R.J. Keller's Blog, page 6

The Wendy House playlist

A couple of months ago, I posted the playlist of songs I listened to most while I was writing Waiting For Spring. In case you're interested, here's the top three for The Wendy House, which I'm currently working on.

Silver Springs, Fleetwood Mac.

"I'll follow you down till the sound of my voice will haunt you."

I love the song, but I really dig watching the video. Check out how intense things get between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham at around the 4 minute mark.

Collide, Howie Day

"I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind."

More the music than the lyrics. It's just a good song for me to imagine driving a long, sad distance to. Don't ask me why. And this live version is great.

Lose Yourself, Eminem

"No games, I'ma change what you call rage. Tear this motherfuckin' roof off like two dogs caged."

The best song ever for pumping yourself up for something, in this case for committing a [fictional] murder.

"An Excited Fan Meets A Celebrity" – New Paper Rats video!

It's been a little while since the last episode of Inside The Writers' Studio. Okay, it's been a LONG while. A very long while. But this article about Madonna's "bitchy dismissal of flowers someone gave her" inspired Kristen and me, and we put this episode together in a matter of hours.

It was fun to be in front of the camera again. Kristen's performance is absolutely brilliant. And we've got a lot of ideas for future episodes up our sleeves. We promise that – this time – they won't be so long in coming.

I've got the cat's tongue

In the first draft of Waiting For Spring, Tess owns a cat, a very fat orange tabby she rescues from behind Zeke's bar and subsequently names Jabba. He never made it past draft number one, mostly because he didn't bring anything to the story. I put him in because I wanted a cat, couldn't have one at the time (long story), and kindly gave one to my protagonist instead.

In the first draft of The Wendy House, Rick LaChance owns a cat, a rather rebellious and neglected little lady he ends up giving away to a neighbor's daughter. This cat actually did add something to the story, but other subplots took precedence and Lucy was caged. I wrote a flash fiction story based on the idea and entered into a contest (it placed third), so it wasn't a total waste. But I still. I kinda miss the feline presence in both books.

I guess it will be up to Book #3…

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New Beginnings

The morning he decided to stop drinking, John woke up on the bathroom floor, a mound of cat shit three inches from his nose. He couldn't blame poor old Lucy. Three hours earlier he had puked in her litter box and it seemed fitting: shit for tat.

He stood up slowly, clutching his throbbing head. The stench of combined waste sent him diving once more for the toilet, and this time his aim was mercifully accurate. He stumbled into the shower a few minutes later, but it did nothing to refresh him. Each droplet was a tiny, torturous needle, prickly reminders of his sins, of all he had lost. Wife-son-daughter-job. Car.

Naked in his bedroom, he tried to piece together the forgotten events of the night before. His rumpled, unmade bed was nothing new, and itself not a helpful clue, but it did reveal a stain on his sheet and some blonde strands on his pillowcase. And as he pulled on his pants, he tried to remember what she'd looked like. If she had been any good. If he had been.

He dragged himself into the kitchen, tripping over the pile of garbage strewn across the floor. Lucy had knocked the trash can over the day before, in search of food. She had apparently feasted on Chicken McNuggets, a meal John had discarded three days earlier, having settled instead on Jack Daniels. Now the empty bottle taunted his shaking hands from the countertop. It lay next to an empty bag of Kibbles N' Bits. Lucy rubbed herself against his ankle, an appeal, not for attention, but for food. He reached down and scratched behind her ear anyway, suddenly hungry for a display of honest affection. She bit his hand.

He rummaged through his wallet, wondering whether he had enough money stashed away for a small bag of cat food. He was in luck. Six one-dollar bills. His gaze fell once more onto his messy countertop, shifting from the empty bottle to the empty cat food bag, then to his empty cat, who was now howling in obvious distress. From outside, a squeal of childish delight joined her cries, piercing his still-aching head. It belonged, he knew, to his neighbor's nine-year-old daughter. He struggled to think of her name, but could only remember that it started with an M.

