Gerrie Ferris Finger's Blog, page 11

A GHOST SHIP IN THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC

I am a journalist and author.



While reporting on the moving of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the building of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Cape Hatteras on The Outer Banks, I heard fabulous stories, some legends, some true and mythic. The Ghost Ship of Diamond Shoal is all of them in one mystery.



One morning after a storm, I went down to the shore and saw the bow of a shipwreck that had been uncovered when the sea surged outward. Standing there at the black bones, I felt a sizzling inside my own bones. That ship was a small coastal schooner, but I wanted to know more about The Ghost Ship. I interviewed an elderly gentleman whose ancestor was in the Coast Guard and was one of the men who boarded the Carroll A. Deering during the investigation. He said his cabin was constructed from some of her timbers after she was declared a danger to navigation and dynamited.

So began my novel.

I'm the author of six novels. THE END GAME is an award-winning traditional mystery, available in hard cover and Kindle.

THE GHOST SHIP available at: http://tiny.cc/9hrsy

Gerrie Ferris Finger
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com

CELEBRITIES AS NOVEL CHARACTERS

I speak to book clubs, libraries, civic clubs and book signings. Inevitably I'm asked if I base my characters on celebrities or people I know.

I use people I've known or strangers that impress me  to craft characters, but while they're important to me, most readers want to know about celebs, so I'll reveal all.

In the Laura Kate O'Connell Plantation Series, I've used Robert Redford's and Sean Connery's facial and personality characteristics. Laura Kate is most like Vivian Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara.

Moriah Dru in THE END GAME looks like Diana Rigg (as Emma Peel). I tried to make Richard Lake look like Warren Beatty, but Lake wouldn't cooperate. As Dru observes, his irregular facial lines and plains come together to make him handsome.

Ann Gavrion's "silvery quality" in THE GHOST SHIP was modeled after the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy.

Having a "model" helps in "seeing" these characters. But, like Lake, most of my characters have unique appearances and personalities that comply with their actions and attitude. When they act out I have to rethink my visual of them.


Gerrie
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com.
THE GHOST SHIP
THE END GAME
HONORED DAUGHTERS
WAGON DOGS
WHEN SERPENTS DIE

Review of A DEAD RED HEART and conversation with newsletter editor and author R. P. DAHLKE, creator of Lalla Bains, ex-model turned crop-duster

[image error] Rebecca tells us in her own words:

I sort of fell into the job of running a crop-dusting business when my dad decided he'd rather go on a cruise than take another season of lazy pilots, missing flaggers, testy farmers and horrific hours. After two years at the helm, I handed him back the keys and fled to a city without any of the above. And no, I was never a crop-duster.I write about a tall, blond and beautiful ex-model turned crop-duster who, to quote Lalla Bains, says: "I've been married so many times they oughta revolk my license." I wanted to give readers a peek at the not so-perfect -life of a beautiful blond. Lalla Bains is no Danielle Steele character, she's not afraid of chipping her manicure. Scratch that, the girl doesn't have time for a manicure what with herding a bunch of recalcitrant pilots and juggling work orders just to keep her father's flagging business alive.
I enjoy writing with humor, and if you enjoy my books, I'd love to hear from you! Here's my e-mail:
rp@rpdahlke.comRebecca is also the genius behind the: About All Mystery E-NewsletterI created this website to explain to readers how All Mystery works:It's not a website or a review siteIt's not like Amazon where you're locked into buying only from them.It's not Good Reads where the e-newsletter only promotes NY Times Best SellersInstead, this is a monthly e-newsletter that features authors from NY Best Sellers to the rising stars of today.
Each issue has a fun theme to tickle your imagination: British authors, exotic locations, Murder at Work, Paranormal Police Procedurals & PI's , Historical Mysteries, and Romantic Suspense.
Each feature includes the following:
Colorful book covers with click through to the author websiteBook descriptionReviews Buy Now click-throughs to Amazon for zippy fast purchaseWant to read more about the featured authors, or revisit one you read about last month? A left hand column has all of this year's author websites.Join at http://allmysteryenewsletter.com
[image error]
A Dead Red HeartBy R. P. Dahlke
Reviewed by Gerrie Ferris FingerBUY: http://tiny.cc/uzywp

