Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 81
June 11, 2013
Link of the Week – Goodkindles
This week it’s all about bringing authors to readers. Goodkindles features new free and cheap books available for Kindles everyday. Not only is it a website, but readers can signup for a daily newsletter showcasing those books. Plus, readers can also follow Goodkindles via Twitter and Facebook to learn about new books and giveaways. Another nice thing about this website, authors can sign up their books even if they are not free or bargain-bin priced. And the prices to list books range from $8-$20. Wow!
Give it a look-see, will ya.
https://www.facebook.com/goodkindles
June 5, 2013
Getting schooled
Song of the Day: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
Me, on any given day.
This may come to a surprise to you, but I’m not a real Caribbean pirate. Not in the sense that I have actually learned to sail 16th century wooden ship, or have sacked poor, unsuspecting, seaside port towns. Yet. But I have sailed on a wooden ship and I have done extensive research on pirates.
Fact matters. So they say. As authors, we really need to get our facts straight, even for the minutest details. No skimping. Some readers zero in on when you do. Even if you don’t realize it.
Case in point, I recently received an email calling me out on the misuse of shipboard terms. Don’t get me wrong, the gentleman meant no harm and no criticism. He merely wanted me to know in case I was not aware—which I truly appreciated.
And since I will be continuing my series with a few more books, I’d be remiss not taking his suggestion seriously. And stupid. For more than one reason.
Authors, no matter where they are in their writing careers, should never stop learning. Whether it’s craft, industry, new genres, research, publishing, there’s lots of fluid information out there. No one person can claim to know it all. Not even a pirate diva.
My misuse, or lack of proper vocabulary, prompted this reader to reach out to me. It bothered him enough to go to the trouble. That’s a point of contact. Somewhere, he received my book. He read my book. He visited my website. I am now an author he knows.
He’s likely not the only one to notice my nomenclature. On the flip side, because of the cordial way he contacted me, it allowed me to respond and hopefully connect with the reader in a positive way.
Quick! What kind of knot is this?
Long before I even played with the notion of writing, I sent an email to an author I adored, asking about her pen name and the meaning behind it. I was pregnant with my first child and loved the name Kinley. I wanted to know more about the name. Imagine how blown away I was when she cheerfully responded. I’d already enjoyed her books, but by not simply overlooking or ignoring my email, and taking a moment to indulge me, she gained a fan for life. You guys know her better as Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Another reason I gladly accepted his suggestion is that this man, without saying it, is far more knowledgeable with shipboard terminology than myself. No, he is not a pirate. But his signature indicated he served in the Navy…as a captain. Now, I’m not saying I gained a fan for life. But it is my hope that the man regarded my response favorably.
Authors should strive to get the facts right, no doubt. However, sometimes creative license comes into play. In my case, though the captain enlightened me with a shipboard term I was not previously keen on, another I was completely in the know. Readers don’t always know the meanings behind specialized, time specific, genre distinct, or characteristically slang vocabulary. Sometimes, writers need to interchange words and phrases with more common terms. For example, I use ropes and ratlines to describe ship rigging because my target audience might not know what clew lines or halyards are, or where to find them. I don’t want to slow the readers pace by causing them to pause. I want them to engaged.
We can research until our eyes pop out of our skulls, but there will always be something we have not learned or have overlooked.
How about you? Has someone ever caught you? Have you been humbly corrected? Or perhaps you were in the right? Maybe you were the one who caught a misstep. Let me hear from you.
June 4, 2013
Link Of The Week- What’s In A Name?
One of the problems with writing any kind of story is that you have to have so many names! Not everyone can be John Jones who lived on Main Street in Smithville, USA. BORING!!
Read what the creator of this very awesome web site has to say:
“The reason this website was created was because it is so hard to think of cool names! The task of thinking up names can be quite monotonous and boring, but with NameGenerator.biz I hope the task is made easier for you. This website provides a free set of name generators that anyone can use to create their own unique name for screen names, place names, names for game characters and more. I have added a few useful features to the name generators, some are: a previous names list and the ability to click on previous names and have them transfered to the ‘Favorite Names’ list where you can keep a list of all the names you think are good.”
I’ve just finished creating a fictional town complete with a fictional lake and characters- all generated from this site. Have fun!