And his hands would not stop shaking…

~~~~~

An hour later, the late morning sun beat down on Lucy as she rested, full-bellied, on a warm, sweet-smelling lawn. Nine-year-old Madison beamed just as brightly as she skipped rope on the driveway a few feet away.

"Just five more minutes, Fluffy," she said. "Then we can go inside for lunch."

Lucy licked her paw contentedly, not seeming to mind the indignity of her new name. And she pretended not to notice John as he hurried past her, toward his dilapidated trailer, clutching a brand new pint of cheap whiskey.

Read with the author at Kindle Boards

I've been a member of the Kindle Message Boards for over two years now. It's an excellent place to find book recommendations, get suggestions for how to solve any technical difficulties you may be having with your Kindle, and to hang out with other people who love to read. But Kindle Boards also hosts book klubs (not clubs, "because it's Kindle, not Cindle"), including the chance for readers to discuss books with their authors.

I'm very excited to announce that Kindle Boards will be hosting a Read With The Author klub for Waiting For Spring in November. We'll be discussing the usual book club stuff – themes, characters, setting, etc – but we'll also be able to talk about behind-the-scenes things, which I think will be fun. Of course I think it will be fun. It's my book, and if there's one thing an author likes talking about it's his or her book.  But I hope some of you will think it sounds like fun, too, and join in the discussion.

Naturally, you'll have to sign up for the Kindle Boards to participate, but that's easy to do and there are many other fine reasons for joining (see paragraph 1). But even though it's a Kindle Boards discussion you can join in even if you've read (or plan to read) the print edition. Also worth mentioning: please feel free to join in whether you have the original self-published edition of the novel or the Amazon Encore edition. Most of the differences are copyediting related, but we can discuss the few changes that are more substantial.

I'll post more information about it in the next few weeks, including links to the discussion area as they become live, but in the meantime I'd love to hear any reader suggestions for discussion ideas.

Shit I hate

I don't like Michelle Bachmann. I think her views on homosexuality and evolution are backward and dangerous, her grasp of American history tenuous at best, and don't even get me started on her desire to eliminate minimum wage. In short, I would vote for pretty much any other candidate of any other party to keep her out of the White House.

But come on, Newsweek. This cover is bullshit. It's a tabloid tactic that cheapens an already cheapened political discourse. You're better than that. The American public deserves better.

Grow up.

The waters are getting murkier.

 

edited 8/9/11 12:15pm to correct spelling of Ms. Bachmann's name.

Let the punishment fit the crime

I'm pretty sure I encountered the rudest woman alive early this morning at work.

And when I say "early this morning" I don't mean 6:00 AM, or even 5:00 AM, or some other reasonable sort of AM. I mean 3:30 AM. She was talking on her cell phone – very loudly – as she walked into the store, and continued to do so throughout her ten minute visit (that in itself puts her on my Rude People list. Seriously, folks, put your damned cell phone DOWN once you get to the cash register. You don't have to hang up if you don't want to, but at least do me the courtesy of paying attention when I'm telling you how much your cappuccino is gonna cost you. It's really not that much to ask), so I was able to hear her half of the conversation. She had woken her friend with this phone call – remember, now, this was 3:30 in the morning – yet she was chewing said friend out for nodding off during the conversation.

See, when I get a phone call in the middle of the night, I assume a loved one has died, or is deathly ill, or has just gone into labor. Those are acceptable reasons for ringing my house at 3:30 AM. So is "I had too much to drink, can you please come pick me up so I don't kill someone." But this chick "just felt like talking" and since she was going to be busy all day, 3:30 in the morning was the only time she had to talk. Therefore calling her friend and waking her up at 3:30 in the morning was perfectly acceptable, as was bitching at her for not being able to stay awake during the conversation.