I'm a sucker for places I've never been and I'm overjoyed when I come across a setting/location that puts me there as R. P. Dahlke does with Modesto, Calif.  Also, I love a kick-butt heroine with a sense of humor and a good heart. Lalla Bains is all that and more. A former model turned crop-duster pilot (sounds weird, but good writing and plotting makes it plausible) Sheriff Caleb Stone is her long-time boyfriend. Their interactions are funny, aggravating or heart-rending. Lalla's family owns the crop dusting business. Another memorable character is her dad who fights against odds to keep the company going when there are those who'd like to see it go under. If it kills her, Lalla, a woman addicted to danger, won't let them have their way.   The heart of the mystery is Billy Wayne Dobson. He's obsessed with Lalla. Caleb warns him to stay away from her. But his obsession is too great. Lalla goes to confront him and finds him dying, having been stabbed with scissors. He gasps out some last words. Naturally, feisty Lalla is suspect number one. She determines to find out who killed Billy and why. Take a look at this exchange:  He (Caleb) gave me a piercing look. "Yeah, you. You got that race-horse out-of-the-gate look all over your face.""If you will remember, I'm the one who found Billy Wayne, and there are people who expect me to find his killer, namely Detective Rodney." "You got something in mind? Never mind. If I don't know, I can't get in trouble." At my surprised look, he said, "You love this stuff, don't you?"Flustered, I sputtered, "Caleb Stone, that's not fair! What am I supposed to do? He died at my feet and my reputation stays in purgatory until the guilty party is in jail.""Deny it all you want, but I know you, you got the bit in your mouth and the chase is on for you, isn't it?"I could feel a flush rising up my cheeks. He was right, of course. His words had touched something deep within me and it sounded very much like a starting gun and whinnying race horses. I never felt more alive than when I was this close to touching danger."Look," he said, "you've gotten more in one day than we have all week. It's not a blank check, so don't go overboard and do anything rash; no flashing your fake badge at people.""But, Caleb…," I could do without the badge, but it felt good to banter with him again. "No buts on this."R.P. Dahlke (2011-06-05T21:26:50.694000+00:00). A Dead Red Heart (Kindle Locations 1900-1912). Dead Bear Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Posted by Gerrie Ferris Finger
THE GHOST SHIP
BUY: http://amzn.to/r3imp5
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com

THE GHOST SHIP, an Outer Banks romantic thriller

My beloved Hatteras Island has been cutoff from the rest of the Outer Banks because the sea breached Highway 12 when Hurricane Irene hit the cape. The same thing happened some years ago. I was reporting from the region for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the road had just been rebuilt then.

In the wake of Irene, it appears the long skinny islands will recover and rebuild as the residents have done for centuries. Seafaring people are tough as I came to witness.

I wanted to share with you the genesis of my novel THE GHOST SHIP. A couple of years ago, it wasn't a hurricane, but a severe storm that uncovered the hulk of an early 20th century coastal schooner near Cape Hatteras Light House. Honestly, it gave me the creeps. It's no wonder this part of the Atlantic Ocean is called The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

At that time, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at Cape Hatteras was under construction. The director told me that these wrecks were often uncovered from the sands in storms, and that in time another storm would bury my ominous ship skeleton.

While going through the artifacts and photographs at the museum, I came across the The Ghost Ship of Diamond Shoals. The Carroll A. Deering was a five-masted schooner. Returning from her maiden voyage to Rio and Barbados, and still in full sail, she somehow ran aground and her hull and keel buried on Diamond Shoal. This was in January, 1921. When the Coast Guard boarded her, they found no officers, crew, anchors or lifeboats. Only a six-toed cat. Six government agencies investigated the wreck, worldwide, but came to no conclusion. Was it pirates? mutiny? storms? Bermuda Triangle woo-woo?

So, my little gray cells (thank you, Hercule) conceived the idea of my own fictional solution to the mystery. I published THE GHOST SHIP at the end of June. It's not exactly a romance (which has strictures) nor a classic murder mystery. In other words, publishers loved the idea and the writing, but couldn't put it in a category. So, I had Kimberly Hitchens edit and format it for me and it's on Kindle and Nook.

I spent a lot of time on the Outer Banks reporting on the building of the museum and the controversial move of the Cape Hatteras Light House by the Park Service. I have a special affection for the mystery of the Outer Banks. It has lore galore, ghosts, legends, myths and houses made from the timbers of shipwrecks. Go into one of those, and you can sure get the spooks.

