Elena Hartwell's Blog, page 58

Show Vs Tell or Active Vs Passive Writing

Show vs Tell: What are agents and editors referring to with this “issue” in a manuscript?

In my humble opinion . . .

Show vs Tell can also be understood by thinking about active vs passive writing or writing with the reader and writing at the reader. Here’s what I mean by those three things.

Show vs Tell

On a very basic level, to show a reader something is to provide all the information a reader needs to understand a description or event. To tell a reader something is to spell out the description or event.

For example:

Tell: She was angry.

Show: She threw the pot at his head.

In the first example, I state in no uncertain terms the character’s emotional state. In the second, I don’t state she’s angry, but I have provided enough information for the writer to infer her emotional state.

That’s the most basic level of show vs tell.

Active vs Passive Writing

Another way to think about Show vs Tell is Active vs Passive Writing.

This is a more complex way to think about the concept, but I think it’s useful to come at most things from more than one direction.

Active writing requires the reader to do some of the work to understand the situation, description, or action. Passive writing requires nothing of the reader outside following the narrative.

In other words, if a reader knows that a woman has bruises and flinches when her husband slams the door as he comes home, the reader can infer that he’s abusive, but it requires that they extrapolate that from the material. If, however, the writer states: he was an abusive husband, the reader isn’t required to deduce the situation, it’s spelled out.

Writing with the Reader vs Writing at the Reader

The third way I want to define Show vs Tell is the concept of Writing with the Reader and Writing at the Reader.

This is the most nuanced way of thinking about Show vs. Tell.

To write with the reader means that the author is walking alongside the reader as they move through the material. The writer provides the context and the world of the narrative, but the reader must work with the writer to understand all the subtleties and meaning in the story.

Writing at the Reader means the reader has all the information laid out in front of them and isn’t engaging in a “dialogue” with the writer to understand the events.

Writing with the Reader defines those moments when the thoughts of the writer and the thoughts of the reader are working together to create meaning.

When to Show and When to Tell

That leads to the question, when do we need to show and when do we need to tell?

On the most basic level, active scenes are show, transitions are tell.

On a more complex level, show and tell work hand-in-hand to move the reader seamlessly through the narrative with enough signposts to make the journey clear, but enough active writing to keep the reader engaged.

On a more nuanced level, show and tell makes reading a book a shared experience, where the reader integrates the concepts of the writer as if they are on the journey with them.

Manuscripts need both Show and Tell, woven together to create an engaging, dynamic, and thought-provoking narrative.

Want to learn more about Elena’s thoughts on writing? Check out her free, livestream, Wednesday morning (9am PT) Writing Workshops, by clicking the link here.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

Camera image by mohamed_hassan on Pixabay

Blank page image by geralt on Pixabay.

Swordsman photo by sasint on Pixabay.

The post Show Vs Tell or Active Vs Passive Writing appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Romantic Suspense: On the Run by Traci Hunter Abramson

Romantic Suspense author Traci Hunter Abramson launches her latest novel, On the Run.

Romantic Suspense Book Blast!

Scroll down to read an excerpt.

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Romantic Suspense: On the Run

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Published by: Covenant Communications

Publication Date: October 2020

Number of Pages: 296

ISBN: 9781524412487

Series: Guardian #4

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

As one of the top investigative journalists in the nation, Elle Jameson has a knack for uncovering the truth. So when a promising lead points to corruption on a German military base, Elle anticipates a straightforward assignment. But then she stumbles upon a deadly conspiracy beyond anything she’s faced before, and her scrutiny does not go unnoticed. She knows too much, and she can’t be allowed to live. With no idea where to turn for help, she does the only thing she can: she runs.

The guardians, an elite team of undercover agents, have one job: safeguard those under their protection. As a new guardian, Nolan has just received his first solo assignment to help a young woman who just survived an assassination attempt. Within minutes of making contact with the beautiful journalist, however, their location is discovered. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse spanning the globe as the two work to stay ahead of a determined assassin. Nolan fights to buy Elle time to complete her investigation, and what she discovers is a plot that threatens the very fabric of America. In a desperate race against evil, Nolan and Elle are the only ones who can prevent global catastrophe.

Excerpt: On the Run

Elle weaved her way through the Saturday crowd at the street market, listening to the various conversations flowing around her. Since arriving in Germany three weeks ago, she had looked forward to exploring the local scenery and visiting the cities near her new assignment. If only today she had time to enjoy the environment . . . and the shops.

A brisk wind whipped through Elle’s long, blonde hair. A few autumn leaves drifted onto the sidewalk. She tugged her overcoat tighter around her, then stuffed her hands in her pockets to protect them against the chill, not bothering to put her gloves on.

She passed various customers, picking up on snippets of their conversations.

Two women discussed what kind of fish to buy for dinner, and an older couple looked over a variety of apples at the fruit stand. At the neighboring booth, a handful of tourists chatted in English as they debated whether some glassware would make it safely home to Canada.

Elle wished she could worry about such trivialities, but she doubted that would happen anytime soon. 

Something was wrong with the latest reports on the new drone project. She was sure of it.

When her uncle had sent her undercover as an army lieutenant, she had expected to find some evidence of misappropriation of funds or missing supplies, but uncovering a possible unauthorized access to highly sensitive material lifted her investigative senses to a new level. This wasn’t a story to be written. If her suspicions were right, this was espionage.

For three weeks now, she had set aside her true identity of investigative journalist and had acted under her alias of Lieutenant Elaina Martin to send her suspicions up the chain of command. Unfortunately, no one wanted to listen to a lowly lieutenant in a sea of colonels, especially when that lieutenant was a bean counter. She really needed to talk to her uncle about promoting her the next time he sent her undercover as an officer. Of course, no one would believe she was a colonel at twenty-seven, so she supposed her age was going to handicap her for a while longer.

Her assignment to Germany was supposed to be her opportunity to take a break from high-profile cases for a while, a chance to rest and recover from nearly six months of undercover work in the Middle East. 

Unfortunately, her first day on the job, she had stumbled across an anomaly that, despite weeks of research, she still couldn’t explain.