I wanted, very badly, to express my disapproval at this woman's disgusting, selfish behavior. I thought about pissing in her cappuccino, or finding someone else who would do it for me; preferably a guy, since they're actually equipped for that kind of job.  It's what she deserved. But it didn't seem feasible to attempt this in a brightly lit, security-camera-laden store. Instead I was stuck with giving her a very stern look and a censorious shake of my head. And writing about her on my blog. And, possibly, with sticking her in my next novel, where she will certainly find a more fitting punishment for her crime.

Tales from the editing desk

This week, while working on rewrites for The Wendy House, I came across this phrase from Wendy's diary:

…he exuded confidence…

It was obvious I'd had a problem with the phrase when I first wrote it, because it was set aside in brackets and highlighted in red font. 

[he exuded confidence]

This is a pretty big deal. When I'm writing, if there's something I'm not sure about I'll bracket it. If there's something I don't like, but don't have time to change because I'm on a roll, I'll highlight it in red. The fact that I did both of those things to this particular phrase was akin to having Sam Kinison shout "CHANGE THIS!!!! OH-OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" from the depths of my manuscript.

I looked at it for a few minutes. I read the surrounding paragraph's to give the thing some context. I still didn't like it, but couldn't quite figure out why. So I shot this email to my buddy, author extraordinaire Moriah Jovan:

 Is it a cliche for a character to 'exude confidence'? It feels like it is, but I'd like a second opinion.

She responded:

Yeah, much as I hate to say it. The problem with cliches is that they become cliches because they're so damned precise and useful.

So there was that. Cliche. But it was something more than that, and I couldn't put my finger on what the something more was. And until I could do that, I couldn't change the damn phrase. I actually worked on this for two full hours before it hit me.

I couldn't hear it in Wendy's voice. She would never have said it that way. So I changed it to:

…he was confident…

That's right. It took me two hours to change "he exuded confidence" to "he was confident". And people wonder why it's taking me so damned long to finish this book.

(Thanks for the help, MoJo. You rock.)

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I met Paul in the summer of '85 in the magazine aisle of the grocery store. I was looking at pictures of the Live Aid concert in People, he was reading about nuclear war in Time. We made small talk for a few minutes about Phil Collins and the Enola Gay and Mikhail Gorbachev. Then he asked me out. I told him I was married and he apologized for being impertinent. He actually used the word "impertinent."

I think that's what did it. He wasn't particularly attractive. His nose was too long, his blue eyes too pale, his sandy hair uncombed in a way that was lazy rather than sexy. But he was confident, in spite of all that, and intelligent. To me, anyway. I had never known anyone who used words like "impertinent."

Guest blogger – Author Mark Terry

"Terry mashes the action pedal to the floor in this solid fourth Derek Stillwater novel." —Publishers Weekly

Please join me in welcoming Mark Terry, whose entertaining and informative blog I became addicted to when I started my own journey. – RJK

Movie Madness

By Mark Terry 

Every time one of my Derek Stillwater novels gets published or announced, my agent gets hit up by producers and film agents asking to read it. There's always a certain breathless quality to the request – we've got to read it now, now, now!

It's still exciting, but I my excitement is tempered by the realization that Hollywood always behaves that way. As someone once said, Hollywood says, "We love you, we love you, we love you," and then nothing happens. New York (i.e. book publishing) says, "We hate you, we hate you, we hate you," then grudgingly lets you in.

Well, I agree with whoever said it.

So, for entertainment purposes, let's cast the movie based on my latest novel, THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS. The main character is Dr. Derek Stillwater, PhD, a troubleshooter for Homeland Security. He's an action hero, but brainy. His specialty is biological and chemical terrorism. A former Army Special Forces soldier, he's a bit neurotic.

Nic Cage played a similar character in "The Rock" but wasn't as physically competent as Derek. Keifer Sutherland made a meal out of Jack Bauer in "24" and the show and my Stillwater novels have a lot in common. If only Harrison Ford were 30 years younger!

Forced to cast in today's market, my top choices would be Jake Gyllenhaal, Matt Damon or Viggo Mortensen.