The Outer Banks survived another onslaught, as it always will. It seems the wind and sea gods also have a reverence for the The Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Gerrie
THE GHOST SHIP
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com



Review from GoodReads:"A ghost story mixed with a mystery and a love story told by an author who weaves a wonderful tale. A look into a piece of nautical history as well makes this a great read! I don't believe in ghosts but this book....has me changing my mind."

Buy: http://amzn.to/r3imp5

WHEN SERPENTS DIE - Book One in the Laura Kate O'Connell Plantation Series

Laura Kate O'Connell left her life of excitement as an overseas news correspondent to return to her Georgia hometown to raise her two young cousins.
When Royce Lee, Laura Kate's attorney, supposedly commits suicide, too many pieces of evidence tell a different story. Her instincts as an investigative reporting are tingling, and she just can't leave it alone. She meets Jack Rhodes, Royce's business partner. Sparks fly, but can she really trust a man she knows nothing about? And why is it that every time something new develops in the case, he seems to be there?

Warnings to back off escalate to an attempt on her life. Now, for Laura Kate, it's more than just a mystery.

Depending on Jack might be a mistake, but if Laura Kate can get past his southern charms and the nervous way Jack makes her feel, she may get the facts, solve the case, and even save her own life.

A CONVERSATION WITH MORGEN BAILEY

[image error] My guest is Morgen Bailey. The way it works. I ask a few questions and she supplies the answers.

 Welcome my friend - I have to use the old phrase - from across the pond. Tell us about yourself.

I'm the host of Bailey's Writing Tips podcast, two in-person writing groups (based in Northampton, England), author of 100+ short stories, 4.5 novels, articles, poetry, regular Radio Litopia contributor and blog host.*

You are a virtual idea machine. Where do your ideas originate?

It's what many budding writers want to know (I did) and one of the most dreaded questions by authors at literature festivals (or so some of them have told me). When asked, many say they get their inspiration from life and that's certainly true for me.

I can spot patterns in rain-splattered pavements as some people make shapes in cloud formations and ideas spring from those. Spam emails are great for character names – as I type this I'm looking at an Orville Potter, Darnell Kendall, Raymundo Dillard and Bernardo Bullock (and Dominoes Pizza and Pharmacy Express!). Newspapers are rich picking – I have a dozen 80-page display books packed with clippings, enough for my lifetime I reckon. Stories are written about true events all the time but look for the quirky, even uneventful ones, and you could be on to a winner. You could also try 'weird news websites'; a Google (other good search engines are available) search with those three keywords produces 46 million choices – not just rich pickings but obscenely opulent, I'd say.

I understand you run a workship for your writing group. Tell us about it.

Every other Monday night I run a workshop for my writing group and the exercises I set aim to show them how easy it is to get new ideas. Below are some examples:
· Start a story with "As Jackie picked up the bag…": Is Jackie male or female? Why is he or she picking up the bag? What's in the bag? How heavy is it? Is it his / hers? Where is he / she? Baggage claims? Leaving home? From just six words (Ernest Hemingway wrote a whole story in just that – For sale: baby shoes, never worn) the possibilities are endless.

· Keywords: we usually work with four or five (http://creativecopychallenge.com offers 10 each time – I wrote a story for http://storyadaymay.org using one set) and an example four could be 'sold', 'grass', 'foot' and 'stupid' which could produce a story about a man who thought it was stupid to have a sold sign on the grass outside a football stadium (my group are allowed to increase the word, in this example from foot to football but not shorten, e.g. football to foot) or perhaps it could produce a story about a drug dealer selling 'grass' to an old man who felt stupid buying it but it alleviated the pain in his right foot. :)

· They say that a picture paints a thousand words (or thereabouts) but I reckon it speaks more than that. I often give my group magazine photos of ordinary-looking men and women together with a two-column table: left column a list of headings i.e. name, nickname, nationality, age / job, hair colour, height, favourite music, favourite food, regular saying, relationship, children, siblings, religion, aspirations and quirks – then they fill in the blank right-hand column. Regardless of the length of your story, this is a great way of getting to know your characters.