When she tried to discuss the problem with her commanding officer, she had been told the program supervisor had everything under control. Colonel Doyle’s assurances didn’t change the facts. Someone without clearance had accessed the developmental software for the new unmanned aircraft prototype, a prototype that could fly undetected by radar. She didn’t need to be an aeronautical engineer to know that the software in the wrong hands could be deadly.

With no one in her unit taking her concerns seriously, she had reached out to the only person she’d known outside her unit whom she could trust with classified information: her sister Abby.

If Abby couldn’t figure out what was going on, Elle didn’t know who could.

The woman had a knack for seeing what other people missed. Elle should know.

Had it not been for Abby, the theft of weapons at Edwards Air Force Base would have put Elle before a court martial instead of the corporal who had tried to frame her.

The incident had opened Elle’s eyes to what she really wanted to do with her life. Abby had spent her years since college protecting their country by keeping secrets, and Elle wanted to protect their freedoms by revealing the secrets that, when kept, could create their own kind of danger, so she’d been working as an investigative journalist ever since.

Elle reached the designated café and stepped inside. Most of the round tables were occupied, the seats positioned so the customers could look out the wide window and watch the world go by. Deeper inside the restaurant, Abby waited for her at a table in the far corner.

Elle weaved her way past several waiters until she reached her sister. When Abby stood, Elle gave her a hug. “Abby, thanks for meeting me.”

“You said it was important. From what you sent me, I think it is.”

Elle sat beside Abby, then reached into her oversized purse to retrieve a file folder. “I brought you documentation.”

Abby took the folder and opened it in front of her. “What am I looking at?”

“The download logs for the new drone software.”

“And?”

Elle scooted her chair closer and pointed at the area of concern. “According to command, this software is still in the final testing stage. The only people who should be accessing the files are the programmers.” 

She tapped on a list of the approved personnel. “Kamile Frost, Dennis Cleveland, and Lance Finney are all listed over here.”

“Then who is this?” Abby asked, pointing to the three access codes used during the night shift.

“That’s what I want to know. Whoever it is only downloads the updates after everyone else is gone for the day.”

“Talk about suspicious.”

“I thought so too.”

A waiter approached with a carafe of water, slices of lemon floating inside.

He filled both of their glasses. “Have you had time to look over the menu?”

Elle opened hers, quickly narrowing the options to what she could eat without triggering her allergies to citrus, tomatoes, and pork. After they both gave their orders and the waiter left, Elle pulled a water bottle from her purse and took a sip.

“I see you still come prepared.”

“Yeah. It’s such a pain that so many restaurants serve their water with lemon.”

Elle didn’t know how Abby had escaped all the food allergies in the family, while Elle appeared to have received a double dose.

Abby sipped her water and tapped her finger on the file folder. “I assume you brought your concerns to the attention of your CO.”

“Colonel Doyle didn’t seem the least bit interested in my concerns.”

“Did he have an explanation?”

“No. He just said the program manager would have said something if there were a problem. Apparently, everyone up the chain of command agrees with Colonel Doyle because no one seems concerned that a top-secret program might have been jeopardized,” Elle said.

“And no one told you who else is accessing it?”

“No. I thought with your resources, you could figure it out.”

“That’s easy enough. When I get back to the office, I’ll look up the access code and see who it belongs to.” Abby lifted her glass and took another long swallow. “I can’t guarantee I can tell you the name.”

“I realize you can’t share classified information, but you would at least be able to tell if this person is cleared on the project.”

“I can do that,” Abby said. “I’m not sure I’ll find anything beyond what the project supervisor would have noticed.”

“Maybe not, but after what happened at Edwards, I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“The theft of those weapons wasn’t your fault. Adams created such a good paper trail, no one could have been expected to know it wasn’t real.”

“The auditor did.”

“An auditor who has thirty years of experience and was specifically looking for potential thefts,” Abby countered. “Besides, if it was something you should have caught in your ordinary course of business, he wouldn’t have made a point of clearing you.”

“But I sensed something wasn’t right. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.”

“Which is why we’re sitting here now.”

Elle shrugged. “I’m sorry if I seem paranoid.”

“Not paranoid. Cautious,” Abby corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Whatever you call it, I appreciate your help.” Elle took another sip from her water bottle.

Abby cleared her throat. “How have you liked being stationed here in Germany?”

“It’s been good. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to practice speaking German much since so many people here speak English, but the language has come back faster than I’d expected.”

“I figured it would. You were speaking like a native when we lived here as kids.” Abby cleared her throat again and tugged at her scarf.

“So were you. I never realized how much we learned while Dad was stationed in Stuttgart.”

Abby opened her mouth to respond but, instead, coughed several times.

She reached for her water glass and took a swallow.

Elle leaned forward in her seat. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I have this tickle in my throat,” Abby said, promptly coughing again. “Must be the change in the weather. I got a cold last fall too.”

“I’ve been wondering how anyone survives the winters here.”

“You’re about to find out . . .” Abby’s words trailed off into another fit of coughs, then her face turned red, a panicked expression dominating her features.

“Abby!” Elle pushed out of her chair and circled to pat her sister on the back.

Even though Abby hadn’t eaten anything, her hands went to her throat as though she were choking.

The waiter was at their side in an instant and pulled Abby out of her chair to start the Heimlich maneuver.

“She hasn’t eaten anything. I think she’s having an allergic reaction.” Elle fumbled through her purse for her EpiPen. She flipped off the safety cap, pressed the tip to Abby’s thigh, and pushed the button to trigger the injection.

Almost immediately, Abby took a gasping breath.

“Here.” The waiter thrust a glass of water toward Abby. “Take a sip.”

“No.” Elle pushed the glass away and knelt beside Abby’s chair. “Are you okay?”

 Abby opened her mouth to speak only to begin another coughing fit.

Elle turned to the waiter. “Something’s wrong. Call an ambulance.”

A waitress approached, her phone in hand. “I already called. The ambulance will be here any minute.”

The waiter picked up the carafe from the table and refilled Abby’s glass. As soon as there was a break in the coughing, he offered the glass of water again.

“Are you sure you don’t want to give her something to drink?”

“Not until we figure out what caused this.”

Again, Abby tried to take a deep breath, but this time, her body trembled before being taken over by a seizure.

