Ellis Vidler's Blog, page 24
August 15, 2011
End of an Era
Today my guest is Warren Bull, author, editor, reviewer, and blogger (check out writers who kill)--all in all, a very talented man!My favorite mystery bookstore, I Love a Mystery, in Mission, Kansas is closing in mid August. In some ways I'm glad that I will be in New Zealand when it finally happens. In other ways I am sad not to be able to squeeze in every possible moment before the store
Today my guest is Warren Bull, author, editor, reviewer, ...
Today my guest is Warren Bull, author, editor, reviewer, and blogger (check out writers who kill)--all in all, a very talented man!My favorite mystery bookstore, I Love a Mystery, in Mission, Kansas is closing in mid August. In some ways I'm glad that I will be in New Zealand when it finally happens. In other ways I am sad not to be able to squeeze in every possible moment before the store
August 12, 2011
Personalities--alpha, beta, or gamma?
Bruce Willis, Tears of the Sun
As we all know, a SEAL team took out Osama bin Laden. I believe it was also a SEAL team that shot the Somali pirates, the ones who took the ship captain prisoner. SEALs seem to be the supermen of our day—no wonder they're featured in so many romantic suspense novels. I wonder what sort of personalities they have in real life. In books they're always alpha males
As we all know, a SEAL team took out Osama bin Laden. I believe it was also a SEAL team that shot the Somali pirates, the ones who took the ship captain prisoner. SEALs seem to be the supermen of our day—no wonder they're featured in so many romantic suspense novels. I wonder what sort of personalities they have in real life. In books they're always alpha males
August 8, 2011
Riding with the Harley Dogs: One Author's Adventure
My guest today is best-selling New York Times author Angie Fox. Her latest release is The Last of the Demon Slayers.
I'd always known writing would be an adventure, but I never predicted my writing would put me on the back of a coal black Harley Davidson, with an Irish Setter in tow. I'd set out to write a paranormal about a straight-laced preschool teacher turned demon slayer who has to run off
I'd always known writing would be an adventure, but I never predicted my writing would put me on the back of a coal black Harley Davidson, with an Irish Setter in tow. I'd set out to write a paranormal about a straight-laced preschool teacher turned demon slayer who has to run off
August 6, 2011
The Word "Mortified"
Lucille Ball
The use of this word puzzles me. Yesterday someone told me they were mortified when diagnosed with cancer. (The diagnosis was years ago—the person has been cancer free for many years now.) Someone else told me they were mortified at hearing a tasteless joke. Another was mortified at a near miss by an oncoming car. These examples stuck with me because they rang false in my ear. Am I
The use of this word puzzles me. Yesterday someone told me they were mortified when diagnosed with cancer. (The diagnosis was years ago—the person has been cancer free for many years now.) Someone else told me they were mortified at hearing a tasteless joke. Another was mortified at a near miss by an oncoming car. These examples stuck with me because they rang false in my ear. Am I
July 30, 2011
THE RULE OF THREE
The rule of three for characters: each plotline should have three central characters. This allows for six relationships to be developed, plenty for a novel. Picture a triangle. The rule of three for plot development: Things usually happen in threes in a story. The first time something happens in a plot, it's an incident. The second time it happens it becomes a pattern. By the third time, the
July 25, 2011
Swallowing the Criticism of Your Baby.
Today my friend Maryn Sinclair, author of two exciting erotic romance novels, is my guest. Her books are Sexual Persuasion and a new one, The Escort.
The Escort
Someone criticized your book? The nerve of them. It's like an acquaintance looking down into the carriage at your cooing infant and making a face. Doesn't she know your baby is the most beautiful creature ever created? It's no
The Escort
Someone criticized your book? The nerve of them. It's like an acquaintance looking down into the carriage at your cooing infant and making a face. Doesn't she know your baby is the most beautiful creature ever created? It's no
July 23, 2011
Similes like . . .
She danced like . . .
Similes can add richness to a story, but they should fit the context and be parallel in thought to the word or phrase they're being compared to. And of course, they should be used in moderation. Anything, no matter how good, can be overdone.
American Heritage Dictionary: A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced
Similes can add richness to a story, but they should fit the context and be parallel in thought to the word or phrase they're being compared to. And of course, they should be used in moderation. Anything, no matter how good, can be overdone.
American Heritage Dictionary: A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced
July 18, 2011
Best Bookstore Cat Ever!
How do you feel about bookstore (or any store) animals? Personally, I love them and go out of my way to a shop that has a companion. Today's blog, by Lelia Taylor, is about Hamilton.Creatures 'n Crooks Bookshoppe was a genre bookstore, focusing on mystery, science fiction, fantasy and horror for all ages. We had a terrific time---not everybody gets to say they love to go to work every day---but,
July 15, 2011
An Apostrophe Does not a Plural Make
Plurals are formed by adding s or es to the root word. That's it. Nothing else. This is a simple rule but apparently it's a difficult one for some people to learn. When I see an apostrophe s instead of plural in a book, I think it's a typo, but when I see several, I figure the author or editor doesn't know how to form a plural. When I see misused apostrophes, I usually see many other grammatical
