Chris Eboch's Blog, page 2

How to Pitch a Novel: Finding Your Hook #writing #publishing #kidlit #yalit #MGLit

An orphan explores his magical powers at a school for wizards. Twins discover they are really genies. Death narrates a World War II story. The young descendants of Sherlock Holmes tackle one of his unsolved cases. 

A hook—in this case the “high concept” idea—can grab the reader’s attention and make a book stand out. Here are the books with the above hooks.
        Harry Potter series, by J. K Rowling        Children of the Lamp series, by P. B. Kerr        The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak.         The 100-Year-Old Secret, by Tracy Barrett       Do you need a hook? Well, in today’s competitive market, it can definitely help. It’s a quick way to summarize your idea for an editor or agent, handy for writing conferences. So how do you figure out what yours is—or if you have one?
One option is comparisons—I So Don’t Do Mysteries was described as Nancy Drew with a Devil Meets Prada makeover by the publisher sales team trying to sell the book to bookstores and libraries. After Die Hard, action movies were often described as “Die Hard on a plane” or “Die Hard on a boat.”
On the jacket flap, books often used an “except” or “but” twist. The second part is the twist on a common plot. — A woman thinks her ex-husband is going to try to kill her, but he kidnaps her daughter instead.
If your book isn’t trendy, don’t despair. What hooks the reader is individual to that reader. Some may read any book set in a certain time or place, or love talking animals. Don’t try to make your book sound like it fits some hot trend, if it doesn’t. Instead try to hook your readers. Who are your target readers, and what will draw them to this book?
A good hook is simple and short—sometimes it’s referred to as a one-sentence synopsis or an elevator pitch (from the idea that you might have 30 seconds in an elevator to grab an editor’s attention). It’s not long-winded, where you are trying to cram everything into one run-on sentence. The hook doesn’t necessarily tell you the plot, but it gives you the flavor of the book and arouses interest. It may be simply the premise.

For example: In TheAccidental Detective humorous mystery series , a wittyjournalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turningfifty. 

This sentence identifies the MC as a journalist turning fifty, it says she'll solve crimes, and it identifies the setting of Arizona. "Witty" suggests this will be humorous (as does calling the series a "humorous mystery series"). 
There is no specific plot in that series pitch. Here's the pitch for Book 1, Something Shady at Sunshine Haven: 

When patients aredying at an Alzheimer’s unit, a former war correspondent must use herjournalism skills to uncover the killer and save her mother. 
That sentence identifies the MC and her challenge, with high stakes, since her mother is one of the people in danger. 
You can find books similar to yours on Amazon, Goodreads etc. and look at the first sentence of the book description, which may be in bold or italics. This is often a good hook. For example:

Fatima Tate Takes the Cake, by Khadijah VanBrakle: 
Fatima Tate wants to be a baker AND enjoy some innocent flirting with her hot friend Raheem—but her strict Muslim parents would never approve of either.

Bunnybirds #1, by Natalie Linn:
Princess Aster must leave home to discover why her people are disappearing—even if it means journeying over the rim of the world itself—in this animal fantasy graphic novel perfect for fans of blockbuster series like Warriors and Wings of Fire.

This works for picture books too.
Too Much: My Great Big Native Family, by Laurel Goodluck, illustrated by  Bridget George: 
A little boy wants a chance to shine on his own but discovers that being apart from his large and lively Native family isn’t necessarily better in this heartwarming and humorous picture book.

(Note that it can be risky to compliment your own work in a query. I might call my own book humorous, but I wouldn't claim it's "laugh out loud funny." Leave the big praise for marketing.)