· Another (maybe simpler) prompt I set (and am given at a monthly writing group I belong to) is a single word. I remember using 'chicken' fairly early on in the workshop group's existence and I wrote a story about some young lads daring one of their group to cross a busy road as part of an initiation ceremony, while one of my fellow writers (hello Niall) wrote a non-fiction piece about a memorable childhood chicken dinner.

Whatever we end up writing, you can almost guarantee that we'll all come up with different stories. We only have 10-15 minutes for each exercise (then read them out and give some critique back) so they're more often than not just beginnings (some are complete flash fiction) but there's then a week to progress one or more of them for the following Monday's critique session, should they wish (they often do).

The thing to remember is that ideas aren't copyright. I don't suppose you'd have any takers if you wrote a novel about a boy wizard called Harry (unless it was fan fiction) but there are supposed to only be seven basic plots (although Philip Pullman told us at the April 2011 Lit Fest that he knew there were eleven but sadly didn't tell us what they were) so there's likely little chance of your basic plot not having been covered before. You just need to find new characters, locations, dilemmas and ways of telling the story – your 'voice'.

Using one's voice is always of primary interest to agents and editors. How do you find your voice?

Simple – just keep writing.

Some say plot is secondary to voice and characters. What do you think?

Probably the most written about plot is boy meets girl but there's an obstacle in their way. West Side Story is a re-telling of Romeo & Juliet and it was also a major plotline in the 2011 film 'Super 8' (which I've literally just seen today – it was great). With the latter, the main character fell in love with his father's arch enemy's daughter and were banned from seeing each other, although you know that by the end of the film (story) they'll end up together – it's how you write their journey that will grip your readers.

Yep, it's all in the writing. If only we could find the magic formula.

There's no magic formula. Just ensure that you always have a notebook and pen /pencil (or two in case one runs out / breaks) and look around you; snatches of conversations at the bus stop, what someone is wearing, how they walk, a normal event that you imagine being extraordinary (you may well have heard of the 'what if') and most of all, write. By writing we become practiced and that's what established authors are. They've honed their craft like pianists and athletes do – they don't hoover when they should be playing / running, they prioritise (often with trainer or manager encouragement – imagine your editor waiting for your submissions – mine was for too long but I've just sent her an anthology which she'll no doubt get through in no time and want more which helps me keep the momentum going) and most important of all, they are doing what they love doing. So what if your house is a little untidy or the mantelpiece could do with having a damp cloth run over it? If you set aside a chunk of time for the mundane (mine's Monday afternoon before my writing group turn up) but also dedicated writing time, if you're anything like me (I'm the same with dieting) you'll wonder why you've put it off for so long because you get such a thrill from it.

Now where did I put that bar of chocolate?

Morgen Bailey
http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com

A big thanks to you Morgen. Lots of good information in your post.
Morgen has a writing-related blog which, she says, "...just to be original, is called Morgen Bailey's Blog. It features a daily author interview, weekly author spotlights, details of fortnightly podcast red pen sessions and text from the older podcast episodes, useful information such as competitions to enter, other recommended websites and much more.

*If you write (any genre, published or otherwise) and would like to be involved in the blog interviews, author spotlights, red pen sessions or would like to provide a guest blog, do email me.e="submit" id="submitBtn-ns" class="ubtn ubtn-block" name="submitBtn" tabindex="0" value="Delete">
morgen@morgenbailey.com

Submitted by
Gerrie Ferris Finger
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com

 

THE GHOST SHIP, a short review: "It's characters were alive (even the ghosts) and ohhh I was so happy with the ending."

THE GHOST SHIP was the best read I have had since Karen Kingsbury! I have never read on 'kindle' before and this proves what a great read it was. To sit for almost 12 hours straight in front of my computer and read is a great testiment of Gerrie's talent. First 'time travel' novel I have read that hits on WHY the time travel happened. The characters breathed, they lived on the page. It was a satisfying ending that I didn't want to end

Reviewed by Trisha Petty, Th.D.



Trisha Petty Th.D. co-authored 13 novels with Linda Crockett, among these were Siren, To Touch a Dream and Tangerine, published by Tor Press and Harlequin Romances (Simon and Schuster).

For 35 years Trisha was also a much sought after Production Assistant, then Personal Assistant to actors, directors and producers. Working with some of Hollywood's most creative people, Trisha contributed story boards and character development to projects such as "Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn," "North and South," and "Paint Your Wagon."