One of the female foils in THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS is Dr. Cassandra O'Reilly. Her expertise is nuclear terrorism. She's described as blonde and square-jawed. She's tough, very smart, fairly bitchy (sorry, but it's true). I could see Angelina Jolie, but it's something of a secondary role, so… this is really hard for me. The blonde part really isn't very important. But smart and tough is tricky. I like Summer Glau, but she's just not right for the part. Reese Witherspoon as an action star? How about Jennifer Garner? Maybe Yancy Butler? Actually, my first choice would probably be Amanda Tapping.

Well, you know, Hollywood. They'd probably put Whoopi Goldberg in as Derek and Jack Black in as O'Reilly.

Who would you cast?

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Mark Terry

  Mark Terry is the bestselling author of the Derek Stillwater thriller novels, as well as several standalone mysteries, thrillers, and short stories. His novels have been called "blisteringly paced and unrelenting," (Paul Levine) as well as having "the explosive power of a hollow-point bullet." (Gayle Lynds). James Grady, author of Six Days Of The Condor says Terry's work "is closing in fast on grabbing that big-action, ticking-clock thriller franchise market." His novels have been translated into French, German and Slovak.

An active member of International Thriller Writers, Mark Terry regularly contributes to the ITW's monthly newsletter and, in 2008, served as a judge for the Thriller Award. He is also a member of Mystery Writers of America.

Mark Terry lives in Michigan with his wife, two sons, and a chocolate Lab named Frodo. When not writing, Mark studies sanchin-ryu karate, lifts weights, bikes, runs, and kayaks.

Waiting For Spring playlist

Craig Lancaster has a regular feature at his blog, Once More With Feeling, "an occasionally serious, more often comical dissertation on music that strikes a particular chord." He kindly asked me to contribute a post, which is now live if you want to check it out (and you know you do).

My song-that-struck-a-chord is Troy by Sinead O'Connor, a song I listened to a lot while writing Waiting For Spring. I won't tell you why here…you'll have to read the post at Craig's for that. But working on the post made me think about the other music I wrote to, and I thought I'd share some of it here.

Tougher Than The Rest – Bruce Springsteen

"If you're rough enough for love, baby I'm tougher than the rest." People often ask me where Brian came from. The answer: this song.

Diamonds and Rust – Joan Baez

"I need some of that vagueness now, it's all come back too clearly." This is the song I listened to while I wrote chapter 18, when Jason visits Tess at her new apartment.

Wheels- Lone Justice

"Sometimes I feel you so close by it takes all my might to keep from trying to track you down." Any time I wrote for poor, lost Rachel, this was the song I played.

And this is what I would watch to decompress when I wasn't writing. Because the WFS playlist, while highly effective, was fucking depressing.

Publishing panel at the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen Library

Dan and I got home from New York last night at straight-up midnight. I can't express what an awesome time we had…thank you Amazon!

The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen building on West 44th St in Manhattan

On Tuesday (May 24), I had the privilege of participating, with writer/editor Amy Rogers, in a publishing panel – Let's Talk Literature in a Precarious Publishing Environment – that was held at the beautiful General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen Library in Manhattan, moderated by Carol Hoenig. It was part of a guest lecture series being sponsored by the GSMT and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Amy talked about her experience in starting up Novello Festival Press, and I spoke about my journey from self-publishing to publishing with AmazonEncore. The attendees included writers, publishers, photographers, book lovers, art lovers. They were a genuinely nice group of people who asked LOTS of questions – a couple of the questions were tough, which we loved.

Amy Rogers, myself, Carol Hoenig

Afterward, there was a lovely reception, and we had the opportunity to talk to people one-on-one.

And did I mention what a beautiful building this is? I should have said gorgeous. And, like Amy aptly said, it smells like history! (Click photos to enlarge.)

Indeed!

It was such an amazing evening! I got to talk about writing and publishing and books – the stuff I love more than pretty much anything in the world – and to meet some truly fun and interesting people. A hearty thanks to Carol and to the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen! And don't forget to support your local library.