EXERCISE: For practice, name a favorite or recent book—how would you describe it to a friend? Would you pick it up if you heard that description? Then check the opening of its marketing description. Is that a good hook? Why or why not? Try this a few times.
EXCERCISE: Write a simple synopsis of your work. Don’t worry about length or clarity. Jot down the who, what, when, where, and why. Now you have some idea of the most interesting and important aspects of the work. Turn it into a one-sentence synopsis with your hook.
To start focusing on your hook, ask, What is the conflict, in terms of X versus Y? Once you have your hook, you can expand upon that one-sentence pitch for a query letter or longer conversation. (Please note that it's better to have two or even three short, snappy sentences than one very long sentence where you try to cram in everything. A good hook is one you can remember and share verbally fairly easily, without worrying about getting exactly the right word in the right place.)
More examples:     In The Well of Sacrifice , a Mayan girl in ninth-century Guatemala rebels against the High Priest who sacrifices anyone challenging his power.       The Genie’s Gift : Shy, thirteen-year-old Anise resolves to find the Genie Shakayak and claim the Gift of Sweet Speech, but the journey is full of challenges, both ordinary and magical.      The Eyes of Pharaoh : When their friend disappears, Seshta and Horus spy on merchants, soldiers, and royalty,and start to suspect even The Eyes of Pharaoh, the powerful head of the secretpolice. 
      Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café : Kari doesn’thave time for love when she’s opening her new cat café. But when a sexymaster baker walks in, how can she resist?
     The Billionaire Cowboy’s Christmas : Carly has crushed on Josh for years, but when he wins afortune in the lottery, how can she prove she wants him for himself? 
     TheTeenage Adventures of Felony Melanie: Meet teen “Felony Melanie” years before the movie SweetHome Alabama and follow the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and theirfriends as teens in this fun-filled romantic comedy series. (This one is more vague, because it relies on the movie as the hook for the series. FYI, I cowrote this series with my brother who wrote the original screenplay for the movie, which is why we were legally able to do this.)More advice on writing a pitch:

How to Write aBook Pitch (and Why it Matters) at The Novelry.

Howto write a killer one sentence pitch (or logline) for novels and memoirs, byNathan Bransford

Howto Pitch a Book – Your Guide to Writing the Perfect Book Pitch, by AlyssaMatesic

Chris offers online, on-demand courses (start whenever you want and work atyour own pace) 

Advanced Plotting—Keep Those Pages Turning: Learnadvanced techniques that will make a decent plot dynamic. Take this onlinecourse at your own pace. It includes six videos plus handouts with notes andmore resources for $100.  GetAdvanced Plotting here.  

You Can Write for Children:Learn about children’s publishing—opportunities and challenges, genres, ageranges, book and magazine markets, and resources to keep you going. Watch thisthree-session video course at your own pace. It's five chapters for $60. Get YouCan Write for Children here. 

Educational Publishing: Make Money Writing for theEducational Market: Do you want to make money from writing? Are youwilling and able to write on assignment if given a topic, word count, gradelevel, and deadline? Then you may be perfect for educational work forhire! 7 chapters, 14 lessons, $150 or the $350 subscription optionlets you send your work to me for feedback. Get the Ed Pub course here.

The Ten-MinuteWriter offers short videos to help writers improvetheir craft quickly. See videos on The Promise of the First Chapter, FastStarts, Characters in Conflict, Secondary Characters, Villains, and a quickpeek at Cliffhangers. 

ChrisEboch is the author of over 100 books for children, including nonfiction andfiction, early reader through teen. Her novels for ages nine and upinclude The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; TheWell of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure used in many schools; and TheGenie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy. Her writing craft booksinclude  YouCan Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books forKids and Teenagers , and  AdvancedPlotting . Learn more at  chriseboch.com . 

Chris writes mystery and romance for adults as Kris Bock. Learn more at KrisBock.com. In theAccidental Detective series, a witty journalistsolves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. TheFurrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. In the AccidentalBillionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranchingfamily wins a fortune in the lottery, which causes as many problems as itsolves. Signup for the Kris Bock Mystery and Romance newsletter and get a free Accidental Detective short story and bonus material, afree 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café,and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas JEboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. TheTeenage Adventures of Felony Melanie follows thecrazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events ofthe movie. Signup for the romanticcomedy newsletter to get a short story preview

Speech to text app for phone or computer: only $39 for lifetime use! See how well it worked with a sample I dictated. #amwriting #writing

I've been using voice recognition for about twenty years. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is the gold standard, but it's expensive and only really works well on my desktop computer. I've struggled with it on my laptop and I don't think there's a phone app. Even on the desktop, I have to shut down and restart after dictating a couple of pages, or the Dragon files get so big they crash the computer.