“Help me move her onto the floor.” Elle gripped Abby under her arms while the waiter helped ease her onto the carpet. Elle moved the closest chairs out of the way and knelt beside Abby.

“I’ll check on the ambulance,” the waiter said.

Elle sensed rather than saw the waiter head for the door. Helpless to do anything but wait, Elle fought for calm. “Hang on, Abby. Help is on the way.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before two ambulance attendants rushed through the door. Elle stood to give them room to work.

“What happened?” the paramedic asked in German.

“I don’t know,” Elle said, automatically responding in his language. “She started coughing and acting like she couldn’t breathe. I injected her with my EpiPen, and she got better for a few seconds. Then it started again. She started her seizure about a minute ago.”

Both paramedics knelt beside Abby, evaluating her.

“Does she have any known allergies?”

“No, and she was fine when I got here,” Elle said. “When she couldn’t breathe, the EpiPen was the only thing I could think of.”

Abby’s face paled, and her body stilled.

“I’ve lost her pulse,” one paramedic said.

Elle stepped back and watched the paramedics begin CPR and start Abby on oxygen. Adrenaline still pumping through her, Elle lowered herself into her chair. Minutes stretched out, the paramedics continuing the CPR, trading places every few minutes. They spoke with someone on the phone, the voices blurring with the background noise of the crowd who had been cleared out of the restaurant.

Tears flowed freely down Elle’s cheeks. She stood with her arms tightly folded, unable to do anything but watch and pray. She didn’t know how much time had passed when one paramedic tapped the other on the shoulder and shook his head. The paramedic not working on Abby sat beside Elle to confirm that the unbelievable had become the inevitable.

The one performing CPR gave one more chest compression and leaned back on his heels. His eyes lifted to meet Elle’s. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” The word escaped in a whisper. It couldn’t be. Elle stared at her sister’s lifeless body, waiting for any sign that she had misunderstood. Her heartbeat echoed in her head as though beating inside a deep tunnel.

“I’m so sorry.” The second paramedic put his hand on Elle’s arm.

Grief crashed over her, new tears forming. Her sister was gone. She was really gone.

“Can I get you something to drink? Maybe a glass of water?”

Elle shook her head, and her gaze swept over the table. Her water glass wasn’t there. Why that detail mattered at such a time, Elle didn’t know. A quick scan of the table revealed her glass wasn’t the only thing missing. Abby’s glass, the water carafe, and the file outlining Elle’s suspicions were also missing.

Elle swiped at her tears. “What happened to the waiter who met you at the door?”

“No one met us when we arrived,” the paramedic said.

Suspicions cut through her grief and bloomed with a sense of panic. Her file was coded in a way that it wouldn’t jeopardize national security, but if the people behind the suspicious activity got ahold of it, they would know exactly where the evidence was that could identify them.

Elle swallowed hard and forced herself to push aside her emotions and look at Abby’s lifeless body. The only thing her sister had ingested since her arrival was the water their waiter had served them, water Elle herself would have drunk had it not contained lemon slices. She stood and took a step toward the door.

“I have to go.”

“But we need more information from you.”

“Her name is Abigail Bender, and I think she was poisoned.”

Romantic Suspense Author Traci Hunter Abramson

Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, where she lived until moving to Venezuela for a study-abroad program.

After graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for several years, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. She credits the CIA with giving her a wealth of ideas as well as the skills needed to survive her children’s teenage years.

She has gone on to write more than twenty bestselling novels that have consistently been nominated as Whitney Award finalists and seven-time Whitney Award winner.

When she’s not writing, Traci enjoys spending time with her husband and five children, preferably on a nice quiet beach somewhere. She also enjoys sports, travel, writing, and coaching high school swimming.

Catch Up With Traci Hunter Abramson:

www.TraciAbramson.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

Visit all the stops along the tour!

BooksChatter

The Book Divas Reads

Christa Reads and Writes

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Tome Tender

The Bookwyrm

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Hott Books

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Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Romantic Suspense: On the Run by Traci Hunter Abramson appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Omens and Our Need For Meaning in Chaos

Omens and Our Need For Meaning in Chaos: A writer thinks about the world around her during a time of chaos.

Order Makes Us Feel Safe

Human, as a rule, long for order. As a species, we feel most comfortable if we know what to expect. Few people truly love surprises, and many people who do, if they looked close enough, would realize that they only love surprises in controlled environments.

Our need for order is often why we stay in bad situations. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” really just means, it’s scarier to step out of the order we have into the unknown, even if the present is awful.

The truth is, if one gets out of a bad situation and finds themselves in a worse one, that person can make another change, which might lead to happiness or success. But that amount of upheaval feels worse than staying in an unhappy or unsuccessful position.

Our brains are hardwired to categorize everything: friend or foe, edible or poisonous, safe or unsafe. It is this very process that has allowed us to thrive in a world where our physical bodies are at a disadvantage for survival. Horses can outrun predators. Monkeys can outclimb. Fish can outswim. Turtles can hide in their shells. Porcupines . . .

But people have soft skin, little speed, and no built-in defense mechanisms, except our ability to understand immediately whether something we encounter is dangerous or safe and the intelligence to think our way out of it. Build the better sword, fully cook our food. Invent the doc in a box.

The ability to categorize instantly worked great when we lived in small hunter/gatherer troops, it has some downsides in a modern world.

Punishment from the gods.

The Theater at Athens

Our instinct to categorize goes hand in hand with our need to find meaning in random events. Having a mind wired for explaining everything in a world where many things happen outside our understanding creates dissonance and anxiety.

Like . . . why are we being punished?

When the world is in a more obviously chaotic state, we look for omens to show us that we’re on our way out of the chaos.

In Oedipus Rex, the city of Thebes experiences a plague. A seer identifies an individual to kill, as that person’s death will appease the gods and end the plague. Which, along with all the plot twists for a good tragedy, works out for the people of Thebes.

Sophocles most likely based his play, in part, on the plague of Athens. An epidemic which killed roughly a quarter of the city’s residents during the second year of the Peloponnesian War. He, and his fellow Athenians, needed to understand the reason for the plague. An imbalance in the universe, which, with a specific action by their leader, would right itself.