Cheers,
Stacey
June 3, 2013
Talk Back: do you track your manuscript rejections
On my Kindle: Once upon a Tower by Eloisa James
Talk Back – Tell us how you write!
As I’m starting the process of submitting my manuscript to agents, which I haven’t done in a while, my brain is leaving the “I’m awesome/I’m horrible” state to a more realistic “I’m normal” mind-frame as my rejections start piling in.
Yep it hurts. And that why stumbling upon an article about rejections by author Tobias Buckell really helped me this week.
Go ahead and read it. I’ll stay here and wait for you.
Done? Helpful isn’t it?
I never done much in way of tracking rejections beside making sure I don’t submit the same story to the same person twice. But now I’m thinking of using some kind of spreadsheet for life.
Just as a way of reminding myself that rejections are part of the writer job and that there will never be a time in my career when I will no longer get them.
So tell me… Do you track your rejection? And how do you do that? Spreadsheet? Notebook? Your bedroom wall?
The floor is all yours! Let’s hear from you 
Much love,
Marie-Claude xoxox
Location:Seattle
May 31, 2013
MuseTracks Guest – Kim Cresswell – The Difference Between Mystery and Suspense – Giveaway!
MuseTracks is pleased to host award-winning suspense author Kim Cresswell, and she’s brought us an excerpt of her new book REFLECTIONS. One commenter will be randomly chosen to receive an eBook copy of Kim’s latest book, REFLECTION. Take it away, Kim!
The Difference Between Mystery and Suspense
Although mystery is an element found in almost every genre…what if there weren’t any secrets to uncover or bad guys to catch? Why would you want to turn the pages and continue reading? Romance, romantic suspense, thrillers or many other genres all have some sort of element of mystery.
Mystery novels involve a puzzle–a game of whodunit. A crime usually happens and it’s up to the protagonist to uncover the truth.
In a suspense novel–a threat and imminent danger must be resolved not a puzzle being resolved.
Something is coming. Footsteps. Bad guys. Run! Run! Run!
It’s the ticking bomb concept.
A suspense novel builds then ebbs creating an emotional rollercoaster. The author ensures the ride crashes at the right moment with a big bang.
I love writing and reading romantic suspense, not only does the suspense provide instant tension in a story, I love the push-pull-tug-of-war of romance.
Will the hero and heroine get together? Will they overcome the conflict and live happily ever after?
In my book REFLECTION, my heroine, reporter, Whitney Steel is investigating an alleged human cloning project when she meets up with the hero, FBI Agent, Blake Neely, who is searching for his own answers. Everything from this point on focuses on Blake and Whitney discovering whether or not the villain has produced the world’s first cloned human. Whitney and Blake don’t set out to fall in love. The relationship between the hero and heroine evolves because of the suspense.
So what is the perfect blend of romance and suspense? In my opinion–a kick-ass heroine and a sexy FBI agent, sizzling romance, murder, and lots and lots of mayhem!
Blurb
Florida investigative reporter, Whitney Steel, has lived in the shadow of her legendary father long enough. To prove herself she needs to find the “Big” story.
She found it.
Now it may kill her.
After Whitney receives a lead pointing to the world’s first cloned human, now a small child, she vows to unravel the truth. However, sifting through the facts proves to have dangerous results, including death threats and murder.
When Whitney is nearly killed, but is saved by undercover FBI Special Agent, Blake Neely, he refuses to let her get in the way of his own objective—at least not right away.
Caught in a lethal game between a billionaire obsessed with genetic perfection, his hit man’s thirst for retribution, and a Colombian drug lord fresh out of prison determined to make Blake pay for his twin brother’s death over a decade ago…
Can they save an innocent child before it’s too late?
Faced with tough choices, with deadly consequences for many—Whitney soon realizes that sometimes a story becomes more than just a story.
Excerpt
Whitney rummaged through her leather bag, placed her digital voice recorder on the table and gave the record button a firm push. “For the record, Senator Bailey, did you kill Carmen Lacey?”
“No.” He leaned back in the chair and loosened his pinstriped tie. “It’s true. I was the last person to see her alive. But there’s more to this than you think.”