I decided to try this new app, Flipner AI, to see if I could use it on my phone for speech to text. It's only $39 for lifetime use right now (versus $150-200 for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and you may have to buy a new version to get future updates), and it works better than other dictation apps I've tried. Plus I can dictate on my phone and then go to to the app my computer, where I can download or copy the text and paste it into my document! This makes it much easier to move from phone dictation to a draft on my computer than anything else I've tried.

You can also use the AI function to rewrite the text. I wouldn't recommend anything other than the original transcript or the slightly cleaned up "Clear and Simple" style, but it's entertaining to see the other versions. Here's an example:

Original transcript:

The garage door was open in the house across the street period. Two people got into a car and backed out period. It was hard to get a good look at them through the glare on the windows period. The garage door closed and they drove off down the street period. They're acting like it's their house Bob grumbled.

Note: Obviously I don't need to dictate the periods; I'm just used to dictating punctuation with Dragon. I tried some other text and it did a good job of figuring out where the punctuation should be, although it did not use proper paragraphing for dialogue. But basically this worked very well to get down a rough draft of a scene, which I can clean up later!

Simple & Clear style:

The garage door was open at the house across the street. Two people got into a car and backed out. Because of the glare on the windows, it was hard to see them clearly. The garage door then closed, and they drove off down the street. "They're acting like it's their house," Bob grumbled.

Note: You can see that it cleaned up the punctuation and recognized dialogue. It made a few minor changes, which I could either keep or go back to my original. I always edit my dictation anyway, so I can use the version that's closest to what I want to say and tweak it.

Then it has additional styles, including...

Conversational & Friendly style:

So, let me tell you what happened earlier today. I was just hanging out, minding my own business, when I noticed that the garage door at the house across the street was wide open. You know, the one with the blue shutters? Anyway, I saw two people getting into a car that was parked inside the garage. They backed out slowly, but the glare on the windows made it really tough to see who they were. I squinted and tried to get a better look, but no luck. Then, just like that, the garage door started closing, and they drove off down the street. 

Bob, who was standing next to me, couldn't help but grumble, "They're acting like it's their house."

Output snippet in Fictional storytelling style:

The portal to the domicile across the thoroughfare stood ajar, revealing a glimpse of the world within. A duo of figures, shrouded in mystery, embarked upon a metallic steed, their forms barely discernible through the harsh, reflective sheen of the glass panes. With a mechanical groan, the gateway sealed itself, swallowing the secrets it had briefly exposed. The vehicle, now a vessel of enigma, retreated from its berth, disappearing into the labyrinth of the urban jungle. "They parade around as if they own the place," Bob muttered, his voice a low rumble of discontent.

So I'd call Flipner AI worthwhile, and the simple and clear style seems useful. But let's not bring back 19th-century "fictional storytelling"!

Learn more about Flipner AI (affiliate link).

Kris Bock writesromance, mystery, and suspense. In TheAccidental Detective humorous mystery series , a wittyjournalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turningfifty.

Inthe AccidentalBillionaire Cowboys series , a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery. Whowouldn't want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as manyproblems as it solves. Her Furrever Friends SweetRomance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in lovewith each other and shelter cats.

Signup for the Kris Bocknewsletter and get a free 30-page story set in the world of the FurreverFriends cat café, a printable copy of recipes from the cat café, and an AccidentalDetective short story. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets,announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Krisalso writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrotethe original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The FelonyMelanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends adecade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romanticcomedy newsletter to get ashort story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers .

Learnmore at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’sAmazon US page or Amazon UKpage.(For other countries click here.)

Authors and influencers won't want to miss the $39 Depositphotos deal! #Marketing #indieauthors #selfpublishing #ContentCreator

 

The Depositphotos deal is back for a limited time! Only $39 for 100 photo/vector downloads from Depositphotos (this never expires). Choose from 270 million+ royalty-free images

Get the deal here.

I've used this for self published book covers as well as social media posts. I find it has a good selection and is much more safe and reliable (in terms of proper licensing) than the completely free places. 

Image from DP

It has both photos and illustrations, and you can search for photos with no people or a certain number of people, and identify the gender, age range, and ethnicity. It also has flat lays – images shot from above with carefully arranged objects like flowers or holiday items, with space in the middle to add your book cover or text.

Now it's added an AI generator, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your current views, but obviously you don't have to use it. I asked if it was possible to exclude AI generated images from the search and got this response: "We do not accept AI-generated images from our authors. So you can feel free to browse the collection. If you have any doubts about any image, you may provide its ID so we can check it with the content team to be 100% sure."