Athens survived the plague, as does Sophocles’ Thebes in Oedipus Rex, so the omens are determined as true.

The Omens We See Around Us

Seeing certain flowers. Experiencing a synchronous events. Running into an old friend. We take these encounters as holding meaning. A sign we are making the right decision, on the right path, loved by the right person.

When we are making the right decision, are on the right path, and are loved by the right person, those omens come true and reinforce our belief in the system.

The downside is when our world is difficult and improvement isn’t a clear road in front of us, we see ominous portents of things to come. With no control of our futures, we see in the world around us, signs that things will get worse.

We have reached a time in our current pandemic where the catch phrase is “of course that happened, it’s 2020.”

We are finding an order in the chaos, even though that order is that things are bad and will continue to be bad because of the year we’re living in, rather than see anything bad that happens as a simple random event with a negative outcome, just as we’d have in any year, pandemic or not.

Omens For Things To Get Better

The good news in all this, is we can also see omens that things will improve. Symbols in nature. Signs in the media. Comments from our friends. So many things point to our recovery. Vaccines on the horizon. People wearing masks and taking the health of their neighbors seriously. Our ability to find beauty, even in the darkness.

There is little we can do as human beings to stop our minds from reading meaning into random, synchronous experiences. We see certain things in the world, and from those things draw conclusions about what tomorrow will bring.

But we can train ourselves to see positive omens too and hold those in our hearts.

The brave flower in the snow as rebirth.

The bluebird on the fence as a sign of happiness.

Waking up to a golden sunrise as a symbol of good things to come.

The universe is a chaotic place. Our lives take unexpected twists and turns, but there is underlying meaning to it all: The world is beautiful and wondrous gift.

We’re all in this together.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

Door image by qimono on Pixabay.

Greek Theater by yvanox on Pixabay.

Earth/Sun by qimono on Pixabay.

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Richie Narvaez Launches a Young Adult Cozy Mystery

Richie Narvaez launches his latest novel, a Young Adult Cozy Mystery: Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco.

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Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco by Richie Narvaez

Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco [image error]

Young Adult Cozy Mystery

Grade Level: 10 – 12

1st in Series

Publisher: Pinata Books (May 31, 2020)

Paperback: 248 pages

ISBN-10: 1558859020

ISBN-13: 978-1558859029

Digital Publisher: Arte Público Press (June 22, 2020)

Print Length: 255 pages

ASIN: B08BQRZLTC

[image error]

 

Holly Hernandez, voted “Miss Bright of ’79” and valedictorian at her previous school, is excited to start fresh at Flatbush Technical High School, one of the most competitive public schools in New York City. She’ll be one of thousands; anonymous. But her dreams of a normal school life disappear when her mother, a homicide detective, has to investigate the murder of Mr. Friedman, the social studies teacher.

One of her classmates, Xander Herrera, quickly becomes the primary suspect. The tall, awkward boy is socially inept, but Holly doesn’t think he’s a murderer. She is intent on exonerating him—but he wants nothing to do with her. To Xander, Holly is the overly enthusiastic student who always sits in the front row and answers all the teachers’ questions—correctly. He hates perky people!

Eventually cleared of the crime, Xander is determined to find the killer before Holly. As they race to solve the case, their separate investigations lead to a slew of suspects, including another teacher seen arguing with Friedman and a mysterious person named Steve who met with him several times before his death. Could it have been a disgruntled student? Ultimately, a trophy for a disco-dancing contest leads the intrepid young detectives to the Mission Venus nightclub and a murderer intent on killing again!

To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Amazon – Bookshop – IndieBound – B&N

Richie Narvaez: The Author

Richie Narvaez is author of the award-winning collection Roachkiller and Other Stories and the gentrification thriller Hipster Death Rattle.

His latest novel is the historical YA mystery Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco.

“[Narvaez] has one of the most interesting and compelling writing styles I’ve come across in years.”      —Lawrence Kelter, author of Back to Brooklyn

To learn more about Richie, click on his name, photo or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and GoodReads

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post Richie Narvaez Launches a Young Adult Cozy Mystery appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Concentration in the Time of a Covid Pandemic

Concentration, what is it good for? huh . . . absolutely nothing. Say it again . . .

Many aspects of our lives are impacted by our ability to concentrate. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on us in a lot of psychological, economic, and emotional ways. All of which makes it harder to concentrate.

Concentration for Work

Many folks continue to work from home, which should be “easy” right? Familiar, safe surroundings? Not so much.

People are creatures of habit. Even if there were things we didn’t like about the commute or certain co-workers, going to work every day gave a lot of us structure and comfort. Having that taken away by forces out of our control is stressful. Which makes concentrating at home  harder than it should be.

In addition to doomscrolling, we’re interrupted by our partner working in the next (or worse, same!) room. The kids are trying to go to school on the computer in the kitchen, while the dogs and cats have decided it’s now a free-for-all play time with their people at home 24/7.

I even have one friend interrupted in her day by her chickens.

Turns out it’s a lot easier to concentrate on our work when we’re in a dedicated space for those endeavors.

Marking out territory in our home for our “work” can be difficult, but making up a “Working” sign to hang on the back of your chair might not hurt. The chickens can’t read it, but the partner and the kids can, and it will be a visual reminder that you aren’t home on holiday.

Concentration for our Writing

Carving out time for our writing can be difficult in the best of times. Trying to concentrate in the moments we do manage to grab can make us feel like giving up. If we can barely find time to write, then can’t get focused when we do, we can feel overwhelmed.

The good news is, if you are wanting to write, then the muse hasn’t left you. My first suggestion is give yourself a break. You don’t have to write more words than before the pandemic started. And no one is saying you even have to write as much. Just write what you can.

It’s important to try, but it’s also fine to “fail.” Because there is no true failure in writing other than giving up.

Used to be able to rattle off 1000 words without problem? Now you spend twice as long writing 200? That’s okay. You still have 200 words. Instead of beating yourself up, applaud yourself for the little successes. All it takes for a big success, is a trail of little ones behind it.

Concentration for our Loved Ones

Yeah . . . this is me. I have found that part of why I’ve been able to get through all these months in fairly good mental shape, is my ability to put my head down and just do my thing. I write, I edit, I review, I play with my horses. Engaging in conversation doesn’t play a big role in any of those things.