Brown eyes that once set her heart hammering now conveyed a chilling,hollow look. Was it guilt? Desperation?
No. Fear.
Uneasiness slid down her spine. She stopped the recorder. “Mason, you’re scaring me. What the hell is going on? It’s been over three years since we last spoke. Then, out of the blue, you beg me to meet with you today. I know the police don’t believe you killed that woman.”
“But do you, Whitney? Do you believe I killed her? I need to know. It’s important.”
Stunned by the urgency in his voice, she answered carefully. “Of course not. You’re many things, but you’re not a killer.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He reached for his empty glass and tapped his chunky gold ring against the side.
Whitney turned the recorder on again.
“Carmen was a scientist working for a biotech company in Nevada. ShawBioGen. Heard of it?”
“Who hasn’t? They were one of the first to clone animals in the eighties. Caused quite a stir. But I don’t understand. What does that have to do with Carmen’s death?”
He opened his mouth to answer.
The large window behind them dividing the patio from the main restaurant exploded…
Where to Buy
MuseItUp Publishing | Amazon | AmazonUK | Bookstrand | Smashwords | CoffeeTime Romance | Omnilit | ARe | ibookstore | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Available in paperback at Amazon & Createaspace
About
Kim Cresswell resides in Ontario, Canada. Trained as a legal assistant, Kim has been a story-teller all her life but took many detours including; working for a private investigator, running a graphic design business, and teaching computer classes at a local business school. After becoming disabled with Fibromyalgia and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome, Kim returned to her first love, writing.
She has a few works in progress. Lethal Journey, a “short novel” thriller, will be released this summer. The sequel to her award-winning debut romantic suspense, Reflection, is slated for release later this year. Kim is also contributing two true crime stories for the upcoming True Crime Serial Killers Anthology available for purchase in December.
Web Site: www.kimcresswell.ca
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KimCresswellBooks
Twitter: @kimcresswell
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6898395.Kim_Cresswell
Kim would love to hear from you. Comment and you could win an eBook copy of REFLECTION.
May 29, 2013
Hump Day Kick Start – Slither Edition
Song of the Day: Slither by Velvet Revolver
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.
It’s that time again. Time for man and beast.
Who is our lean, fit subject today? Snake charmer? Wildlife wrangler? Herpetologist? What happened to his shirt? (Not that I’m complaining.) Is he stranded in the jungle? How did he get there? ? Is he an actor on the set of the next Tarzan movie? Is he a modern day Adam? If so, where is Eve?
Don’t let the size of his snake scare you. Let’s hear your take.
May 28, 2013
Link of the Week – ShortStack
Want to customize your Facebook page with contests, videos, various forms like for your newsletters, run surveys, and MORE? Check out ShortStack. ShortStack can do all this
for your social media pages, blog, website, and mobile devices.
Check it out!
http://www.shortstack.com/#lightbox/0/
May 27, 2013
Happy Memorial Day
MuseTracks wishes you a happy, safe holiday. But let us not forget why we celebrate. Let us not forget those who have served and fallen for the United States of America, from its birth to the present, ensuring our freedoms. Happy Memorial Day!
May 22, 2013
Hump Day Kick Start – Smoldering Edition
Song of the Day: Addicted by Saving Abel (I just love this song.)
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.
Hello? Are you with me? *waves hand in front of glassy eyes*
Great. Now I have your attention. Week #2 of taking on a challenge of posting a white-hot picture. Let’s hope I have won a few favors with this one.
Who is our gentleman. *snort* Tell me about him. Where is the hunk du jour from? Does the dragon tattoo have significance? Is he waiting for someone, and if so, who? Is he a skilled mercenary? The leader of a biker gang? The drummer of a rock band? A male stripper? A member of the Village People revival movement? My masseuse?
You tell me. What’s his story?
May 21, 2013
Link of the Week – TV Tropes
This week’s Link of the Week comes courtesy from MuseTracker, Marie-Claude. It’s TV Tropes and it could be very useful for plots, characters, dialogue, etc. Narrow it down to 
genre, motifs, setting, good grief, it’s a treasure trove. It’s just a site you have to check out and see what rings your bell. It’s seriously handy.
Click here to dive into TV Tropes main index.
