Tyora Moody's Blog, page 3
August 20, 2021
Bittersweet Motives Audiobook
Former reporter Serena “Rena” Manchester has transitioned into her new career as a private detective. The Clayton Matthews Law firm sends a few investigations her way that pay the bills, though the work is hardly exciting. However, a shift occurs one day while she is taking photos of a prominent businessman, Edwin Peters, with his young mistress. When the woman shows up dead, Serena has no doubt that Edwin Peters is the prime suspect.
A monkey wrench is thrown at her theory when Serena realizes her client, Mrs. Judith Peters, has just as much motive to kill the young woman. Rena is going to need her hard-nosed tactics to find a murderer because the suspects keep piling up. Which one of these people succeeded in killing the troubled woman?
August 2, 2021
Waning Innocence, Serena Manchester Mysteries, Book 3
June 28, 2022
A mother pleads for help to find her missing daughter.
At first, law enforcement thinks the girl ran away with her boyfriend. When the boyfriend���s body is found, it becomes imperative to find the missing young woman.
Evidence is pointing towards the woman not really being in danger but on the run after committing murder. Not sure what to believe, PI Serena Manchester is starting to wonder if she should have taken this case on at all.
The clock is ticking as Serena and her crew go down a rabbit hole, trying to find a woman, who may or may not want to be found.
July 30, 2021
Book Review | How To Write a Series
I have purchased writing craft books on character development, dialogue, and plotting, but I don’t recall ever seeing a book about series. So, this book piqued my interest since I’m currently brainstorming three new book series.
Two of my new book series are going to be spin-offs of existing book series so I’m essentially expanding those “universes.”
The third book series will have all-new characters. So, perfect timing to dive into a book about series.
What did I learn? There’s no ONE way to write a series. 😃
Like most of the books I’ve read over the past few weeks, structure and planning are pretty important.
As more books are written for the series, there are bound to be times when you completely forget what you wrote in earlier books.
I’m on book #5 for the Eugeena Patterson Mysteries and it has been essential to keep a SERIES document. Some people may call their document a bible, but I’m from the tech world, so I call mine a KB, short for Knowledge Base.
The author of HOW TO WRITE A SERIES breaks down some details that I haven’t thought about so I will be updating my KBs for my ongoing and new series.
Have you ever wondered if and when you should STOP writing a series? The author offers some great advice.
I have one of my existing book series that I’m rebranding the covers so I can pump some life back into it. I thought I would write more than three books, but I will see how the rebranding goes.
Sometimes you have to do your best and let things go!
Anyhow, HOW TO WRITE A SERIES is another recommended read.
What are my book series?
Eugeena Patterson Mysteries (#cozymystery)
Serena Manchester Mysteries (#womensleuthmystery)
The Reed Family (#mysteryromance)
Victory Gospel Series (#mysteryromance)
July 24, 2021
Double Mocha Blues (Joss Miller Mysteries, Book 1)
2022
Jocelyn “Joss” Miller is a twenty-something who works as a barista at Sugar Creek Cafe, a hip coffeehouse with deep ties to the local arts and music community. Between her bohemian boss and a host of eclectic co-workers and customers, Joss is finally feeling like she’s found her place in the world. For once in a really long-time, her love life is even looking promising.
It’s been a few years since she found her mom’s biological mother. As a way to heal and move forward both Joss’s mom and her newly acquired grandmother give Joss their blessing to create a special tribute to a grandfather she’s never known. What seems like an innocent gesture sets off a firestorm of reactions in the community, especially with one shop owner who’d rather not be reminded of how Joss’s grandfather had been murdered years ago.
When the shop owner is found dead, Joss’s boss becomes the number one suspect. With her beloved boss and the cafe in deep trouble, Joss finds herself tracking down the real murderer.
Secrets Left Behind (Reed & Hampton Mysteries, Book 1)
TBA 2023
A young woman has gone missing . An FBI agent haunted by her last case. She’s determined to solve this cold case. It may be her last investigation.Assigned to a newly formed task force dedicated to solving cold cases, FBI Agent Ebony Hampton is approaching a crossroad in her career and her life. She’s been tasked with reopening the investigation into the high-profile disappearance of a senator’s daughter.
Her one ray of sunshine is her rekindled romance with her ex-fiance and true crime writer, Jax Reed. But his obsessive interest in cracking this cold case places their second chance at love in jeopardy.
When Ebony and Jax stumble upon a breakthrough in the case, there will be a lot more on the line than their relationship. Someone is dead set on making sure the truth is never uncovered.