Cover and flat lay images from Depositphotos

This is by far one of the best deals out there for authors or anyone producing a lot of social media! You can even stack it to double or triple the number of images you get and make sure you have enough for years.

Get the deal here.

Cliffhangers: Keep the Pages Turning! A workshop for writers, via @SavvyAuthors #writing #amwriting #writerslife #writingworkshop

Cliffhangers: Keep the Pages Turning!  

A cliffhanger chapter ending can add impact to a dramatic scene and leave the reader desperate to find out what happens next. Learn how to identify your best cliffhanger moments and make them even more dramatic through pacing and paragraphing. Even when you have to end at a quieter moment, you can drive the story forward by leaving your character—and the reader—with a sense of anticipation or worry.

This online forum workshop runs April 1-15. Register by March 25th and save $5.

All types of writing can use cliffhanger chapter/scene endings. Learn how to:

· Focus on suspense, not surprise

· Slow the pace for a cliffhanger chapter endings

· Use sensory details with an emotional impact

· Cliffhangers work even in quiet moments

· Review your chapters and ask if you’re stopping in the right place

· Use short paragraphs and sentences for impact

Sign up at SavvyAuthors

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance novels, many with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In  The Accidental Detective humorous mystery series , a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Kris’s romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Readers have called these novels "Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel" and novels “Like Nancy Drew for grown-ups.” 

The Furrever Friends Cat Café Sweet Romance series  features the employees and customers at a cat café.
In  the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series , a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, which causes as many problems as it solves. 
The Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels, written with scriptwriter Douglas Eboch, star the characters from the movie Sweet Home Alabama as teenagers. Learn more at  www.krisbock.com . 

Kris also writes for young people as Chris Eboch, with over 100 published books: chriseboch.com/. 

Herwriting craft books include Advanced Plotting and YouCan Write for Children: Howto Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers.

Writer and Reader Comfort: tools to make writing time easier (part 4) #amwriting #writinglife #reader #booklover #christmasgift #holidaygiftguide

I wrote this post in April but thought it could be helpful as people look for holiday gifts. Get these for the writers or readers in your life!
If you are a writer – or if you work at any job that keepsyou at a desk all day – you may be dealing with pain in the spine. I’ve beencollecting and sharing items my writer friends and I use for managing,soothing, or eliminating that pain.

My friend Teresa says, "I can work only at atable—doesn’t have to be big but it must be a table which makes the laptopmonitor low and that hurts my neck… so for at least eight years I’ve used aroost laptop holder—collapses down to about four 12 inch sticks stuck together,comes with a small bag carrying case." This RoostLaptop Stand is well rated, but you can also find cheaper versions, andI think the   Adjustable Laptop Table  I mentioned a previous post wouldalso work for this.

Meanwhile, my friend Kimberly has been dealing with severehip pain. She says, “I bought aNaipo hand-held electric cord massager about 5 years ago that really helps if Iuse it for at least 10 minutes, the tight muscles will relax enough so that Ican sleep.” I didn’t find the Naipo, but Amazon has tons of Massage Guns at various prices. Be sure to check outthe reviews! Kimberly recommends using a heating pad to warm your muscles before using the massager.

Siting at a desk can contribute to CirculationProblems While Working, as this article shows. Be sure you get up andmove every hour! You might also find some ways to reduce the strain on yourbody at your desk.

Standing desks let you switchbetween standing and sitting without even leaving your desk. You can schedulean alarm to remind you to switch – or do some stretches. While there are veryexpensive options, some of these are around $100.

If you’re standing while you work, you probably want an Anti-Fatigue Mat .These help cushion your feet to reduce foot and joint pain. They’re good if youdo a lot of standing in the kitchen as well! They come in several designs and some fun styles. 

You can also try changing your chair. I mentioned some options in a previous post, but you might try a kneeling chair, balance ball chair, orergonomic stool for “active sitting,” which engages your muscles more topromote core muscle strength, good posture, and blood circulation. Here are someActive Sitting Chair options.

Teresa also recommended the Desk Cycle Ellipse , which sitsunder your desk so you can peddle while you work. What a great way to burncalories, build up leg strength, and keep your blood moving! It has greatreviews, with almost 1800 ratings and a 4.7-star average.