If you’re anything like me, having someone around 24/7 is a little tricky. I enjoy people, but not all the time. I need downtime to recharge. So I often find after getting through a day of working harder than “before” to get my client work done, my writing done, and some semblance of housecleaning, I don’t have much energy left over for my hubby.

And he’s an extrovert!

Luckily for me, he’s also an upbeat person like myself, so we acknowledge the situation is hard on everyone and cut each other some slack. It’s a good time to spell out to your loved ones what you need. It’s not selfish, it’s better for everyone to keep stress levels down. I think it’s fine to say to the people in lockdown with you that you “need a little space right now.”

Again, the chickens might not get it, but your partner should.

I have no advice for parents about this, but if you have suggestions, feel free to put them in the comments for my readers.

Concentration for our Hobbies

Hobbies are important in these strange times. We have to keep doing things that we love and that make us feel engaged in the world.

Whether you’re an amateur painter, a knitter, a baker (oh so much baking!!) it’s good for our mental health to find ways to do things that aren’t required. To check out from our continued responsibilities and do something solely for us.

But it’s also okay NOT to work on something. The idea that we’d all come out of the pandemic speaking new languages, playing new instruments, and penning the next Great American Novel is laughable.

Hobbies should be bringing us joy right now, not adding stress because we aren’t achieving some particular level.

I’m still working on getting my banjo tuned, but I also enjoy it just sitting next to my desk, as something I’ll do when I can.

Writing a first draft is like tuning a banjo
Final Thoughts on Concentration

It’s okay if you’re having trouble concentrating. Stress will do that to you. The more you struggle against it, the more you beat yourself up, the worse it’s going to be.

Take a breath. Take a walk. Take a bath. Take a little time out, because a little quality work/writing/conversation/hobby is going to be much more productive than hours of feeling overwhelmed.

Sometimes you have to take time out in order to make forward progress.

Hang in there. We’re all in this together.

Want to read more about writing during a time of covid? Click the link here.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

Student image by geralt on Pixabay.

Writing image by free images on Pixabay.

Musician illustration by Jills on Pixabay.

The post Concentration in the Time of a Covid Pandemic appeared first on Elena Taylor.

The Firefly Warriors Club by Susan Count

The Firefly Warriors Club by Susan Count

Welcome to the latest stop on the Firefly Warriors Club Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tour! To visit all the stops along the way, click the link here.

Interview & Author Interview

Click the link here to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway!

Susan Count, Author of The Firefly Warriors Club

Susan Count writes for the joy and entertainment of young readers.

She is a best-selling, award-winning author of the Dream Horse Adventures Series.

Susan confesses to being overly fond of brownies, and horseback riding on forest trails.

The Firefly Warriors Club was written for her three grandboys who wanted an adventure of their own.

What’s a fairy grandmother to do, but wave her magic pen and create.

To learn more about Susan, click on her name or photo or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest.

About The Firefly Warriors Club

The Firefly Warriors Club (Texas Boys Adventures) [image error]

Middle-Grade Story – Age Level: 9 – 12

1st in Series

Publisher: Hastings Creations Group (October 13, 2020)

Paperback: 200 pages

ISBN-10 : 099708832X

ISBN-13: 978-0997088328

Print Length: 148 pages

Digital ASIN: B089M1XJXW

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They chase a light and then it chases them.

When a mysterious light entices twelve-year-old Davy and his bothersome cousin, Anderson, into the woods, they discover the forest is alive with wonder. Firefly magic dazzles the boys, and they vow to save the insects from destruction.

Then a fire rages in the forest. Despite the cousins’ creative efforts to help the firefighters, the situation for the fireflies plummets from grim to dire. As the blaze consumes the fireflies’ habitat, the young warriors despair.

They enlist the support of the neighboring farms to protect and save the habitat of the magical treasures. If only there was—even one left.

To buy the book, click the following link: Amazon

The Interview with Susan Count

How did you come to write for middle-grade readers?

I didn’t decide to write for middle grade and go. I wrote the first story in my natural voice and then figured out it was most suited to middle-grade. I’ve tried my hand at picture books and chapter books for younger readers without success. They may look easy, but they are far from it.

The Firefly Warriors Club combines magic and environmentalism, what inspired you to focus on those two things for a middle-grade novel?

One evening, as we walked a path at the edge of the woods, the bushes came alive with flashing lights. We were astounded at the numbers and mesmerized with delight. When we shared our experience, we were dismayed to learn that many people have never seen even a single firefly. The world is a magical place full of glory.

This is listed as the first in a series, will we see more of the dynamic duo from The Firefly Warriors Club?

I love to plot with my grandboys. We are working on a story where they get off a train in the Montana wilderness when it stops for a repair. Did you guess it left them behind? There’re wolves, and bears, and a snowstorm. So exciting.

How does this novel compare to your work in the Dream Horse Adventure Series?

A day at a horse show book table is a delightful day. But I kept getting asked if I had any stories for boys. And then my grand boys started in. What’s a fairy grandmother to do but take up her magic pen and create. The Firefly Warriors Club is not about horses, but it still has a scene where they ride horses to save a herd of cows.

You are a horseperson too! Tell us about your horses!

I’m owned by two horses and blessed that one of them allows me to ride him. He seems to enjoy being out of the forest trails as much as I do. And when he’s done, he bites the stirrup.

He is a gaited Rocky Mountain Horse, and he makes my heart smile with his antics. He’s into everything, including the hummingbird feeder. A cup of coffee is not safe from him, and when he decides he wants a bath, he knocks on the deck with his hoof.

Watching my equine treasures graze in the pasture is calming and inspires adventure stories. When I’m not writing, you can find me riding and singing for joy on the forest trails.

Inspiring young readers is so important, what can parents do to help their kids fall in love with books?

All I can tell you is what I did with my children and grandchildren. Before my babies could even sit up, they were in my lap looking at cloth and board books. They learned to equate reading with undivided attention and nurturing love. Today they are all avid readers.

What are you reading now?

Would you believe The Magic Treehouse Series? What a knock it out of the ballpark premise. Kids find a tree house full of books that can transport them in time and around the world. And The Action Bible. Actually, it’s being read to me and I’m super impressed.

