicious. Then we headed back to the Tahiti Village to use the pool and rest up before the show.

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If you haven’t seen Mat Franco, you have to go. This show was amazing. Not only were Mat’s tricks amazing, he had me laughing the whole time. He used a couple of the tricks that I saw him do on America’s Got Talent, but there were also some new ones. I also like that he put in a lot of personal aspects. He made the show more like of a story of his life and magic. He’s also a fellow New Englander which is wicked awesome.

On the way back to get the car, everyone was hungry (which I totally didn’t understand), so we stopped in the Venetian food court. I just nibbled on what everyone else was eating. Bailey’s came with a milkshake (yes, you read that correctly). Her blood sugar must have been through the roof at this point. At least we all slept well and I’m sure visions of sugar plums danced through the kids’ heads. Onward to today which will hopefully involve less of the sweet stuff.

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Traveling Along Route 66

When writing Ruby Slips and Poker Chips, I thought of ways to incorporate the iconic parts of The Wizard of Oz into a story that was loosely based on a few real life people. What better way to represent the yellow brick road on the way from Kansas to Las Vegas than Route 66. It’s the most commercialized byway in the United States which I’m sure the yellow brick road is in Oz.

So, what’s so special about this highway that in parts is rundown and overgrown? Why do people buy t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other memorabilia depicting the digits 66? The highway that has been around since 1926 runs through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. It’s not only enough to travel along  this road in your Camry, but it almost seems essential to travel it on your motorcycle (if only I had one.)

Along the route, you will see remnants of a bygone era of Americana.

Dottie and Shay stayed at the Bluebird Motel, but I changed the name to protect the innocent. The Blue Swallow Motel is located in Tucumcari, New Mexico a little over a hundred miles from Shay’s hometown of Amarillo.

Painted truck near Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas. This is where Dottie meets Shay for the first time after he falls out of the back of a truck. A fun fact is that close to the Cadillac Ranch is a Volkswagen Beetle Ranch. I missed out on this gem when I visited Amarillo in March.

Dottie, Shay, and Tina spend the next night in Holbrook, Arizona. What trip along the yellow brick road, I mean Route 66, would be complete without an overnight at the Wigwam Motel? There was no way my characters would pass this up. Hopefully, if you spend the night at the Wigwam, it ends up better for you than Dottie, Shay, and Tina.

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Have you traveled Route 66? What experiences have you had? Leave a comment below.

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Gratitude

One thing I enjoy doing on my half hour car ride to work is listen to self-improvement podcasts. I started with Dave Ramsey and then moved to the Model Health Show. I’ve now started into a few writing podcasts. Today, while listening to the Model Health Show, I was inspired to show something called gratitude. Shawn Stevenson hosted a man named Andy Frisella who emphasized the importance of showing our sincere thanks to God and to others.

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In my teaching career, I’ve had principals who have built me up and ones that have tore me down for their own personal gain (of course, a book came out of one of these). After two years of being ripped apart, I had the great fortune of working with Julie Fahey. Not only did Julie have faith in me, she lifted me to heights in my career that I’d never been. Her faith in me helped me elevate my teaching abilities and grow. She doesn’t know how much this meant to me.

A writer friend of mine was recently attacked online to the point that the other person started a whole website dedicated to trying to damage this person. He has done for me in writing what Julie did for me in teaching. I’m sure many writers have been rejected many times by agents and publishers. It can tear you down and many give up. My friend Dan, took me under his wing and helped me publish my first book. He critiqued Ruby Slips and Poker Chips and is now editing the first book in my YA trilogy. Dan has also helped me publicize my book and answers every one of my emails with my endless questions. He is a true mentor and I consider him a friend.

So, I want to thank these amazing mentors for being part of my life and changing it for the better. I am truly grateful.

How have you shown gratitude?

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Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver Contest Winners Announced

Dan Alatorre just posted the winners for his March 2018 Word Weaver Contest. Although I didn’t win first place this time, I’m excited win third place with my story Dreamers. In a few days, I will post the chapter and Dan’s interview with me. If you’d like to see the winning piece first, please subscribe and I’ll also send you the first chapter of my upcoming YA book The Weaver. You will also get updates on upcoming projects.

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HERE ARE YOUR WINNERS! Dan Alatorre’s Word Weaver Writing Contest (March 2018)

I won third place for my story Dreamers!

Dan Alatorre - AUTHOR

Are you excited to see who won our March 2018 writing contest? I know I am. (Or was, I guess, because I know who won – and in a moment you will, too.)

HERE COME THE WINNERS!

As always, it was CRAZY hard to determine the best story out of so many amazing entries. So I called on a few author friends to serve as celebrity judges.

YOUR CELEBRITY JUDGE PANEL:

Top: J. A. Alen and Lucy Brazier

Bottom: John Winston, Allison Maruska, and Jenifer Ruff

I read and critiqued ALL the entries, then selected the finalists.

The celebrity judges agreed to read the finalists, then each celebrity judge would independently rank the stories and vote for the winning story accordingly. (As did I, but they had no idea what story I liked best.)

So I sent them the stories, in alphabetical order by title, with no author…

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