Recently retiring to Tennessee, Trisha used her experience, education, and the Civil War history steeped in her newly adopted home and began writing historical novels with Christian perspective.

Trisha Petty currently lives in Columbia, Tennessee and is the founder of Cellophane Ministries, and Antebellum Productions.  http://antebellumproductions.weebly.com/
Thanks, Trisha.

Best of luck with your work.

http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.blogspost.com

http://tiny.cc/hb4ii

HONORED DAUGHTERS - a review

  Fans of any southern-style epic will really love this story
By 
This review is from: Laura Kate Plantation Series Book Two: Honored Daughters (Kindle Edition)
Laura Kate O'Connell is a super-star of a clever southern bell with quick wit and a nice way with horses. Honored Daughters is truly more mystery than romance, but the romance matters and readers will really enjoy Jack Rhodes when they finally meet him. It won't be a painful wait though, as from the first moments, interest and intrigue build.

Overall, the quality of the story is excellent. Epic-like adventures - and love - befall our heroine, who seems pulled in several directions most of the time. Her personal life, her decisions and future plans are complicated; Jack Rhodes is her distant, if still true love. He seems to envision an ordinary, predictable sort of future for the two of them, a future Laura Kate isn't enthused about at all. (Although after meeting him, we do realze he's more insightful than Laura Kate gives him credit for.)

Before we even get to questions of romance; Agent Nyan Hill complicates her life, with his desperate effort to see the murder of his niece Dari solved. Nyan & Laura Kate's antagonistic relationship, and occasional sharp dialogue, really make reader's admire our heroine. She's nobody's fool, but is at heart a caring, almost driven person.

Ferris has a distinctive voice, giving Honored Daughters a continuous, rather evocative aura. She creates a time, a place, and a series of characters that seem utterly original, yet also familiar and appealing. There are some seriously suspenseful moments, as well as more tender times; and the mystery is a real mystery, both intriguing and heart-wrenching from the start.

  Although this is contemporary, there is a certain historic feel to it. The horses, the hunt club, the southern-bell comments, and Honored Daughters School itself. Although contemporary, it all has an old, old feel to it. Fans of any southern-style epic will really love this story; perfect reading by a cozy fire.

THE GHOST STORY, a short review: "It's characters were alive (even the ghosts) and ohhh I was so happy with the ending."

THE GHOST SHIP was the best read I have had since Karen Kingsbury! I have never read on 'kindle' before and this proves what a great read it was. To sit for almost 12 hours straight in front of my computer and read is a great testiment of Gerrie's talent. First 'time travel' novel I have read that hits on WHY the time travel happened. The characters breathed, they lived on the page. It was a satisfying ending that I didn't want to end

Reviewed by Trisha Petty, Th.D.



Trisha Petty Th.D. co-authored 13 novels with Linda Crockett, among these were Siren, To Touch a Dream and Tangerine, published by Tor Press and Harlequin Romances (Simon and Schuster).

For 35 years Trisha was also a much sought after Production Assistant, then Personal Assistant to actors, directors and producers. Working with some of Hollywood's most creative people, Trisha contributed story boards and character development to projects such as "Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn," "North and South," and "Paint Your Wagon."

Recently retiring to Tennessee, Trisha used her experience, education, and the Civil War history steeped in her newly adopted home and began writing historical novels with Christian perspective.

Trisha Petty currently lives in Columbia, Tennessee and is the founder of Cellophane Ministries, and Antebellum Productions.  http://antebellumproductions.weebly.com/
Thanks, Trisha.

Best of luck with your work.

http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.blogspost.com

http://tiny.cc/hb4ii

THE GHOST SHIP - a Reader's Review

I just finished reading The Ghost Ship. What a great read! I couldn't put it down! Would have easily finished it in one day if I didn't have a 3-year-old (it took me two). I love to read books that make me feel like I'm lost in the story. With The Ghost Ship I felt like I could smell the ocean! And the premise of the story was so different from other books I've read lately, so refreshing. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, romances, seafaring stories, or just good old fashioned storytelling!

Lisa Smith, Aurora IL

Thank you Lisa. I'm delighted you read the book and that you took the time to send me a personal review. It means as much, or more, to me than a professional review

Gerrie
http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com

Read an Excerpt: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11914490-the-ghost-ship 

Available:
http://tiny.cc/bqteu