My Thoughts on The Warrior Firefly Club

Susan Count has done an excellent job of weaving environmental issues into an action story. In addition to providing a fun read for Middle Grade readers, The Firefly Warriors Club also shows collaboration, empathy, and respect for others.

The two cousins feel like real boys. Davy, the protagonist is twelve, and Anderson, his obnoxious—but ultimately helpful cousin—is ten. They get into scrapes, get lost in the forest, and don’t always do what they are told, but despite their flaws, come together to do something good for the world they live in.

I also loved the character of their grandfather. He’s part grumpy old man, part cheerleader, and part salt-of-the earth farmer, who looks out for his own community just as the boys look out for the fireflies.

Rounding out the most important characters is Anderson’s dog, Chester. Every kid should have a dog, and Anderson and Davy are no exception, plus, Chester plays an important role in events.

This book is a solid read for boys, but girls will enjoy it too. There’s a lot of interesting science mixed into the action and it’s great to see male characters working together for the greater good.

Visit all the stops on the tour!

October 15 –  I’m All About Books  -SPOTLIGHT

October 15 –  Author Elena Taylor’s Blog  – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 16 –  Brooke Blogs  – SPOTLIGHT

October 16 –  A Wytch’s Book Review Blog  – REVIEW

October 17 –  Miss W Book Reviews  – REVIEW  

October 17 –  Literary Gold  – SPOTLIGHT

October 18 –  I Read Kid’s Books  – REVIEW

October 18 –  Sylv.net   – SPOTLIGHT

October 19 –  Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic  – SPOTLIGHT

October 19 –  Christy’s Cozy Corners  – REVIEW

October 20 –  Mysteries with Character  – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 20 –  Ruff Drafts  – SPOTLIGHT

October 21 –  Celticlady’s Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT

October 21 –  StoreyBook Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 –  Socrates Book Reviews  – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 –  Here’s How It Happened  – REVIEW

October 23 –  View from the Birdhouse  – SPOTLIGHT

October 24 –  Jemima Pett, Author  – REVIEW

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

The post The Firefly Warriors Club by Susan Count appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Little Falls: Debut Novel by Elizabeth Lewes

Little Falls , the debut novel by author Elizabeth Lewes, launched August 11 from Crooked Lane Books.
Interview with Little Falls Author Elizabeth Lewes

I love hosting fellow Crooked Lane authors on my blog!
Check out this starred review from Publishers Weekly. Click the link below to read the full.

“The tight, well-constructed plot complements the searing portrait of Camille as she deals with the guilt she feels over her daughter and her general rage at the world. Lewes is off to a strong start.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Little Falls by Elizabeth Lewes

She tried to forget the horrors of war–but her quiet hometown conceals a litany of new evils.

Sergeant Camille Waresch did everything she could to forget Iraq. She went home to Eastern Washington and got a quiet job. She connected with her daughter, Sophie, whom she had left as a baby. She got sober. But the ghosts of her past were never far behind.

While conducting a routine property tax inspection on an isolated ranch, Camille discovers a teenager’s tortured corpse hanging in a dilapidated outbuilding. In a flash, her combat-related PTSD resurges–and in her dreams, the hanging boy merges with a young soldier whose eerily similar death still haunts her. The case hits home when Sophie reveals that the victim was her ex-boyfriend–and as Camille investigates, she uncovers a tangled trail that leads to his jealous younger brother and her own daughter, wild, defiant, and ensnared.

The closer Camille gets to the truth, the closer she is driven to the edge. Her home is broken into. Her truck is blown up. Evidence and witnesses she remembers clearly are erased. And when Sophie disappears, Camille’s hunt for justice becomes a hunt for her child. At a remote compound where the terrifying truth is finally revealed, Camille has one last chance to save her daughter–and redeem her own shattered soul.

Available in hardback, ebook, and audio.
To buy the book, click on any of the following links: Powell’s, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Penguin/Random House

Ed Collier Photography

About the Author
Elizabeth Lewes

Elizabeth Lewes is a veteran of the United States Navy who served during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

An analyst and linguist by training, she now practices law in Seattle. Little Falls is her debut novel.

To learn more about Elizabeth, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Instagram and Twitter

The Interview with Elizabeth Lewes: Author of Little Falls



You served in the United States Navy during both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and now you practice law. That’s a complex history to bring to your debut novel. How do your real life experiences influence your fiction?

Well, I don’t write about lawyers!

More seriously, though, my experience in the military and as a veteran has heavily influenced the subject matter of what I write, but my life has been very different from that of Camille, the main character in Little Falls.

Unlike me, Camille was deployed and saw combat as an Army medic. During my stint in the Navy, I worked intelligence and was never deployed. However, the idea of Camille first struck me when I was sitting in a physical therapy clinic on the Army base where I worked.

It was during the first couple of years after Iraq and some of the guys were coming back literally shredded and we were hearing about a huge spike in suicides and mental health issues. But no one was talking about the women who were coming back.

Ever since then, I’ve been very focused on the women who are veterans and how their lives as vets—especially those who are combat vets—are so different from male veterans and female civilians.

Tell us about the town of Little Falls, Washington. I’d love to know how your friend Special Agent Luke Thomas inspired it! And tell us about Loomis

Luke and I used to work together (he’s a recovering lawyer who made the smart choice to go FBI). His family has some land up in the Okanogan that they lease to a rancher.

Several years back I joined up with some friends to buy beef from their tenant and one December a few days before Christmas, I volunteered to make the annual drive out to the butcher’s in Tonasket.

By then, I was already toying with the idea of Camille’s story, but had not been able to figure out where the story should be set.

Camille is not an urbanite by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, I had this image in my head of Camille in a beater truck by the side of the road with a mountain on one side and this gorgeous rolling plain on the other.

And as I was driving north up the highway in the first flurries of what turned out to be a massive snow storm, I realized I had found Camille’s home.

Loomis is a tiny town up in the northwestern part of Okanogan County. It has a post office and a small church and a few houses and not much else. It’s really the perfect place for someone who wants to surround herself with the hills instead of people.