Ihope you find something here that makes your life easier. Check out the previous postson “Writer and Reader Comfort” and  “Comfort at Your Desk” as well. I may have more as I discover useful tools for writersand readers! Feel free to drop your favorites in the comments. As an AmazonAssociate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kris Bockwrites novels of mystery, suspense, and romance. In theAccidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles thechallenges of turning fifty. Kris’s Furrever Friends Sweet Romanceseries features the employeesand customers at a cat café. In the AccidentalBillionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, whichcauses as many problems as it solves. Sign up for the Kris Bock Mystery and Romance newsletter and get a free AccidentalDetective short story and bonus material, a free30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café, and aprintable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.

Krisalso writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrotethe original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The FelonyMelanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends adecade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get ashort story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Kris has over 100 books for children published under the namesChris Eboch and M. M. Eboch. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventureused in many schools; and The Genie’sGift, a middle eastern fantasy. Jesse Owens:Young Record Breaker and Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier areinspiring biographies focused on them as children and young men.

Writer and Reader Comfort: Easing Neck Pain- tools to make writing and reading time easier. #amwriting #writinglife #reader #booklover #christmasgift #holidaygiftguide

I wrote this post in April but thought it could be helpful as people look for holiday gifts. Get these for the writers or readers in your life!
At a recent writer’s retreat, we all shared the tools we used to make our writing and reading time more comfortable. It’s amazing all the things you never knew existed that you desperately need! It’s not mere shopping mania though – these tools can help keep you comfortable so you can write your next masterpiece or simply read for hours. 

Imade previous posts on “Writerand Reader Comfort” and “Comfortat Your Desk.” Today I’m covering items that can relieve or preventneck pain.

Easing Neck Pain

Youcan find dozens of pillows designed to relax your neck and keep its naturalcurve. There are more expensive versions, but a simple tube works surprisinglywell. One of the retreat attendees sleeps on it, whether sleeping on her backor on her side. I use mine for a few minutes before bed and a few minutes inthe morning and that’s enough to help work out the knots.  Cervical Neck Roll Memory Foam Pillow

Thisone’s more complicated, with a firmer foam to support your neck. It has over60,000 ratings and a 4.2-star average! At the time of this writing is on salefor $20, which seems like a great bargain if it might help relieve chronic neckpain: RESTCLOUD Neck and Shoulder Relaxer 

Thisone is designed specifically for sleeping. How old is your current pillow? Maybeit’s time for an upgrade. This claims to work for people who sleep on theirsides, back, or stomach. With over 40,000 ratings, clearly neck pain andsleeping well are big problems:  Elviros Cervical Memory Foam Pillow for Sleeping

Andhere’s a version you can twist into different shapes. You can use it as aregular cervical pillow at night, wrap it around your neck while napping on aplane, or bend one side up to cushion your head against the window if you’re acar passenger. Plus a comes in multiple colors! Twist Memory Foam Travel Pillow 

And finally, if you still need somepain relief, this gel offers topical relief. I used to get it from my parentswhen they bought it in Mexico or got a prescription. Now you can get it overthe counter! It’s a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory gel that people use forarthritis, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain. It doesn’t erase the pain butit quickly knocks it down a couple of notches: Voltaren Arthritis Pain Gel 

I hope you find something here that makes your life easier. Check out my previous post on tools for comfort, and I have more coming up with useful tools for writers and readers! Feel free to drop your favorites in the comments. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kris Bockwrites novels of mystery, suspense, and romance. In theAccidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles thechallenges of turning fifty. Kris’s FurreverFriends Sweet Romance series features the employeesand customers at a cat café. In the AccidentalBillionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, whichcauses as many problems as it solves. Sign up for the Kris Bock Mystery and Romance newsletter and get a free short story and bonus material, a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the FurreverFriends cat café, and

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas JEboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama.The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and theirfriends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get ashort story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Kris has over 100 books for children published under the namesChris Eboch and M. M. Eboch. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventureused in many schools; and The Genie’sGift, a middle eastern fantasy. Jesse Owens:Young Record Breaker and Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier areinspiring biographies focused on them as children and young men.