July 23, 2021
Book Review | Dictate Your Book: How To Write Your Book Faster, Better, and Smarter
Early on in my writing journey, I became curious about dictation. Not out of laziness!
I’m a web developer in my day job and I have a side business designing book covers (@tywebbin). Whether I want to or not, my hands are always on a keyboard, during the day and many hours into the night.
Sitting for long hours and having carpal tunnel issues is a big concern for me. But I have these characters with stories to tell too. 😔
This past year, I started something new where I record my scenes and then have them transcribed. This increased my ability to knock out the first draft a lot quicker. To me, real writing comes with rewriting, which is the part I love. 🤩
I also found talking out loud made brainstorming more productive for me. I would stop and think what if and completely change what I had on my outline. I loved this!
DICTATE YOUR BOOK also encourages having your structure or an outline before you start dictating. The author uses Dragon software for her dictation. She also provides some commands and how you can master those commands.
I don’t use Dragon right now. I tried many, many years ago and just didn’t like it, but having this book in my personal library now, I may try it again.
For now, I record scenes using VoiceMemos on my phone. Last year, I discovered Otter during the pandemic. They were pumping their services to use with Zoom, but I starting playing around and realized I could (using the paid service) could upload my files. Now you don’t have to use the paid service, you could record using their app.
I like the voice app because I just like having a copy of the recording for later until I finalize the manuscript.
Do you use speech-to-text software?
July 16, 2021
Book Review | 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love
The title of this book caught my attention. Let me start by saying I’m NOT trying to write 10,000 words a day, but was curious to know why an author would want to do this. My carpal tunnel is already in full effect! 😃
It boils down to how many books you want to write a year.
I mainly write 1-2 books a year, with novellas and short stories in between. I’m so thankful for #readers who love short reads because that’s what I’ve been writing a good bit the past few years.
So in 2021, I have published three novellas and I’m currently working on my first full-length book for the year, my cozy mystery. I have a Christmas novella in mind, but I’m very conscious about NOT overdoing it. So, we will see. It pays to be flexible! I’m not a full-time author yet. That’s a goal for retirement (which isn’t that far for me now).
If you are a FULL-TIME AUTHOR or this is YOUR DESIRE, this book encourages having a structure in place prior to writing. The author dives into plotting, character development, and even the editing process.
I like some of the methods the author introduces, the main one being a scene map. That was completely new to me. Anything that involves grabbing some color markers, I’m all in. 🥰 I definitely feel like a scene map would help with seeing plot holes quicker. Oh yeah, and those red herrings have to be placed just right too for #mystery or #cozymystery.
Being a writer is a solo and very unique experience, so I like seeing how other authors tackle the process. I recommend this read for that reason alone. You may find a few takeaways from the book as I did.
Just in case you are curious about what I published this year.
NOBODY’S REPLACEMENT (Romance)
FAITHFUL HEART (Romantic Suspense novella)
WOUNDED HEART (Romantic Suspense novella)
AN UNSAVORY MESS (Cozy Mystery, 10.26.2021)
July 9, 2021
Book Review | A Book A Week: How I Outline and Draft a Full Novel in Just A Week
This past weekend, I did something I haven’t done in a while. I purchased quite a few writing and marketing books. Over the next few weeks, I will post some of these. Most of them are #quickreads for #writers.
I outline my books but I’m always open to seeing how other authors outline. I’ve been trying out Kate Hall’s 3 Act Structure. It’s been a great way to jumpstart the brainstorming process and expand the outlines I’ve been working on.
Have you read this book?
June 20, 2021
Nobody’s Replacement Audiobook
She’s definitely nobody’s replacement.
Donna Madison has been enjoying a whirlwind romance the past nine months with her childhood friend, Maxwell Anderson. Despite her budding relationship, she has fought to reign in her insecurities. Maxwell had a wife and a family before she entered his life again. The occasional tension that arises between Donna and Maxwell’s teenage daughter painfully reminds her of the devastating loss in the Anderson family.
Tensions increase when an unexpected visitor comes to town. The presence of Maxwell’s sister-in-law, a woman who looks hauntingly like his deceased wife throws Donna for a loop. Will Donna trust God or will she make a move that she may regret for the rest of her life?
With All My Heart Audiobook
What happens when you reach out to help your worst enemy?
Vanessa Reed had been at odds for years with Evelyn Underwood. Despite the woman’s affair with her husband, Vanessa had moved on and forgiven Justice Reed. She’s even accepted Jax Reed, the son born of the affair as if he were one of her own children. As Vanessa prepares to bring her family together for the holidays, she contemplates one of her greatest tests of faith and the consequences.