None of us expected to launch books during a pandemic, but it’s a special challenge to launch a debut novel during this time. How are you adapting to the changes brought about by restrictions, homeschooling, social distancing, and so many author events moving online?

A special challenge, indeed!

In some ways it worked out well for me. I’m a lawyer by day and I have two little kids, so making it to an in-person reading or book signing would be really difficult for me.

The online experience has been pretty good, frankly. I’ve done a few interviews, one of which was on the radio in California, and lined up a couple of blog tours.

It also forced me to figure out how to use Twitter!

Mom, Veteran, Writer, Attorney, Bourbon Drinker . . . discuss.

Ha! We’ve covered the vet, writer, and attorney statuses above.

As for being a mom, I have two girls, both of whom are still quite young. People are usually a little surprised when I tell them how young my kids are because Sophie is very much a teenager. That’s when they ask if I was as much of a rebel as Sophie is!

It’s funny because much of Camille and Sophie’s relationship is drawn from my research about how veterans with PTSD sometimes have a difficult time bonding with and relating to their kids and domestic life.

And another part of their relationship draws on my experience of my mom remarrying when I was nine because in a lot of ways it felt like an abandonment even though she did not remotely abandon me. (Hi, Mom!)

And the rest of their relationship draws on my abject terror about becoming a mother. I was pregnant while I was writing the first draft of Little Falls and I was just terrified that I was going to complete screw up this poor kid because I very much still think like a sailor and have a bit of an authoritarian streak.

I’m pretty sure she’s not too maladjusted at this stage, but we’ll see what she’s like when she’s 15….

Oh, and bourbon. My mom is from Kentucky. It’s kinda required to like bourbon.

What would you most like civilians to know about the service men and women struggling with PTSD?

That PTSD does not come in one or even 49 flavors.

And, there are a lot of people in the military and veterans who have PTSD for multiple reasons, not just because of one firefight or one bombing or one dirt bag officer or chief who didn’t stand up for their sailors.

Unfortunately, we still have hazing and sexual assault in the military. We still have commands that treat women and men who stick up for them like dirt. We still have senior personnel who belittle servicemembers for trying to get help for their mental distress.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good people in the military who care and who are pushing the ball forward. But all you need to do is read about Vanessa Guillen to know that we’ve got a ways to go.

What are you working on now that Little Falls has launched??

I’m working on the next part of Camille’s story.

It’s tentatively title PERSECUTION and picks up her thread a few months after Little Falls ends.

I’m excited about it because I’m tackling some of the issues around sexual assault and the role of women in civilian society that I didn’t have space for in Little Falls and that really shapes who Camille is and also who Sophie is, frankly.

Final words of wisdom:

Keep dreaming. Keep writing. Keep querying. It can be painful, but it’s totally worth it.



Great to have you on my blog—can’t wait to read Little Falls!

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

Bourbon distillery image by Ann Boulais on Pixabay.

Header photo by JamesWilson2891 on Pixabay.

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Joel Shulkin Launches a Medical Thriller

Joel Shulkin launches a medical thriller, Adverse Effects, as his debut novel. Learn more about Joel and his exciting debut!

Love to read and support debut authors? Click the link here to learn about this domestic suspense debut from Erin Ruddy!

Joel Shulkin

Joel Shulkin, MD, is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and United States Air Force veteran with a master’s in public health.

Having been lucky enough to be mentored by the legendary Michael Palmer, his short stories have appeared in various print and online journals, and he has won several national and local writing awards for fiction and poetry.

He lives in Florida with his wife and twin daughters.

To learn more about Joel, click on his name, photo, or any of the following links: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Adverse Effects by Joel Shulkin

Determined to help her amnesiac patients recover their lives, Boston psychiatrist Cristina Silva is achieving near-miraculous results by prescribing Recognate, a revolutionary new memory-recovery drug now in trials. She understands her patients’ suffering better than most, because she’s lost her memories, too.

Desperate to become herself again, she pops the same experimental drug she prescribes to her patients. And, like them, she remembers a little more each day.

Until one of her patients, a successful accountant, jumps from an eight-story window to his death. And as Cristina’s memories return, with them come violent visions and an incessant voice in her head. Maybe the drug isn’t safe after all. But discontinuing it would mean forgetting everything she’s recalled and losing herself.

Then an enigmatic, possibly dangerous man appears at Cristina’s bus stop. He seems to know more about her life than she does and says she holds a secret that puts her life in danger. Perilously balanced between an unknown past and a terrifying future, if she wants to survive, Cristina must stay on the medication and unlock those memories before it’s too late—even if the adverse effects of the drug could destroy her.

To buy the book (hardback, ebook, and Audio), click on any of the following links: Amazon, Downpour, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Hudson

Joel Shulkin: The Interview
What inspired this particular story?

While doing my fellowship in Boston, I used to ride the bus into work.

One day, the bus was empty and I chose a seat near the heater in the middle. At the next stop, a lone man boarded and sat…directly behind me. I found it odd and disturbing, and then considered how much creepier it would be if I were a woman, and even creepier if he suddenly whispered, “I know who you are.”

I was also studying for my MPH at Harvard at the same time and taking a course on Global Human Rights and Ethics, which included a discussion on drug testing in Third World countries. By the time I told my wife, who is Brazilian, about it, we had formed the rough plot of a Brazilian doctor who’d managed to use an experimental drug (previously tested in developing countries) to recover her lost memories–only, according to the man on the bus, they weren’t her memories.

You are a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, can you tell us a little bit about what that means?

A developmental-behavioral pediatrician evaluates, counsels, and provides treatment for children with developmental delays or disorders such as autism, ADHD, or learning disorders, as well as for behavioral challenges related to developmental or other medical conditions (e.g. genetic disorders, chronic illness, etc.).

There is overlap with many other specialties including Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neurology, but the DBP often integrates these disciplines with an understanding of general pediatrics in order to consider how all these aspects affect a child’s developmental and behavior and, in turn, how medical conditions may present in children with developmental disorders.

Most of my time is spent diagnosing, directing to therapeutic services, and monitoring development over time; but I also have a segment of my caseload for whom I prescribe psychotropic medications.

Another major role of the DBP is advocacy for these children and their families at local, state, and national/international levels.