Writer and Reader Comfort Part 2: Comfort at Your Desk - tools to make writing and reading time easier. #amwriting #writinglife #reader #booklover #christmasgift #holidaygiftguide

I wrote this post in April but thought it could be helpful as people look for holiday gifts. Get these for the writers or readers in your life!
I was recently at a writer’s retreat where we spent an evening sharing the tools we found to make our writing and readingtime easier. I decided others mightappreciate learning about some of these tools. I’ve also added a couple more ofmy own favorites. ( See part 1 of Writer and Reader Comfort here .)

Comfort at Your Desk

If you spend a lot of timeat your desk, a good chair is invaluable. I ordered the OFM ESS Collection Racing Style Bonded Leather Gaming Chair in 2020. I like the padded seat, armrests that can go up out of the way, adjustable height and swivel. It’s “currently unavailable,” but this one is similar:Racing Style Gaming Chair 

This version has attached lumbar and neck support and is surprisinglyaffordable (on sale for about $60 as of this writing): High-Back Gaming Office Chair 

And here’s the “Executive” version if you're feeling fancy: Homall Executive Gaming Chair 

A good keyboard is also key for writers. I was having painin my right shoulder, likely due to reaching out to use the rollerball mouse.This left-handed keyboard has the number keypad on the left side, which allowsme to keep my mouse closer on the right side. (I’m not actually left-handed.The primary difference is the position of the number keypad.) Getting used toany new configuration takes a little time but is worth it in the long run. Ergonomic Left Handed Keyboard 

If you don’t have a problem with the number keypad positionbut suffer from pain in your hands or wrists, you might prefer a split keyboard.I used this one until I decided to get the left-handed keyboard: Ergonomic Split Keyboard 

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this seat cushion,and I think most of the people at the writing retreat ordered their own. I havechronic back pain and can’t bear to sit on hard furniture. If you get one thing on thislist, I recommend this! WAOAW Seat Cushion 

I wanted something I could take with me when I might be required to sit on a hard chair. Yes, I bring this to friends’ houses and I used it at the writing retreat not only at the desk in my room but at the dining room table. It’s so nice I also use it on my padded desk chair. My husband ordered one too. 

Or if you need more lumbar support, check out the pillow combosthat have a back section as well as a seat cushion. Here’s an example:  Everlasting Comfort Seat Cushion and Lumbar Support Pillow Combo

It's important to take care of our backs. That might mean yoga, visiting a chiropractor or acupuncturist, pain relief, or some combination of those things. It should also mean making sure you have a great ergonomic desk set up. 

Good ergonomics means you should also have your desk andchair at the right height so your feet are comfortably on the floor. It’s noteasy to change the height of a desk, however. Instead you can use a footrest.The first one I ordered was a little too high for my setup, so I passed it onto my husband. This shape adds a bit more flexibility: Everlasting Comfort Foot Rest for Under Desk 

I hope you find something here that makes your life easier. Check out my previous post on tools for comfort, and I’ll be back with a post on “Easing Neck Pain,” and possibly more as I discover useful tools for writers and readers! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kris Bockwrites novels of mystery, suspense, and romance. In theAccidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles thechallenges of turning fifty. Kris’s FurreverFriends Sweet Romance series features the employeesand customers at a cat café. In the AccidentalBillionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, whichcauses as many problems as it solves. Sign up for the Kris Bock Mystery and Romance newsletter and get a free short story and bonus material, a free 30-page sweet romance set in the world of the FurreverFriends cat café, and

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas JEboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama.The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and theirfriends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get ashort story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Kris has over 100 books for children published under the namesChris Eboch and M. M. Eboch. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventureused in many schools; and The Genie’sGift, a middle eastern fantasy. Jesse Owens:Young Record Breaker and Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier areinspiring biographies focused on them as children and young men.

Writer and Reader Comfort: tools to make writing and reading time easier. #amwriting #writinglife #reader #booklover #holidaygiftguide #christmasgift

I wrote this post in April but thought it could be helpful as people look for holiday gifts. Get these for the writers or readers in your life!
I was recently at a writer’s retreat where we spent a little time one evening sharing the tools we found to make our writing and reading time easier. People enthusiastically took pictures and made notes so they could grab these items – most under $40 – when they got home. I decided others might appreciate learning about some of these tools. I’ve also added a couple more of my own favorites. 

Writer and Reader Comfort 

This  Adjustable Laptop Table  inspired the whole conversation. The adjustable legs mean you can use it over your lap on the couch or you can turn a table into a standing desk. I ordered one immediately after coming home. (You can find a lot of other options if you prefer certain materials or styles, but note that some of them have a flat base rather than legs that can straddle a lap. Also, the width of the legs might not work for every lap size.)  
Here's a picture of the box that shows various configurations:

Next up, I got this  Pillow Foam Stand Holder  as a gift a couple of years ago and I love it. My mom loves hers too. It holds an e-reader, iPad or tablet at a nice angle for reading, so you don’t have to hold it in your hands and you don’t strain your neck as much as you would with it down in your lap. I keep mine on a pile of pillows on the couch to keep it at eye height. I like this royal blue color, but scroll down and you’ll see lots of options for different styles and designs, including some fun animal heads “for children” (but I won’t judge if you need a sloth, unicorn, or monster book holder for yourself)! 

If you prefer print books, you’ll be better off with a stand that has built-in clips to hold the pages flat when the book is open. I haven’t tried this  LUXURISM Adjustable Book Stand , but it says it’s a cookbook holder, so it should work for most books and magazines. 

And if you do want to try an e-reader, I have the  Amazon Fire HD 10 inch tablet . The battery lasts for many hours if it’s on airplane mode, I can take dozens of books with me when I travel, and I can adjust the font size to make it easier on my aging eyes. In addition, it’s often cheaper to buy e-books than print books, and you can get books from the library and have them delivered to your Kindle – no need to stop in to pick up your holds! 

Finally, this Electric Kettle might not seem like a “writing tool” but writers and readers who like a nice cup of tea will appreciate the speed and temperature accuracy of an electric kettle. They’re so inexpensive and really handy. This one comes in funcolors, but there are others that give you different temperature options, whichmight be best if you drink green, white, and oolong teas that should brew atdifferent temperatures.

I hope you find something fabulous here that makes your lifeeasier. I also have posts on “Comfort at Your Desk,” “Easing Neck Pain,”and possibly more as I discover useful tools for writers and readers! As an AmazonAssociate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Kris Bockwrites novels of mystery, suspense, and romance. In theAccidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries inArizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. Kris’s Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series featuresthe employees and customers at a cat café. In the AccidentalBillionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in thelottery, which causes as many problems as it solves. Sign up for the Kris Bock Mystery andRomance newsletter andget a free and bonus material, a free30-page sweet romance set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café, and a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat cafénovels.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas JEboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama.The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and theirfriends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romanticcomedy newsletter to get a short story preview, or find the books atAmazon US or All E-book retailers.

Kris has over 100 books for children published under the names ChrisEboch and M. M. Eboch. Her novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventureused in many schools; and The Genie’sGift, a middle eastern fantasy. Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker and Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier are inspiring biographies focused on them aschildren and young men.

Bios Made Easy: Tips for writing the perfect author bio for each purpose #amwriting #writing #writetip #writelife #author

Writersneed bios, for query letters, on websites, for conference brochures. If we arewriters surely we can write about ourselves. Yet while coordinating writingconferences, I discovered that even published authors often write poor bios, whetherthrough modesty, carelessness, or overwriting. Many bios are entertaining, but don’tdo their job.

Thejob is selling yourself and your books. Keep that focus in mind and the restwill follow.

Content: List the genreyou write and perhaps name a couple of your publications. If you have manypublished books, you can mention the number but only go into detail with two orthree – perhaps the mostrecent or popular. Specify the genre, as titles aren’t always clear bythemselves. If you don’t have published books, mention your other credentials –“Cub Newshound’s articles appear in Slate,”for example.

Don’tget carried away listing awards. If each book has four or five minor awards,the reader bogs down in dull details. List the most prestigious, or combinethem – “Ms. Inkslinger’s books havereceived five Readers’ Choice Awards from various states.”

Relevancy: If someone isconsidering buying your book or signing up to hear you speak, they want to knowyour success as a writer or speaker, not the names of your pets. Put yourprofessional information first. Don’tstart with your hobbies or childhood, unless something directly relates to yourbook. (For example, you’re a nurse and you wrote a hospital drama or you haveseven cats and you write mysteries featuring cats.) Don’t thank your family fortheir support. Save that for your book dedications.