How long were you in the US Air Force? How did your years in the service impact your writing life and career?

I served 6 years Active Duty in the USAF (3 in residency, and 3 overseas in Germany).

From a professional standpoint, I learned to understand community pediatrics–how to use limited resources and the realities of diagnosing and treating children with complex developmental disorders away from “The Ivory Towers” of major teaching hospitals.

I also learned how the military system works, including its successes and shortcomings. While I didn’t do much writing during my AD time, I made my first attempt at a novel during my “year off” between separating from the military and returning to DBP fellowship; this is also when I started reading books on writing and taking courses to learn how to be a successful author.

My third full medical thriller novel, HEROIC MEASURES, which is currently with beta readers, draws on my military experience to look at what would happen if an attempt to create a Super-Soldier went horribly wrong. You can find a short synopsis on my website. (Click on the link here).

What are you working on now?

A sequel to Adverse Effects will launch in 2021. In addition to editing HEROIC MEASURES, I am currently working on a fourth medical thriller about a woman with an incurable, degenerative illness who suddenly starts recovering for no clear reason, making her the target of a several groups who want to know the reason–including one willing to kill to get it.

Congratulations on your debut, Joel! Sounds like a terrific book. I’d love to have you visit us again next year with your second novel.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

Header Photo by qimono on Pixabay.

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Writing Goals During a Time of Covid

Writing goals can feel out of reach during these strange and stressful times.

As we launch into the seventh month of a worldwide pandemic, I hear a lot of my writer friends talk about how hard it is to keep writing.

So many things are vying for our attention that concentrating on a manuscript is even more challenging than usual. It’s tough to keep our minds on a set of fictional characters when so much real world drama plays out all around us.

The first two months or so of lockdown were difficult for me as well, then something clicked and I’ve managed to get back on a productive schedule. Even though each one of our situations is different, I wanted to share a few things I’ve discovered to keep me motivated and inspired to write. Maybe something will click for you.

The Goals of Other Writers Inspire Me

Every Wednesday morning at 9am Pacific Time, I lead an online writing workshop. Taught via livestream through a Zoom meeting, I spend an hour with an amazing group of writers. Anyone can join us, for free, as #WeWriteThrough — it inspires me how many of these writers show up week after week, to work on their craft. They come with smart questions and works-in-progress. They take time out of their daily lives to find new ways to keep their writing on track.

If you’d like to join us, click here for the link to register.

My Writing Goals Haven’t Changed

No matter how tough things are right now, and I fully recognize the tragedies befalling so many people, my writing goals haven’t changed. I am a novelist. That’s what I do and who I am. The fact I have manuscripts to finish isn’t impacted by a global pandemic, so that helps me keep my fingers on the keyboard.

What mattered to me about being a writer before March still matters to me now. I have stories to tell and that will only happen if I continue to write.

There is Still Such Wonder in the World

My goofball Radar is a popular choice for my moments of Zen. I document his love affair with traffic cones.

It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed by everything we see, read, hear, and experience because of the pandemic. Even if we haven’t been directly impacted by illness or job loss, we see the people around us suffering. That can make anyone want to craw into bed and pull the covers over their head.

Writing goals might feel unimportant in the face of such devastation.

But the world is still an incredible place. One of the things I do regularly to keep my spirits up is post my “moments of Zen.” Anyone who follows me on Facebook has likely seen my videos, usually of my horses, cats, dog, or the gorgeous river behind my house.

I post these for others to enjoy, but also because it keeps me connected to the wonder I know I can find every day in the world around me.

From a fuzzy caterpillar to the clouds crossing overhead, even a thirty-second reminder of beauty can help energize me and make it easier to focus on my goals.

To follow me on Facebook, click the link here.

This Too Shall Pass

I’ve said it before and I’ll likely say it again: This Too Shall Pass

As much as it might feel like this will be our new normal for all eternity, the reality is, there will be a vaccine. We will find a cure. The pandemic will end.

We will be able to travel again and see our loved ones and meet up with friends in bars. It won’t be this week or this month, perhaps not even this year, but it will happen.

I am confident that within the next year, things are going to look very different than they do right now, and whether or not we have continued to work on our writing is solely up to us.

A year from now, we will all be a year older, but how many words we’ve put down on the page is a choice.

I reach my writing goals because I make a choice, almost every day, to write. It’s not always easy. The work is often terrible. But the commitment is what matters.

Get the draft out. Get the rewrites done. Polish. Submit. Repeat.

Want to know more about my writing process? Click the link here to find out why writing a first draft is like playing a banjo.

As with many things in life, we have little control over the behavior of others, all we have control over is ourselves.

There are few things in the world I love more than writing. Even when it’s hard. Even when I want to crawl in bed and pull the blankets over my head. I’m driven by the need to let my characters out.

Don’t let a pandemic keep you from your own personal goals.

Every morning, wake up and ask yourself, do I want to write today?

Then say yes.

You’ll be glad you did.

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

Header photo from QuinceCreative on Pixabay.

Silhouette from mohamed_hassan on Pixabay.

Chaos sign from geralt on Pixabay.

The post Writing Goals During a Time of Covid appeared first on Elena Taylor.

Tina Kashian: Spotlight on Her Latest Cozy

Tina Kashian joins us on her Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tour for her latest Kebab Kitchen Mystery, Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder. Click the link here to check out all of Tina’s tour stops.

To enter the Rafflecopter giveaway, click the link here.

Wondering about other Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tours? Don’t miss recent posts for mystery authors Vicki Delany and Nupur Tustin. Click on their names to visit the posts.


The Book: Mistletoe, Moussaka & Murder

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

5th in Series

Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020)

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages

ISBN-10: 1496726073

ISBN-13: 978-1496726070

Digital ASIN: B082WR6DMT

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Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

Recipes included!

To buy the book, click any of the following links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Books, iBooks, Kobo

Tina Kashian: The Author

Tina Kashian is an attorney and mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She is the author of the popular Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing.

Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years.

Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

To learn more about Tina, click on her name, photo, or any of the following links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bookbub, and Goodreads

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite on-line retailers. And don’t forget many independent bookstores can order books for you and have them shipped to your home or for curbside pickup.

For more information on All We Buried, click on the link here to visit the home page.

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