There’sanother reason to put the key informationup front. If you are submitting news to a media site or a quick bio to aconference coordinator, the editor may cut to save space. Make it easy for themto keep the first couple of sentences and cut the rest.

Style: You may needdifferent bios for different uses – playful on a book flap; professional for anewspaper article; focused on teaching experience for a conference catalog;praising your popularity with readers for a book signing. Regardless, focus oninformation. Humor and lively writing are fine, but don’t get too wrapped up insounding “literary.”

Ina large conference brochure, the designer probably wants consistent style. Atouch of formality may be appropriate – you’re trying to portray yourself as aprofessional. Pretend you’re someone else writing about you in the thirdperson. “Bard Wordsmith is anaward-winning author….” For a query letter, use first person. A website couldgo either way, but be consistent.

Length: Keep it shortand to the point. If your bio will stand alone, on an individual brochure orflyer, try 100-200 words. If your bio will appear along with others, 50-100words is plenty (or whatever they request). Many people will skim anyway.Include your website for more information.

Ikeep several versions and cut and paste as needed. A longer bio may have asentence or two about each of my series. A shorter one may focus on a singleseries or provide general info on the kind of books I write. If I’m promoting my critiquing/editingbusiness, I would focus on my experience as a teacher and workshop leader,noting that people can get recommendations and rates on my website. The detailsdepend on what I’m trying to sell.

For example:

Kris Bock writes romance,mystery, and suspense. (Seven words)

Sweet romance bio under 150 words:

Kris Bock writes romance, mystery, and suspense. In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery. Who wouldn't want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.

Kris also writes aseries with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the originalscreenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. TheFelony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends adecade before the events of the movie.

Get a free 10,000-wordstory set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up forthe Kris Bock newsletter. Learn more at www.krisbock.com.(142 words)

Mystery Bio under 100 words:

Kris Bock has lived in ten states and one foreigncountry but is now firmly planted in the Southwest, where many of her books areset. In the Accidental Detective series ,a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges ofturning fifty. Kris’s romantic suspense novels feature outdooradventures and Southwestern landscapes. Readers have called these novels"Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel." Learn more at www.krisbock.com or sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get afree Accidental Detective story and more. (88 words)

If I’m promoting my children’s books, Ihave a different set of bios for that name. I can also include the followingwith my Kris Bock bio if I’m targeting writers:

Kris writes forchildren under the name Chris Eboch. She is the author of two books on thecraft of writing, Advanced Plottingand You Can Write for Children: How toWrite Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers. Learn moreat chriseboch.com. Check out her self-paced writing classes or The Ten-Minute Writer series on YouTube. (58 words)

In somecircumstances, I might mention that I live in New Mexico and enjoy hiking, orthat my husband and I keep ferrets. Those are nice personal tidbits, but theydon’t prove I’m writing books people want to read.

Any of theseoptions keep the bio to under 200 words. I want to make sure I’m including linksto learn more if it’s going somewhere online, and beat simplest version of mywebsite URL if it’s in print.

For a digitalsite, I might give readers the direct links to Amazon in the United States andAmazon in the United Kingdom, plus a “genius” link that will take people totheir local site. That means fewer clicks before someone has a chance to buy mybooks.

Sowhat about you?

Toget started, make a list of the facts that you want to share. Then write asimple, straightforward paragraph that includes them. Next, decide if it’sappropriate to dress it up, but as in all good writing, communication comesfirst.

Earn Money with Educational Publishing: A free #WritingWorkshop to get you started! #amwriting #writing #teachers

Earn Money with Educational Publishing

Nov 19, 2023, 8 AM PST, 11 AM EST, 4 PM GMT: Online event sponsored by SCBWI International Central.
FREE to SCBWI premium members. A recording will be made available to registered participants.
Do you want to make money from writing? Are you willing and able to write on assignment if given a topic, word count, grade level, and deadline? Then you may be perfect for educational work for hire!  
Chris Eboch , author of over 100 books for children, will provide an overview of Educational Publishing: What is it? Why would you do it? What are the pros and cons? What makes a good work-for-hire writer?
Find out if this work is a good fit for you, and how to get started in the field. Register here .